Thanks Mike, that's a great deal of very helpful information! I see that I have lot of research ahead of me. Hopefully I can avoid a lot of wasted time and get on the right path quickly. I would love to get this in remission. My surgery was September 10th, so it's been exactly 4 months. I hope I'm not too late for remission.

Neurochic: i guess I should have explained more when I said my surgeon released me. He still wants to see me for the regular follow ups that are needed for the fusion, he just released me to return to work. Luckily I work inside at a computer. I am wearing diabetic shoes, kind like moccasins with no socks, and very soft fur lined. I work shift work, so most of the time I can take the one shoe off and prop that foot off when needed. Someone mentioned it seemed early to already be diagnosed with RSD already. Is it possible for the nerve to still be settling down, yet still present with RSD symptoms? My foot stays swollen, is bright pink, and constant pins and needles feelings. Sometimes I get random sharp shocks now and them, that are quick but sharp. I have all these symptoms, yet still kind of numb at the same time. That would be a miracle to me if that were the case, but with my luck it's probably not.