Dec 9, 2009 I tripped over one of many lumps in the carpet at my office at work falling into the door jam and bruising my forearm at the elbow & down my arm aprox 4-5 inches.. At the time I didn't think much of the bruised arm more of my bruised pride and was upset because this bad carpet had been a safety issue for over a year for anyone walking into the office. I had the next couple of days off, and by the next afternoon my whole arm was hurting like heck and significantly swollen clear down to my hand. So I called and went into see my primary care physician the next day ( 2 days after the fall). She took xrays and nothing broken I didn't think there was but she wanted to make sure. She sent me away with a note to my employer that it was just a contusion.
Problem is the arm is very painfull still and swelling off and on the pain now extends all the way up my arm from my hand all the way up my shoulder and into my neck. I don't know if it was related to the fall into the door jam or something else. My PT thinks I should file a workman's comp, but I don't know if this is or could be related or is it just the RSD flaring?
Not sure what to do, and is is too late to file a workman's comp claim now?
Would welcome any thoughts on this.

Befudled

TJ

Hi TJ, Trust me, file a claim and get your injury documented. It doesn't mean you have a contusion. Many Drs. don't recognize RSD. Get pictures taken of your arm,shoulder- rumpled carpet (if you can) with your cell phone.
I flew from Arizona to Eugene, Oregon 4 years after getting RSD but wasn't diagnosed and kept speading. It's a sports injury group at Sacred Heart. The Sports Injury Group are well known, I know Jones is the knee Dr. I saw the Hand Dr. and he looked at my hand and said RSD in 1 minute. He sent me over to nuclear med department at Sacred Heart that confirmed RSD. I have a good friend at the other large hospital that is in nuclear med dept. If you need the hand specialt name, I can call and get it for you. I don't know what part of Oregon you live at.
He started me into physical therapy the next day. Then I came back to Arizona and got a good neuro and ortho hand doc and continued in physcial therapy. Because of the delay ( I had been wrongly diagnosed here in AZ) I have 50% use of left hand.
My RSD was actually caused by a Eugene Dr, but I didn't know it for 4 years. I didn't sue. I had 100 physical therapy treatments to get the use of my shoulder, and the p.t. department at Sacred Heart didn't know what they were treating-just trying to get the use of my shoulder back, which I did. Then remission for a year, then spread to other shoulder-therapy here in AZ and another remission. then spread to hand from water skiing-misdiagnosed, then went to sports injury group and diagnosed in 1 minute. I'm grateful for the diagnosis and he started me in pt next day and ordered a Tens Unit which Helped.
Hope you get the help you need. This is an expensive disorder-lots of medications, therapy, HBOT is the treatment I'm going to try next. Psychiatrist helped me tremendously to adjust to a life of pain and change is ability to do things. It's really like a grieving process. Take care, loretta

Thank You so much for your encouragement and information. I was finally diagnosed in July 2009 at 52 years old, previously diagnosd with osteoarthritis. But it is my belief that I have had RSD for a very long time, thinking back probably since I was about 10 or 11 yrs old that is my earliest recollection of being in severe pain, odd out of the blue swellings, skin sensitivities, burning like I was on fire, and thinking that if it hurt that bad to grow up I didn't want to, I remember many conversations with God as a child asking him why I hurt so bad all of the time, it was a conversation I repeated over and over seems like all of my life. In my early 20's was diagnosed with Chrohn's disease after the birth of my second son. That turned into 6 years of IV feedings and blood transfusions to stay alive. In Oct 2004 I was crossing in a cross walk when struck by a car shattering my shoulder and injuring my left knee which now looking back had already been dealing with signs of RSD in that leg for many years. Since the accident its been one flare after another thruout my entire body. Left leg already has signs of atrophy, and I am still able to get around with a cane but don't know for how much longer. Just went thru a series of nerve conductivity tests and they found extensive damage in the ulnar nerve of both arms and nerve damage in both legs. I just take one minute at a time these days.
Work has been a battle had to get an attorney to keep my job and still battling that along with trying to get accommodations requested by my physical therapist ( who thank God is an absolute angel a true advocate!). Unfortunately it has made for a very hostile and uncomfortable work environment.
Sorry for babbling on !
Any way just really wanted to thank you. Sounds like you have had your own battle with this RSD stuff. Hope the HBOT treatments are successful, keep us posted. I will be keeping you in my prayers and I mean that!

Take care my friend! Love TJ

P.S. I live in Portland, OR

Hi TJ, What a sweet letter. You have been thru so very much, My misdiagnosis was rheumatoid arthritis, but I knew that was wrong-negative tests plus how do you get that in one day water skiing? That's why I went back to Oregon to the sports injury group in Eugene. They had the Olympic Trials for Track and Field in Eugene. In fact thru grade and high school, I was involved with Track and Field-trained at U of O and went to state in Portland.Portland is a lovely city. My daughter and I used to take shopping trips there and also went to concerts at the Rose Garden.
Is your car accident a closed case, or is it still open? I fell at an EXXON station (didn''t know I had RSD) The air hose was faulty and retracted suddenly and threw me to the ground on my back. I reported it right then-but had to get to the airport to pick up a friend.The very next day, they had air hose people take that machine away and put in a brand new one. They knew it was faulty.They said they would pay $5,000 I had an MRI ,which I paid for- which showed a ruptured disc in neck. The RSD traveled there, and I regret to this day not getting an attorney to protect me. It causes awful headaches. I was under so much stress, I didn't turn in a dime, and let my two year time limit run out. (My daughter is a court reporter)
I no longer can work-we have been self-employed for 40 years, but my memory is not trustworthy.
My husband had ulnar nerve surgery. He had the diamondback baseball team's Dr. do his surgery and turned out well. He is 72. I'm 61. I had physical therapy after we moved here and my RSD spread. I found a physical therapist that had been on the pro golf tour and started his own business.
Even though I have full body RSD I only have one hand that is partially crippled-delay in treatment. Six years ago, a neuro, said I had full body or generalized and suggested seeing a psychiatrist-I didn't like his two recommendations, so found my own. He has been critical in keeping my health the best that it can be.
I hope the best for you. Take care, loretta with soft hugs