Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)

[reruho]

Sorry to hear things went so badly. I really wish PMs would give you written instructions on what to do. It could be as simple as: "Go to ER during extremely high pain flares. Call and keep this clinic informed of treatment."

I called my PM lastweek when I was going in about the gall bladder because I wasn't sure what was going to happen and since our boundaries are not clearly defined. He was great and told me to just keep him informed of what we were going to do. I emailed him and told him we were taking the wait and see approach.

I had a toradol shot before my trip. It was very good. It lasted me about 5 days. It really helped with traveling, I was very worried about flying from Florida to Alaska. I had no problem. I did talk to them about my question on Toradol and the fact that no called me back. I emailed and then called 4 times trying to talk to a nurse, we could not connect. My PM did apologize about that and said he will look into me not getting a response.

I hope you do not have TMJ. When I first moved to Florida in 91, I went to the dentist thinking I had a cavity. I was diagnosed with TMJ and was fitted for a mouthpiece. I remember the pain was horrible. I would rate is just behind RSD I would have muscle spasms in the jaw area and down into my neck. Night time was the worst time of all. The dentist gave me nothing. We figured out Doan's Extra Strength with muscle relaxers really worked for me. You can go to the sport department and get a mouthguard for football. That will run you $10-15, my mouthguard from the dentist in 91 cost me $250. I would hate to price one now. We figured out that it was the stress of my husband retiring and me moving without him. It was a very rough move for me. I also grind my teeth at night, that contributed big time.

I have been to Dr. Hooshmand's website and I would rate it as one of the best for information. he has an excellent explantion about ice being bad for RSD I tried his 4-F Diet, but could not stick with it. I did learn coffee does increase my pain levels. I often recommend this website to others. His clinic is just down the road about 125 miles from here.

Raynaud's Syndrome? You hit the jackpot. I did research on Raynaud's when my arm was freezing and hurting so badly. It was there I found references to Trental. I talked to my Primary and he prescribed it for me to try. I remember presenting my theory and then asking his opinion. I was going to ask the PM to prescribe it. I was happier that my Primary did, because I was limiting who would prescribe for me. I will tell you it has really helped with my pain levels. My arm still gets cold sometimes but it doesn't get to that painful stage anymore. I remember telling the Orthopedic Surgeon that I had vasoconstriction problems that caused my arm to hurt. He looked at me like I had 3 heads and I was speaking in tongues.

I went down to see the fireworks at the river. I was starting to feel better, I had been hurting most of the day. I had done some yardwork today. It was great to feel like a normal person. There was a nice breeze off the St. John's that made it very comfortable.

I have been hurting since my PM appointment. I got stuck in a very cold room for an hour. I walked out one door to go to the nurse's station to find out if they knew I was still waiting. The PM walked in the other door. I was complaining it was too cold and one of the nurses told me it was to keep the germs down. I told her to raise the temperature and pay more for cleaning, these temeperature were causing me pain. I wore a sweater and took a coat with me and I still was cold. I am going to call the scheduler and try to make sure I have the 1st appointment after lunch so I don't get stuck again. It takes me a couple of days to recover from that appointment.

It is 4:30 am and my husband just walked in and asked if I was going to get any sleep tonight. I don't know. I may lay down and get an hour or two. I dosed off around 11:00pm, then my pain started to rise. I got up and have been piddling. Loaded my pill box, counted my pills and wrote up my questions for my appointment with my new primary this week. I have been listening to Oklahoma, Gordon MacRae is one of my favorite singers from the 50's.

About the car accident, I was lucky that we were going about 35 mph and she was coming out of a parking lot. Unfortunately, it was enough to total my husband's car. My injuries were caused by the air bag slamming my arm against the window. I was happy I had it closed, my injuries would have been much worse. Normally, October is very nice here in Florida, but you remeber that.

I used to live in Orlando, too. I went to bootcamp and a couple of schools at the Training Center in Orlando. I think they have shut that base down.

You know the more we write, the more we find we have in common.

[puppyloverof2]

Hi Reta,

It is great to find someone that you have so much in common to talk with. I must say you have been through quite an ordeal. When did you make the Alaska trip? That must have been difficult for you. I can't imagine traveling right now. It is hard for me to make a 30 minute drive into Binghamton these days. Please remind me of your gall bladder problems? I can't remember if you actually said what trouble you have been having. I am finding everyday that goes by, my memory is worse and worse. Hopefully most people on this forum understand when repetitive questions are asked due to topic wide memory loss! I feel like an idiot sometimes, have to keep 3 tabs open at once just to refer back to as I type!

