I broke my ankle almost 2 years ago and had to have plates and screws. after 9 months they were removed and from the very beginning i have rsd. i am on pain meds (percocet 10 mg three times daily and gabapentin 800mg three times a day. I try to decrease meds and the pain in my ankle bone pain and numbness in my foot increase. Even with this medication I have pain at times. I am so tired and depressed. HELP PLEASE.

Welcome to this forum irishbl47. You have found a forum full of wonderful people that do a great job at offering help, opinions, tell their own stories and things that have helped them get through this awful disorder. Many here still like to call it the old term of RSD, some like me prefer CRPS but we all know what each other is talking about. I hope you are able to find what it is that you are looking for here. This is a sub-forum of a much larger network of forums that may also interest you as, everything from this forum, other neurological and physical disorders, and even quite a few fun topics and games.

I too have ended up with CRPS as a result of breaking my ankle. Mine was several years ago, but also included several pins, screws and plates. I do not think I had a problem with CRPS through the original break or surgery, nor as a result from the first 2 time I had hardware removed. I did not start showing symptoms until this year when the remainder of the original hardware was removed and they fused 2 joints in my ankle, sub-talar and tibio-talar joints. I have since found a wonderful pain management doctor who has a fair amount of knowledge of CRPS/RSD who now has me on several different prescriptions to help with the pain. It started off very well but the effect of the meds is slowly starting to loose their effectiveness, but short term is better than not at all.

Have you managed to find a doctor that is familiar with CRPS/RSD over the last 2 years that you have been dealing with this? I see you are on Gabapentin and Percocet. Have you tried any other treatments yet? Try to keep things moving as much as you can without causing too much pain for the remainder of the day.

As for the depression, have you found anybody to talk to about this and any other problems that you may have that are bothering you in your life. That can quite often help. You have reached out to us here on the forum. That is a good thing. As I said before, we are a wonderful group of people here to support each other. Again, welcome to the forum. Feel free to write about whatever is bothering you, or any thoughts you might want to share. We are here to listen.

Alain

Welcome Irish,
If support, information and problem solving is the type of help you are seeking you have found a great group of people. Let us know what we can do. ~mac

Hello and Welcome Irish,

Purplefoot has beat me to it and saved me some typing. There are many wise suggestions in her post. I second keeping up as much movement as possible without flare. Working out in a pool can be extra beneficial. Any exercise will help you feel stronger and improve mood.

Meds options are highly varied. If what you have isn't working or you don't like the side effect profile certainly consider changing to something else. I took neurontin for a while and found that it was contributing to depression. My mood is much better on a low dose of nortriptyline and I still get some help with nerve symptoms.

The other thing that helped my depression was a therapist who focused on chronic illness, pain and trauma. She had certifications in EMDR and hypnosis which worked around the conscious part of my brain and brought about quick improvement.

If you haven't watched Dr. Pradeep Chopra's video "CRPS Diagnosis and MAnagement" you will find it helpful. He is well respected, non-doomsday and gives many treatment tips. CRPS is his primary focus in practice.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3LKhOZ8mAM

I also always advocate for thorough workup even if docs are telling you everything is okay. Sometimes folks have not had follow up imaging or EMG after procedures to ascertain if there is anything treatable happening.

Consider alternative practices. I get some relief with acupuncture and there are many other treatment modalities to consider. Don't give up on getting relief. It just feels like it takes forever to find what works.

I am sorry you had to find your way here, but you will find good support, plenty of understanding and a group to share with. Come and let us know how you're doing.

Sending hugs,