i don't know anything about wc but i do know that if i were you i would seek a wc lawyer and ssdi/ssi lawyer for more facts about how to handle your situation. rsd is acknowledged as a ssdi illness in some cases so if you could get some free consults from lawyers and make sure they work on contingency if you choose to use them then maybe they can help you. also take pictures, document every day what you are going through and find a good neurologist and pain management dr who know what rsd is and who can confirm for sure whether or not you have it. hope you find some relief and help soon.

Just to clarify, every doctor who has viewed the X-rays and me has confirmed RSD. The podiatrist, the rheumatologist, the foot surgeon and the pain management doctor. I believe the last WC doctor confined RSD when he told me RSD takes a year of recovery.

My PCP also confirmed RSD when he signed for me to have a handicapped placard based on the diagnosis and the fact I could not walk unassisted.

My main concern is the bone scan, two radiologist said the outcome was not consistent with RSD, yet they did not offer an alternate diagnosis. The rheumatologist said the reading made no sense.

I’m still trying to figure this one out too. My triple phase bone scan showed “No evidence of RSD.” My PM said that means I am “later stage” and past the point where the bone scan would be positive, because they are only positive early in the disease (usually less than a year). A doctor in Italy agreed with that, but he did warn that I should make sure of my diagnosis since I am 10 months duration and he is surprised that my scan would already be negative. I got an email from a different doctor in Italy yesterday, and she said: “The triple phase bone scan is the gold standard to make diagnosis of CPRS, so if it is negative, it's hard to think that you still have CPRS.” Huh? That makes no sense to me. I’m absolutely sure I still have CRPS. And, I really don’t think it is the gold standard.

No doctors I deal with seem to agree on how to interpret the test. I guess if it is positive that means something, but a negative test doesn't seem to answer any questions. So frustrating!
Missy

I didn't have a bone scan until 3 years or so after developing RSD, and it confirmed my diagnosis???

From the photos of bone scans of RSD I saw on the Internet my scan was identical. The bones in my ankle and foot were bright white.