Hi, welcome to the CRPS gang! Sorry you have it, but I think we all get that weird mixture of relief and fear that the diagnosis brings...

I found the first six months or so a complete roller coaster of emotions with this, you might experience the stages of grief dealing with the long-term nature of this condition for some, the fear of the future and imagining a life of this pain is something I am going through a patch of myself... All I can say is that you will come through this and the rest, have good times and bad, and find a way to live your life as best you can. Good things don't end with CRPS, but you do have to get used to compromising on things.... One of my biggest issues is The Future and the cold fact that it isn't going to be what I had thought it would be. That's a toughie....I put things off thinking we could travel etc once the children had grown up, but now I feel that some thief has stolen it away and I have to come up with a new plan!

Read, research and educate yourself about this, and keep up with the latest papers published. Stay ahead of the game and never ever just accept what a doc tells you is best. I'm not saying there aren't some good ones, but so so many haven't got a clue, and most won't admit they don't know. You are your best hope, decide what treatment you want to try and why, and then discuss it with your doc. Be realistic tho, as managing this is often the best we can do once it has been around for a while. It doesn't mean you should give up trying new things tho, who knows what's around the corner?

I wish you all the luck in the world, and I hope you can find treatment that works for you very soon and get some relief Keep active in mind and body as much as you can, and find things that make you laugh....pets are great company and distraction

Bram.