|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
|
|
|
Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Paradise
Posts: 855
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by EMILY ANDERSON
wow! 6 of them...ugh I would hate that. My dr. (mind you this is just his opinion) doesn't feel that it's productive to do so many he said he will only do 2 on rare occasions 3 blocks, before moving on to other treatment plans. I don't know how he ranks in the nation/world but he is "one of the best" CRPS/RSD treatment docs in my town.
I absolutely LOVE the Physical therapist he's sent me to. He studies and goes to conferences/lectures on CRPS and I LOVE his positive attitude. He gives me such hope that I CAN overcome this with hard-work and determination to get better! He has worked with a LOT of CRPSA patients in my town and believes we caught mine early enough to make a real difference, as long as the RSD doesn't go haywire.
I was wondering if your doctor talked about P/T (gentle mind you) while using some form of numbing agent/ anesthesia to make sure you're not in severe pain while doing P/T. He has a plan to trick my brain into realizing there isn't anything hurt so my body needs to stop trying to "protect" itself. basically do as many exercises/motions that you can slowly building up, trying to get your brain to respond to NORMAL movements that do not have pain, so your nerves and brain quit responding to the pain signals. I don';t know how that works for later stage patients, but he said it has a high success rate for patients in the "acute" stage.
|
Hi Emily,
I should clarify....I received initially 3 over several weeks and then a few weeks later 3 more at the beginning. Then from my best recollection I received 2-3 every 3 to 5 months. That's where I am at now; 5 years into it. And I am not sure what "other treatment" plans look like for you but for me they started talking spinal cord stimulator which sounds oh-so-much more invasive than a little ole stellate block from time to time! Yup, I got the raised eyebrow treatment from some who thought 8 or 9 SGB's total were excessive. But they don't walk in my shoes so screw 'em!
What you and everyone else will (or should) tell you is that their own experience is unique, generally, and all will have some personal pattern of relative relief that they have fallen into. So while I might think your PM doc is a jack-*** for his minimalistic approach, others may call HIS ideas excessive!
I can only share what has worked for me and if I had stopped at 2 or 3, I would have gone postal-crazy long ago!
As far as how my PT went, I had a cervical fusion, 3 months later a shoulder reconstruction for whom the ortho severely damaged my brachial plexus; starting the CRPS. It was very early during the shoulder PT that I knew something was heinously afoul as just the action of the therapist touching my forearm sent me into fits of hysteria and tears. Sixteen ES vicodine a day didn't touch the pain and I got almost no sleep for months. I sent myself to the neurologist at 3 weeks out of concern of the atrophy and motor loss not to mention the pain and after very abnormal EMG results, he recommended PM so at 5 weeks I got started on SGB's. I too feel fortunate at an early diagnosis (I cheated on expediting the diagnosis as I am/was also a health care provider) so I didn't wait the usual many months to start effective therapy.
Last edited by Dubious; 01-04-2013 at 12:28 AM.
|