Re: Percy - RSD - not pancreas related

[Guest guest]

Percy,

I developed RSD in my right foot several months after having surgery to remove a

bone spur at the side of my big toe. I healed fine from the surgery and the

pain I'd had in my foot for years was gone. However, several months after the

surgery, I began having different pain. My foot burned 24 hours a day, 7 days a

week. I also had pain across the top of the foot and on the opposite side from

where I'd had surgery. I went through months of pain, torture devices (moon

boot type cast and such), physical therapy, saw 3 different ortho docs including

one that specialized in foot surgery in Nashville. At one point, I had a bone

scan that indicated possible osteomylitis (serious bone infection). This was

one day before I was to fly to Germany for a 3 week business trip! The

podiatrist wanted to put me in the hospital but I went to the ortho only hours

before my flight. He didn't think I had an infection because my blood work was

okay. He thought maybe I had a stress fracture and told me I could go on the

trip if I would wear a moon boot type cast. The weird thing was that any time

my foot was in a cast or the moon boot type thing, my foot didn't hurt, other

than the burning, which was constant. Any time I walked without a cast or moon

boot thing, it was torture. This went on for months. Finally I went to one

more ortho and he said he thought it was RSD, mostly because of the burning and

because my foot had funny coloring. He sent me to a pain mgmt doc who

recommended a sympathetic nerve block. He did one block and it didn't do

anything. He told me that he thought he had not gotten it in the right spot and

asked if I minded him trying another one that same day. I agreed and

immediately my entire right leg got either really hot or really cold (don't

remember which, but he had told me that it would do one or the other if I had

RSD and the block was going to help). The burning pain that had been there for

months was gone immediately! He told me that most of the time, it took 2 or

more blocks to totally clear up the RSD (if they had caught it early enough to

totally clear it up). I was scheduled for a second block a couple of months

later, but the burning and the pain NEVER returned, so we cancelled the second

block. The doc told me I was still in the early stages of RSD and VERY lucky

because it looked like they had caught it before I had permanent nerve damage.

This was back in 95-96. Sometimes I totally forget about ever having had RSD

until someone brings it up. When I read your msg, I had to say a prayer of

thanks that I was so incredibly fortunate to have the RSD caught early enough to

stop the horrible pain. Anyone that hasn't ever felt the burning of nerve pain

has no idea how grating it can be. For me, the nerve pain I've had (and I've

had it in other areas - having lupus, I often have bouts of bursitis,

tendonitis, torn cartillages, and so on - these are sometimes accompanied by

lovely nerve pain) - anyway - the nerve pain I've had is not as severe as my

pancreas pain but it would just be there all the time!

You are certainly in my prayers.

take care,

W

alabama