Dear gatorsmomma -

Allow me to add my two cents. There are a number of true therapies out there worth pursuing, notably ketamine infusions from someone who knows what s/he is doing. Ditto blocks with Botox, Infliximab (Remicaide), etc. These are all treatments that offer better result in the relatively early stages of the disease - where you are now - when the CRPS is associated with a neuro-inflammatory process, than later on, when it's maintained by the brain itself, at which point the true treatment options become significantly more limited. ("Non-dominant unilateral" electroconvulsive therapy being one of the options, even though most ECT docs will only give it if you have significant "co-morbid" depression.)

That said, at least in my experience, the pain got more manageable as I hit the 5 year mark, even if, at the 8 - 9 year mark (without effective treatment, I was disqualified for entry into then strickly regulated ketamine trials because of other pre-existing medical conditions ) I developed other neuropysch conditions that are now debilitating in their own right. Even with years of meditation practice and pretty high level of equanimity.

To tell the truth, even with manageable pain levels, the last few weeks have been some of the worst since this thing started. (And my apologies to all to whom I have flaked socially of late: you know who you are.)

Bottom line: the sooner you seek out ketamine treatments or the like, the better off you will be in the long run.

take care,
Mike