Sept. 2015

So we are a few years out from Travis's last treatment.  He broke his jaw last Oct. Had to have surgery and was wired shut for a few weeks. We feel lucky that the CRPS never showed up .
 Fast forward to this year and out of the blue with no injuries CRPS shows up again in his right ankle.  He had a great week long vacation trip to Panama and all we can think is all the surfing, wake boarding and skateboarding had something to do with it.  It started to bother him right after getting home and has increased in the last 2 weeks to full on CRPS.  He is back on crutches and we are looking into another blood clot also.  He is a month shy of 4 years pain free.  The same Dr. that treated him last time will be seeing him next week.  We are hoping that they will give him another Ketamine Infusion.  More to come as we start over on this painful journey.

2years

So it's been just over 2 years since the last ketamine treatment.  Life has changed so much.  Trav is pain free still.  He has started college and loving it.  There are a few lasting effects of CRPS that still haunt him.  His hands shake and tremble.  I notice it a lot more when he is stressed or it's very cold.  Also his memory has changed. More forgetful but then other things like names he remembers great.  He is back to playing sports and in basketball leagues.  My heart does skip a few beats while watching.
We stopped in to the clinic to see his dr. A few weeks ago.  It had been close to a year and a half since seeing them.  It was great!  They were so happy to see him doing so well.  His dr. was on personal leave but we sent him pictures with the staff.  They are helping so many people and it's great to know Trav had a hand in it.
He got his wisdom teeth removed a few weeks ago and was put under for it.  We were very scared that the meds wouldn't work but they did.  So maybe he has really beaten this monster.
So there is hope to get your life back  from CRPS.

April 2012

Its been 6 months of almost pain free!!!!  Trav has been released to try more sports and to only visit the pain clinic if he needs a tune up.  So far he has been able to manage the small amount of pain himself.  Talk it away or deal with it in other ways until it resolves.

The U of U had Travis come down and filmed his story about chronic pain.  It will be used as a teaching aid in the university and clinics.  Another great way to get the word out about CRPS.  I hope to have a copy and will post when I do.

Feb 2012

Wow this year is flying by its already Feb.  We went to the Dr. a couple weeks ago and had a great visit.  This condition never ceases to amaze me.  Still not sleeping great but with working on anxiety issues and triggers it has helped both the pain and the sleeping.  So no more treatments for now and no visits to SLC until April.  Just seeing the  shrink up here to help deal with all the life changes over the past year, which I feel has really been a help for Trav and me.

2012

New year and we have been hoping for a pain free one too.  Not going to happen .  It has slowly been coming back.  Its not full blown flare up but its back.  Trav has been pain free for the most part since Oct 2011.  A great stretch and the longest yet but I can't help but wish for more time.  We are headed to the U of U tomorrow for a check up.  I will post more details after out visit.

wow time flies

Here it is the week of Thanksgiving.  I have neglected posting for to long.   Sorry :( 
In Oct, the 7th - 14th we spent the week at the U of U for more Ketamine.  This time we had a infusion buddy to spend the hours with.  He was a 78 yr old man with CRPS in his hand.  By the end of treatment he was doing great and had no pain.  So this treatment works on so many people even ones who have had it for years.  Travis had a tougher time and they used a lot higher dose of ketamine this time.  In the end it worked and he has been pain free since Oct 13, 2011. This date is special since it is the same day he originally got hurt in 2010.   They had been working on different ways to give the treatment.  The first time they gave Trav boosts but this time it was just a gradual increase.  They started him a lot higher dose.  One point they did get it to high and his emotions became a train wreck.  All over the place from high to low.  That was hard to watch and deal with.  Once they turned it down things mellowed out.  No hallucinations this time.
Forward to Nov.  Trav has a job as a bag boy at Smiths Marketplace.  It has helped with getting him to use his leg and build strength back in it.  School is still a hard thing but we are working at it.  He has a lot of anxiety with all he has been through and lost the past year. He feels different then his friends and has lost a lot of friends so going back to class every day has been a struggle.  His Dr. has a treatment plan to work through it.  The school counselor and teachers have been so understanding and great to work with.
On our last visit to check up on how things are ( Nov 15).  The physical therapist did some different treatments and it flared up the CRPS for a short time.  So we know its still in the back ground.  The work right now is to re train his brain that being pain free is normal.  The hope is to get his brain to imprint a new picture of being pain free and using his leg normally.  This can take time but he works at it everyday.  No running. jumping or sports yet ( we learned that lesson).  He can walk and use his leg pain free and that is huge!!!!  No more Dr. visits until Jan 2012!!!!

Sept 28

well pain is back :( .  we go down on Fri to the U and meet with the Main Dr. as to what our next plan of action will be.

The link to see Trav's news clip  http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=2856495