Oh Babs...I am so very sorry that you are going through this. It is bad enough to have this awful thing, but then to have no support from either doctors or anyone else...that's terrible.

I too am a work comp case with RSD. It is really just awful working with them. I wish all the time that this had happened outside of work because if it had I would have been getting much better care from the start. It took 6 months to get a diagnosis and since getting it work comp has been butting in, putting pressure on the doc, refusing to pay me for time off when the doc wrote a script for me to be off, delaying PT, delaying procedures that may have helped relieve the pain...the list goes on.

And what I have come to realize is that I can't count on them, the doctors, or the lawyers to make me better. I have read tons of information on this awful thing. I am by no means an expert, but I have read enough to know that I need to be the one that is proactive. I have to push through the pain, even though it tries to bring me to my knees, and keep going. I am very lucky to have a boyfriend who understands what it is like to go through a long rehab. That's how I have come to think of this...as a sort of rehab because I am not giving up until I can walk normally again and get back to a more or less "normal" life. I am 26 years old and I will not be crippled for the rest of my life if there is anything I can do about it.

You are not alone Babs. And it is totally normal to feel the way that you do. Talk to everyone here...let it out...we all understand. So now to your questions...

First, not everyone has color changes. I myself do not have color changes. I have serious temperature changes. My leg goes unbelievably cold from the knee down...I'm talking ice almost feels warm sometimes. I use a heating pad constantly to help with that. But everyone is different. You do not need to have all the symptoms of RSD to have it.

As far as meds...there are lots of different ones. I personally am taking 300MG of Lyrica a day, 100MG of Ultram a day, 15MG of Mobic (anti-inflammatory) a day, and 10MG of Doxepin at night before bed. I also have Lidoderm patches that I wear 12 hours a day (these have lidocain in them and while it doesn't make a HUGE difference for me...they provide a little bit of relief). I am also going to be getting a TENS unit which I have found very helpful at physical therapy. I think for you, if you can't find doctors who are really knowledgeable about RSD (have you tried a pain specialist?) then maybe you can see your regular doctor and be armed with questions and suggestions about what different meds you can try. I am sure people on this forum will be more than happy to give you other suggestions or links to information that will be helpful. The RSD Puzzles link that I found on this site was very good and informative, but only one of the sources I looked at for info.

It took 5 months to get a diagnosis and about 5 different doctors before I found one that gave me a diagnosis. I don't know if I will stick with the doc I have now or not. He diagnosed me but has been easily influenced by work comp and is not giving me proper care as I see it because of the influence by work comp.

Feel free to PM me and we can talk some more if you want to. But just getting it all out on here can be very therapudic too because here you have a large number of people who get what you are going through and who will help keep you strong and give you the support you need.