Better care for RSD/CRPS patients

RSD-Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, also referred to as CRPS-Complex Regional Pain Syndrome affects approximately five million Americans.

It is a disease that can be triggered by an injury as simple as a sprain, or by surgery, heart attack or in rare cases, spontaneously. It is a disease that affects our bones, skin, tissue, muscles and circulation. It is a very debilitating disease with severe stabbing pain, aching pain, but the primary component is the never ending burning pain, where you feel like your body is on fire.

With the exception of Pain Management Physicians, the rest of the medical community knows little, if any about this disease. Many Family Medicine or Internal medicine physicians will not prescribe pain medication based on a false fear the patient will become addicted.

We often suffer fron severe pain flare ups and are referred to Emergency Rooms for care by our doctors or medical groups. Unfortunately, they do not tell the ER what to give us, how much nor how often, so when we present at the ER in agony, we are often treated as street addicts and if lucky, may be given one small dose injection and sent home, when we should be given several injections over a few hours, and if the pain is not controlled, be admitted to the hospital for complete pain control.

We are tired of being treated like a street drug addicts, begging for help and sometimes not even given any pain meds.