Originally Posted by RSD ME

when i first got rsd i had some drs pushing the scs on me after nb stopped helping and i felt that i had to do what the dr told me because he was the dr and the dr knows best. but luckily my husband to get a second opinion and i did and was told there were risks that i wasn't aware told about with my first doc. so i had to make a decision because i had two drs telling me to do two totally different things and i started freaking out. if it wasn't bad enough being in horrible pain all the time from a disease i had no clue what it meant, i had to be my own dr when i have had no medical training in my life whatsoever. that's when i found my voice. my courage. my strength. because like the quote i read said " you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." well that became my only choice at that moment. so i took a deep breath, read as much as i could about scs and other options for treating rsd and i found this amazing forum which gave me the insight of others who have been living with rsd. i read and talked to them about what helped them and what didn't and why. and i made wonderful friends here and gained support that i needed so badly because i was really afraid of making the wrong decision. well i decided after serious thought not to do the scs unless nothing else worked. it would be my last resort. that's not say everyone should follow my lead. some people may respond well to an scs. some may not. everyone is different when it comes to rsd. all i know is that i was not ready mentally or physically for such a major surgery. did i do the right thing? i don't know. i take a mountain of meds that my drs prescribe that i'm sure aren't doing my insides very good. but they help manage my pain and i can tolerate them for the most part. i also try to keep moving as much as i can (which isn't much these days) so as not to atrophy anymore then i already have. even typing is very difficult for me but i try a little each day like my dr said for exercise to keep my fingers from completely freezing up. my wrist is already locked up probably forever. and i can't tell you how many times i go back to fix my typos and how i have to stop sometimes because my vision is now becoming blurry from the rsd and meds. so there are good and bad side effects to every treatment but i don't regret my decision for a second. and if i had to do it again knowing what i know now almost five long years later, i would still make the same choice. but that's just me. maybe you may want to try something else. and that's ok too. there is no right or wrong decision (i don't think) when it comes to knowing what to do with rsd. the drs don't even know for sure what to do. they are trying their best to help with what they know but you need to find a dr who really knows how to treat rsd. it's not easy but it is possible. or at least a dr who doesn't make you feel like you have to convince them to listen to other suggestions you may have to treat your illness. or at the very least listen to your feelings and pain and have compassion for you. you should never feel like you have to beg. and you should never be afraid to speak your mind. (calmly of course though, don't ever lose your cool.) remember that drs are there to help you not the other way around. and if they can't, then i would find a dr who can. just keep looking. you will find them. and you will find your voice and courage too. remember, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. remember you can do this!