Hi Bram,

Isn't it weird how you can go from thinking you have a handle on things to a "not-so-good" place? Yuk X a million!! I really can feel your pain through your words. I have CRPS in my foot too and as you well know, what works for one may or may not work for another but I'll tell you what I do.

*I soak my foot in lukewarm water at least once a day. That seems to help even though it sounds counter-intuitive to put a hot foot in warm water! No warmer than lukewarm though. Actual hydrotherapy is even better. I swim in a lake (when it's not frozen like it is now in Minnesota!).

*After the soak, I perform physical therapy (taught to me by my physical therapist) at least once a day. It is nothing that complicated, just general range of motion exercises and stretches for both the foot and all of my lower body. This allows me to "MOVE" the limb, which I think is the cornerstone to control. Not moving the limb is not a good thing.

*My mainstay medication is gabapentin. I too had some undesirable side effects with the gabapentin but they went away over time. It is my understanding that it takes at least 3 weeks (sometimes more) for your body to adjust to the medication so you may want to consider reintroducing medications and titrating the dosage up slowly to help you adjust. Although it isn't real powerful, over the counter naproxen sodium (ALEVE) helps with my inflammation and pain and is inexpensive and generally tolerated pretty well although you should take it with food to avoid bothering your stomach. I take naproxen twice a day. Cymbalta is another drug that has helped some with CRPS and might be worth consideration.

*I also practice meditation to help with pain control. A good book about this is "The Mindfulness Solution to Pain Control" by Jackie Gardner-Nix. It's hard to describe in a paragraph but there are techniques that can actually change the way the brain processes and perceives pain. It has helped me, although it is a work in progress. But any complementary therapy is worth considering. Click on this link and scroll down to healing practices A-Z. Some of these techniques can be very, very helpful with CRPS!

http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/

I wish you nothing but improvement and better days Bram. Have you considered trying a different doctor to get a different read on your situation? Sometimes the pain flares can last a long time. I hope you can find a recipe of things that can help with the pain. We're with you all the way as cliche as it sounds, we are all in this together!!