I have RSD/CRPS in my right arm, wrist, and hand. I was just diagnosed 3 months ago and the pain has been unbelievable, I can't imagine living my life like this. I am an ER nurse and haven't worked for 4 months, now my new pain management doctor (that actually knows what he is doing and treats RSD patients all the time) said I will never be able to return to my line of work due to the physical expectations of the job.

I had a total of 3 Stellite Ganglion blocks at my community hospital by a very inexperienced pain team and the first one gave me partial relief, and I did not get the Honrner's Syndrome (droopy face/eye, reddened eye, and horse voice) like you are supposed to and I did have numbness in my arm and face, which you are not supposed to and actually is a sign that the block was not correctly placed. The second block was done while I was hospitalized for sever pain and I stopped breathing within 1-2 minutes of the block, I was put in the ICU and had to stay for 2 days until I could maintain my own airway. The doctor (jerk) blamed it on me because of all the narcotics that I required to handle the pain before the block. The third block was uneventful but only last 8 hours. I later learned at the Mayo Clinic by the head of the Neurology Department that all the blocks were done totally wrong and the one where I stopped breathing meant he actually injected some of the drugs into my epidural space. He said I could have died if it was done in an outpatient facility and the proper equipment wasn't readily available!
So Mayo gave me a referral to Rush Hosp. in Chicago which is only 40 minutes from me. I'm really impressed with the plan so far. He won't do anymore Stellite blocks because he doesn't know what damage was done there so he won't risk it. He is planning on doing a series of 4 BIER blocks. The first one last week went great, but only last 24 hours. They do totally knock me out which is great, otherwise there is no way I could tolerate it. I had my second one yesterday and today still no pain at all. It is such a weird and wonderful thing being pain free. I still am extremely weak, obviously especially in my right arm, but also generalized weakness. But to not have any pain at all is a feeling I thought I would ever have again...I'm walking on the clouds right now! If the final 2 BIER blocks don't put me into total remission, and he is hopeful, but doubtful that they will he will do an epidural block and leave the catheter in place and deliver 24 hour infusions for total pain control while I'm admitted in the hospital and get extensive PT and OT, this lasts for 5 days. Then after removing the cath, and timing how long it works...and hopefully it will stay away forever, but if it doesn't then the plan is to do a six week indwelling epidural and I'll go home with home PT, OT and nursing care. I will pretty much be a prisoner in my own home, but if it completely takes away the pain I will serve my time...lol. Then, if God forbid the pain returns, the only options left are an implanted med pump or an implanted spinal cord stimulator. It is all so new and invasive to me. Even as a nurse I have never heard of any of this and never really understood RSD.
I'm currently taking enough meds to kill a horse. I'm on a Duragestic 50mcg patch, Neurotin 800 mg 3x's a day (although I'm slowing weaning off of this because I'm having really bad swelling in both of my legs and abd and I'll change to Trileptin when the wean is over) I'm also on Elavil 25 mg, Effexor 150 mg, Norco 10 mg as needed for pain, Augmentin 875 (for a chronic infection following a mastectomy which is the reason that I got the RSD), Coumadin (for the port a cath I had for my treatment but now that treatment is done I will have to remove the port in order to have the epidural...I have no veins left so I'm really scared to loss the port), Depakote 500 mg 2x's per day, Protonix 40 mg (because I got a GI bleed after one of my surgeries), Lasix (for the lower extremity edema), KDur 50 mg (to replace the potassium the Lasix causes), Aldactazide (another diuretic for my blood pressure...yes I now pee all day and night..lol) and last but not least Xanax for when I just can't handle how my life has changed! I'm 32 years old, not married, no kids, have one breast and failed 2 types of reconstruction and now due to the RSD in chronic pain and it is advised I never have surgery again to try to reconstruct me because the RSD will be activated with a vengeance.
Well, that's my story...sorry it's so long, if anyone can to enlighten me on any treatments that I mentioned and how they did, or other ones that I may be missing please let me know!