Feb 2011

So we have a diagnoses but what does that mean?  The first treatment that is tried are sympathetic nerve blocks and lumbar nerve injections.  This is suppose to help block the nerve and ease the pain so he can do physical therapy.  Therapy being the best treatment.  Keep the affected part moving and functioning.  Easy to say when you are not in burning pain and the slightest touch, breeze or temperature change puts you in even more pain.  So over the next 3 weeks Trav goes through 3 different nerve blocks.  None have helped at all.  He gets put on more and more drugs that are not helping either.  We have been realizing that not many people in our small town know or have even heard of CRPS.  The pain dr. has treated some but never treated anyone with it like Travis has.
Its March 2011 and no relief.  So we get referred to the U of U Pain Clinic in Salt Lake City, UT.  3 month wait to get in, so what to do until then?  Trav has been out of school since Jan. and has had his classes cut down to 2 a day  home schooled. we search everything online and find another pain clinic in Salt Lake.  The Dr. had trained at the U of U.  So we set up a visit with them.  Before our first visit there we end up at the Uof U ER to see if they can get him into the pain center any faster.  They help us to understand that pain meds really don't work on CRPS as its a neurological issue and it some how blocks what makes the drugs work.  They give Trav a IV of dilaudid which is stronger the morphine and he got minor relief for about 30 min.  No help with getting into the pain clinic any sooner.
On to Summit Pain Center.  They tried another nerve block so that totaled 4 blocks that didn't work.  They suggested a nerve stimulator be implanted in his back as the next and final step.  But also said they were not sure that would even help.  Only other suggestion was to change up his meds to a different nerve medication.