MSLDAY ~ I am so happy you quoted this....
Now if my brain could digest & methodically understand & speak it.

My pain management doc doesnt want me to have any more TOS surgeries due to the CRPS but how long can my system hold out to Botox Chemodenerviation procedures 4 x's a year for the TOS pain & not increase the CRPS.

I have pretty much full body CRPS 10+ years now including it now affecting my stomach. I read here so many people say it has affected their organs. I can so relate. Its so incredibly frustrating that CRPS cannot be used for my SSDI doc & W/C defense. FM & RSD is not spoken in court & result in approvals these days in California.

After I was dx, a year and a half after I developed rsd, my treatment began with LSB, I had 23 of them. the first was of course diagnostic. This one was the best one. The relief I felt was great, immediate warmth to my freezing leg and I was within 15 mins after the procedure able to go up and down stairs- something i had not been able to do for some time. After that I had the following 22 trying to recapture that success. And we did in varying degrees. But it never lasted over lets say 24 hours. Atsome point during this time, the rsd spread to my left leg.

After many mri of every part of my spine except my thoracic, and finding nothing, I finally asked for one of my thoracic due to severe flares, lesions and spasms in that area and my ribs.
Dr. S had said for some time that a conditon in my spine was continually"setting off" my horrible flares daily. How he always knew there were problems there without an mri is just to his credit. As when the mri came back there were many many problems.

So all of that was to share this - since the tradional rsd blocks had failed years before and since I was full body my pain management doctor decided to do a series of epidurals -15 to be exact- in the thoracic area. The relief was unbeliveable. It took several as every T disc i have is herniated but it did stop that area of my body from the horrible spine burning, bone burning and lesions on my back and ribs.

Although they only last three months I am anxiously awaiting the next round. You have to have a long break in-between .

Sadly the rsd just moved its intensity to other areas of my body. However, the spine pain is so dibilatating that this has made a significant difference.

I also should mention that after each epidural I did have a horrible 3-4 day full body flare from the I V and the catheter . But it has still been worth it.

Again these were not rsd nerve blocks - these were epidurals anyone with disc problems would get. I think our disease is so dibilatating that sometimes we forget to treat our "normal" problems and in doing so it can help abate our opportunistic rsd. cz

Ya'll nailed it here!

Opportunistic RSD!

It seems to me after 26 years, that anything that's wrong in your body, from a bad meal, to a flu or cold, a toothache, or a disbelieving family member; will "set off" the RSD's Trigger. And, it's a Hair Trigger!

How many days I've just sat or layed down, when I was working, before the tbi in '98, I usually layed down for an hour, maybe just a half, around 3-4 in the afternoon.
And, of course, took some meds. But, ,this was planned!
It was working for me.
No more.

For the past Eleven years, nothing works.
Now, it'll (the rsd) just come and take me.
I ride in someone's car, and since mine is gone (wife wrecked it), and, I think she had the other stolen, these cars have (so wonderfully) different temperature controls for each side. and, I ALWAYS want it different than the driver! Makes them crazy. (but, I do have my own control)..
Anyways, I just called an attorney, he's of course, on the phone. Wanna take bets on if he'll call me back? haha!

Between the TBI, and the RSD/TOS, discs, apnea, etc. I feel as though I'm losing the battle. But this is compounded by my ineffective attorneys.

It seems, as always I hafto be the plow, that pushes them along.
But that's just not my way.....
See, I've always believed that,
"It's easier to pull a spaghetti, than to push one"!

pete