Not as yet. I'm waiting for the third shot. A few weeks after I have an appointment for a physical with my PCP. We'll discuss PT then. I would think that either doctor could prescribe whatever medication they believe might be effective and complementary to what is already being administered.

My shots are spinal because I've had three surgeries from L3 to S1; a laminectomy at L3, a decompression/fusion at L4-L5 and a discectomy at L5-S1. All three relieved nerve pain that ran down my left leg to my foot. The last one, the discectomy, is the likely culprit that triggered the CRPS, at least that's what the neurosurgeon thinks. The medical report of the surgery does not suggest that there was any damage accidentally done to a nerve. So I guess I'm just lucky!

There's 3 stages,

hot
hot-cold (skin red to blue / marbled)
cold (chronic)

I am in the chronic stage. I was diagnosed almost 3 years into it, so the condition fully had its effect (including severe osteoporosis). PT at this point no longer does a thing for me. I have had PT in the past, for almost a year without any other treatment / medication and I got *significantly* worse.

I would get help asap! Maybe another pain doctor somewhere else, wherever you can be seen most early. This is urgent!

I wouldn't focus too much on the "stages" of CRPS...I think that is generally considered old thinking because people go through stages in different orders, are in one and then can go back to it later, skip stages, etc.

There are definitely some key things that SOUND like CRPS but many times CRPS is a diagnosis of exclusion (rule out a bunch of other stuff and then you know if it's CRPS) but it is good that they are identifying it so early. Even if it ends up not being CRPS it's far better to treat it like it is until you find out it's something else because there are certain things that can make the CRPS worse and cause it to progress further/be harder to get to remission.

So in the mean time while you wait to see pain management and neurology...avoid ice/cold as much as possible as well as immobilization. Immobilizing is bad so even just stretching exercises are good if weight bearing is too hard.

My CRPS is on it's 10th year and for me it has always been cold. The pain itself is burning but the temp change in my various CRPS areas is always it gets very cold and that started happening almost immediately. It was the first symptom aside from the intense pain that was an indicator of CRPS (and was ignored by every doctor until I got to a pain management doctor). But I also think that many things were done in the beginning (ice, immobilization, etc) that caused my condition to progress faster.

Unfortunately I never responded well to medications or other treatments. In December of 2017 I got a DRG Spinal Cord stimulator and that has been life changing for my CRPS pain in my left leg from the knee down...so I am mobile now at least. But heat always has helped so if you can, maybe try some warm baths with epsom salts to give you some relief. Because you are only 3 months in, you may respond better to some of the treatments like sympathetic blocks or medications and physical therapy. Many, many people go into remission if they catch it early enough and treat it properly.

I wish you all the best luck in sorting this out.

I don't have much to add to Catra's excellent post/advice.

My CRPS journey is also a decade long now and is somewhat similar except I don't have a stimulator. I am treating it with a medicinal cocktail and a "keep it moving" attitude and I am religious about daily therapy and exercise.

Results for me are mixed. Symptoms vary from day to day; relatively stable in my original right foot, but more active the last couple years as it spread from my right foot to my left foot. I am still able to walk without assist at this point and hopefully can keep that independence.

Best of luck to you; please keep us updated!

Hi, thank you for all these replies! I didn’t check in for a little while because this site was causing a lot of anxiety, but I’m feeling calmer now that I’ve gotten in to see the right doctors. Just to update, I have finally seen the neurologist who ruled out nerve injury. Saw the pain mgmt doctor who seems knowledgeable about CRPS, and I am going for my first sympathetic nerve block injection tomorrow. That plus gabapentin and referral to a PT who treats CRPS. There is a also neuropsychologist in my area as well who treats CRPS, but I haven’t seen her. I’m not sure if I should? It’s such a struggle to find the right providers, get on their schedules, get approvals from insurance, etc. I have never been so pushy in my life just to get care in a timely fashion! A very stressful situation... Hopefully I am still early enough for some of this stuff to help.

Good luck to you on your journey. A new diagnosis can be frightening, but I'm sure you'll find your way. Never stop fighting for good care!

A sympathetic nerve block this early can (no guarantees) really help stop CRPS in its tracks. I.E. at the very least help prevent spreading, and slow down the progression. This is why it is SO important to get diagnosed ASAP. Get PT as soon as you can, and meanwhile just try to do whatever gentle movement you can (nothing that hurts!!!). If you can walk, or at least use crutches and bear some weight, don't stop.