CRPS: Follow Up Sympathetic Block and Laterality Flash Cards

Hi Dr. Blake,

Still doing okay. 

The big flare has stayed settled down, and my foot is definitely improved since the block--I can walk more easily than before (though still can't tolerate my tennis shoes on for long, so I mostly wear my Montrail flip-flops which seem to have the perfect soft cushioning for me. (I would encourage anyone with a neuroma that is improved when standing on a soft surface to try them.)

And my forefoot may be slightly less hypersensitive to heat: I experimented last night with momentary partial immersion in (really just touching the surface of) some hot-ish water yesterday (which previous caused instantaneous excruciating pain and muscle spasm in the foot) and it was more tolerable. I didn't push it on the experiment, but I would say it feels less absurdly hyper- hyper- than before.

So with both these improvements, and with your encouragement (and also my husband's encouragement) I called today to schedule a MWF series! (Hubby said: This is one very few things, of all the zillion things you've tried, that actually helped you: why wouldn't you do this again ASAP? :-)

However Dr. S is out of town this week and his assistant (with whom I schedule) says this recommendation is not in my chart so she cannot schedule me till she talks with him this afternoon. She seemed very unfamiliar with this protocol and thought I couldn't possibly be correct, so he must not do it this way with very many people. Anyway it makes some sense to me (in theory) so I am going to go ahead and schedule it after she gets the okay, hopefully for as soon as next week!

I assume if something along the way feels wrong to me after the Monday block or after the Wed block I could cancel the remaining one or ones in the series.

I am excited and hopeful about this! And Dr. S made me very comfortable when he did the first procedure so I have less anxiety than before. I'm more worried about getting the IV in (which caused me to almost pass out last time!) than the block.

Your story with RSD and also your knowledge of RSD has aided my understanding of the role of these blocks and importance of doing them sooner rather than later, so again I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Also I continue to do the laterality work (I now use the NOI app on my phone) many times daily, as it is on the short list of things that definitively have helped. It also helped me recover from the post-block  flare, when all four extremities hurt: I did both the feet and hands apps, and I believe that helped settle down the other limbs. Thank you so much for that lead on such a valuable, simple, inexpensive, non-invasive tool-- more docs should know about this.

With gratitude,

Kim (name changed)

Dr Blake's comment: I am encouraging Kim to have a series of sympathetic blocks to help her CRPS and also her constant positive feedback on the NOI group laterality flashcards. Please see my other posts on CRPS.