I was diagnosed with RSD in my right foot about 2 weeks. I saw a pain management doctor and his treatment plan for me is to use lidoderm pathces and to do physical therapy (with TENS a minimum of 3 times week. However, I can not afford to do physical therapy that often and lidoderm patches don't help at all Does anyone have any suggestions on other options for treatment? The doctor downplayed my pain and told me that "it isn't that bad" Has anyone else every had this happen? It was extremely upsetting that he didn't take me seriously

hi and welcome to Neurotalk! you will find tons of support here!

we have all have had an experience with a doctor that has not believed and told us to suck it up. but that is certinatly not the answer. our pain is very very real.

physcial therapy is the right answer, we have to keep the effected area moving as much as it hurts. also try to desensitize. start by rubbing tissues on the foot, then a soft blanket, a wash cloth ect. this will help with the sensetivity. but look in your area and try to find a PM doctor that focus on RSD.you can try naurontin that has helped many people. personally i am on Amitriptalyne. and that is all.to help with the purple and color change, try to keep the area warm. i prefer heating pads and heated blankets! your best shot for remission is to get a treatment plan as soon as possible. but look into the doctors in your area. ask your doctor how much experience he has with RSD.
i have had rsd for six years and am only a teen. i have it in both legs and in my back. right now i am in a horrible flare up, and am seeing a new pm doctor, who is going to try spinal cord stimulation

if you need any support or have any questions feel free to private message me . i'd be more then happy

Hi there, Welcome to NT

Vitimin C, 750-1000 mgs a day start ASAP!

Please see link below for study on vitimin C and CRPS:

http://www.eorthopod.com/public/pati...cture_may.html

here is another study.. I like this doctor!

http://www.jfponline.com/pdf%2F5702%2F5702JFP_Purl1.pdf

I would advise anyone who is new to RSD to start Vitamin C ASAP and even those of you who have had RSD for longer it certainly can't hurt, I know it helps me because I notice it when I stop taking it.. I tend to flare up.. nuff said.. read the study.

hugs,
Sandra

Dear erosati -

Pardon me if I am direct, but to diagnosis you with a presumably fresh case of RSD in your foot - I presume you have had the symptoms for less than four months - and not recommend an immediate series of lumbar sympathetic blocks, IMHO borders on criminal negligence, where an aggressive round of blocks very early on can knock out the RSD, whereas later on they are useless.

By way of background, sympathetic blocks are essentially injections of large amounts of local anesthetics near your lower spine (sometimes containing a steroid such as Kenalog) while the doctor is guided at at times by a flouroscopy machine: so the needle doesn't make contact with anything that it shouldn't. For a (very) short piece that was written last year for the RSD/CRPS community in the RSDSA Review, see, "Clinical Q & A: Can there be too many sympathetic nerve blocks for the treatment of CPRS?" by William E. Ackerman, III, MD at http://www.rsds.org/1/publications/r...inter2008.html But please note, in order for blocks to really work, they must be taken in conjunction with physical therapy: like it or not.

Which is whys why it's so important that you do everything in your power - right now - to obtain whatever financial assistance is concievably available to you: the alternatives are not pretty. So, if cost or insurance is an object, I would be filing an application for Medicaid, etc. as fast as humanly possible, or seeing an attorney if you have any claims to pursue against another party on account of your underlying injury.

Time is really of the essence here. Please make the most of it. Any questions, let us know. Good luck!

Mike

PS If you're looking for a good pain management specialist in your area, I would check out those doctors who have been certified by the American Board of Pain Medicine. This is a group which has, as part of it's mission, the development of "standards and requirements for graduate medical education in Pain Medicine in collaboration with other concerned organizations and agencies," e.g. that they supervise standards in residency and fellowship programs across the country and they in turn certify only pain management psysicians who meet their educational (residency and/or fellowship) standards, and pass an 8 hour written exam. To use their search engine to find someone in your area, go here: http://www.association-office.com/ab...dir/search.cfm

Just wanted to make sure that erosati saw the highlighted admonition I just added.