Hi rtmcmahon631 and Welcome,
I'm sorry you have rsd. Some of us use the old term and some the newer term. But it's the same pain. A lot of us have had spread, mine didn't come right away. I wasn't diagnosed for 4 years. It came after surgery. I had a couple breast tumors removed. Right away I had swelling and pain, then frozen shoulder. The fluid they drew out of my arm was lime green, which I now know means infection. My surgeon passed me off to a rehab Dr. and physical therapy. It took 100 treatments and I did 100 massage therapy on my own. They told me not to be surprised if it went to the other shoulder. I thought ,that sounded odd. We moved from Oregon to Arizona and guess what. it moved to the other shoulder. more therapy. got my shoulder back. So I really had two remissions. About another year or so I was water skiing and felt my left hand pull a nerve.
Was misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. But that didn't make sense, the RA test was negative. So I then went back to Oregon to a Orthopedic sports injury hand specialist. RSD diagnosed in 1 minute, backed up by tests. It's now full body.
Going back to my breast biopsy, that's when my RSD started. The surgeon didn't even want me around,he passed me off to a rehab dr. to oversee the physical therapy.
No one even mentioned the word RSD. There is a statue of limitation of 2 years in most states from the time of neglience or 2 years from when you find out about the injury or ommission of care.
Delay of treatment is common with workmans comp insurance. Don't let them delay treatment for months on end. You loose the opportunity of possible remission. A lot of WC patients get their own attorney to make sure they are cared for. Some states allow lifetime medical care for RSD patients. You need to know your rights. It would be good to have a WC attorney familiar with RSD or at least one concerned enough to research it and it's lifetime effect on a person.
I hope the best for you. You deserve the best of care and sometimes the only way to get that is to have an attorney be your advocate, fighting for your rights. Most people are really helped to deal with a life altering challenge like RSD, with the help of a psychologist,psychiatrist. The last 5 years I have had one I see once a month. When my parents died, I saw one weekly for two years. So please get someone in your corner to help you get the best possible care available. RSD is a very expensive disorder to have, especially if it goes full body.
I wasn't able to work for years, but now am going to try to help with our home business. READ READ READ This is a wonderful group of people that collectively have a world of knowledge and truly understand what RSD is like.Please know that we care and just ask for help or any questions. Take care, loretta