Do you have to have discolored skin for RSD?
 

I have been suffering from nerve pain for 4 years. PA talked about SCS. The company that sells these implants had reps call me. I talked about my symptoms and two separate ones asked me if I have RSD. I think they asked because my pain if fairly widespread.

However, I do not have the red in skin.

I had MRI of brain and neurological MD said it had white spots. He ordered spinal tap and it came out ok so that ruled out MS. I had EMG test done and Dr says no neuropathy.

I have another brain MRI in July.

I have pain in abdomen, tingling in legs. Left arm has pins and needles. Face has tingling pain. Pain is worse on left side of body.

I am on 3000 mg of Neurontin. Plus hydrcodone and tramadol as needed.

NO--There are many signs that describe RSD but you need not have all of them as most suffers don't. We are all different with our symptoms and evidence of the disease. PAIN in itself is enough for me but I personally had many of the telltale signs and it still took a long time to get a DR to diagnose the symptoms as RSD. The doctors will tell you what you "don't" have if they are not familiar with RSD/CRPS . Make sure your neurologist is educated with RSD symptoms and pain. Best of luck in the future. I do hope things go well 4 you and your pain is controlled.

it is generally accepted that for a diagnosis of RSD you need 3 of these 4



FOUR Main Symptoms/Criteria for a diagnosis of CRPS:
•Chronic burning pain - includes allodynia; extreme sensitivity to touch, sound, vibration, wind, and temperature.
•Inflammation - this can affect the appearance of the skin; bruising, mottling, shiny appearance, blotchy or pale appearance, and tiny red dots are some examples.
•Spasms - in blood vessels and muscles of the extremities, called vasoconstriction,
•Insomnia/Emotional Disturbance - (including limbic system changes such as short-term memory problems, concentration difficulties, and irritability).

Exactly as Kroc says...plus some of the signs and characteristics of CRPS might not show up straight away, and they can change over time. You might have the skin discolouring one year, and not the next. It varies for all of us. I had a lot of skin changes in the first year, but a lot less now, although I still get the redness when the burn is upon me :rolleyes:

Doctors have a checklist of possible symptoms, and to diagnose CRPS you must have at least some from several categories - but NOT all. Pain alone can be enough depending on your other factors.

Have a read up on CRPS using a good reliable site like Wikipedia or the UK NHS site. It's interesting, and very useful to be educated about what you might be dealing with ;) BUT I have to say that although we all do it to a certain extent, especially when we may have to wait weeks and months for answers from docs :rolleyes: be wary of diagnosing yourself from websites or any other non-professional source. There is a lot more to a diagnosis than symptoms, as docs take your medical history and other factors into account too.

See a specialist doc with experience of CRPS as soon as you can, and get a proper diagnosis. There are a lot of nerve related problems that cause symptoms similar to CRPS, and plenty that cause pain. You may or may not have CRPS, but whatever you do have, you definitely deserve to get it treated properly and to have your pain managed as well as they can.

In the mean time, I would exercise some caution as if you had CRPS, and stay away from ice on your body. Use elevation and NSAIDs (as prescribed) for swelling, as ice is very bad for CRPS, and many of us have had things worsened by ice use in the early days before diagnosis. Equally, ask medics to be careful of the limb you have issues with for now, and to use another limb for BP cuffs, blood draws, etc.

Take care, and good luck. Let us know what happens :)

Bram.