Vicky - Walsall, West Midlands

I had a works accident in June 2000. A trolley load of industrial metal fasteners tipped over injuring my left leg. Some grazed the bone and something went into the back of my ankle. The pain was horrendous but I tried not to make a fuss as it didn't look any more than a burn mark and swelling at the back of my ankle. I worked in the sales office and carried on as long as possible but the following day I still couldn't bear to touch it and put a cardboard box in my bed to hold the sheets away from my leg. My GP told me to rest and, after five days, I decided to go back to work. I had to go to town and seemed to be getting nowhere fast. My foot felt very odd and the pain was unbearable the following day. The whole of my leg was burning and tingling . Even the nerves in my face were twitching. I have never felt so scared in my life. I thought that my GP would instantly know what was wrong but he looked at me as if I was mad even though my face looked as if I had seen a horror film. Walking made the pain worse.

After four weeks I was sent for an x-ray. I couldn't believe it when it came out negative. I felt like I was like walking on an open wound. I was diagnosed with a sprain and sent for physiotherapy. I could hardly walk at all and begged for sticks but they refused. I deteriorated and was sent for an emergency appointment with the consultant but he made me out to be a malingerer and discharged me. Only my TENS helped and it is impossible to explain how bad the pain felt. I borrowed some sticks and searched the yellow pages to find someone who could help. I found a chiropractor who said he dealt with nerve problems. He said I had compartment syndrome. I knew it was a nerve pain so I endured him treating me for four weeks with long needles in my leg. They made the pain worse but he was all I had. My GP then decided to send me for a second opinion and I was diagnosed with RSD based on the wastage in my lower leg, the colour changes and the pain. I wrote to the hospital where I was discharged and after a couple of letters was sent an apology.

I had two guanethedine blocks but I had a bad reaction. I had to go onto underarm crutches. Social services said I would have to have a wheelchair as I was unsafe living on my own. I was wishing my life away but I decided to pay my consultant privately for help. I was in hospital for two weeks. My consultant said he wanted other members of his team to examine me. I was bullied and intimidated. One doctor made out I had brought on the RSD symptoms by not walking on my leg. He wrote in his report that he thought I was hoping to benefit from a works claim but he could not have been farther from the truth because I loved my job and had a good social life. Now I feel isolated. I have been turned down for disability twice and fear I may lose my home. I was told by my company to claim but what use is a settlement in six years time? I had only asked for prescription fees. Others said they had better things to do. I was given a
nerve conduction test which showed I had peripheral neuropathy greater on the left than on the right. My right leg had always seemed OK to me apart from a bit of sensitivity when the pain is really bad.

My GP is the only one who sympathises. He has put me on tegretol 800mg/day and prozac. When I apologised for being a pest he said '' Where else could you go?