Hi Mike,
Small world indeed! I have had CRPS since a fall while teaching classical dance in November 2008. My horror stories regarding delayed diagnosis and treatment mirror those of others in this community, thus need no further comment.

Most everything that has been helpful to me is the result of my own research and includes reviewing all past RSD/CRPS posts on Neurotalk. I am so sorry you struggle with cognitive problems and I was saddened to learn through your earlier posts that your long battle with CPS forced you to give up what had to have been your passion, being an attorney.

My success with tCDS was quite encouraging to me since the treatment improved my short term memory problems, word finding problems and sequential processing problems. Although I have a doctorate is is extremely difficult to organize my thoughts and write. Like you, I also have a preexisting brain dysfunction, severe dyslexia. It took me an hour just to register on this site and my first post was lost and I couldn't figure out how.

I learned through my own efforts that my new cognitive problems were not the result of a psychiatric problem as had been suggested by numerous physicians. Thanks for the article by Libon et. al. Prior to my tCDS treatment I tried to get a form of magnetic brain stimulation offered locally (Maryland) through a psychiatrist. I was rejected, however, because I do not have clinical depression. The good news about tCDS is that it seems to be effective for folks with intractable long standing CRPS. Additionally it does not carry the rTMS risk for seizure.

For me, the loss of executive function has been every bit as bad as the pain and other symptoms. I took a chance given the odds of success for me was about 70% and I am convinced that cortical reorganization is the key for me. I expect this will wear off in a month to 9 months. I am using this time to push the limits in PT. I am having good results with mirror therapy and graded motor imagery as well as exercises for stretching and balance.

Who is John Lester? That name does not ring a bell but neither do many names from the past two years.