I learned from Dr. Hooshman's information that the narcotics I am on for long term and breakthrough, will end up causing more pain than relieving it. That scares me to death. What works for you in regards to the constant pain, if it is different than the oxycontin and oxycodone? I realize what works for some may not work for others but I feel better about trying a drug that someone with RSD is on, rather than the listed medications that they say works for RSD, mainly because I have never seen what I take for the burning pain (Nortriptyline) being listed for RSD, like for instance Lyrica. I think I am very fortunate to have only gone through one other drug (Lyrica) before finding what worked for me.

Yesterday I woke up with left shoulder pain and did not do anything to cause it. Now, I cannot raise my arm above my neck without having really bad pain. It doesn't hurt dong nothing but even the slightest movement (such as scratching my neck or lower back) sends me through the roof. It was interesting to find over the last couple of days that many people with RSD in wrist or hand suffer from what is called "Hand-Shoulder Syndrome" or something like that. I hope by reading all of this information I am not "willing" this stuff to happen to me! I am just kidding on that, I am not one to stick my head in the sand or paddle down "Denial River"! So now I guess in addition to finding a specialist for my mouth, I need to go to another Orthopedic, mainly to document the pain, due to my disability claim. I am going to look up exercises that may help, such as I would do in PT. I am not ready to start that 3x a week routine again yet. I am sure I will have to go, but as long as I can keep my shoulder moving and from worsening, I am holding off on PT for now.

In the last SSD denial package from the judge, they claim that I can do light housekeeping, bake, take care of my puppies, drive, and the list goes on and on. They do not state that I can only drive when absolutely necessary, because my husband cannot take off work for every appt. I have, or else I wouldn't have the health ins. coverage needed to deal with this disease. Also, they don't mention that it takes me 4-6 hours to bake one item, because I have to stop and rest in intervals. Yesterday I made a "US FLag" cheesecake to take to the neighbors (because I wanted to) however it took me literally, 6 hours to do it! It wasn't even set all the way because it took me so long to do it, but it was delish! As far as light housekeeping, give me a break! I don't do anything but wash a few dishes once a day. Sometimes I have to decide what is more important, the dishes or taking a shower. Taking care of my puppies consists of opening the door and sitting outside with them while they play, and putting food and water in their bowls. They exaggerate situations so far, it is beyond my comprehension how they reach a conclusion. Especially when my doctors have said "patient is UNABLE to work". I am not going back to the OS that did my CTS surgery because I believe he was negligent in my diagnosis. I now wonder if I even had the CTS, and had RSD instead and the surgery only made the RSD worse, especially because he knew I had Raynaud's Syndrome. The surgery certainly did not help at all, if indeed it was CTS. I read alot about diagnosing from Dr. Hooshman's info. I do not know for sure, but it certainly raised an eyebrow.Basically, it boils down to this, in my unprofessional opinion. He should have done tests to rule out other causes at the first knowledge of the Raynaud's Syndrome. He didn't do anything except a nerve induction test and then BAM, off to surgery. I also feel he dumped me also when he sent me to a PM, like you said about your Ortho doctor.

I am going to have to take a break, and get back to you a little later. I was up at 5:00 am ready to scream in pain so I need to rest for a while. I would like to know your opinion on whether you think the RSD can spread when it is in a Phase II. I feel that is where I am, based on other info and the fact I did nearly 1 year of PT shortly after diagnosis. I don't know whether the problems I am having with mouth and shoulder now,means that it is spreading or if it is causing these other health problems. One interesting thing also was that RSD does promote teeth problems because of all the medications.
Just curious on your take of this.

I am glad your appt. went well but I am so sorry they put you through not returning your phone calls. Now that you have email priveledges, that is great. Hopefully they won't let that happen again.

I am glad you were able to see some fireworks and enjoy the 4th. I did not see one burst of color in the air, as opposed to last year, they lit up the sky in all directions. I think the economy must have something to do with that. I will write more later on. I hope you are feeling better today than last night.

Terri

[puppyloverof2]

Hi Bussey,

I am sooooo sorry to hear that you had such a horrible flare up. I just feel so bad for you having to deal with this so shortly after the neuralgia cleared up. It just is not fair. I am so new to this forum (any forum for that matter) I am having a hard time keeping up. I feel terrible about not responding to you sooner. I honestly did not see your post. I get notified of posts via email but my darn email gets so clogged with unimportant emails, I missed the notice. I really need to get a new email just for this forum so I don't miss posts when my new friends like you are having a bad day. Are you any better today? What do you think set it off?

