I read something once that has stuck with me, and I want to print & hand out to health care professionals like the one you mentioned here. It goes like this…

My disease is more real than your imaginary medical expertise.

I have on occasion gotten frustrated enough to say, if you could look inside and see what I feel, everyone here would freak out and cry out “OMG it’s a medical emergency”. Probably not the best approach. Lots of good advice in the other posts here. So sorry this happened to you.

Can you get an appointment with your PCP in the meantime to tide you over? Try calling them, explain what happened with the PA and the trouble you are having trying to get an appointment wit the PM doc, tell them you are in crisis and if nothing else, can they pull any strings to get you in earlier or get a referral to see a new PM sooner. Just ideas...I know how terrible it feels to be in this situation and I wish you the best of luck!

Not that it helps you this month, but I want to recommend adding a mental health professional to the mix contributing to a treatment plan for RSD.

RSD #@!% 's !!!!!!!!!

I don't know too many of us who haven't had overwhelming issues with stress and depressions because of this condition. Mental health professionals are the experts on dealing with that fall out from RSD.

I've met a couple of 'health care professionals' like the pA you had the misfortune to deal with.

At a low point in my RSD struggle, I had to question if it could be true. Having a psychosomatic condition doesn't mean a person is a malingerer, trying to get out of working, trying to get free money from SSDI or trying to get narcotics. Having a psychosomatic condition means a person's psyche can't deal with an issue and the stress is manifested with a physical issue. The whole point is a person can't control what their subconscious mind is doing.

I had been seeing a therapist (MSW) and psychiatrist. I had a bit of a breakdown with my psychiatrist and pleaded for help. I asked how it could be that if I was sooooooo messed up my subconscious mind was making me be in constant pain, have limited ROM, absolutely RUIN my life with disability and inability to work and care for myself and my family for YEARS.......WHY wasn't he shipping me off to a psych hospital ? He said......"If I thought that would take away your pain, I'd do it. I believe that your stress and depression are in reaction to your pain issues, not the cause of them.....and your medical records back that up."

It's been rather freeing. I've run into more of the "it's all psychosomatic" types since then. I LOVE saying....."Well, gee.....if you REALLY believe that this is psychosomatic and you have a DUTY to "do no harm", to treat the diagnosis you want to make.....aren't you OBLIGATED to contact my shrink and send me to the psych ward, STAT ? I have his card right here.....want to call him ?"

That shuts them up pretty quick.

Ignorant people end up in all kinds of professions where they shouldn't be.