Hi all,
My husband has RSD in his left knee which started after arthroscopic surgery 2 1/2 years ago. He reinjured his knee 1 year ago and now needs arthoscopic surgery again. The structural problem is keeping the RSD from stabilizing.

I'm wondering if anyone here has had surgery on an RSD affected limb and what the outcome was. Did the surgery have any impact on the RSD? Did you have any special protocol prior or after surgery to help with the RSD.

TIA,
Teresa

I have had 4 surgeries in my right arm since getting RSD from TOS surgery on my right side. The second surgery was rotator cuff surgery that brought the RSD out again from where I had blocks. I then had an ulner nerve surgery and had a block before they took me into surgery. When I had my 2nd rotator cuff surgery the Ortho did a block and it kept the RSD from spreading. When I had my surgery on my triggerfinger last year, my hand surgeon did a bier block and it kept the RSD from spreading.

Nowadays it seems like the surgeons think to do blocks without asking but I always ask them if they will do one just in case. So far it has done the job.

I would ask if they are going to do a block before the surgery. There is no 100% guarantee that it will work but they have for me every time.

I realize people say to avoid surgeries but there are times we can't do it. If we want to use our arms or hands again or be able to have our knees work for us we sometimes can't avoid surgeries as I said.

Good luck to him.
Ada

Hello Teresa,

My RSD/CRPS was a result of a major car accident which left me with injuries that still require surgery a decade later.
I have had countless surgeries on my RSD limbs and have NOT experienced worsening of my symptoms ever.
I think this has been avoided because of the collaberative approach of my medical team who ensure that as well as General anaesthetic I have epidurals/spinals and other regional blocks.

I think it would be really beneficial for him to have this done under spinal anaesthetic.
Wishing him heaps of luck
Love Tayla

I have RSD in my left foot. I had a right hip replacment and the RSD went crazy- Made my RSD spread and now- well life if very hard- If I knew I would have lived with the arthritic hip! Never surgery unless life threatening for me

Debbie

Hi All,
May i ask you all to clarify something for me? I myself also in need of a surgery for my pelvic pain-to release the pudendal nerve. I deferred this as i am afraid of spreading. But i may really need it done so that i may have a chance to be able to sit again without pain in my buttom. My RSD has already spread from hands to arms to feet to joints. What kind of blocks should be done to prevent my RSD from spreading into my pelvic area-SGB or LGB. Should the blocks be done prior to the procedure as well as after?
Numb

Hi Numb,

That would be Lumber sympathetic blocks as the stellate ganglion blocks affect the upper body.
Although in your case I think that you need a higher block to cover the pudendal nerve so I would be asking your doctor about the possibility of a spinal block or an epidural block.
It is a very confusing time for you, so many things to consider but it comes down eventually as to whether the problem you have that needs surgery is making your RSD/CRPS even harder to deal with.

I am sorry you are faced with this but try and stay positive
Take care
Tayla

Tayla & Ada thanks for the info which I've passed on to my husband.

Debbie - did you have blocks prior to your hip replacement? I'm so sorry that your experience has been so painful.

Numb - My husband's doctor is actually recommending a very agressive approach. He recommends that my husband have two or three blocks prior to surgery to help calm his RSD. Then he will go into the hospital one day prior to surgery for iv infusions. He will also stay for two days after the surgery for ketamine and other medication infusions. I hope you have a good doctor that can work with your surgeon. Best wishes to you.

http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/Prev...Algorithm.html

Algorithm for Perioperative Management

of CRPS Patients

It sounds like your husband has a good Dr. What he is suggesting makes a lot of sense and hopefully the blocks and ketamine will calm the RSD down enough that the meds will help him tolerate it or even put it into remission.

Mine is pretty much in remission due to blocks, non-agressive PT and good Drs.

I hope he starts seeing some better days soon.

Ada

I agree with ADA. Sounds like your husbands doctor is totally on the ball here.

I had major back surgery in '05, a 3 level fusion. They flooded my spine with Ketamine throughout the whole surgery as well as the rest of my body. It took longer for me to wake from surgery but I had NO medical problems due to using Ketamine the way they did. Due to that I woke up in ICU, but as soon as I awoke I was transferred to regular post op ward for neurological issues. If they had not used Ketamine I would have woke up in the usual time frame & not been in ICU. But due to the Ketamine useage, I had NO spread of my RSD. And I thank my team for that. The surgeon & anesthesiologist both talked with my Pain Management doctor before & throughout the whole surgery they stayed in contact also.

I had no breathing issues nor any heart issues. Oh, I did loose having high blood pressure due to surgery & possible ketamine useage?? Not sure why, but my BP was so low after surgery & on the Neuro ward, that 2 days after surgery they would not give me any pain meds.....can you imagine?? I had my hubby bring me meds from home & I took them & my BP stablized completely. But no more high blood pressure meds since then. I went to a heart doctor afterwards to get checked out & all was A-ok.

This had never been done anywhere in Sacramento before, using Ketamine throughout surgery on an RSD patient. I am the one who brought it up to my Pain Management doctor before surgery to use Ketamine during my surgery. My PM doc is as agressive as I want to be. My problem right now is I am on Medicare & Medical for insurance. They are much more difficult to work with. With my back surgery I had a MediGap policy so Medicare was easier to work with & whatever they didn't pay for the MG policy did with no questions asked basically. I had that thru AARP. I didn't think to have blocks before surgery, but what was done was sufficient for me.

Good luck for husband.

DebbyV