Quote:
Originally Posted by nige1960
Hi Birchlake,
I Nearly fell of the chair when i read your story, you could almost say i wrote it.
Back in 2009 i had a winograd procedure on my left toe to stop ingrowing toenail growing deep inside the nail boarder.
6 weeks later returned to work everything was fine until 2 weeks into december 2010, when i came out of the office walking towards carpark when i ended up on my back side slipped on ice, thought nothing more of it until a week later my calf muscle starting twitching like it did before Having winograd procedure, then my left leg kept feeling cold, things got worst toe feeling cold then hot followed by a sharp burning pain all down the right hand side of nail boarder which would happen later on in the day, went to see consultant who told me my Ip joint had all but gone not that botherd me in 12 months and that's where all the pain was coming from, he said he would fuse the joint with a screw, that was in april 2011, now three months down the line still having the same pain i knew within 10mins after operation it had failed.
Pain managment doctor tell's me i don't have crps
but reading your blogg i still wonder as my anke and foot are lightly swallon. plus my leg and foot feels wet.
my consultant tells me things will settle down. 
Taking pregabalin and Tramadol which doing nothing for me. |
Diagnosis of CRPS can be very tricky. This is a condition that can be both overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed! Always best to get multiple opinions, which I would highly recommend if you haven't already done so. It is not responsible for us to try to help you diagnose on this forum; gotta jump through the hoops and see the doctors. I have had examinations now with 6 doctors. You would be looking for a "consensus" / agreement of diagnosis between them.
And be sure those opinions come from doctors that are
FAMILIAR WITH CRPS. Many are not. I found one doctor that had seen 2 cases in 26 years, so I kept looking! Most pain mgmt. doctors though are familiar with it. You will usually have a better chance with specialists, and maybe a visit with a neurologist might be a good idea for you. You really need to have a lot of looks at your condition and the sooner the better!!
Are you getting physical therapy for your foot and ankle? For me, that was a very important part of getting things to "settle" down, if you will. Before I stopped seeing my physical therapist, he spent quite a bit of time training me so that I could perform my own therapy. There is a tremendous difference in physical therapists. Again, you need one that has had experience with this disorder, as too aggressive of therapy can set you back. You need to start very slow and easy with the therapy process. Some respond quickly, some respond very slowly, but most all will benefit in my opinion, but you must have the right therapist!!
My CRPS is alive and well mind you, but all of the steps that I take (Physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, neurontin and naproxen, etc) help to keep it somewhat manageable, at least for now. I was on percocet for the worst period with this disorder, but eventually was able to wean myself off of it. You want to try to manage without narcotics if possible. I take tramadol infrequently now; that is about as strong as I need for now anyways.
Every single case of CRPS though is unique. And it is hard to treat something that you don't have a solid diagnosis of. So keep seeing docs until you and they are comfortable with the diagnosis of what you have. IF you do get a solid diagnosis of RX, it is important that you develop a management plan unique to your situation that gives you relief, keeps you mobile, allows you a reasonable night sleep (VERY important) and addresses your mental health (don't forget about that part). Plenty of experimenting is necessary to find things that work for you. This journey is not a straight line.
Lots of good resources here and a good place to vent if you are having a bad day! Many compassionate folks here.
Good luck, keep plugging away on that diagnosis and keep in touch..............