Dear Stardustkid,
I am so glad I could make you feel a bit less alone. I know it is tough and it hurts so bad...like you said animals bite off their limbs. I know if I had an ax I would have cut off my right foot too...just to relieve the pain. It was painful and useless so why did I still need it? I too was unable to find our posting on this subject...it went to cyberspace I guess.

To answer your question, I believe really cold water and/or ice can make the RSD spread because the cold water/ice damages the nerve fibers which control the pain. That is probably why your foot got worse overnight and you didn't sleep. I am glad you stood up to them and told them no more contrast baths. They probably think they are dealing with a sore muscle or bone but nerves are a whole other ballgame! Ask them to start you out using a rolled-up towel like I suggested, just gently moving it back and forth between the ball and top of your foot on the underside while you are sitting up with leg extended in front of you. It is painful but you will be amazed that the more you can do this the more mobility you will get. Does your foot get hot at times and cold at other times like mine? My foot gets extremely hot at 1 AM every night and burns like crazy then once I am up about two hours later it changes to freezing cold and burns so badly throughout the day and then starts all over again. It seems that when I take a nap and wake up it reboots it somehow back to hot. Strange but I can tell what time it is from how cold/hot my foot is!?!?!? Best of luck to you and let us know how you are doing. You can PM me in case you want to vent or just need to talk to someone. That goes for anyone just needing some extra venting. I am here for all and would be honored to help anyone out. This is too hard for one person to go through by themselves. This is a great site and has helped me so much over the years.
kathy d