Dear Bob,
I almost certainly had RSD after my injury in 11/2006 (torn rotator cuff, ice and real agressive PT), and then again after my first rotator cuff repair in 5/2007. I was never diagnosed with RSD, but just couldn't recover from the surgery and had a lot of the symptoms. But things didn't get out of hand until I had the SECOND surgery in 4/2008. Then that summer a PM doc started trigger point injections in my shoulder, back, neck and head and it spread. By the time I was finally diagnosed I was a real mess - I've had RSD in my cervical spine and the back of my head ever since and its the pits.
The best treatment I've received to date have been ketamine infusions and lidocaine infusions. Ketamine is far more powerful than lidocaine. But the lidocaine did work to calm down some of the terrible burn for me. I got the lidocaine at St. E's in Boston (it was readily approved by WC) from July of 2009 until March of 2010. It takes several infusions before you feel anything.
My ketamine I now get in RI with the same PM doc that I started with years ago who caused my RSD to spread in the first place. Court ordered - WC - talk about coming full circle!! But I started out in April of 2010 with Dr. Philip Getson in Marlton, NJ. He is awesome and knows his stuff - you can trust him not to screw you up!! And he passed along all my dosages, etc to the RI doc. Getson performed my first 22 infusions.
Have your attorney petition the WC court on your behalf for ketamine infusions. You will need to have your doctor recommend it first. Go for it!! In the meantime, maybe you can try the lidocaine. And I would avoid anything invasive.
The best of luck to you, XOXOX Sandy
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtmcmahon631
hi my name is bob and i haven`t posted any thing in a long time.I was injured in 12/18/2007 by a fall at work on ice. I went to the docs and was told i have tennis elbow torn ligament in my arm opt to a cortizone shot than a operation just to finnish out my work season.By this time because its workmens comp it was april.after receiving the shot it worked great until sept. I then received another shot and my world went upside down it was the most painful thing I almost past out. the next few days it became very swollen and it turned red i then called my docter and he said it looked like i had rsd.I then went to a pain doc which put me on all sorts of medsFor thenext few months he decided to try i block in my neck which sent my rsd even more out of control. Then he said that a spinal stimulator was the next step.Not liking this i went for a second opion which was with another pain doc in a large clinic.He then put me on differnt meds which has helped my pain isn`t as bad but still there i now have color changes but not as often and my pain comes and goes which is alot better.they tried beir blocks i think it was 5 of them It was great for about 2 weeks then back to where it was before.Now it was suggested that I have a spine stimulater again.I said i would try it the comp isurence approved it then denyed it and sent me to a surgen a M.E. he said that i should take the risk of the rsd and get the arm fixed which is scaring the heck out of me. the first pain doc said that i should never let anyone to operate on it.Dont know what to do.Dont know if anyone went through this
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