I have read that tdsc has been used to help drone pilots learn quicker so I would assume that it would help video gamers. Don't know about depression though.

On the depression topic though, my psych believes that Ketamine will be the next "big" treatment for depression.

Fresh in from Yahoo. Very similar to tcds
 

I haven't seen any postings lately about tcds so I don't know if this discussion is okay but I found this article on Yahoo today and it is very similar to tcds. Thought some of you who've tried it might be interested. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-cou...8561.html?vp=1

That's interesting. Thanks for posting.

In case anyone is interested in an update...I'm still using the tDCS but only do treatments every couple weeks now. I found that if I stopped them all together I started having more difficulties sleeping and more flare ups again. By doing them once every couple of weeks I've maintained the progress I made by the more regular treatments in the beginning.

Catra
 

Catra...I have followed your post for a long time...Can you tell me if there are doctors or practices that are doing this now? I was very intimidated by the process when you posted it (with my non scientific brain!)

My doctor just had me treating at home and I did all my research online. There is a clinic in Atlanta that I think is referenced here on this thread in several places that specializes in the tDCS treatment. I think they also have an at home program where you travel there to learn how to use the machine, the protocols, etc and you will have them as a resource but then you continue treatment at home. They have also (I think) partnered with other physicians who were willing to assist with getting people started on treatment with tDCS. I did a search of "Atlanta tdcs clinic" and it popped right up.

Since I've been doing it on my own, partnering in the beginning with others who were using the treatment successfully, I'm not too familiar with the doctors who are using this treatment and the practice. But I would definitely recommend calling them and seeing what they have to offer or if they know of anyone else who is offering the treatment.

Catra121,

My 21 yr old daughter who developed CRPS in her L leg 6 months ago just started tDCS via Dr. Fugedy about a week ago. I wanted to ask you some questions but couldn't see a PM button, maybe it's because I've not posted enough or something? Could you tell me how to PM?

I believe you have to have a certain post count in order to PM...but I'm not sure how many.

How many posts to be able to pm
 

I suspect you are entirely correct, but I'm not sure how many posts are required before we enter the world of pming:) but hey now I'm one closer! One day I'll be able to pm you! and others!

Billy

I don't think it takes very many...and you are free to ask any questions here as well. Everyone on the board is very helpful and I have gotten so much useful information here...don't know where I would be now without it.

I think it's five posts before you can PM.

I read quite a bit of this and never came across this particular issue with you. Sorry if I missed it but I wanted to ask if you had a lot of edema or swelling of a limb associated with your CRPS and if so how did the treaments affect it?

Thank you for your detailed description of your journey.

Denise

When I have flare ups I do get severe swelling sometimes. This has actually been reduced since the tDCS treatments...and the swelling really is only with the worst flare ups now. My primary treatment with any kind of swelling is to take a hot bath with Epsom salts...but as with many symptoms I find things like the swelling, temperature changes, color changes, etc have been reduced since the tDCS treatments.

Thank you for letting me know your response to that. I may try it.

The swelling and edema in my entire right leg is severe and relentless. It swells worse when I take a warm bath in epsom salts. I don't understand. It also seems much more affected by gravity than most other people with CRPS edema. My ankle for example can double in size from when I get up in the morning and stand or walk for even a few minutes. This degee of edema in my right leg and upper pelvic ara has been my outlier for this disease since the beginning. I had no known inciting event. It threw them off the correct diagnosis for a long time. Valuable time.

Anyway, thanks. Sorry to ramble.

No problem...the tDCS didn't help me a lot with "pain" per se...but it helped a lot of my other symptoms and I have flare ups much less often than I used to (which I guess IS helping with the pain in a round about sort of way). The way I see it...it's definitely worth a shot.

