Hi Lefty, Yep, I have been going through this same process since early spring. Pre RSD I had extremely low BP, to the point whenever I had it taken the doc would ask if I was feeling okay. I have since developed a high BP, Tachycardia, chest pains, shortness of breath and dizziness. I have been seeing a cardiologist this summer because my EKG showed a slight heart attack and the ECHO showed problems with the mitral valve. I have made the decision to only handle this with medication ( I will not have any invasive procedures done) and have had some success with the meds. It has been a crap shoot, one caused my pain to flare pretty badly (beta-blocker), so I am trying another one that has helped quite a bit. I have also added 1 baby aspirin a day and always have some in my purse for when I have a lot of chest pain. My PA told me when this happens to put 4 under my tongue and to let them dissolve as that is what they would do first thing in the ER. I had another really bad attack on vacation and did this and it really helped. I do blame this on the RSD because I am only 50, and prior to the injury worked over 60 hours a week in a very physical job.

So I guess what I am saying is to stay calm, get it checked out so you know what is going on, and just figure that this is part of the RSD equation.

Another thing that may have led to the difficulty with the blood draw is that if your blocks were like mine you had been instructed to not eat or drink after midnight. This causes dehydration and makes veins hard to find and hard to get a good "stick".