I think most of us have been subjected to the arrogance of some of our doctors. It is very frustrating. Especially when we know what we are feeling. Even though I have a good relationship with my PM, I have recently found (at my last appt. on Wed.) that she cannot be as informed as I need her to be with RSD, due to all of the chronic pain patients she deals with, so I (we all) need to be the ones to educate our physicians. That is why I am going to print all of the info I have found since the appt. found that supports my belief that RSD is either spreading or causing other health problems and symptoms in other areas than just to the affected RSD wrist/hand. I was really surprised to hear her response to my mouth pain that it is dental and unrelated, just like that. Fortunately I have read enough to know it is, in fact not only possible but probable, or I would have felt very stupid.

Thank you for your concern about me and do please let me know how you are doing when you feel like it.

Take good care,
Terri

[puppyloverof2]

Hi Reta,

I cannot believe that dr's office keeps the temperature so cold. Anyone dealing with Chronic Pain of any kind, I would imagine the cold would be very painful and how much more insensitive could they be?
I feel bad that you were in pain and had to endure unnecessary aggravation.

I do remember the base in Orlando and yes, they did close it. That was a big loss for so many military men and women, not to mention the local business surrounding the base. I wonder if it is occupied now?
I also remember very well how nice the weather is on October in FL. Someone was looking out for you with the window being up that October day. We enjoyed driving with the windows down during the fall and "winter" months in FL. I was actually so happy to move here and get to enjoy the four seasons again and to escape the brutal heat in FL. I was fine with it as long as we were at the beach, or on the water. But having to get out of the A/C and run the mundane daily errands was just brutal. When my first episode of Raynaud's struck I was actually at the beach while visiting my family and taking care of some business there for my husband, as well as looking for and buying a new car to drive back to NY. One afternoon I went to New Smyrna Beach alone (my sister worked) and I didn't really like to go to the beach that much on the weekends when my sister was off because it was just so crowded. Anyway, it was January (2007) and it was beautiful and after laying out in the sun, I was hot and went into the water briefly and I went in about waist deep and just had my fingertips in the water, splashing it around and when I got out, a couple of my fingertips were really white. I freaked out and called my sister, I didn't know if I was dying or what, it was soo weird, and while on the phone after heating up again from the sun, they returned to normal color. Then a couple of my toes did the same thing shortly thereafter. I even called my husband in NY, I was so scared. I had my sister on the computer while talking to her to look up the symptoms and the results returned two possible causes, one being Raynaud's. I can't remember what the other one was right now. Well, I didn't go back in the water again during my visit and when I got home I discussed it with my Ortho and he said he agreed that it was Raynaud's. I didn't know until the other day on the rsdrx site, they listed some diagnostic tests to confirm the diagnosis and also talked about the relation to CTS , the surgery and RSD. I believe after reading that prior to the CTR surgery is when I should have had a nerve block to avoid aggravating the RSD I didn't know I had at the time, but now beginning to think I may have had prior to this last surgery.

About 10 years ago I broke my right hand and had surgery to be able to recover faster so I could return to work instead of letting it heal itself. I had to have a plate & 4 pins put in. Well, after living with the hardware, my surgeon here in NY thought it would be a good idea to remove them since problems can develop later on if we left the hardware in. Actually now I do remember after the 1st surgery in FL to repair the break, I was in excruciating pain. I chalked it up to thinking I just had an extremely low pain tolerance. So now (real time today) I am confused. Could the RSD have gone into "remission" or whatever term would best describe it? So I am wondering if what my surgeon diagnosed as severe CTS in both right and left hand following nerve induction test Jan '08, could have really just been the RSD rearing its ugly head and then following the CTR surgery on left hand, it came out full force? I guess I am just thinking out loud after taking in so much information on this crazy syndrome, but any input will be appreciated. Also, I have had the same surgeon here in NY and he did both surgeries. He was going to do the CTR on my right hand & at the last minute while in the hospital preparing for surgery, something told me not to have surgery on the right hand since I am right-handed and do the left since I was supposed to have surgery on both hands anyway.

