Howdy folks...Hope everyone is doing well.

Yesterday, after 13 months of bouncing from one specialist to another (4 all together) i received the official diagnosis; CRPS. My doctor administered a on-the-spot spinal nerve-block...and did his best to assure me that we will get through this...i trust him.

It all started with a Motorcycle/deer encounter of the most un-kind. Thrown from the bike, with my right foot and leg being twisted 180 degrees after the 732 pound bike landed back on top of me...all this while traveling 60+ mph.

Enough of the unpleasant details...we all know where it goes from there.

Last night, after reviewing notes and reading what CRPS is all about...i cried.

Big, burly bikers do cry. My wife held me in her arms all night, just as she has every night for 27 years...but this was different...she wanted to take all of my pain away, as if i didn't deserve it.



Brothers, Sisters...we all arrived here in different ways, and in this Poker-run, none of us had a decent hand...but we are still playing the deck! And now i know i am not alone.

*peace*

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help.

Check out the following forum, there are a great number of fellow members to help you out.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum21.html

As you can tell there are great number of fellow members here to assist as possible. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene

Welcome aboard! You've found a fantastic place to hook up - you'll find much MUCH support here....

I am SO sorry about the deer/Hawg encounter ..... taking a wild guess it was a Harley (not the deer)..... ?.......

I'm glad to hear you've got a loving wife to help you get thru this and also glad to know you aren't afraid to cry. Chronic pain can reduce the toughest men to tears and it can also crumble a person from the inside out unless they have the right support team.
Try not to be overwhelmed by what you are reading about CRPS.....it's not a death sentence and you WILL get thru this......but it is crucial to have a good Dr and good support.

You'll be amazed at the comradere you'll find here......

Rae


PS: I noticed you are retired military......THANK YOU for serving our country Bro....

Hi, welcome to NT

You have come to a great place for you and your wife. There's lots of support here for the taking.

We do understand pain. We have lived through it. And yes, life keeps coming at ya ! ! ! ! !

Thanks all...Hope everyone is doing well.

Nerve block, or whatever is going so-so, but i recognize it is only a temp patch-job until the action plan comes into play. Tuesday i start some sort of "gentle" PT program with the ultimate aim of some alternative nerve routing. I already have one fully dead nerve, and the others are panting like tired pups...

And i plan to ride there. My docs don't condone it but they know it keeps me going. In my book that is 50% of the battle.

See ya around the forum...

Be cool...
*peace*

welcome my brother...I'm on here because of a fairly(compared to what it COULD'VE been) mc wreck of my own...6 WEEKS after the wreck I was STILL trying to find out what was going on.....the first night I tripped and fell into this site I received help....with me it's the vertigo from a concussion...i'll ride again...hang in there and hoping you heal well
Diane...aka...medusa

welcome and keep up the fight....

Hello and Welcome Joe mama,

You are definitely not alone. NT is a great community. We have an active and supportive CRPS forum.

I am sure all of us cried when getting this diagnosis. I know I did. But I second it not being a death sentence. There is a lot of misinformation out there and you will have to be careful of that. Sometimes CRPS does spread but according to CRPS bigwig Dr. Michael Stanton-Hicks of Cleveland Clinic 80% of people improve over time. Starting treatment and having a savvy, caring practitioner who is willing to try different things will help. PT is a great start. If you can do anything in a pool that is even better. Don't get discouraged if it goes slow, that is par for the course with this.

Several of us recommend the following 2 hour video by Dr. Pradeep Chopra who is highly regarded in the field, is non-doomsday and offers plenty of treatment dos and don'ts. You will learn a lot here.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=s3LKhOZ8mAM

I will also second what Dr. Chopra says about ruling out nerve entrapment and injury. Especially in cases with trauma or surgery. There are amazing things that can be done by peripheral nerve surgeons in certain circumstances. I had a 3.5 hour nerve surgery to remove a neuroma from an injury and it got me out of being balled up on the couch all the time. My CRPS came after something else and is actually less painful.... Information about nerve injury and entrapment can be found here.
http://nerve.wustl.edu

I am glad you found your way here, where you will have much compassion and support. We all need it. Depression and anxiety are common with chronic illness and pain. Many of us have struggled with it. If you are feeling stuck or want to get help coping, consider seeing a therapist versed in pain. It can make a big difference. I saw one who did EMDR and hypnosis which I found quite helpful. Sometimes pain practices will even have one in their group or can make recommendations.

Come see us at the CRPS forum and make yourself at home. You will get through this. Recovery does come, just sometimes in very small increments. It takes grit and resilience but I am pretty sure you have those already.

Sending hugs and healing love,