Hey Everyone,

Another new person here.

I've had a doctor suggest I might have RSD but another diagnosed me with a peripheral neuropathy. I'm not sure my symptoms have progressed enough to determine exactly what I have but I'd like to get some opinions here.

I injured my feet really bad almost 3 years ago. I damaged a bunch of tendons, ligaments and so on and my feet became arthritic. I lost a great deal of function as well. Not long afterwards I did have some burning pain but it was manageable and it was always worse at night. About six months ago the burning got really bad to the point I thought I was surely going to lose my mind. Since then my feet feel like their on fire. About two months ago some of my finger tips started feel numb and now my hands and arms feel weird, almost like after you hit your funny bone.

I was wondering if any of this sounds familiar. I'm 99% sure this evolved from my injuries and I have no reason to believe I would just develop PN out of the blue. I've been sort of in denial about things but I need to take some measures to get some help and I'm hoping I can at least get some feedback here.

Thanks for listening

fadedone

Hi Fadedone,
Welcome to the boards where you'll feel supported, understood and where you'll be able to get information from many who are undergoing the same experience as you..

I'm sorry you are having pain in your feet..it's so hard to endure foot pain as it affects our mobility, which affects most every aspect of our day.

I have foot/limb RSD and have wondered about the same question..is it RSD or has it evolved into a neuropathy. There is another link on Neurotalk that deals specifically with peripheral neuropathy that might shed some light on symptoms you are experiencing.

I have the burn, swelling, discoloration, pain, electrical surges and impulses in my footlimb and spreading over to the right.
It's important to have labs test to rule out any other underlying conditions that might indicate neuropathy...
Neuropathy can be idiopathic ( arising for no apparent reason), but because you had such trauma to your feet, it's quite possible that you have a true complex regional pain syndrome or RSD.

I hope you are seeing a doc who is expertised in RSD to help you determine an accurate diagnosis...you're in a dilemma 'cause one doctor says its RSD, the other says it's neuropathy..have you seen a pain management specialist (who is also an aesthesiologist) or a neurologist?

A word of caution; if it might be RSD, don't use ice as that aggravates RSD
My official diagnosis is RSD with probable nerve entrapment in several nerves from injury and surgery..
I'm hoping others on the board can give you more insight into the similarities and differences between RSD and neuropathy...
I hope you are getting some kind of relief for your pain..
Hugs from hope4thebest

Hi welcome. I just posted on the PN board of your thread cause I have PN and RSD. I agree that you need to get the proper tests done to rule out other conditions as well. Though you may not have any reason to get PN it is still possible unfortunatly. For myself I was dx at 28 with PN and 3 years later we still don't know the why behind it and I am diagnosticly tested out. I also feel since I do have 2 dx and others here as well have combos of conditions that it is important to look at everything. I know it is hard to face this but so important you get asap dx and treatment. Do you have family or friends to help you even go to appointments? Without my mom sending me around to many states and keeping me motivated for treatment trust me I would of given up. Sometimes one needs a little push and encouragment through the physical and mental battle this is.

I have arthritis and PN. My PN was metabolically induced by low thyroid functions. It started when I was 30 and way before my son came along. It resolved about 80% with thyroid hormone replacement. Then I aged more and went thru the menopause and insulin resistance started. (this is a prediabetic condition where glucose tolerance is upset, but high blood sugars do not occur).

So far you do sound like a PNer. But RSD and PN can go together.

Arthritis pain in the feet can be managed, with topical interventions. I like Biofreeze gel, for that, and Salonpas patches.

Also dietary things can make burning worse. MSG in processed and restaurant foods, is one culprit. Highly spiced food, will also set me off. And after much elimination diet exploration, I found that potatoes (from the nightshade family which includes tomatoes) will do it. I only eat fresh tomatoes and sauces that are not highly concentrated or spiced, like Bertolli.

Our PN forum is starting informational posts and you might take a look:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread121516.html
That subforum here also has
supplements
drugs that may cause PN
and other references about testing and diagnosis

RSD typically has color changes in the affected areas, swelling, heavy sweating, and other symptoms related to poor circulation to the tissues. They are intolerant of cold. PNers may have some circulation issues, but typically cold feels better. We have more tingling/numbness than RSDers do. RSD affects the sympathetic nervous system predominately, and PN affected sensory nerves mostly. (it may spread to the autonomic system and affect digestion, and blood pressure in some people). Severe fast progressing PN or hereditary types will involve motor tracts and affect movement, but not all PNs do this.

