Hello,
I just found this site researching information for my father. He was diagnosed with RSD approximately 8 years ago after a knee surgery. His orthopedic surgeon did not diagnose it right away and continued to operate on my father. Being that it was undiagnosed/untreated for so long, my father has not reacted positively to most of the treatments that he has received. In addition to that, he was recently diagnosed with Charcot's Foot. It is very common in diabetic patients; however, my father is not diabetic. Has anyone had this experience with Charcot's Foot with a diagnosis of RSD?
Also, my father is having an operation to correct the Charcot's Foot and I am worried that the staff is not taking the correct precautions with the anesthesia. I have read that RSD patients need to have a continuous regional anesthesia of some sort before during and after surgery. I met with his orthopedic surgeon, who will be operating on his foot and he said that they will not be doing any type of special epidural at any time during the operation. He does not want my father to be numb until they know if the RSD has flared up. Then he said he would do something to treat it, like an epidural. This does not mesh with any of the research that I have read. Everything has stated that a continuous regional anesthesia is the best preventative measure for RSD flare-ups or spreading of the disease after an operation on someone who already has a RSD diagnosis. Any feedback would be appreciative. Once this new medical issue is under control and I am hoping that my father can resume treatment for his RSD.

Thank you! mfrancis.palmer