Yes I had a sympethetomy, along with my TOS operation both done togather. I still feel the pain but it is so confusing with RSD and TOS I will say the pain is half, with the help of meds and the operations.

I sweat on half my body now, and the sun burns me so bad on the side of sympethetomy so I have to be careful, besides the RSD burning the fact I do not sweat on that side is bad so I must be careful when out in heat. My body temp is out of wack I must have it cold all the time, yet I cannot have a cold breez on affected side, winter is bad for me yet I must have it cold in my house because of my body being out of wack I've had to have AC on in winter at times, or window open. With the RSD and TOS I do not like going out with the wind an cold...see sympethetomy is wierd I know we are told not to, but yet when the choices are few and I was in such a state there where no other options for me, so what did I have to lose was my thoughts.

I have done my research of sympethetomy and found it is illigle in some countries we all must make choices with this RSD I did what I thought was right- as of now my pain is half no better yet I will take that what will happen later will I be one of the people that have the bad reaction I dont know bbut I took a chance and it is helping me somewhat. I will never tell anyone to do this it is a big step and alot can happen to you, my doc exsplained everything to me what i was in store for all complications so on and after affects and I made the call to do this.

I want to talk to others who have had this done, or to thers in my area who have RSD or TOS- it seems like I'm alone in my area a pretty big city sorry I'm private about it,to many eyes see all this, funny I'm sure what I've described they already know who it is...LOL no wonder they keep wanting me to see a shrink, yet the shrink says I'm ok LOL......

I dont remember talking about care givers? if so I wish I have kids and I have to push myself everyday to just be a dad to them,it is hard I have days I just do not want to move like we all have, but I do I get myself up the same time everyday like I was working I dont sleep much at nite but I have kids home for summer and three of them is a handfull till mom comes home to help, she is the best to put up with me at times LOL I get in my grumpy moods and just want to go and medatate to be alone with the kids it gets LOUD! so I have to find my time wich is HARD but I do it...my BETTER HALF always puts me in my place when I need wich is so true because of the emotions we all have, it seems like we get stuck in the ME's I call it dont say you dont where you start acting and thinking only about ME (YOURSELF) poor me, no one understands me,so on we all do it I know. My wife is the best she helps me, stands by me and is not one to back down she knows I try around the house and I try to go do things out of the house when I can, but I have limitations and she accepts it. So yes I love my care giver for always!!!

Sorry so long, I wish to speak to others with sympethetomy, I am alone where I'am no groups and I have never seen any one at the teaching hospital with it, RSD or TOS, I'm sure there are some where I am but not many and I am from a pretty big city with the blues.

I hope we didn't offend you by asking. It's just that when you didn't use the word sympethectomy I didn't quite get it.

That first paragraph is exactly how I am without the symppethectomy. I sleep with a fan in the winter and I cannot stand the heat anymore.

You are blessed to have a good wife to stand by you and help you through it. I lost my husband in Nov. and he spoiled me. He was such a good person and loved me and took care of me no matter what. We all need support.

I know we had some girls on here that had a sympethectomy but for the life of me I can't remember who they were. I am hoping eventually some of them will come on here to talk to you and share their experience.

You still belong here with us though because you have the RSD. I too have had TOS surgery and that's where my RSD started. I am better because of that surgery for the TOS. Dr. Sander's in Denver did my surgery. So we have that in common too.

I don't blame anyone for having anything done they feel might help them. When I first got RSD I wanted them to cut off my right arm. Unfortunetly I knew that wouldn't have done any good after my friend had his right arm cut off in an accident and he still had the same pain I had. Still today there are times when I want parts of me cut off because of the pain being so bad.

Again, I am sorry if I offended you in anyway and I am happy you are here with us.

