Living together with RSD (continued)

His doctors then put him on high doses of Morphine, and later combined the Morphine with Methadone. We have since read that this can be a lethal combination. JD decided of his own volition that life on those types of narcotics was no life at all. He used his last dose of these in Nov. of 99 and has never used them since. These medications only took a fraction of the pain away, and often left him in a confused state of mind. His doctors continue to try prescribing such drugs. JD simply turns it down. He feels that it is easier to combat the pain with a clear and focused mind. They have put him on many other medications too numerous to list. None of these have been of much benefit that we have noticed.

He has also been through many surgical procedures. His doctors have preformed 4 Sympathectamies, a Dorsalectomy, and implanted two Spinal Cord Stimulators (SCS) just to list a few of the major ones. Some RSD experts feel these surgeries could be responsible, at least in part, for the spread of RSD. We tend to agree with that opinion. Dr. Hooshmand, a leading expert in RSD with over 40 years experience in its treatment, advises strongly against having an SCS implanted. He has made a wealth of advice and knowledge on RSD available on line at http://rsdrx.com .

However, JD did not research the device before he began using it. A team of neurologists and neurosurgeons presented it to him as his last and only hope. His first SCS was removed quickly due to a life threatening infection. Many RSD sufferers experience failure of the immune system of this type. It had worked for pain control initially, but was fraught with false hope as the pain and many other new pains crept in quickly within the first few weeks.

The second SCS did not become infected. They prepared him with high doses of antibiotics. It worked for pain control very well when they first put it in. That was May of 99. That kind of miraculous pain control only lasted a few weeks. Its efficiency began to decline right away. This SCS has leads that go down his right arm, along his spinal cord, and through a hole they've drilled into the back of his neck up into his brain. It not only helped with pain control, but it actually regulated his respiration and heart rate. It also assists with the motor functions of his right arm. Initially, he could not move the arm when the implant was switched off.