Hi, AlishaE:

I had RSD in my left knee since August 25, 2001, when I was struck and injured by a car while crossing the street on a crosswalk. Within a matter of days, my RSD started moving all the way down to the bottom of my left toes and all the way up to the middle of my left thigh. It stayed like this for years. My severe chronic RSD pain is controlled very well by my Duragesic (fentanyl patches) and MSIR (morphine sulfate immediate release capsules), so I thought my RSD would stop spreading. I was so, so wrong... Years later, my RSD moved all the way up along my spinal cord from my left leg to my brain. Then, from there, my RSD moved to my right leg and to both my arms. Finally, my RSD started moving (through the nerves or blood vessels?) to some of my internal organs, such as the gastro-intestinal tract (nausea, gagging, no appetite) and lungs (breathing cold air, more asthma attacks). I had seven left knee surgeries. I do not think the surgeries themselves triggered the spread, but the poorly done physical therapy (bad physical therapists in a physical therapy mill), the poor post-operative pain control (the physical therapy mill seized my MSIR capsules and my fentanyl patches; if I had known my rights at that time, I would have called the cops for theft of my painkillers), etc.

Of course, everyone's case is different. Not everyone's RSD spreads; some RSD patients (such as my best friend) had the chance of seeing their RSD cured... but it cost her over U.S. $ 50,000 and a trip to Germany.

It seems to me that the RSD patients who posted messages in this thread had their RSD spread much quicker than mine. I wonder if it is my painkillers (I now take four different painkillers: Duragesic, MSIR, Tambocor, Inderal) that slowed down the spread of my RSD. I think one of Dr. Schwartzman's documents contains an answer to this question so, when I have time, I will take a look at it.