It is my goal to tell my story in the hope that snuffer's will be more educated on the subject of RSD. My other hope is that a lot of doctors read this post and will start listening to the experts on this subject.

I hurt my right foot on 03/05/02. My diagnostic x-ray showed that I had a acute avulsion fracture of the lateral aspect of the talus. My doctor gave me a choice between a cam walker and a plaster cast. I choose the cam walker. When my husband and I got to the place that would provide the cam walker to me; I was told by the gentleman that for this type of fracture he would need to do a plaster cast. No big deal he went to call my doctor. He was away from us about 15 minutes, when he came back he said that my doctor didn't agree with him and to put me in the cam walker. I really didn't think much of it until later when I was diagnosed with RSD. I remember him telling my husband and I that he told my doctor if I was put into the cam walker that I would not heal properly. It is coming up on almost two years and things have only gotten worse.
Today I woke up with severe pain in my leg, I now have my second blister which if it follows the pattern of the other one it will turn to an ulcer within 24 hours. I am in way too much pain for a young 44-year-old female and I am getting very tired of taking medication and explaining what RSD is to family, friends and most of all different doctors. I fell they should be explaining it to me.

Here is a summary of what has happened and what my theory is. I was in the cam walker from 03/07/02 to 04/16/02. My doctor had another x-ray done and said that my ankle had healed and that I could stop using the cam walker. It was on a Friday and I was not working the weekend so I did what she told me and took it off. I noticed that my foot had a shinny tone and a Mattie look to it. My foot still hurt and it seemed to look as though it was a little swollen. I called my doctors office on the following Monday to ask the RN to read me the impression of the most resent x-ray. All she said was it was healed and she talked to the doctor and she said just stay on your Loratab until the pain is better. This made no sense to me. So after talking with my husband I called my doctor back and said I am in way to much pain can I go and see an Orthopaedic doctor, she said no that there was not a reason to go to see a specialist, that my foot was fine and it had healed.
I was working for a Hospital at the time; I was having a hard time getting around the unit. One of the doctors happened to notice that I was struggling on walking. He made a suggestion that I make an appointment to go and see a sports medicine doctor. So I called my primary care doctor and told her what this particular doctor has suggested. She was not happy but she sent the referral for me to go to the other doctor. I went to get the newest x-ray report so I could take it with me to my appointment. I read the report of the x-ray and couldn't understand why my doctor told me that my foot had healed. According to the impression there was still evidence that my foot was not completely healed. I was so mad.

This new doctor was good and he diagnosed me as having RSD, lymphedema, and later he would also discover that I had developed plantar fasciitis. He immediately sent me to physical therapy and placed me with a pain management specialist. I ended up losing my job, losing my insurance and a whole group of doctors dropping the ball around this past Christmas season. I am now working with a doctor who understands why it is important to get this disease under control. Here is a list of medications that I have been on due to a simple common break. Loratab 7.5 up to 8 per day, Neurontin 1800 mg a day, Amitriptyline 25 now up to 50 mg per day, Zoloft 50 mg per day, Diazepam 10 mg per day.

When I lost my job I was unable to afford the cobra pay to keep my insurance. Slowly my pain management and primary care wouldn't take care of me any longer. And of course since I am the un-employed I am on a fixed income, so now I am on hardly any medication. However like I indicated I am with a group of doctors that are making sure that I will be cared for. I am applying for project access; it is a way a person such as myself can be able to have a doctor care for them and able to have the medications that I may need. But it is a process and since the ball was dropped at Christmas time things still are not worked through this process. I did see an internal medicine doctor on 1/6/04, and she diagnosed me as having cellulites, which I was given antibiotics for. I had to stop them yesterday due to the drug making me sick. But now I would say it is the newest blister/ulcer that has formed. The first one I got on Christmas night I had the same symptoms.

My hope is to make it through this and have more answers than I do currently. I also have a Huge PT bill and it seems that everything cost so much in regard to RSD. I really believe if the doctor that refused to listen to the expert on this matter would of listened and done what was suggested that I would not be going through any of this. I refuse to let this bet me or anyone else walk all over me as a patient. I would also like to know if I should sue the doctor for several things that she did wrong and should have avoided.