Oh my, Yes. When I had to originally explain my symptoms I thought the doctor looked at me as if I were a dragon or something. I believe I said something to this affect " it feels like pins and needles, pin prickly with knife stabbing and being on fire 24/7, then going stiff, numb and ice cold out of no where!"

Those were just the immediate symptoms I noticed. There are a bazillion more that people get and some people don't. Some remedies work for some and not for others, that is one reason why this beast is hard to tame.

But welcome here, lots of great people with great knowledge and great support/understanding!

Your best chance is aggressive treatment early. Most successful remissions occur in the first two years. It can come back.

You'll find many activities and things exascerbate the problem or bring on flares. You'll also find that many things tend to be helpful. Learn your triggers and try to do the things that help.

This isn't a death sentence if you can't beat it. It will change your life but there is still life after RSD.

Best of luck.

I have had this fill body for 17 years. I survived by a mad exercise program but now have a back problem and cant train. Its gone into my spine and brain giving me night spasms that throw me around. I believe other people have had this but would like to know because as usual the British doctors havent got a clue. They still think the pain can be stopped by brufen.

I had my RSD spread into my back after a lumbar sympathetic block last January. From there is went into my neck, down my arms, into my hands, to my sides, my chest, and stomach. After this spread I started to experience a whole lot of symptoms which included the full body spasms, loss of balance and coordination, nausea, blurry/double vision, and a whole laundry list of other things. What other types of things have you had since it spread? Just the body spasms or other things too? We tried a lot of different things to get all this under control...lots of trial and error. Maybe one of the things I tried could help you...

I went through a bad bought on Tuesday. Monday my clondine patch came off. (my change day is wednesday) so I was trying to hold off. Well by Tuesday afternoon, I was taking muscle relaxor's my lower back hurt so bad. I am wondering if I have spread, but my patch's are blocking the pain.

I'm so sorry Alt...does not seem like a good couple of days for you. I am so paranoid about my clonidine patches coming off...since getting them I have been doing so much better with the nausea, dizziness, poor balance, blurry vision, etc. And just overall I feel better because I don't have those things happening as much...not unless the pain gets up to that 9-10 level. So if I have any trouble getting the clonidine patch on I put the little pad over it that came with the patches...same goes if it feels like any of the corners are loose or anything. I hope you feel better soon...and hope to God that you are not experiencing spread.

catra,
It's funny because my husband woke to find the patch was on him. lol.Yeah! I hope its not spread, I can't afford it to be in my back. Just the thought scares me.