Tos?.....crps>.....im so confused!!!!

TraceyW · 10-07-2008, 01:07 PM

hey donna, thanks for your insights!. i have had fairly intense headaches the last few days and some visual disturbances so im finding it hard to focus on the computer screen at the moment.

Right so i get the idea about sub types of crps - but im getting confused with all the terminology - sodomotor dysfunction, vasomotor etc and dont seem to be able to find much on google to explain this - i will take a look through all those links when im feeling more up to it. So i dont have any burning pain -or extreme sensitivity - except for a feeling like there is something on my wrist, but i thought that was TOS symptom.....or it could be skin sensitivity in me!

Im also not sure which stage i would fit into either.....i havent always had the extreme coldness - the first year my hands would go red and hot - then i moved on to coldness......i get confused as thought that could be part and parcel of TOS.

Thanks for your PM too - i have been away from office work for 2 years now as there is no way i can sit at a computer and desk for more than 10 minutes - i have to sit padded up to the neck with cushions to use the laptop!

What tests did they do to diagnose CRPS in u?

take care
tracey

Donna7 · 10-08-2008, 04:48 PM

Hi Tracey...I hope you are feeling better with the headaches! Must be miserable!

Sudomotor is the sweating response, usually grouped together with edema (swelling)...vasomotor is the response that causes temperature/color changes. Here's an interesting quote from the article that I linked:

Quote:

One limitation of the current study is that the dependent
variables used in the cluster analysis reflected only the
presence or absence of CRPS characteristics within each
of the four empirically derived sign and symptom categories
(Harden et al., 1999). Thus, while the presence of temperature
asymmetry was addressed, the specific direction of that
asymmetry (i.e. affected side warmer or cooler) was not.
Work by Birklein et al. (1998) and Wasner et al. (2001)
indicates that temperature asymmetry characterized by relative
warmth on the affected side is more common in shortterm
CRPS, whereas longer duration CRPS is more likely to
be characterized by relative coolness in the affected extremity.
It would therefore be valuable in replicating this cluster
analysis to include specific direction of asymmetry as a
variable to determine what impact this might have on the
overall results.

I wonder how this relates to the "stages" theory, since the red/warm usually precedes the cool/blue stage. If it's truly a subtype, and I am in Group 1, and the other studies show warmth is more common in short term CRPS, I wonder how much longer it will last. It's been two years...certainly not what I would consider short term, and not looking like it's going to go away anytime soon, either.

To answer your other question, Tracey, I haven't had any specific tests for CRPS, just the doc's observations and my own report of symptoms to him. I've had multitudes of tests for TOS, though...and my doc was suspecting CRPS before I started noticing the temperature changes.

Take care of yourself, Tracey...

painfree · 10-08-2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TraceyW

Hi everyone,

I saw my new dr today (meant to be only tos specialist in UK). It was a long trip and im really not up to the laptop but i need to as im so confused!

Im 99% i have tos - a pains cons has told me this and a physio.....my symptoms match down to a t......however this new dr thinks i may have CRPS and not TOS (although he may want to do some exploratory surgery to look for any fibrous bands....).

I have looked up CRPS and whilst i have some of the symptoms - i dont have any burning pain, which i understand is a main symptom of CRPS....I get a very cold right hand, but its not burning - more like someone is running ice cold water into my veins!

I have a lot of shoulder blade pain/discomfort. However, he also said that TOS sufferes generally dont have pain in their shoulder blade (from what i understand a lot of you guys do?!!).

My little finger is worst affected on my hand (it often turns a purpley colour and tremors/swells/aches a lot).

I am very confused now and feel like i keep going round in circles......im waiting for a letter from the new dr as he was called away to surgery after i came back from x-ray so we didnt really decide on what to do next - so perhaps i should just see where this goes. I just want to be diagnosed!!! Im not asking a lot.

Hi,
I thought you may be interested in reading this article/paper by Dr. Hong

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pic...2&blobtype=pdf

TraceyW · 10-09-2008, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by painfree

Hi,
I thought you may be interested in reading this article/paper by Dr. Hong

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pic...2&blobtype=pdf

thanks for that - interesting reading - the guy in the case study had a similar story to mine (except i have no allodinia - sensitivity to touch?)....so perhaps its possible for people to have crps without sensitivy and burning pain.

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