Thank you so much Barb.

Yes, I'm very puzzled because I have read that the pain some poor people suffer with this illness is so bad, they request amputation.

I'm so grateful that I have no pain. I'm still wondering if the pain might come later, ie... no pain in early stages?

Yes. It's the same with MS. Doctors are the luck of the draw. You get those that over diagnose then those that ate the opposite.

Thank you.... I may well ask for a second opinion. I have been referred to a neuro surgeon and will report back.

I'm based in the centre of England.

In one large study I read years ago, 7% of CRPS patients have no pain.

If amputation solved this it wouldn't be so bad. It does not and often makes it far worse.

I have limited pain most of the time but in order to avoid the pain I must go to extremes in how I live my life. My problem is that usage tends to bother me a day or two later and I never know what's harmful. So it's a balancing act between doing as much with it as possible and trying to avoid the pain later.

I could live a normal life with one hand.

Everyone's different. But as a rule you need to learn what helps and what hurts and you must use the affected limb at least a little or the condition will worsen. As a rule you need your sleep and you need as little stress as possible. There are meds that will help almost anything that goes wrong but most of the meds to help RSD pain have limited effectiveness. The pain itself (and emotional pain) are hard on your health and are to be avoided as well. Find things that work for you and ask questions.

Best of luck.