Hi Catra,

Welcome to NT !

Your story is familiar in so many ways. Most of us have also been through MULTIPLE docs just trying to find one who will listen. Finding one who can help seems to take even longer.

I admit I don't know much about the lumbar blocks. My main pain is like a burning glofball just to the left of the cervical thoracic junture, and the ache/heaviness goes to my left neck/chest/arm, so I've had a few stellate ganglion blocks. The way to tell if they got it in the right place is if you have horseness and eye redness/droop. If it lessens the pain (which can take a few days for the steroid to kick in), then it is said to definitively dx that rsd is present, BUT the lack of pain relief does not mean that rsd cannot be present.

I'd be leary of a doc who said the results PROVE that it isn't rsd before the steroids even had a chance to kick in. Reminds me of an ignorant pm doc I once saw who told me I couldn't have TOS because my main complaint was of the neck pain.....he said if it was TOS ALL of my pain had to be in front at my collarbone.

Have you been able to find a good neurologist ? A neuro who works with rsd patients might be able to point you in the direction of a good pain clinic.

Hang in there. I'm 5 years into the struggle and still looking for answers and the right medical help.

Finding NT literally saved my sanity a few years ago. I hope that you can also find comfort in knowing that there are others out there who understand....even if we can't 'fix' the problem for you.