I'm upset, angry and truly frustrated and just besides myself. Lets see Where did it start? It was five  years ago Nov 26th to be exact. When I woke up I was a 30 year old normal mother of two. I recently left an abusive husband after nine years of his torture. (That's not important here.)

I woke up got dressed left the kids with my parents, who we were living with at the time and I went to work, the kids went to school and my parents went to work. It was the day before Thanksgiving and we were pretty excited I had been dating a friend of the family and we were going with him up the mountains to spend Thanksgiving with his family.  ( As of this month we've moved up here permantly!!!)

So, I'm at work, I worked in a warehouse, not my chosen profession but, due to my recent circumstances I took the job because I need the money and the benefits being a "single mom". I'm at work,  and I'm pulling my orders well all of the products are up on racks and I'm short 5'2" mind you there are supposed to be hooks and stockers to help, pull and push merchandise down to us the puller but, needless to say that wasn't going to happen. Well I needed something( it was an 18 count box of cheddar cheese combos.  I'll never forget it)  that when the stocker, who was no where to be found, pushed down it went cock-eyed and was now stuck. So being short and needing the product that was over my head. (cause Heaven forbid you short a product on the store order, cause you could be fired!!!) I got up on the bottom shelf and I reached up to get what I needed. still having trouble freeing it I reached even further well as I did I got a very sharp almost like a cholie horse sensation in the arch of my left foot. I did get what I needed and I stepped down normally well, when I did I had this horrible pain in my left foot. Like nothing I've ever felt.

My foot also immeadiatly turned Black and Blue and started to swell up. I just thought I over extended my foot or pulled something.... no biggie. When my Supervisor finally made her way up to where I was on the 3rd floor I told her what I did but, that I thought I'd be fine. but, the end of the day I couldn't stand to have my sneaker on and once I got it off I couldn't get it back on.... so, I elevated, and iced it. the next day was Thanksgiving, and I wasn't going to be on it much.

Thanksgiving came, same story it was swollen inthe morning and as the day went on it got worse. Still thinking it was no biggie I went to bed and got up on Good Friday, We worked but it was only going to be half a day.... I figured ahh I'll be able to get thru the day. I went to work updated my supervisior on it . I told her I'd ice it and elevated it and stay off of it over the weekend and then I'd let her know how I made out on Monday morning. she told me if I still had problems she'd send me to Novacare.

No improvement as of Monday morning so, I go to work and I speak with my Supervisor and she sends me to the plant manager who calls in the "Loss control Officer" who tells me that theya re going to drug test me and if it comes back positive I'm will be terminated on the spot!!! A bit rude but, it was their policy and I wasn't doing drugs. So, of course my drug test is fine then the Plant manager calls up Novacare and they arrange for someone to take me over to Novacare.

I get there and sit for hours just to have them x-ray my foot, and tell me I'm fine it's just a strain and a sprain and I need physical Theraphy on it. Basically they gave me a bandaide kissed it and sent me on my way to Physical theraphy. I believe they're motto is something to the effect of , " We keep America working.".

So, I go to physical theraphy.... the pain was so bad that I almost would leave in tears... I would have if I was more open with my feelings but, it's not my way. The idea was I'd go to Theraphy and then go back to work and keep working I did this for three weeks and I would end up no going back to work because of the pain, or have to call out the rest of the week because of the pain.

I go to the podiatrist and he sends me for a bone scan.... He saw something on there that indicated there was a fracture. I was now working 16 hour days on my foot/ light duty but still working. So, he gets the results and calls my employer up in a hurry. She needs to come in here asap we need to cast her foot. My employer tells the person on the phone that they didn't know where I was, that they haven't seen me.... Wanna know the kicker? I was sitting in front of my supervisors office doing exactly what my supervisor told me to do but, she did know where I was.....Go figure.

So, I get home at now 6:00pm to find that they called and left a message and my poor dad assumed that I had already been to the office and had a cast on.... I call the podiatrist up the next morning and go get casted. The Podiatrist writes me out of work. At this point it's now around 12 weeks after I've been hurt so, I would imagine that stuff would already be heeled up. So, he has me in this cast for another 12 weeks. During this time I got myself a Laywer, and went out of work on Workman's Comp.

My Laywer sends me to yet another podiatrist who takes my cast off and has me get an MRI done.... but, this time I can't move my toes and no one can come near them. so, again its hydrocortizone shots and those mega dose pack things, none of these things work.... Meanwhile I can't sleep. I didn't sleep a wink for months at a time. Once none of these things work he sends me to yet another podiatrist, my dad did go to this guy and so did an aunt of mine so I didn't think anything of it.

