if you go to the er they have to treat you even if you need charity care. bring a pamphlet on rsd and tell them you need something to help manage the pain. if they can't do that then i would ask them to refer you to someone who can. there are pm drs out there who can help you manage your pain with meds, nerveblocks, pt etc. and try to do your own research at home too to find pm dr who can help rsd patients. hope you find some relief soon. i know it's hard but don't give up looking for a dr who can help you. take care.
p.s. i know it's scary when your hurting and you can't find a dr who can help, but keep trying to look for a good pm dr. cymbalta didn't help me at all, but gabapentin does and also a strong pain killer helps that my pm dr prescribes to me. if i were you i would look for a pm dr who knows how to treat rsd properly so that he prescribe the right meds to manage your rsd pain. i also take advil to bring down inflammation that rsd causes me. sending soft hugs your way.

I just want to clarify that the EMTALA law covers life threatening emergencies and labor only. An ED is obligated to screen you for anything that is immediately life threatening (ie. symptoms of a heart attack). Once you are deemed "medically stable" they just have to refer you back to your PCP for treatment of a chronic problem. An ED is not meant to treat chronic conditions, and with the change in health care laws we are seeing a swing back to treatment of emergent issues only.

I know that it really sucks when you're in severe pain, but it's just how things are now.

As a healthcare provider, we are monitored now for the amount of opiods we write. It's a difficult place to be in for both patient and provider.

One piece of advice I can give is, when seeing a provider for the first time do not overwhelm them with every healthcare problem you have. Give a short, concise health history and then pick one problem you want to focus on for that visit (ie, CRPS or your bladder issue but not both). Be polite, clean (at least have taken a shower that week, and concise. Don't say negative things about other healthcare providers.

I wish you the best of luck in finding help.