Thanks for listening. Going to rest again. I think I may be suffering from "TMI" = too much information! Terri

[reruho]

Terri,
Not only did I fly to Alaska at the end of April, I rode back to Florida in a motorhome. I was at my parent's home for a week before we started out on our trip. The first day of the trip was the worst. We were driving the Alcan Highway (Alaskan Canadian). The first 5 miles after you cross over into Canada is still gravel road and very twisty and turny road. I was in tears by the evening and sick to my stomach. I started getting sick to my stomach and throwing up once my pain reaches a certain level. Dramamine became my newest best friend. The motorhome had good seats for riding and I was able to convince my Dad to stop frequently. There was still a lot of snow in the Yukon and northern Bristish Columbia. We spent 5 days driving to Washington state, then stopped to visit my brother in Darrington (north of Seattle). We left after a couple of days to go to Yakima (central Washington) for a funeral. We stayed a week and then headed south. A few days later we were in Oklahima to visit a great uncle. We went on to Nashville to an Army reunion for my Dad. We mad a side trip to Paducah, Kentucky and the National Quilt Museum. We were on the road for a month. I had a few really rough days but most went well as long as I took my meds. I think the stress from my Dad picking was harder than the riding on certain days. I was good to spend some time with my Mother, I was ready to murder my Dad a couple of times. I was glad to get home and to back with my family. We were on the road for a month.

I have a low functioning gall bladder, the medical name is bilary dyskinesia. My gall bladder doesn't empty properly sometimes, it swells and that hurts. I have the same pain as gall stones without the stones. I have dealing with this for 20+ years.It comes and goes. One trip to the ER, it was deemed back strain and I was sent home with pain killers and muscle relaxers. I slept for a week. This time the pain lasted a week. About day 4 of this espisode I got sick at to my stomach and started throwing up. That got me worried, so I went to the doctor. I have decided that I reached that pain threshhold and that was why I got sick. I had an ultrasound in March and they found a polyp. I have to have another ultrasound in September to check on it. Most gall bladder polyps are benign.

Right now I am at a good pain control point. I attribute this from an early diagnosis (10 weeks), aggressive OT and 2 sets of stellate ganglion blocks (6 blocks in total). I am managing my pain with motrin and the trental. I started out using Celebrex, stopped because of elevated liver enzymes. I have tramadol and vicodin as breakthrough meds. I don't like taking the vicodin because I feel hungover after 3 or 4 hours. I have the 7.5/750 and I break them in half. I do Tai Chi to help with range of motion and balance. It is wonderful.

Hand/Shoulder Syndrome is one of the old names for RSD in the arm/shoulder area.

I know how you feel about the nortriptyline. For me, it has been the Trental. Trental is normally prescribed for PAD or Raynaud's to improve the circulation. It is considered a blood thinner. It works by reducing the viscosity of the blood,i.e. making the red blood cells slicker. My arm would get freezing cold because the blood vessels were spasming causing the blood not to flow. It would reach a point where it just started to ache to high heaven. It would hurt so much that I would cry.

I tried Lyrica for 3 weeks. It was the drug from hell. I told my PM the only side effect I didn't have was vision changes. I was so glad to get off that med. From talking to people it is either a miracle drug or the drug from hell. I had a friend that took lyrica, so I gave her all of mine. It is really an expensive drug that I could not see throwing away. I think the weight was bad but lyrica made me feel like I was 100 years old. My whole body hurt, especially my lower back.

I thought it was interesting that you were diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome. I wonder if that diagnosis would still hold up since the diagnosis of RSD? Have they prescribed anything for your Raynaud's? How are they treating it, if they are?

I think RSD does spread because it started in my wrist area and now includes my whole left arm. It has not gone into my shoulder or below my wrist into my hand. I had one PM tell me it doesn't spread or that it is very rare for it to spread. The current PM said the continous spread up or down a limb is the most common spread. I remember it spread within the first 3 months. I am not sure about the stages, I think that description of stages was more for a doctor's convenience. There are many symptoms that I have never had, such as swelling and discoloration. I have no muscle atrophy or loss of range of motion. The other symptoms have come and gone. I don't have as much a problem with the burning, unless it is a bad day. One bad days everything goes haywire. I also find that my pain changes and evolves during the day. The morning pain is not always the same as night pain. I had to stop wearing a watch because it would cause some minor swelling. Some days I have clothing issues, nothing tight or restrictive on my wrist. I have to stay out of drafts and AC is pure torture. The AC feel like little needles being driven into my arm.

Many towns here scaled back or cancelled their fireworks displays. I was worried about the shock waves from them going off. It didn't bother me.

