How to explain me to you...... well, if you are reading this, you probably found this blog because you or someone you know has CRPS, so I don't need to explain that one to you. I will tell you how I became familiar with that term. In April 2012, I stepped off my porch on the way to a fishing trip, and my right foot began to hurt. Not normal hurt, serious hurt. Of course I went fishing. I love fishing, and I wanted to go fishing, but I spent the entire time wishing I could dunk my foot in the cold lake and wondering why stepping one step off the porch had hurt so badly. I had not twisted or jumped. There was no real reason for so much pain.
Fast forward a bit.... the foot was fractured in three small places just behind my big toe. The orthopedist placed me in a boot, and I spent one week in a chair with no weight at all on my foot, then 5 more weeks in "the boot". Once I came out of "the boot", my pain continued. I went back in "the boot" for 5 more weeks. When I came out, there was no sign of fracture, and no reason I should still be in pain. For the next few months, the orthopedist tried a series of show inserts, some of which costs over $400 and I actually threw back at them when they made my feet worse. I was eventually sent to a neurologist when 3 doctors on the orthopedic clinic were unable to come to a consensus on what my issue could be.
My neurologist proceeded to do an MRI on my foot and determined that there was nothing wrong with me! Great news, except I was still hurting. I won't bore you with all the details, but the pain eventually traveled into my left foot. This was incredibly scary. I guess I should back up for a moment and describe the pain as it progressed. At first, the pain was a dull achy feeling, but it doesn't seem that it was long before the pain transitioned into a burning flame feeling. The pain was localized on the bottom of my feet, and always got progressively worse the longer I stood or put weight on my feet. In conjunction with the burning was an inner cold feeling that is hard to describe sometimes. How does something burn and freeze simultaneously?!? There was also eventually a sort of tingly feeling that travels up my legs, but stops about mid calf. (I'm told this is actually because of nerves in your back, TRIVIA!)
Anyway, back to the neurologist...after the MRI, they checked my nerve conductivity. I don't remember the official name of this test, but electric torture test would be appropriate. On the plus side, once the test is over, the pain is over. While the test is in progress, that pain is a monster. My neurologist pronounced my nerves to be functioning perfectly well, in fact, he said my nerves fired at some of the fastest speeds he had ever recorded. This did not surprise me, as it seemed to me my nerves were functioning in overdrive if at all. After this they did a nerve biopsy to see if my nerves were dying, nope, nerves were fine.
I was then sent to a cardiologist who tested my blood flow and ensured I had adequate flow to both feet. All fine there. My PCP checked me for arthritis. Regular blood tests, and advanced test. I was sent to a podiatrist. He tried multiple sets of shoe inserts over the course of over a year. He also tried an electrical message therapy technique that targeted the nerves traveling down my legs. I also went to a different orthopedic office and saw several more doctors at their location. None of it helped in the slightest. I tried 3 different chiropractors over 3 years. None of it helped.
Bare in mind that during all of this, I have still worked full time. Gotta eat! I know that there are plenty of people with this condition that are unable to work, and I have been so blessed to be able to work as long as I can. The last year has been the hardest to keep going.
I got my CRPS diagnosis after going to see my 7th orthopedist. I went to my PCP after 4 years and begged for help getting some kind of resolution as to why I was still hurting. She sent me to Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. It was there that I finally received a diagnosis of CRPS/RSD, and was told I needed to see a specialist to confirm the diagnosis and get possible treatment. Of course I went home and began to do as much research online as possible. Now I was terrified. Luckily, I found the website www.rsdsa.org and was able to get a list of doctors in Georgia who specialize in CRPS treatments. I changed my appointment to meet with a specialist of my choosing after some review and have been glad that I did.
Since this diagnosis, my CRPS has entered both of my hands. There are good days and bad. I will update more on my experiences and some successes and failures I have experienced with treatments. I will also share my frustrations or anything fun and happy. Pretty much whatever comes to mind. For now, I'm going to sign off and take a break. Feel free to leave a comment or ask a question.
No comments:
Post a Comment