Take care and good luck!

tdcs device
 

[QUOTE=ballerina;826040]My journey is very similar to other folks with CRPS. My options, however, may be more limited than many due to drug sensitivities. Ketamine is out of the question because I am allergic to it. I have grown weary of the tired advice that my pain needs to be better managed by drugs. I made the decision early on to heed the warning of research regarding Narcotics only increasing neuropathic pain long term.


hey how are you doing? hopefully your feeling better, i was wondering what device you are using i had a concussion and still have headaches I've been use the david delight pro from canada is that the same thing? thanks

This looks very interesting - I'm definitely bookmarking this. My daughter also tried Graded Motor Imagery and Mirror Therapy, but only got very minimal results with a LOT of time, so she stopped. The GMI started to be counter-productive after a few months, though, because it was so boring and frustrating for her, so she stopped. We had an interesting thing happen with Mirror Therapy, though - it increased mobility in the foot where the RSD started.

Thank you for sharing this with us! I might try it, because I have fibromyalgia.

Nice other options to try. Mirror therapy I tried and still doing both ,one for my rsd affected limb and the other to make and reset my mind to look ok and happy.
Works this way ,I take pictures of myself daily and also,fix my hair ,make up and try to be the way as I was before ,that mirror that I see, I only see a happy person ,many times my smiles are fake on my pictures but when I saw then I can't remember which ones where real on fake ,I focus on the happy person and that's keep me going throughout the day .:grouphug: but sure anything new and relief method are welcome ,thanks for the inputs and help ,loving. Hugs ,Jesika .:grouphug::grouphug:

There are so many "little" things that we can do that help. I like your smiling idea. I've heard that even fake laughing can make some positive chemical changes in your body, but I've been too embarrassed to try it!

What I like to do is always have flowers that I can see. Trader Joe's has really good prices on flowers. Beauty is really important to me! I also love music and hope that I can start playing my harp again soon. In the meantime, I've found some really lovely piano music that I play before going to bed.

Thanks for sharing :grouphug:

Betsykk
 

Betsykk,

My name is Billy Alexander and my 21 yr old daughter has CRPS in her l leg for about 10 months now. She's had 10 lumbar sympathetic blocks with near 100% relief each time but its been several months now and her pain is quite intense now. I would love to talk to you about ketamine as you mentioned it didn't work the first time but after going off meds it worked well the second and subsequent times. I have'nt had enough posts to pm you yet so not sure how but maybe you could pm me? Thank you so much.

Billy

Welcome billycalexander. :Tip-Hat:

Someone will be along to help.

This once busy thread has been bumped in over a year. I was waiting to see if it was all hype or not.

This machine seems like the same concept??? http://www.fisherwallace.com/pages/advanced-pain-relief

Hopefully Catra will give an update when she drops by!

Not much to update on my end. I still do the treatments about one week every 2-3 months. I do notice that if I go longer without treatments that I start to have more flare ups and then after I go longer between flare ups. It was never the miracle cure...especially from a pain level standpoint for me...though maybe it's because I never found the "perfect" protocol. Things have been pretty out of whack since the baby though. I've considered upping my treatments to one week a month...but some how I never get around to it or find time...it's a miracle sometimes to have the time to take an extra bath or to pull out the TENS unit...both of which have immediate relief to their credit. The tDCS unit has an impact but it's over time and it takes a little while to set up. Now that my boyfriend has a job again...I'm thinking of making the baby's pick up times from daycare an hour or so later than now to give me that extra time for taking care of me...but it hasn't happened yet.

That unit looks interesting...I would certainly be open to trying it. The hardest thing about the tDCS unit was doing it without the guidance of a dr. As I said before...maybe there's a better protocol for me to use than the one I do...but having found one that does help to the extent that it does I am hesitant to play around with anything else.

Will update if I decide to go ahead with more than just maintenance treatments...but it definitely still is helping based on the fact that if I don't do the maintenance treatments or wait longer between them I do see an increase in flare ups, pain levels, and overall bad days. It's usually one of my first questions to myself now when I notice a pattern of bad days...when was my last tDCS treatment?

Let’s bring this thread back alive.

I have had CRPS for almost 4 years. I mainly got the activa dose for Dystonia as my pain is under control for the time being. In 5 days of treatment my dystonia which Imwas affecting both my left and right hand. In 5 days of treatment my dystonias are about 40-50% in remission.

This device is a miracle for those with crps movement disorders because there is Current no effect treatment until now.

I really hope to reach complete remission. Will keep everyone posted !