So please look around our forum and do some reading. Our forum is very busy and there are lots of posts, and some people have not returned over the years, but their posts remain to help all who visit there.

Hello, thanks for the replies.

hope4thebest, what you described sounds similar to what I've experienced so far. About 6 months ago I had some of those electric type shocks in my feet and after that the burning really intensified. At the time my feet felt really cold as well as myself and the soles of my feet were really red. I've been taking Gabapentin since then and now things aren't quite as bad. What worries me though is that I'm having some symptoms in my arms and hands as well. I was curious how this started in your case, was it the result of some type of injury?

The only doctors I've seen is a pain doctor through worker's comp and he wouldn't help his own mother if she was injured on the job. I also saw this podiatrist who was pretty clueless. He recommended alcohol injections which he said might help the pain some but to me it sounded ridiculous. I'm going to see if he'll refer me to a specialist. I saw a general practitioner as well who told me my shoes were too tight, Ha Ha.

I really haven't helped myself as I've been pretty down and depressed. I'm single and don't really have any support system and I'm not self motivated. I was also injured on the job and I know this is the type of thing they will fight there hardest not to take responsibility for. I could be waiting forever to get help from them and yet I don't have the means to spend all this money on treatment myself.

The combination of arthritis and the burning isn't fun. My feet hurt when I walk around and then the moment I sit down they start burning. People don't realize how difficult having injuries to your feet can be. In away they never truly heal because of the pounding they take everyday, I still have tendinitis going on 3 years now.

I'm going to try and get a referral to a specialist this week and hopefully I can come here to talk and gain some motivation. I know there's a lot of people on here much worse off than myself.

Thanks for the suggestions, my ears are always open to what's helped others here.

fadedone

Hi Fadedone,
At the beginning of my diagnosis, I tried to deal with the Worker Comp insurance system on my own, and it got increasingly more difficult and I knew I was being manipulated and regarded as a claim number, not as a person with a serious disorder...
To make a long story short, it's wise to enlist a Worker comp attorney to be on your side and to guide you...
I would ask people you trust if they can refer you to an attorney who will advocate for your well-being and proper treatment.
Find out about your rights to seek out second and third opinions and be very pro-active in helping yourself find others who want to help you!
RSD and PN can be very painful and changeable disorders, needing specialized and expert treatment.
I hope you find some answers and support!
hugs from hope4thebest

Hi Fadedone,

Is the burning pain in your feet on the top, bottom, or your whole foot ? Were your tendon issues in your foot or further up the leg ? Any other leg symptoms ?

Your first post mentioned numbness in your fingertips, but then said symptoms in your arms too. Do the arm symptoms include pain ?

My gut reaction with your description of burning in your feet and n/t in your fingertips, was that it sounded more like PN. If you've been doing some reading on both dx's......there is so much overlapping symptomatology between the two, it can be confusing.

hope4thebest,

Unfortunately I don't seem to be getting help from anyone and I have an attorney. Most doctors you see through comp aren't on your side either and it makes things very difficult. These people realize your in pain and your depressed and they do manipulate you, they make a living at it. I'm trying to regroup and get some help but part of me gave up a long time ago.

Finz, the burning is pretty much in my whole foot but worse in my toes. The bones in my forefoot are thinning as well. I had something called PTTD and it went neglected which is why I had so many problems. I was getting these bad cramps in my calves but they seem to have stopped. I haven't had any pain in my arms only some numbness and some burning. I need to make an effort to get some different opinions and have some tests done. If I rule out any outside influences that could cause PN that I'm pretty much left with the injuries somehow leading to it. We'll see how things progress.

fadedone

Hi I am sorry you have to face WC issues on top of the stresses of this condition. I feel for everyone who faces that. I understand how hard it is to get motivated for seeing more doctors and having tests. You got to try to find that small piece even that is ready to fight and use that to move forward. I do agree that doctors and people without health conditions don't realize how mentally draining this is. I am here as an email buddy too. Really support can help. Tomorrow I will encourage you to call and line up some appointments. It can take awhile to get in. Take 1 step at a time. First go listen to the doctor and then you get to step 2 with testing and so on. Hang in there

F,

The bone thinning could be a critical factor pointing to RSD over PN