12/3/06 - Emergency Room (Prescribed Vicodin)
12/8/06 - Primary Care
12/14/06 - Physical Therapy - only 3 sessions
1/1/07 - Emergency Room - My knee collapsed and hurt more than EXTREMELY (X-ray, nothing found)
1/2007 - Back to primary - referred to Ortho and for MRI
2/2007 - MRI (nothing found)
2/2007 - Orthopedic (informed me he would like to have my knees, really upset me cause I hurt so badly)
3/2007 - Physical Medicine - prescribed Cymbalta for nerve pain
3/2007 - Water therapy - here I learned about RSD, went home and did LOTS of research (keep in mind, in January I was online frantically looking up why my knee could hurt so badly - I found chondromalacia, I found patella problems, I found ripped tendons, EVERYTHING BUT RSD - guess putting into Google EXTREME KNEE PAIN wasn't enough)
3/2007 - Requested referral to pain management - I wanted to get in quickly so that I could get my problem turned around - to keep it from becoming chronic
3/2007 - Still in water therapy - Hurt like hell - but I could also feel that my muscles were responding well - The water was good for them (then I got a bill for $400.00 out of the blue and couldn't afford to finish or do more (I would love to go back to this, and will one day)
4/2007 - Pain management doctor - GREAT DOCTOR he listened to what I had to say, he asked questions that properly follow process of elimination, etc.
5/23/2007 - Nerve block done - PM called it a diagnostic tool - The relief lasted about 2 days - They were GLORIOUS 2 days
7/2007 - Fitted with Trial Stimulator - it was wonderful, until Friday when I wiped my butt and the lead moved, so I had to turn it off
8/20/2007 - Fitted with permanent stimulator - I started moving around doing things to try and make me stronger - well I moved too much and by Sept/Oct my lead had popped out of place
11/2007 - Saw psychologist and psychiatrist - put on depression medicine
01/08/2008 - Lead revision done to fix lead in spine
1/20/2008 - Scar on upper incision got infected went to Emergency room
04/23/2008 - I was very depressed and was told by many well wishers that the narcotics could be making my depression and my pain worse. So I weaned off all of my medications. HEY I HAD TO KNOW, I had tried most other things. It didn't help make my pain better, I was in LOTS of EXTREME pain. It did, however, help to clear my mind. I still take my Norco, tizanidine, and trazadone. I don't take as much as I once did. I believe it is because my head is more clear AND I am able to fight harder for me.
In July 2008 I suffered an extreme flare that kept me bedridden for 3 weeks. Which only makes me realize more that this fight will be continuous. Stress is definitely a factor with RSD/CRPS. I now try to control how much stress I am actually put under. My family helps with that as they too realize that stress can bring the giant down 
November 2008 - June 2009 - Got a new pain management doctor and was given a prostate/blood pressure medicine that thoroughly messed with my heart beat. I thought it was going to stop on me. I also now know what people with Restless Leg Syndrome feel like, sorry. He wanted to give me a new medicine, another blood pressure med that could very well mess with my heart and head again, I said no thanks.
Somewhere in all this I started using Medical Marijuana (MMJ) to help me get off all the pills that I was on. It wasn't until my last experience with a non-narcotic medication that I realized that I didn't want to be on any medications anymore. No more vicodin, no more muscle relaxers, no more nothings. Instead I used MMJ.
June 2009 - I started meeting with a hypnotherapist and a Doctor who does High Power Laser Therapy. Between the 2 treatments I have gotten my life back. I started with them the second week of June. About a week after starting with them I started noticing positive things happening. Pain free wasn't right away, but it started showing through. I could get up and do something that was difficult before. I was sleeping better, which we all know helps the body heal and energize itself.
http://www.doctorbarold.com/
http://www.psychologymatters.
July 2009 - My goal for July is to contact Social Security and get back to work.
I want to live again. I am starting slow and getting back into life.
I hope and pray that you can take from my experience and use it to your benefit.
