Spinal Cord Stimulator Implant and Ketamine Infusions | Jun 04 2015 |
From November to now I have been a painful mess. I have tried lyrica, gabapentin, nerve blocks, prednisone, amitriptyline, nortriptyline, Trazadone and the list goes on... Finally at the Third pain clinic and my personal favorite, ketamine infusions were started and I actually hugged and kissed the doctor and nurse after my second infusion. The pain relief was a God send. I was actually able to wear shoes and soft cotton pants. I had 6 1 hour infusions of a Ketamine soup and was finally prescribed a Ketamine Nasal Inhaler. My need for Dilaudid decreased and I was in my Lala land of "I Got This!"
Needless to say I didn't have it "it" had me. Back in September I was instructed by the doctor at the second pain clinic that I needed to have Carpel Tunnel surgery in both hands. He said that it could be the cause of my neck pain and scheduled them two weeks apart. I questioned the doctor regarding the possible spread of CRPS to my hands because I have CRPS in my right foot and lower leg. I was assured that the risk was very, very minimal since the incisions would be very small. He had done this surgery many times and again assured both myself and my husband.
Let me explain why I say first and second pain clinics to catch you up. At the time my Primary Care Doctor had me going to two separate pain clinics, one for my CRPS in only my right foot and lower leg and another for my neck pain. Now with the first pain clinic there was 1 doctor and 1 nurse and then trips to the hospital to see another doctor who did the sympathetic nerve blocks then off on another trip in the opposite direction to the physical therapist. Try and rest a day and then to counseling in downtown through crazy traffic. I spent more time in the passenger seat in pain then I did in the chair in her office. The second pain clinic had a surgery suite along with surgeons, anesthesiologists pain specialists and even a physiatrist. The physical therapist that they recommended not only was just a block from the clinic but, it also had a pool which is amazing for CRPS sufferer. The travel time I had to do made my CRPS flare up like a roman candle. I chose the second pain clinic to handle all of my care for the CRPS. I am beginning to think that I may have made to really bad choice.
By the time I went in for the second surgery for carpel tunnel, this time on my left hand, my right hand incision looked pretty good but was not healed enough to remove the stitches. One week after that the incision on my right hand opened. It looked like it was spitting out the stiches. Then it began to spread open. The doctor looked at it and told me this can happen and to continue to immobilize both hands. By the follow-up visit for the left hand it too had spread open spitting out stitches. I followed all of their instructions. I was not using my hands, my poor husband was stuck being my nanny. The incisions healed finally after two months, or so I thought. Okay I was already feeling the pins and needles then came the full on burn along with swelling and molten skin. F my life!
