[RSD_PITA]

My girlfriend has had her pain mainly under control. Lots of pain, but livable.

Saturday she had an IME and had a physical exam. Her pain has spread from her arm to her shoulder. The pain has increased immensely. Probably going to have to go to the ER here in a bit. Is this normal? When it decides to move to another location, does the pain increase massively, does the intensity stay the same?

Thanks,
Heffe

[Brambledog]

I haven't had your girlfriends experience, or close, but I would think there must be a distinct possibility that the IME has set up this pain increase....in which case it isn't a bad idea to get it documented as soon as possible. If she is in so much pain that you have to get her to the ER, then she needs some help anyway.

I'm so sorry, this condition is bad enough without all the hoops you have to jump through....and IMHO any extra physical exam should only be being done by a doc experienced in dealing with CRPS, not any old muppet. But the patient never gets a choice sadly.

My CRPS has spread, but in my experience the first sign of spread was an aching pain with some stabbing pains in the area, then the burning, etc and mounting pain. It definitely wasn't that fast for me, BUT this is not the same for everyone, and that doesn't mean your GF's experience ISN'T spread. It's so complex. I would say though that a dramatic pain increase that doesn't resolve quickly must be looked at immediately. It might not be 'just' the CRPS. The exam might have caused a muscle spasm, tendon injury, nerve injury....

I hope her pain subsides quickly and that whatever caused this pain spike isn't anything long-term. Let us know what happens, and tell her we are rooting for her and crossing our fingers.

Bram.

[zookester]

Unfortunately the natural course of CRPS is to become progressively worse over time. Many things can cause pain to increase but as Bram so well said it doesn't necessarily mean that it is spreading.. could just be what they call a pain "flare". How do you tell the difference.. well quite honestly I don't think there is anyway to determine if it is spread except by time. Sad. What can you do? Well first off try to relax, get her into a warm bath with epsom salt, some candles and relaxing music. Kick back and watch a good movie or curl up and read a book anything that will help her relax and distract her from the pain is good. Does she currently have medications to help control pain? Who is her doctor?? It would be better to see if you can see her treating doctor rather than waste your time at an ER as they aren't usually helpful and often only make things worse with the additional stress and lack of knowledge. Plus most ER's don't treat chronic pain anymore and will just look for acute injuries and send you on your way. Sad. A warm gentle moist compress can also be beneficial. Massage on her unaffected arm/body will help with relaxation and tension. Go for a walk.. I know she is in pain and that sounds crazy but honestly the fresh air and distraction will do her good.

She is lucky to have you!

Tessa

[Allanira]

Rsd is different for each person on how they and it reacts to different situations. If she had an exam by a drnthatnisnt familiar with rsd and he actually did something to cause a flare its hard to prove but it also has bad consequences for us. I personally am just now having mine spread from just my knee to all the way down to my foot and half way up my thigh. Its been almost 10 yrs that Ivemhad this too. If her meds aren't helping by all means get her to the ER. It might also be that her meds aren't working as effectively as they were. You can build up a very high tolerance for a med. I would have to take a half bottle of the strongest tylenol to get it to work and that would be for only about 20 min.

[RSD ME]

Originally Posted by RSD_PITA

My girlfriend has had her pain mainly under control. Lots of pain, but livable.

Saturday she had an IME and had a physical exam. Her pain has spread from her arm to her shoulder. The pain has increased immensely. Probably going to have to go to the ER here in a bit. Is this normal? When it decides to move to another location, does the pain increase massively, does the intensity stay the same?

Thanks,
Heffe

Sorry to hear about your friend. I have rsd for over two years and in that time have had it spread from the right side of my body to my left. The intesity of the pain varies from day to day and is controlled some of the time with meds and exercise. Then out of the blue, a flare can come up and can last for a long time. I take extra percs (which my pm dr okay's) and stay in bed during those times until it subsides.
I hope your friend doesn't have anymore spread, and maybe even goes into remission. My thoughts are with you.