I am so sorry your disability was denied. It is really crazy how some people have no problem and others have to fight, fight, fight to get the bare minimum. Can you appeal the decision?

Your mouth may not be directly related but I think it is definitely indirectly related. Your nerves are in such bad shape that any injury can trigger the extreme reaction. I hope it is not TMJ, because it is so painful like RSD. And the TMJ can trigger all those other problems like insomnia and weightloss, just like RSD. Maybe you should go with the TMJ diagnosis. It will be easier to find a dentist that takes care of TMJ, because it is so well known, than it is to find a PM that takes care of RSD.

I hope you find some relief soon. I have to run and fix some dinner for that starving 13 year old boy with the bottomless pit for a stomach.

Reta

[Bussey]

Hello Terri,

Thank you so much for your concern. Last Sunday, I woke up in a flare. After applying lots of heat and taking medication, the pain subsided. However, later that evening, I experienced another terrible pain episode, and that was when the RSD symptoms simply went berserk! It was not until Wednesday of that week, that I started to come around a bit, however, I still had a ways to go. By Friday of last week, things had calmed down substantially.

I don't know what else to say, except that it is sad, that we are more informed about our condition, than our doctors. My mother and I came to realize, that it was futile to continue to ask my pain management Dr. any questions at all about RSD. However, my mother was more of an optimist than I was, because she continued to ask questions, whenever I had an appointment with him. Finally, when she asked a question, and his answer was, "I don't know anything about it", we knew for sure, that it was a waste of time to discuss any of my RSD symptoms, and expect a knowledgeable response.

I am really sorry that you're struggling to receive SSD! I'm hoping that you will continue to appeal, with the help of a concerned, and informed, disability lawyer.

I know that this question was directed to Reta, but, I believe the RSD can definitely continue to spread beyond phase two. Not only will it spread, but I have found that my symptoms continue to be more and more debilitating. Also, when I am in horrendous flares, my entire nervous system is affected.

You are also correct about RSD possibly affecting teeth. RSD also affects our bones, which could lead to jawbone issues. Also, certain pain medications, such as oxycontin, can cause tooth loss. I know of two RSD sufferers, who lost their teeth as a result of using oxycontin to control their RSD pain. However, I don't know what dosage they were on.

Maybe, we are suffering from TMI.

Take care.

Bussey

[puppyloverof2]

Hi Bussey,

Good to hear from you. That is terrible the flare up lasted so long. What happens when there is a flare up for you? The symptoms that you say get worse, are they limited to your affected area, or is it your total body? I would imagine if it affects your entire nervous system, that must be horrible. I am sorry for that for you. For me, at least for now, it seems my wrist/hand stays the same unless I do something to exacerbate it. Basically that means I am doing almost nothing. I mean I exercise it but with caution and in intervals. Since I am having the problems in other areas so I don't know if that would be considered a flare up. I am just so confused right now. Just about 2 hours ago the pain in my mouth/teeth/jaw was so intense I was sweating, feeling feverish and just pacing, not knowing what to do or think about this. It is such a comfort to have you and Reta share your experiences with me because knowledge is power and you are helping to keep me sane while learning to live with this insanity. I am really scared to go to any doctor right now, I am afraid they will find so many things wrong with me. I know I have to go, but I am still scared. I am feeling better now but only after taking a strong dose of pain medicine and I know it won't last. What also scares me is that the medicine will stop working one day, not to mention what it will do to my teeth, as what happened to your friend. I really want to find a long acting medicine to replace the oxycontin.

I appreciate welcome any response to any post at any time from anyone. We are all going through this and maybe it is better not to personalize responses because there are so many of us dealing with this I would feel terrible if someone wanted to talk about what they are going through but didn't because I had directed a post specifically. I am sorry, Bussey. I believe Reta would agree with me. I believe that because I see that we all respond to new people and new posts and that is the way it should be. It warms my heart and makes me happy to see responses from you and Reta to new people struggling and searching for answers. It shows genuine concern and that makes me feel good to know I have found good people to walk through this with me. I really appreciate both of you so much and care about you when you are in pain as I know you truly do for me. I think we all know when sections of responses are meant for us, but I think we hope in some way that each response will help someone, either to share their experience or to prompt questions to get the answers that we are all looking for. I think this forum is an opportunity for each and everyone of us to grow and deal with our RSD, whether it is through helping to ease someone else fear or to learn from someone else. I am glad that you pointed out that to me Bussey, thank you.

