I'm just hoping there's somebody else who has gone (or is going) through a similar situation and can help me out.

I woke up in December with this in my left foot, and it took until July before I finally found a doc who was able to nail down my CRPS diagnosis. Because it progressed so many months without a diagnosis or focused treatment, it has gotten bad pretty quickly. My new doc put me on Gabapentin, which has been a miracle drug for me. Now sheets and blankets and socks against my foot don't bother me any more, we can rub my foot without problem except for the sesamoid area which is incredibly tender still. (X-rays show a darker spot there--maybe what started this.)

Trying to avoid that sesamoid area has created somewhat of a club foot. And the swelling is CRAZY. Various docs prescribed all sorts of meds since December to try to control the swelling, but not a single thing worked. It's so bad I can't even get a shoe on. I wear an orthopedic walking boot every time I leave the house, which helps take the pressure off the painful ball of my foot and it...well, gives me a shoe to wear. Regardless of what I do or how much I'm on my feet, by 4:00ish my foot and ankle become the size of Texas.

Between the swelling and the tender ball of my foot, walking is excruciating. I dread having to walk across the house, even. Every single step is excruciating. Luckily I'm a former competitive tennis player, so I learned years ago to play through pain, so that's helping me cope. But at the same time, remembering how active I used to be is SO discouraging when I can't even walk 2 steps without pain. Going for a walk with my family is impossible. Half hour of grocery shopping is my limit before the pain and exhaustion makes me snippy and grumpy. (And I certainly don't want to be snapping at my kids or hubby!)

So...what's my future? Will this get better with time? Would physical therapy help? (I'm skeptical about PT with the swelling and sesamoid "injury.") Is there anything I can try that will ever allow me to get back to a somewhat normal existence? (I sure miss tennis, but would be happy to slowly amble someday without pain...)

Has anyone else dealt with this? I know everybody's CRPS is so very different, but I'm hoping for hope...