CRPS: The Viral Connection

Written by Dr. Katinka van der Merwe for the RSDSA blog. Ten years ago, I treated my first CRPS patient, Carlos. Carlos had full body CRPS and suffered from gastroparesis. Carlos had no quality of life left, and would curl into a ball each time he ate the smallest bite of food, screaming pain ravaging his body. Carlos’s youngest son was nine months old. In those years, I was like so many other doctors who face their first CRPS patient. I was unfamiliar with the condition, and I felt daunted by the sheer magnitude of his suffering. Luckily for me, I had one tool that turned out to be exactly what Carlos needed: Vagus nerve stimulation. The Vagus nerve is…continue reading

As Parents, We Did Everything We Could

Written by Isabel and reposted with permission on the RSDSA blog. My 17-year-old son broke his leg at football practice the summer before his senior year of high school. The X-ray showed a broken fibula in two places and one of the pieces of bone was pinching the peroneal nerve. The orthopedic surgeon was concerned about foot drop because of possible damage caused to the nerve. He warned us that foot drop might still be present even after surgery to repair the fibula. Foot drop would require our son to wear a brace on his ankle for the rest of his life. Little did we know then that “foot drop” would have been way better than the CRPS he ended…continue reading

RSDSA Resources Research

RSDSA has received many requests for dentists, workers comp attorneys, and disability attorneys who know and understand CRPS. If you have a reputable dentist or attorney who works with CRPS Warriors, please share this information to help others. Loading… Please consider making a donation to RSDSA today!continue reading

Helping Others Is the Best Cure to Any of My Ailments

Written for the RSDSA blog by Elyssa Weiss. My story is nothing short of a miracle, I do say that very humbly, please know. I have Grace I hardly deserve. On Christmas Eve 2015 I fell asleep and somehow crushed my brachial plexus and then went into a coma. I was not under the influence of any alcohol or substances and I say this because it is hard to believe. I was also not heavy at this time. Evidently the crushing of my brachial plexus caused Rhabdomyolysis. I had liver, kidney, and heart failure. My brain swelled and I had double lung pneumonia. I also had three pressure blisters on my leg and feet that were 4 x 4 inches. 16…continue reading

Every Day That I Am Not in Pain Is a Good Day

Written for the RSDSA blog by Maya S. Hi! My name is Maya S. and I am sixteen years old. Shortly before my tenth birthday, I began feeling severe pain in my right foot, but I had not had any type of injury. In just a few weeks, I became unable to walk, wear clothes on my foot, or attend school. The pain that I felt prevented me from sleeping by keeping me up all night. I saw many doctors and underwent a battery of tests, all of which indicated that nothing was physically wrong with me. I was lucky to receive a diagnosis very quickly. Just three weeks after I began feeling pain, I was diagnosed with CRPS. I…continue reading

Podcasts, Pools, and Patience – Melissa’s CRPS Journey

Written for the RSDSA blog by Melissa Adams How and when did you develop CRPS/RSD? I had an Achilles surgery in May 2016. Shortly after the surgery I had a HUGE fall. The pain was so severe and different from the surgery pain. I kept complaining about it, but was told it was all in the healing. However, I knew something was wrong. So finally, after a year of speaking my truth, I received new X-rays and had an MRI that showed my “new” Achilles was torn and my heel had four hairline fractures. The doctor wanted to wait to see if the pain would relieve itself. It did not, so I had another surgery in September 2017. I was…continue reading

Battling CRPS Is No Small Feat

Written by Gina Clark for the RSDSA blog. How and when did you develop CRPS/RSD? I was officially diagnosed with CRPS in September 2019. I have had close to 10 years of injuries and surgeries that have led to a significant amount of trauma to my lower right leg, foot, and sural nerve. I was originally having pain on the ball of my foot in 2011 and it was then discovered I had a bipartite sesamoid. The orthopedic doctor performed a sesamoid removal at that time. I waited a little while to recover and sort of felt "back to normal," but I was still in pain even after some time. I went back to the orthopedic doctor (a new doctor…continue reading

None of Us Wanted Our Lives Altered

Written by Christine Sibley for the RSDSA blog. My name is Christine Sibley. I am a 43-year-old mom, athlete, body builder, and runner who also loves Jiu Jitsu! I am a certified nursing assistant at a senior living facility in North Branford. I describe myself in a present way, because although CRPS literally ripped these abilities away from me, I have very high hopes that I am returning back to all the things I love and the things I did that made me, ME! I tore my meniscus on November 5 , 2019. It was a typically busy day for me. I got up at 3 am to go to the gym as it opens 4 am. I did my…continue reading

You Will Survive This Storm

Written by Ross McCreery for the RSDSA blog. How and when did you develop CRPS/RSD? In 2005 I had a surgery to remove a cyst from my left wrist. Immediately after the surgery my entire arm started to swell right to my shoulder, and I started suffering from intense burning pain. My entire arm changed color and eventually I lost function of my hand. The search was on to find a diagnosis yet nobody was able to. In 2006 after exhausting all the resources available in the city that I live in, I ended up flying to another city (Vancouver) where a specialist in chronic pain made the official diagnosis. Shortly after diagnosis CRPS spread to my left leg after…continue reading

Find Anything to Help Cope

Written by Julianne Williams for the RSDSA blog. How and when did you develop CRPS/RSD? I developed RSD when I was 38. I fell down some outdoor stairs and flew into a parking lot. I crushed about eight bones in my foot and ankle. What has daily life been like since your diagnosis? My life has been destroyed by this disease. I was an avid runner and an RN both of which I have never been able to do again. My day to day life is totally controlled by pain. I have no ability to make plans because I never know how bad my days will be. What is one thing you wish those without CRPS/RSD could understand? I wish…continue reading