jinny
Dear Chris: I have had RSD in my right leg for the past six years, following a total knee replacement. Fortunatly for me, my Orthopedist recognized my symptoms early on and sent me to an anesthesiologist who specialized in pain. He made a definitive diagnosis by noting that my leg, which was blue and cold, pinked up and warmed up following a parasympathetic block. Unfortunatly, the relief was very short term-approximatly 3 hours. I have had many blocks done, and many new treatments. 1 year after diagnosis, I fractured the end of my femur due to the bone's loss of calcium from the RSD and had to have surgery, which of course, made the RSD worse. After many hospitalizations and many different treatments, the RSD has calmed down somewhat. I am a Registered Nurse (who had never even heard the words RSD before diagnosis) and have returned to work. I can no longer stand for more than 15 minutes at a time. I am unable to walk more than 1/2 of a short block, but I am walking, which is actually more than I did for 3 years. I still have pain and cannot stand to have the area of the pain pathway touched on my leg and need to take Percocet for a small amount of pain relief. There are times I want to cut off my leg and had even asked my MD if maybe an amputation would help (NO). But the pain has been knocked down by the many different treatments, and I am now educated enough about RSD to know that if my pain level increses, I will seek treatment right away. I have been willing to try any and all the treatments-some helped a little, some did not. What is your story?