[QUOTE=Lisa in Ohio;690150]Hi Friends, I really need some help here. Since I have been on my heart med that has been new to me this summer, I am having a problem with my right leg feeling ice cold and ever so painful. Last night I was up until after 4AM (I know lots of us are) but it is kind of unusual for me. My RSD is allowed for my left arm only despite having to have bone grafts taken from both hips to put the arm back together and later fuse it. Today it has been over 90 degrees here and I am wrapped in an quilt with the heating pad on high to try to get it to feel warm. My leg is not swollen any more than usual and sweats like it feels they 90 degrees, but remains cold to the touch. I am about at my wits end here. I told the heart doc about this and he said to continue to take the med and that sometimes that this is just a side effect. After a month, I would hope to be over the side effects.

I really need to pull back on the pain meds as my college starts in a week. I did go off of the Avinza, and discovered that it was not helping much at all.

Please, please send some help my way. My stress level is way high right now with another WC hearing scheduled on the 15th and with school starting ( major memory issues) along with family issues. [/QUOTE
Hi Lisa, I'm so sorry you are going thru the heartbreak of RSD. The website: rsdrx.com puzzles list is a great source of information on Rsd. Dr. Hooshmand practiced 40 years. I'm sure you are aware that RSD is an autonomic condition: 3 major areas- affects body temperature, both hot and cold. involuntary organs-heart, lungs, etc. so we have high blood pressure from the sympathetic nervous system and low blood pressure from the parasympathetic nervous system. and the immune system. Thus the frustration not having control over these things. Most people's bodies control body temperature to be normal, but us-we got hot to cold in a heart beat.
Same with blood pressure. Many of us have passed out from a sudden loss in blood pressure.
Lisa, I have been away a couple months or longer, so don't really know your history. Could it be spreading of RSD. Is this the first symptoms of RSD in the leg?
Something that has helped me lower pain meds is taking anti-anxiety meds. Do you take any? Anxiety is a huge part of our RSD. The memory issues are because the Limbic part of the brain is affected by RSD. I don't know of anything to help is this area. I know sleep is imperative to have the best life possible. I used to take Ambien CR, but totally quite working and I didn't get to sleep till like 5-6 am. My Dr. added me to a trial study for 200 people for serorquel XR and amazingly I started sleeping 10 hrs. a night. I take 150 mg. now instead of the 300 mg I began with. The lighter one worked well.
What a challenge college must be. What are you majoring in? My daughter had just started college when I got RSD. She used to take me to therapy, and study in the waiting room. Thankfully I had a couple remissions by the time she graduated and got married.
Take care, and please let us know how you are doing. Your friend, loretta