Don't think about CRPS until you're diagnosed
 

Pardon me for being a newbie giving my two cents here...I have CRPS, had not heard of it until I was diagnosed by 3 separate doctors in the space of 3 weeks, after 5 years of thinking it was all in my head because I should have been getting better, not worse. It started in 2006 after I suffered extensive nerve damage and bodily trauma with permanent bone injuries resulting from a drunk driver crashing into me.

I didn't research anything online because I knew that a lot of people self-diagnose and start to have symptoms after reading about things. The mind is powerful, it can trick you into feeling things. I recommend thinking positively and not convincing yourself of any illnesses until they are diagnosed by at least 2 different doctors. I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as well, yet I personally do not believe it and probably never will. One disease is enough for me.

I've always had foot pain as I have rheumatoid arthritis and worked on my feet everyday since the age of sixteen. My feet would swell and I had to wear orthopedic shoes whilst my coworkers pranced around in stilettos. I had back pain on and off as well but I always worked through it. And I thought that pain was bad!

I hope you don't have CRPS because it's the absolute worst thing in the world. My mother died young after a lengthy battle with Lupus and other auto-immune illnesses. I never imagined I could have something worse, something so awful it's nicknamed 'the suicide disease'.

I've met a few people since my diagnosis who tell me about their pain and then proclaim they must have CRPS, too. It's so rare that I doubt they all do. I like that there is more awareness of it now, but I think the downside of that is people convincing themselves they have it when they have one or more symptoms. That can cause psycho-somatic disorders.

I am definitely not saying you don't have anything. I feel for anyone in a lot of pain. I just think that you shouldn't worry about it too much while pursuing a diagnosis. I thing counseling is great and I wish I was getting a little mental health guidance. It can make a significant difference.

Please try to remain positive as hard as it is. I don't get pain management like other people with severe CRPS. Mine is advanced and has spread. I'm homebound now and I can't do the things I want to (when I had good medicine I could still do some things but in the UK they don't believe in pain medicine) so I yet I still have hope for the future. I'm sending positive vibes your way and I hope you get relief.