I think it is wonderful that you have your mother to accompany you to the appts. What a sad testament to the profession that your PM actually said "I don't know the answer". The honesty is commendable but what a waste of an opportunity to salvage your trust. He could have added to his response. "I don't know the answer but I am going to find out for you". Right? Trust is the most important part of our doctor/patient relationship. He let you down when he said that. I know it had to make you a bit uneasy even tho it may also have empowered you and let you know you are in total control of your health. I feel sure of that because you wouldn't be on this forum if you did not feel that way.

As far as my disability, my attorneys are preparing an appeal and have instructed me to file a new claim because the expiration date of the current appeal is on 9-30-09, so that want me to have another claim in the works. I think I will definitely be more prepared for this claim, than the first one on my own. Now I will have the shoulder problems and the mouth problem to add to the RSD and God knows what else after I find a new Orthopedic and Neurologist (my PM wants me to see a neurologist) and have a physical with my primary. I will not give up, but it would make my life a bit easier if I had an income to pay for all of these medical bills. One thing that Reta said was that coffee aggravates her condition. Take coffee and chocolate away from me? That contributes to the quality of my life for right now anyway. I hope one day to get the strength to push forward and maybe go to a gym, or join a group of some type. I know it is not healthy to be at home as much as I am. But I am happiest at home with my babies (Molly & Willie are Peagles!) and my husband. For now anyway......

My husband will be home from work in a few minutes so I will say good night at least for now. I most probably will be woken up in pain, so I may write to you all again later.

Take good care & I hope you (all of us) get a good night's rest. Hubby is off tomorrow so I may not be on the computer so don't worry. If tomorrow is anything like tonight, I may have my husband take me to the ER to get a shot of that Toradol that Reta said she got some relief from. I didn't get to ask what the question was about that medicine. I will keep you informed.

Terri

[Bussey]

Hello Terri,

I am hoping that you're feeling better, and that your pain levels have gone down. I was really sorry to hear about the rough night that you had.

Good for you! I wish you the best, as you go forward with your appeal, with your disability lawyer's help.

I believe that we all invite and appreciate, all responses to our questions and comments. I was simply being polite. I don't think anyone would be dissuaded from responding to a post, for the reason that you stated. There is definitely no need to apologize. We are all here to share our stories, to help others to get through something that we may have already experienced, to share our knowledge, and most of all, to support one another, in any way possible.

When I am in a full flare, the flare can last for weeks. My sympathetic nerves, as well as my entire nervous system, are affected during flare ups. Therefore, my entire body is affected. You asked what some of my symptoms were when I go through a flare. A while back, I posted a subject titled, " Is it just me? " If you are interested, you will be able to find it at, or near, the top of page five. My current state, as well as the symptoms that I experience during a major flare, are listed in that post. I believe it will answer some of your questions.

Take care of yourself.

Bussey

[lschlege]

Terri, you are not weak! Like you I am in intense pain. Broken Ankle 4 weeks ago. I can't even find a Dr. who wants to deal with my RSD yet. I am scared as I am loosing what I think is preciouse time. My Physical Therapist is the one who told me about RSD and thank God he is treating my RSD symptoms. He used to work with a specialist who studied RSD, so knows and has treated lots of RSD patience. The pain is contained to my ankle right now, it had been all the way up to the knee before PT. I am still in a boot cast and on crutches. All just agrivats the sensitive skin. But I was able to get my surgeon to change my meds to something that works on the nervous system rather than the Oxi that just knocked me.

I will be sure to stay away from the dentist. Although mine is very gental, I don't think I can tolerate any more pain.
Please stay strong, and I do wish you well!

[Bussey]

Hello Terri,

I understand your fear of doctors, at this point, and your fear is not untenable. RSD is a mysterious, and unpredictable condition. However, it is very important that we do not allow our fears to affect our decision-making, especially when it pertains to our Health Care. You are an informed patient, and I am sure that you will make the correct decisions regarding your own personal care.

I also worried, that my medication could stop working one day. I'm sure that you know, as well as everyone that suffers from RSD, of the possibility to develop a tolerance to pain medication, if it is taken over a period of time. At that point, a patient may require more of that medication, in order to achieve the same level of relief. It's also quite possible, that the medication would need to be changed. I try not to think about that, and I guess I would cross that bridge if I came to it. I pray, that day will never come. I hope that your Dr. will prescribe a medication that you are comfortable with, in the very near future.

I feel so bad that you're having such a difficult time managing your pain. Take care of yourself, and you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Bussey