That is a good question Island Girl.

Another good question is why did I have to go all the way to Germany to be properly taken care of? I lived through 6 years of burning hell with every step I took and not one doctor here would help me fix the problem. They all said she has RSD, we don't want to touch her. It's too dangerous! It will make her RSD 10 X worse. Well they were wrong!

When I told my pm doctor here what the German doctors did for me, that they consider it the gold standard of treatments, he just shrugged his shoulders and complained that he only has 4 beds for the pain program that treats the whole province. Even worse there is a 2 to 3 year wait list to get into this Pain Clinic so if your newly diagnosed with RSD here forget it. A very sad state of affairs.

Personally I think there is quite a divide in the medical profession when there is a language barrier, perhaps this is why some information is not known or shared or taught. I was very happy to see that this procedure is now being used preemptively for injured soldiers in the Iraq war. It could save them from developing rsd.

Of interest to note, the Ketamine treatments, coma and awake, started in Germany and were introduced to us here in North America through Dr. Schwartzman's association with those doctors in an academic research program. Perhaps the international barriers to medicine are lifting, but it is hard for those of us who are lay persons to really know why.

I know this is a big decision for you to make and I'm happy to know you are being well cared for. Summer is definitely a better time if one does have to go through surgery.

I wish you much peace and good health what ever you decide to do.

MsL