New member with CRPS and herniated disc
 

Hello everybody, and thank you for this very active forum! I have been reading your posts for some time now and gatherd a lot of useful information.

My life with RSD/CRPS began about two years ago when I fell and dislocated my right shoulder. To be on the "safe" side :rolleyes: I dislocated it twice the same day... The first two weeks went by ok, but when I started the physical therapy the pain got worse and worse. Long story short, it took me 8 months to get an operation (the insurance company didn´t want to pay), the shoulder started to heal and i got full range of motion, but then about a year ago I started to notice odd symtomes like pain from sunshine, pins and needles, the pain became more diffuse... and every type of physical therapy made the pain worse. Acupuncture, TENS, laser, even lymphatherapy made it worse. By that time I understood that I had some kind of disease in my nerves, but it took some months for the doctors to come to the same conclusion :D

After getting my diagnosis I started to desentisize myself, in my own way, and actually went back to work in june, after being away for almost two years. A few weeks later something cracked in my neck, and I was told that I have a herniated disc between the 5. and 6. vertebra on the right side. Not surprisingly my CRPS-pain has gotten worse, and has now spread to both arms and both legs. I am going to see a neurosurgeon on Tuesday and I am pretty nervous... If he/she decides to operate, the CRPS might get worse, but it has gotten worse already. And if s/he does not operate, it might still get worse since I still have symptoms from the disc after almost three months. I know that none of you can say for sure what the doctor should/shouldn´t do, but does anyone here have some word of advice? My CRPS-symptoms are moderate/mild, it doesn´t hurt every second as long as I don´t use my right arm, I am able to carry and lift almost anything if I want to, I have full range of motion... and I want to keep it that way!:wink:

At last, thank all of you that read this long tirade, it feels good to know that somebody understands, well not the disease but the sufferer of it! Have a beautiful saturday!

:circlelove:

hello wreta. i'm glad you found neurotalk. welcome.

this is a copy of your post in the welcome forum.

hey wreta
 

i was injured 5/4/3, i dislocated my shouldr st work. i got in to see the work comp doc 5 days later....told him ihad a history of rsd. he said it looked fine and put my in a sling (i had already been using one i bought at the store). 3 weeks lster he saw me again and asked me to teke off the sling....i couldnt pain in my elbow was insane. 7 months following injury i had shoulder surgery and was put back in a sling, once again felt insane on the pain scale. 5/1 the did an olnar nerve transposition on me. everything got wors, i went to therapy, occupational, physical, and hydro. everything made it worse. sfter s bunch of accupuncture, i finally had a block...suprise, suprise my rsd was back

Howdy!
 

:welcome_sign:

Ouchies!
Well you found the right place to come for support. Everyone here is very understanding, and very knowledgable about RSD. I m glad ya found us, but wish we didnt have all the health problems that go with it lol.

:hug:

Hi Wreta,
Welcome to the group. you have found the right place to be. I am only sorry for the reason you are here. you will find that everyone here is so nice and helpful. Ive said before, just coming to this forum makes me feel better. Only the people here can understand. Once again, welcome.

Sue K.

Hello Wreta,

I'm so sorry that you have RSD, but you have found a wonderful place for information and support.

:Good-Luck:

Best regards,

:cool: EJ

Thank you everybody!
 

It feels very nice to bee welcomed like this! This disease is difficult to talk about, especially since it is so unfamiliar to both to the public and to many doctors too. I am lucky to have met some doctors that have believed in me from the start, this discproblem would have been undetected if my orthopedic surgeon wouldn´t have done the complete workup on me (just like you Desi!). Knowing I have RSD I myself thougt that all these new symptoms were "just" the RSD acting up. Looking back that was kind of stupid I guess :D since even swallowing sent shooting pains down my arm... I guess that isn´t normal?

Wakegirl, did I understand you correctly that your pain got worse from having your arm in the sling? So it is the immobility that triggered the pain more than the shoulderinjury itself? I am curious because most of my RSD-pain is not in the shoulder but from the elbow down to the fingers. This is also why my insurance company don´t want to understand that these symptoms are from my injury. I am so tired of fighting with them...

While on the subject, may I ask you all, is your primary pain located in the same place as your triggering injury, or am I just a freak? :rolleyes: I have my own theory about my own case, but just wondering if this is uncommon or not. I hurt my arm in 2005 when I tried to catch a sheep. I grabbed the sheep by the wool, the sheep pulled away at the same time that my feet slipped on the wet grass and I fell on the ground landing on my elbow. My theory is that I got a lot of small tears from the fingers up, but since the shoulder was badly torn I did not notice the arm. Does that sound plausible? I actually get more pain from typing, writing or eating than from carrying or lifting heavy boxes. I´m odd.

Well, thanks again, I really enjoy being in some small way part of such an awesome, strongwilled and warmhearted group of people like yourselves! :hug: to all of you!

Welcome to the forum. You will find the support sometimes is the one thing that can get you through the dark days. It's like having a cozy hammock that snuggles you close and gently rocks you to peace. Everyone is wonderful.:D

Welcome
 

I had a car accident 2.5 years ago, along with an injury to my hand and arm and a fractured sterum, I had 3 herniated discs mid back:mad:. I left them alone as I was already in enough pain. If they are not pressing on a nerve or causing other problems often times they can be left alone. At this time they do not cause me any pain unless I try to lift heavy items or try to pull weeds. My Rsd had moved from my left hand and shoulder to the right upper back and arm, also my feet. Again welcome,:hug:Carose