You guys in the US have a radically different system from the ones we have here in the UK so doctors here can't treat patients in the same way they can in the US. We don't have insurance companies to wrestle with (unless you have a private health policy which are much less common here and don't stop you going to the NHS as well). We don't have anything like the issues and red-tape your US doctors have about prescribing narcotics nor do we have the issues of conflicts of interest where doctors "push" certain drugs, tests or surgeries even where it is questionable for them to be in the patient's best interests.

Please don't misunderstand me - I am not saying anything other than I am stunned that a doctor would tell a patient to go and buy a computer to help the doctor figure out the diagnosis. If a doctor even suggested that in the UK they would be up before the General Medical Council to answer for it before their feet touched the ground!

I have no doubt that doctors on both sides of the Atlantic are poor at diagnosing CRPS and other conditions. I understand that you saw a lot of other doctors who couldn't give you a diagnosis. That wasn't what I was commenting on in your post - it was the comment about the computer that shocked me.

I guess you have a whole lot of other experiences with your doctor that you are very pleased with so that will make you feel differently than I would when I only read about one small thing which would not happen here.

i think that the depression and meds goes hand and hand because some make it worse for me and others have just driven me over the edge and that was scary.
but like everyone has said, finding the right docs are the key and its very hard to do with RSD. i have seen close to 100 in 11 yrs and most told me i was a dumb kid who wanted attention when i was a teenager with RSD. and to get up and go back to school now mind you couldnt walk by this point because my rsd spread to all my limbs so fast. but having the docs that i have now it make me rest easier knowing that they will always do what is right for me .

i know that some are still tryin to find that right set of doctors and the best thing is to keep goin till you find that one that will treat you like a human being and not just some patient number. and be compassionant

carrie

There is a thread on our Bipolar forum about "resistant depression" and a specific opiate that works for it:
buprenorphine...

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread54633.html

This thread is bringing in readers from all over Google on the net and is pretty interesting.

I think the subject is very subjective. Some people actually feel better on opiates, and I have seen it on OCD forums as helpful.

But people who tend to be dysphoric (as opposed to euphoric) on opiates, don't respond that way to them.
I can't stand opiates for more than 3 days....I get very very depressed and morose. So I can't really use them except for one at night every month or more when I am in a very bad way.
I have some T-3's from the doctor--- she gives me about 12/year! (I don't have RSD, I have arthritis pain with some muscle involvement and PN).

I'll confess what I do use, and that is MAGNETS. VERY STRONG magnets. If you search PN we have several threads about them.
I've used them for years, on and off when I have injuries, a broken toe, bad knee, now my tendon injury etc. You can PM me for details if you like. (even my podiatrist recommends them for certain things).

I just got back from PT.

Pete, I have seen over a hundred Drs. too. Like you I got to where I could spot a loser a mile away. His ego was bigger then his knowledge.

I also went to the a learning hospital. I never got the help there I needed but from one Dr.

I saw many PM Drs. there, the ortho was good with my ulner nerve surgery, I saw a TOS Dr., a Urologist, and none of them did anything for me. I think I actually made a good guinna pig for them. Even when they diagnosed me the treatment was poor. At the time, I was so bad off, I didn't care what they did to me and I would have let them had I not got help elsewhere.

I would rather have a Dr. that will listen to us, be compassionate as carry says and thinks we are not so crazy that we can give suggestions in our own care. It's better to have a Dr. that will learn with you then to not want to learn and help you at all. There are some that come out of school and you wonder what they were taught in their own field.

Ada

The US system is very good when you work for a large company, when you are young and healthy.
--Translation--
"when you work for a large company" Advantage is the employer provides group health insurance to their employees at a good monthly rate and may provide several choices to the employee.
"young"
Your rates are low
"healthy"
You do not use your insurance
My wife and I were all the above but not anymore, because:
My wife who worked for a large company was terminated because she was ill forcing me to pick up insurance at my work which costs close to $1000 per month out of pocket. We are now middle aged which raises a red flag and penalties with insurance companies. And my wife is now ill which means she is a liability to the insurance company so its a matter of time, as far as I'm concerned she'll get dumped one way or the other from this racket. Americans are divided about the way the US dispenses healthcare because of where we work how healthy one is and how young. But not for long.

Has your wife put in for SS. That might be something for her to do so she can get medicare or medicaid or both.

I agree on the insurance thing. I can get the medical care I need, it's just the meds I have to fight for. The Govenor has helped me several times get my meds through my insurances.

