Denny,
I am really sorry that you did not find Andrea's research paper accurate in certain areas. While I respect your position and your concerns, I would like to address the portion that you referenced on opioid pain medication. I do not think that ANY of us here dismiss the usefulness and appropriateness of opioid pain meds as a portion of the overall treatment of RSD. I do not think that any person who suffers from this disorder judges anyone else for whatever meds they need to take in order to function and maintain as much quality of life as possible. In reading her paper again myself, I do not get any sense that her comments on opioid medications would cause the reader to walk away believing that those who take them are drug seekers or addicts.

All of us who suffer from this disease know that NO "high" achieved from any meds could justify the pain that we endure or could make us want to remain sick so as to continue to get the meds. Quite the opposite has been proven:
"Opioid medications can be effective in many patients. Physicians use these medications when non-opioid pain relievers are not effective and before considering invasive treatment such as surgery or spinal cord stimulation. (See CRPS treatment options.)� Opioids also are used to reduce the level of pain so that other forms of treatment, such as physical therapy, can be administered without causing additional discomfort. Many pain medicine physicians favor the use of long-acting opioids taken on a regularly timed, rather than "as-needed," basis. Although opioids are subject to a great deal of misunderstanding, such drugs usually can be used for legitimate medical reasons with little fear of addiction. However, tolerance can develop with long-term use and a patient may require increasing doses for pain control. This can lead to undesirable side effects. Make sure your physician is very familiar with the use of opioid drugs before taking them for pain management. The bottom line is that opioids are useful only if they help promote an increase in physical activity along with offering some pain relief and do not cause debilitating, undesirable side effects. Also, opioids must be used cautiously in patients with a history of addictive behavior."

http://www.nationalpainfoundation.or...CRPS_Myths.asp

I think that you may have lost sight of the fact that this was a COLLEGE research paper written on the subject of RSD. It was not intended to be submitted to a medical journal for other doctors or medical professionals to reference nor does Andrea claim to be a doctor. I could see how FOR THE PURPOSE IN WHICH IT WAS WRITTEN it was appropriately and well written and well researched.

Regarding the discrepancy of the SCS, Andrea also had a unit installed.
I personally do not know how many manufacturers there are of them or how many sizes, but I imagine that there could be some size discrepancy on different models or for different locations placed in the body??? This is mere conjecture on my part, but I don't know how relevant it is in the scheme of the overall topic??

I'm genuinely sorry that you felt offended by parts of her paper, but I think that if you step back and put it in perspective (it was a college English paper) you have to agree how well written and thorough it was! I do not think that her brief mention of narcotic pain meds was meant to insult or offend or degrade ANYONE. I certainly did not feel condemned by her assessment of them, nor do I believe that was her intention. I think it needed to be as objective as possible for the purpose in which it was written.

I am grateful for any and every accurate exposure that this disease gets in the general public. She had to present that paper to her class, and so there are a group of her classmates as well as her professor, that now know pertinent details of this disease and may share what they know with a few others. If we are all committed to educating as many people as we possibly can then we may save someone else years of unknown suffering before proper diagnosis. I personally commend each of us for educating to the best of our ability rather than trying to be "perfect" in our presentation. As individual as this disease manifests within each of its victims, so we each have our own individual perspective to share on what it feels like for us to suffer from it.

Also, I had to sign a standard agreement with my Pain Doc before he ever treated me with nerve blocks......and he hasn't even prescribed me any pain meds yet. It is on file at his office and gives him the right to actually drug test me at his discretion for any illicit drugs. Perhaps different doctor's insurance companies (and different states) require different legal stipulations.

BTW......to her credit......she got an A+. I think she deserved it.

Best wishes to ALL for a pain-managed night, by whatever means necessary.