Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)

[livingwith]

My husband was diagnosed with compartment syndrome in both of his legs. In 2007 he has bi-lateral compartment releases done on both of them at the same time. After a long recovery from the surgery it seemed that I couldn’t touch his left leg. He could hardly walk on it with out it giving out. He did physical therapy and nothing seemed to help. Finally we had a doctor say I think it is RSD They have done spinal blocks, medication and nothing seems to help. I feel like I am losing him to th...Read the full article

[Gojo]

You will want your husband to make an appointment with a pain specialist. Get your doctor to recommend someone if need be. You should start reading up on RSD and not just for your husbands sake but for your own. I was diagnosed with RSD in 2003 after two tarpel tunnel releases in my right ankle. I went to see a pain specialist and he started a list of procedures on me to find out which one was best in treating my condition. My case is extreme and I was later correctly diagnosed with chronic regional pain syndrome (crps) which has the same symptoms as RSD but mine is strictly nerve related. I ended up having to try everything before the last thing the doctor tried had worked. I had to have a intrathecal pain pump implanted in Nov. 2003. It allows me to cope with my pain by blocking it at the nerve that leads to my right foot by applying very small amounts of morphine directly to the nerve. Your husbands case my not be as bad as mine so he may only need a electric stimulator (similar to a tense unit) or just blocks done every few months along with physical therapy. There are many ways to treat RSD depending on the severity of it.
You need to read up on what family members need to know when someone in the family has RSD. The biggest problem with family members is that they don't believe the severity of the patients pain. Some might even say they are faking it or milking it for all that it's worth and 'm here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.
Look around on the internet and read up on it. Try this site www.rsds.org It has a lot of useful information for both patient and family.
I hope this helps.