sympathetic blocks limit
 

Hi All,
Is there a limit to the sympathetic blocks? Per case reports of venipuncture CRPS by Hooshang Hooshmand, repetitve ganglion blocks may lead to repetitive damage to the sympathetic ganglion nerve cells, leading to virtual sympathectomy. What did your doc say about the max limit in order to prevent damage? How many are too many? What kind of damage that can/may cause from repetitive sympathetic blocks?
Also, when your doc offer to do the blocks, do you have a series of 3 or 6?
Your feedback are greatly appreciated.

numb

I have always had a serious of 3. As far as damage, I personally have not been told of any. What I have been told was they would either help you get longer and longer relief or just stop working altogether. Sorry not much help. :(

Numb,
I was scheduled for a series of 6 in intervals of 3 at a time for diagnose purposes early on but only received the first 3.
The reason given to me was almost what you're saying. My neurologist said she got the info she was looking for after the first 3 and any needles blocks could increase my RSD.
Is this kinda what you're looking for?
Hope it helps...

The only thing that I was ever told by my doctor was that if they helped then great and they would continue to do them. If they did not or there were other complications from the blocks then they would not do them anymore. Maybe if I had gotten significant relief there would have been a point where we discussed the long term plans...but sadly my RSD spread after my block in January and that put an abrupt stop to that. The plan though was to do a series of three with one every other week.

I thought blocks were for diagnose purposes. The more I read the more I realize that we get lots of conflicting info.
Once I was diagnosed as having the nerve damage in my arm but spreading somewhere between my cerebral and spinal area, compounded by the degenerative cerebral atrophy, it was determined that meds to treat the pain was the only way to go. Unless they give me a new brain lol...

Jimbo,
How did the needle blocks increase your RSD?
Numb

Catra,
How did your RSD spread after the block? Sorry to hear that. It is sad to hear the the block was not helping but causing more problems. We don't need any more problems. Did your new spread ever get resolved?
Numb

I had the block at the end of January and it was my second in the series. The next day I had horrific burning pain in my back, that then spread up to my neck, and over the next few months then was in my shoulders, arms, hands, sides, stomach and chest. Sensitive to the touch, burning constant pain, redness of the skin, and swollen all over (along with a whole lot of other symptoms like loss of balance, dizziness, blurry vision, etc). It has been a VERY rough year. I really had hoped that all those things were related to something else, something that could be treated, but after months of tests it was determined that it was in fact a spread of my RSD. This all happened after my block. Now...was it caused by the injection itself? Did the injection cause an infection that then caused damage throughout my body that caused the spread? I will never know...all I know if that I have to now deal with more pain.

But after 4+ months of physical therapy I am now able to stand and walk a little with the walker, and have been able to get a few of the other symptoms under control with medications. It is a slow process but since I am finally headed in a positive direction after 4 straight months of only getting worse and worse after the block, I will take it. I am optimistic that I will be able to return to work (even if I will need to use the walker) if we continue with this plan of treatment. We took me off of all my meds and are now adding new ones one at a time so that we can determine what the side effects are (differentiating between side effects and symptoms) and how much they actually help. The doctors before just kept adding medications all at once, stopping and starting abruptly, and it made me a MESS. Now that we are taking a more structured approach and managing everything carefully I am slowly getting back the function and getting back my life. I celebrate every new thing that I am able to do that I couldn't do the week before and keep focused on the positives.

But I really had to stand up for myself and be my own advocate. I left my primary care doctor that I have been seeing since birth (he was actually the one who delivered me) and found the one that I am seeing now. The old one did not run any diagnostic tests, offered no treatment plan besides seeing the NUCCA chiropractor that's part of his office, and was not providing good care (just wanted to throw a bunch of pain meds at me). He said the worst thing I could do was look up information on the internet about different treatments and possible causes for my symptoms.

I know that my lawyer was not happy that I switched doctors...but I HAD to find a doctor who would work with me to find answers and to treat the problem. Best decision I could have made from a health standpoint (and that is above all my first priority). So I keep fighting to overcome these new problems and am on the right track I think. First goal is to get me functioning and back to work. Then we'll work on getting everything else resolved as much as possible.

Catra,
First of all, i am sorry to hear what you had to go through. Did you have the LSB? I wonder did your doc hit your nerve that causing the spread to your neck and other parts of your body. It seems you have the RSD everywhere. Did you ask your doc why you were having such a bad reaction?
I remember one doc who used to tell me "don't look up the internet also". Without the internet, i probably don't even know what i am dealing today.
I am impressed with your positive attitudes and truly hope you can manage your pain to a bearable level.
Good luck with your treatments.
Numb

Yes, it was a lumbar sympathetic block. The doctor didn't know what to do about my bad reaction to the block...I don't think he has ever had anything like that happen before. He was very quick to say that the only complication that can happen from a block is infection, however before the block and even in his medical records he states that he told me about a bunch of other possible complications that there is a 1% risk of. It's not like I blame him for my bad reaction...things happen...but I know some doctors get very worried about the idea that someone might sue them. So he referred me to a neurologist and sent me to my primary care doctor and that was the last I saw of him. From there I bounced around a lot until I ended up with my current doctor. There were some really rough patches where I was nearly at wit's end, but several members on here were incedibly helpful and supportive and my boyfriend and his family have been wonderful as well. My current doctor thinks that because there was such a delay in getting any diagnostic testing done, there are a few things that could have happened. I could have ended up with chemical meningitis from the block which caused problems. The injection itself could have hit the wrong spot and caused some damage that caused the spread. The doctor performed the first block when I had an active MRSA infection and maybe the block caused it to enter my bloodstream which then caused damage throughout my body which caused the spread. All the medications the doctors were haphazardly throwing me on and off of caused a mild form of seratonin syndrome which may have caused some of the symptoms (like the hallucinations which stopped when I stopped all of my meds). I could have had a bad reactions to the medications themselves from the block. I was under so much stress from all of it that it may have caused the problems to get worse faster. But we'll never really know exactly. All that seems to be certain is that the RSD has spread (and depending on the doctor they might not agree because I saw one who said RSD does not spread and one who said RSD can only happen in a hand or foot). But I'm moving on and forward and am just thankful for all the good stuff I have in my life. Things can always be worse.