For over a year I treated with him with no improvements at all... I got worse. Finally I was fed up with his shots and his hydrocortizone shots and all the weight that I'd gained 80lbs to be exact. I'd become a shell of the person I once was. He was at his wits end as so was I. He mentioned he'd thought it was whats called Tarsel Tunnel, kind of like Carpel tunnel in your hands this was in my foot. He ordered and EMG and that came back positve by, this time I thought I was nuts.

So, it reveals that I have Tarsel Tunnel but, he doesn't do the surgery his associated does. So on Jan 28, 2005 I got a Tarsel Tunnel release. While he was in there he noticed that my one vein was swelled up to 4x's normal size so he drained that as well.... ( Gross I know, sorry) That in itself send up a red flag why is it what way?

then it's 3 months of recovery with not being able to put any pressure on my foot at all ( I hate crutches!!!!!) finally I go into aqua and land theraphy.... My Theraphist there says he thinks I'm showing signs of RSD.... My next appointment I mention it to my DR. He tells me all Theraphist think they are doctors and brushes it off. I go to Therphay and play around with my doctor for 18 months. My doctor tells me that it's an ankle and they take along time to heal.... okay fine but, football players get hurt all the time and they heal up alot faster then me.

Once again I stopped going to theraphy because it wasn't helping. My doctor appointment were getting further and further apart and when I was there it was for 15 mins and he didn't do anything.... I sensed he was in over his head.... He put me in a maffo brace because I now have no stabilaty in my ankle it just goes out on me. another red flag goes up okay I've spent all of this time trying to restrect my muscles in my foot and build up it's strenght why would you now make it stable?

So, finally I put my foot down with my Laywer as well and I tell him I'm no better I'm tired of Workmans comp screwing around with paying me and I'm not getting any better. A partner in his lay firm comes in while I'm there and he suggest a podiatrist that he went to who actually reconstructed his foot and they guy is fine.... I seen him walking around I was sold. So he gives my Laywer the number who then hands it to me.... his partner says no you call them now and get her an appointment or they wont see her. This guy is one of the best in his field and it's hard to see him in my situation. So, my laywer calls and I get an appointment the next week on Tuesday.

I go in and I take off my maffo brace and I'm sitting in the chair.... My kids are waiting in the waiting room within an ears distance.... The doctor comes in with a med student. He introduces himself to me and then he shakes my hand and he touches my foot.... Then he goes over and shuts off the air conditionig vents in the room and he tells me to take off my other shoe and sock and he'll be back in 15 mins.... and he'd tell us why when he came back in (My wonderful fiance was with me and has been through all of this mess)

So, for what seemed like an eternity they come back in he touches both of my feet at the same time and the whole time he's not saying anything but, he has this look on his face.... still not saying anything to me he tells the med student to touch my feet.... then the doctor begins by asking us if we ever heard of RSD? We said we heard it from my physical theraphist back in Jan. then he told me he thought that may be what's going on but, not to get upset and he wasn't going go into it until he was sure and that he wanted me to go see a neuroligist right away. So, that Thursday that's where I was. (When we got out into the car my kids mentioned to me that the med student was so shocked at how cold me left foot was and then they over heard the doctor tell him it's not good.- the kids didn't know what was going on at this point, it was just what they had heard)

So thursday I go see the neurologist and he does all of these test and an emg and he hurt me so bad I cursed at him, not on purpose but, just because of the shock. he started talking all medical trying to impress us with "Big doctor Words" he didn't like what he saw so he sent me to not one but two other doctors and for an MRI and some kind of an Ultrasound bone and Joint Study. And a Foot and Ankle Specialist.

I take all of these test results with me to see the specialist and he flat out tells me that I have a textbook case of RSD stage 1, I know that's the better of the two evils and because it's gone untreated for so long he doesn't have much hope for any type of a recovery.... he asked me what kind of a job I had I told him I was working in a warehouse at the time and he told me I would really need to rethink my career choice. then I told him that I was in elementary childcare/ education he said maybe as long as I could sit down for a good portion of the day. So, now I'm upset and all of these emotions are flaring up at once... I tell you... If I could have cried I would have. He takes out two sticky thermometors and places them on both of my feet... the right one registers the left one doesn't.

He gives me a bunch of literature on RSD and tells me to look it up on the internet. Because knowledge is power. He gave me a DVD on SCS and he gives me a perscription for Lyrica and two Sympathetic Lumbar Blocks. I've been on the pills for a week and the side effects stink and are really bad I had the first injection last Thursday, and I'm still sore from it. I've called my Laywer and now he says.... Oh J.C. I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell ya?

So, where does this leave me?

I know you just wanted an intro but, I gave you my whole story I cut out alot of stuff.

Michelle