Hello and Welcome to Neurotalk Jenny - I am SO glad you found us, everyone here is so nice and friendly and I am sure will be more than happy to help you in anyway they possibly can!!
I'm so sorry to hear that your husband has been diagnosed with RSD/CRPS
! I have RSD in my left leg and right arm, I developed it when I was 12 years old and am now 14!!
The "lucky" thing for your husband is that he has been diagnosed VERY quickly - unfortunately, it can take a lot longer for some people to be diagnosed and some people are left to suffer in excrutiating pain for years without a diagnosis and by that time, it is too late to do anything for them! It is extremely important that RSD is caught and treated very quickly - Doctors say that the best chance of reaching remission is if the RSD is caught within 3 months so please take that to heart!!
I wish you and your husband the very best of luck with his upcoming appointment and really hope you can get some much needed help!
Please don't be afraid to ask your husbands doctor ANY questions that you have ... it is really important that you know what to expect and don't ever be afraid to ask anything, no question is a bad one!! Also, don't let your husbands doctor do anything that you aren't happy with - it is REALLY important that your husband makes his mind up as to whether he wants to go ahead with a certain procedure and no-one can force him into doing anything!!
Please make sure your husband moves his foot and leg - I KNOW it hurts a lot as I have been there but it is probably the one thing that will help in the long-run! I have another neurological condition called Dystonia on top of the RSD which means I can't move my leg at all and it makes any Physical Therapy extremely difficult!! Also, please tell your husband to touch his foot and leg so that it doesn't become too hypersensitive - if it is already hypersensitive, start by touching it really gently with a nice, soft material and then build it up as and when he feels as though he can tolerate it better!!
As for the Depression, unfortunately a lot of people with RSD suffer from it as they are frustrated that they can't do what they want to do etc etc. I was VERY depressed a few months ago and felt like life wasn't worth living and it was extremely difficult to try and overcome it!!!! I see a Psychologist and she has helped me quite a lot ... that's not to say I still don't feel depressed and angry, I do but I have "learnt" to try and deal with it better through exercises that she has given me!!
If you ever need someone to talk to, please know that I am here for you both!
Please keep us all updated when you can and im sending your hubby many pain-free hugs!!
Alison.
Quote:
Originally Posted by salten
Hi everyone,
I'm Jenny and I'm here because my husband was injured on Jan 8 of this year by an accidental gunshot wound. The bullet seems to have hit his sciatic nerve up high in the leg and he has been experiencing severe pain in his foot ever since. This morning we finally saw a neurologist who diagnosed causalgia. I had never heard of RSD or CRPS until this morning and I've been on the internet all day reading stories like yours. My gosh, I am amazed that some of you have been dealing with this for decades! It has been just less than a month for us and it's already seemed an eternity.
This accident happened one day before my husband's last day of work at his full time job, which he was leaving to pursue is dream of joining me full time on our small family farm. He has been on crutches ever since and the pain is so bad when he stands up that he can only be out of bed for a few minutes. I have been caring for all the livestock and our two young kids who are homeschooled in addition to all the housework, taxes, bills, etc.
He has just started gabapentin and we have an appt. with the pain clinic on Wednesday. Is there anyone here from the Albuquerque area who can recommend a Dr?
I am terrified not just by the pain component of this but also the depression. He was already suffering from bad depression before this happened. We were hoping that getting him home on the farm full time would help this. Now he is facing the possibility of never ending chronic pain and doctor visits, which he hates, and not being able to do anything on the farm, not to mention the financial stress this will cause.
One good thing is that he has been getting regular massage therapy since the first week of the accident. He is trying to bear weight on the foot and the massage therapist is able to do a lot of good stretches and work out the cramping he gets in his calf.
I'm glad to have found you. I'll start by asking if you have any advice for our pain clinic appointment on Wednesday.
And please know that I believe you when you say how painful this is!
Thanks,
Jenny
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