I was diagnosed yesterday with RSD by my neurologist. It seems to have been caused my damage that i sustained to my left arm from a car accident back in November.
I am on Gabapentin and Naprosyn, neither of which seems to be having any effect on the pain. I am scheduled for an MRI to pinpoint the damage to my neck and/or spine.

What can I expect from this?
Will it disappear with time?
What can I do for the pain?

The constant swelling and pain is leaving me mentally and emotionally drained. Is that normal?

Sorry about all the questions, but I feel completely lost right now and dont seem to be getting anywhere with my doctors....

Thank you!

Hi.

Please let me introduce myself:
My name is Alison, I am 12 years old and I suffer from RSD in my left leg and right arm.

I am so sorry about what you are going through ((hugs))
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition. The key symptom of CRPS is continuous, intense pain out of proportion to the severity of the injury, which gets worse rather than better over time. CRPS most often affects one of the arms, legs, hands, or feet. Often the pain spreads to include the entire arm or leg. Typical features include dramatic changes in the color and temperature of the skin over the affected limb or body part, accompanied by intense burning pain, skin sensitivity, sweating, and swelling. Doctors aren’t sure what causes CRPS. In some cases the sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in sustaining the pain. Another theory is that CRPS is caused by a triggering of the immune response, which leads to the characteristic inflammatory symptoms of redness, warmth, and swelling in the affected area.

Most MRI scans wont show the RSD but may show changes to the bones and muscles etc.

I hope these links help you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/rds1.shtml
http://www.neurologychannel.com/rsd/treatment.shtml
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/r..._dystrophy.htm

No one knows if the RSD will go away, hopefully it will. Most people with RSD go into remission.

If you need anything else just ask.

Forgot to say "Welcome to Neurotalk"
THANKS

Welcome to the family.

I am glad you got it diagnosed this quick. You might want to ask for blocks. Blocks can sometimes get it into remission.

RSD doesn't disappear but it can go into remission with the right kind of care but it takes time. It is sure no easy feat.

The pain will drain you emotionally and physically due to it being so bad. It's beyond belief is how I see the pain from RSD.

I am glad you found us and you will get a lot of support and help here.
Ada

Good luck.

Early dianosis is critical so you have this working for you.

Reduce stress as much as possible and find the drugs that help while you're getting the treatments.

Don't give up hope no matter how little you think you have.

I read this and had to laugh. I am the most high strung stressed out person that I know.

He has you on Naproxen for the pain huh??? You need to find yourself a GOOD pain doctor who has treated RSD patients before. You need better pain control than you are getting. Gabepentin is good to be on as long as you can tolerate the side effects, if not a good pain doctor can help you find another drug hopefully that can be helpful. That would be my advice.

And yes the pain can wear one down & drain you emotionally, mentally & physically. Good luck.

DebbyV

It's always worthless advice. It's like telling the guy in the fire to try to keep cool. Sometimes there are things you can do and a psychiatrist can always medicate. Sometimes doctors will do this but usually you need to be in the care of psychiatrist first. There are other ways we can try to avoid stress but it's still worthless advice.

Having a good support system can help deflect a lot of stress.