Ada

Please no one offended me, do not say sorry I'am not offended in anyway. Did I give that impression? man my spelling is going down hill like my memories, Damn you RSD and TOS I will beat you! spider pig spider pig doing what a spider pig does..LOL got calm down and get myself in a better place can you tell I hate RSD and TOS if it wernt for spider pig LOL yes I'm way out there doing what a spider pig does, or is it harry pigger today? whatever with a roll of my eyes I keep going!

Sorry Im out there, I guess always been and a bit flippn as some already know as I have done some wierd things in the past. Wich I still say SORRY! for the ones that know I try to be positive through all this yet it is hard whe my pain shrink puts reality back in with no cure you know, what are you going to do with your life! YIKES man is she blunt or what, tick tock my brain is so slow I finally tell her my master plain to rule the world, ah heee hee hee couph couph with my spider pig LOL truelly I do love the docotrs I have and do what they want me to do, so I must plan for a life with hope of starting fresh and new like a firend said so I will, stay posative friends thats all we have to try to beat this have you not felt it burn more when you get down or when you think bad thoughts, or even when you start to doubt it burn more and more and then POOF in bed and alone and then on and on, sure it burns now but try to control it after all we are all A type so we know control..just my thoughts I know you may think Im crazy but hey good for you I still love ya MAN or women! my spider pig will handle you LOL!

Iam not crazy just flippnout

I said one day that I liked your name, flipnout. That should be my name.

I'm glad you are in councelling. I have been for about 8 years. Like you, I get this ideal in my head that I can rule the world then my Dr. says, Ada, you can't go back to work, you know that. I am hard headed when it comes to giving up.

I try to stay positive. I have 2 Grandson's that I try to keep happy for. That's why I put the happy mood up today. They will be over later and I try not to let them know how I feel. Dustin, my oldest has had to stay with me on the nights I have been throwing up and I hate to make him feel like he has to take care of me. He comes in the bedroom often and asks me if I want or need anything. He wakes me up to ask me how I feel.

Like you said, even if we are happy or sad we still have the pain so it shouldn't matter. I cry when my kids aren't around. I'm private to any of them unless I am in such a shape they see me a mess.

I have my councellor to talk to so I try not to put everything on my kids and grandkids. If I didn't have him, I would be a mess today.

As far as spelling, I use to be very good at spelling. Now, I don't even bother to do spellcheck because I don't have the energy to do it.

I'm glad you have great Drs. We all need them. I love most all of mine that I have now also. My TOS Dr. is great. He emails me all of the time to see how I am. He has been a big help to me with all of my arm and hand problems.

I read a good story in a magazine last week about post and emails. It talked about how one person can say something and another person can take it the wrong way. I try not to do that but sometimes I do and I was worried I'd hurt your feelings. It's just my reading.

Thanks for telling me you were ok with what I said.

Ada

Hi Flippnout,
I had a right lumbar sympathectomy 2 yrs ago. Before the operation I could not stand the cold weather. Even in the house I had to keep my foot wraped up in a heating pad. I never left the house. These New England winters can be so brutal. My foot always felt like it was in a freezer. I would scream from the pain. I have to say its the best decision I ever made. My still colder than the other one but so much better than before. I still have the pain from the RSD and foot drop but the pain from the cold was so far worse. Hang in there.

Sue K.

I already have sweat and goose bumps on one side of the body. It's hard to stay comfortable because my left tends to get cold easily and if I get overheated the pain flares up. I wrap the hand and wear half a sock most of the time. When it cools off I have to wear what I call a sleeve which is just a long-sleeve shirt with everything cut off except the pocket, left sleeve and a couple of buttons.

I've considered a sympathectomy so am very interested in how well this works for you.

Best of luck. I hope you can get back to a real life or at least be more comfortable with your new one.

I'm fighting this sucker tooth and nail but my shrink and I are starting to believe that's part of the problem: I need to do a better job of accepting the it while I'm fighting it.

We all have to find what works best for us.

I bumped this up due to the sympethectomy issue and to help Flipnout.

Ada