Hi Phaedra. I'm so glad you had a good experience at UVA too. I had eight nerveblocks (one a week for two months) when I was first diagnosed with rsd. It helped bring down the swelling and numb the pain a little, but not completely. I had a needle inserted into my neck so I was put under for it. (This was at my request, because I would have not been able to stay awake for that. I don't like needles.) The procedure too about fifteen minutes and then I went home. It was hard to swallow for a few hours afterwards due to the anesthesia and I sounded like a duck when I coughed. That was due to the anesthesia and did go away after a few hours. My husband would stop at McDonalds after the procedure was done to get me a vanilla milkshake. Boy did that hit the spot! And then he drove me home. If you want to try a NB, I would just make sure you have an experienced PM dr who is familiar with RSD. NB combined with PT seemed to help my rsd wrist and hand gain a little more movement and bring the swelling down a bit. And my husband's insurance covered the procedure and anesthesia for six blocks. The last two were done with out insurance coverage, but my pm dr was kind enough to not charge me for them. Looking back I realize how lucky I've been to have had such a great PM dr caring for me. I hope you get the same compassion and quality care from your drs. I'm sure you will. Take care my friend and feel better soon.