B*
Although I realize this post is several years beyond the time frame of the ones to which it is responding, I am posting this note in the hopes of assisting other fellow "RSD'ers" in their hope for help, support and effective treatment with physicians who are knowledgeable in RSD. I am in St. Augustine, Florida, and would like to *HIGHLY* recommend my neurologist, Doctor Vinod Deshmukh (904-808-0406,)and my pain specialist, Doctor Jyoti Patel (904-808-7246). Both have been INCREDIBLE in their compassionate treatments for both my lower extremities following "minor" foot surgeries in the past 1.5 years, and both have worked hard to honor and respect my personal philosophies regarding the course of my treatment!! (I have no insurance, so some options are just totally "out" for me for financial reasons, as I obviously am no longer able to work now.) I have been fortunate to have gotten my Social Security disability claim passed through on the *first* time (although, admittedly, it did take almost six months ), or I just don't know what my family and I would have done. In the interim, we were forced to go on "welfare" (QUITE a switch, after being self-employed in a profession where I regularly earned over $50,000 a year!); but I am grateful "welfare" was *there* when I needed it to survive! An interesting development to finally getting my Disability, however, has been that now my income levels are too "high" (HA!) to qualify for Medicaid, and it is my understanding one cannot even apply for Medicare until they have been on Disability for over two years. (Figgers, huh? ) Please do not give up hope, and also please feel free to contact me at whosyourmama@peoplepc.com (hehehe...no laughing allowed, now ) if you'd like to just chit-chat, discuss therapies and the like, or simply to "hold hands" with someone else who knows what it's like. I consider myself fairly well-informed and have spent *much* time researching this disease for myself, as my original treating physicians didn't have clue one and I was soooo frustrated by the ineffectual treatments I was receiving and the total lack of forthright information I was receiving (or NOT receiving, as the case may be ). I do not consider myself "disabled" (although I admit to now being fairly much bedridden and/or wheelchair-bound with my most recent setbacks), and do not subscribe to the "self-pity" attitudes which I feel are so destructive to ALL of us in our search for some relief! (I may not be able to do anything about the problems with my body, but NOTHING can steal my MIND!!!) So if you feel you're going to FIGHT this thing rather than resignedly accept whatever comes your way and you'd like to write -- ANY of you! -- I'll be more than happy to share what I can! Take care, and keep your chin up and your t!ts out...it can't beat us until WE decided we're beaten...and I <~*R-E-F-U-S-E*~> to accept such a fate for myself! Bless you all, and good luck! I hope this has been helpful! (-: B*