Colorado has some of the best care for the elderly and disabled going. I am happy with my medical care, home health care, and PT. It's just getting my meds as I said.

What I have noticed around here is a shortage of PCP's. A lot of them won't take certain insurances and that makes you have to move on to the next. We are seeing a lot of them retire or move on around here. I do believe it's important to have a PCP so you can be sent out by him to other Drs if you need that and also, it's a base for other medical issues we tend to deal with.


We have some here that won't take a patient who has too much wrong with them also. I had a friend that got dumped by a PCP just a month or two before she died. He sent her a letter saying she has too much wrong with her. There are some here also that wants to know what's wrong with you before they take you. They don't want to deal with Cronic Pain patients not just for general medical care.

Ada

Hi Fewdalord,

I'm not on any medications at the moment other than Ketamine when i'm in a really bad pain flare as they didn't help me at all and made me very depressed!

I felt so anxious and sad whilst on the meds and wouldn't leave my room at all. I just sat in bed all day not wanting to do anything. I remember having to go to the hospital with my mum and I would kick and scream the whole way there even whilst she was driving as I was so depressed and felt as though she was doing something wrong even though she was trying to get me help!! I felt SO bad afterwards but at time time, I couldn't control it!

I still get depressed sometimes but it isn't as bad as it was from the meds thankfully. The only med I have really found that doesn't make me depressed is Ketamine - it seems to have the oposite effect and makes me feel more positve about life!!

Do you see a Psychologist?? It might be worth speaking to one due to the depression to see if they can help you. RSD affects your life in lots of ways and no one can expect you to go through it on your own so never be afraid to ask for help!

I'm sorry that you're dealing with this also! I wish I could help you more but just know that you aren't alone and if you ever need to talk, I am here for you!!

Take care of yourself and I hope you find something that helps you soon and doesn't cause any nasty side effects!!

She has filed for SSDI 2.5 years ago and has been denied twice. I've contacted two congressman to help and hired a lawyer. She does not qualify for medicaid or SSI because I'm in the picture and we have assets. She worked for 30 years and is entitled to her SSDI now not years from now. That way she can move into medicare taking a big load off the both of us. My biggest fear is if I get sick (I am perfectly fine but you never know what the immediate future has in store) we'd end up in big trouble very quickly.

I've had some severe bouts of depression for a few months now, and I have wondered whether or not my meds contributed to it. During that time I was suffering from increasingly high pain levels, which I couldn't get under control until I went on Methadone (5mg x3) 2 weeks ago. Additionally, I've been unduly harrassed by WC since the "probable" RSD diagnosis last June. Included in my cocktail of meds is Topamax, which can cause suicidal thoughts.

In the anti seizure family of meds, I've also tried Gabapentin and Lyrica. I didn't tolerate either one of them well, and because head pain is my primary complaint I decided to try the Topamax. It has not caused weight loss for me, as it reputed to for many others (just the opposite, I've gained about 5 lbs). I think I was much more grumpy (for lack of a better word) on the other 2 meds than the Topamax.

I haven't found any problems with depression with either Methadone or Percocet, the other drugs I take for pain on a regular basis. I also take Cymbalta and use Catepres (clonidine patch) for hbp.

Sandy

Yes Ada,
You're certainly correct about the teaching / university hospitals.
So I should "couch" my statement, that they are a best bet.

I think they're a best bet for a Diagnoses.
But, don't let them start "tinkering under the hood right away", and NEVER without another opinion.
(unless it's an obvious break, or like that).

Like I said earlier, I don't want some doc to diagnose me, then start installing a pump, and taking out ribs....

I want a Doc to diagnose me (Still difficult after all these years for RSD & TOS), then, treat me as conservatively, yet completely as possible. (If simple meds don't work, we'll consider other options as we go).

AS Far as depression and pain meds go.

I think a straight out pain med, be it aspirin to opana to methadone, not any of the "fancy neurological meds like topomax, zonegran, KEPPRA, etc".,
Will reduce depression.

For me, Pain = Depression. Eliminate my pain, so too my depression.

Unfortunately, these disabilities cause other stressors in life.
Ins Co battles, Family battles, Divorce, Financial worries, and these can all add up to depression.

But a "Straight Up" pain reliever, is a depression reliever also, for me.
(Not counting all the extraneous detritus that comes along for the ride).

Pete
Asb