Hi Phillip,

 Even tho I have had good luck with the upper eppidurals I was still scared to death each time because of my first experiance with a nerve block right at the base of the sympathetic nerve between T7&T8, this was a block intended to help with the burning in my arms....and it did, but! The after errects were not so pleasant and my Dr never did another one of those.....it turned the skin on the back of my left shoulder on fire, I couldnt wear a shirt of even touch the area....it did finally quit after about a month and the nerve block lasted about 2 months and then the RSD came back with a vengenge.

 This up comming upper eppidural has me scares again as I had another sever problem in late Feburary this year. I was walking up the stairs at home, I hyperextended my right knee and it swelled up pretty big,went to the doc and he put me on bed rest and an ice pack around my knee....well once again my luck went to hell in a hand bag quickly as the injured knee blocked the blood flow causing my leg to fill up with blood clots, the pain got so bad I went to the emergency room not really knowing what was going on. Some of the clots broke loose and went into both lungs..a double pulmonary embolism! I damn near died Feburary the 25, the put me in intensive care,put a shunt into my upper right arm with 3 hoses runnin into it, an IV,some kind of liquid blood thinner and a morphine drip, they used the forth hose to pull blood samples every 4 hours. Now someone with out RSD would have had several holes poked in their arms several times a day, I only had one dig one for the next two weeks. Now I am on Cumiden for the rest of my life(a blood thinner) and in order to get another eppidural I have to do what is called "bridging therapy" I have to give myself shots in the stomach before and after the eppidural for a few days each way and I am just sick with fear as I hate needles so badly! I fear this is the time, the one that breaks the camels back, the 21st time in my life under sedation! I fear I may not wake up this time. I have had 7 nerve surgerys on both arms,some of them were repeats, I had both femurs broken in an accident that also put a clot in my lung 34 years ago, the right femur had to be pinned, had a tape worm in my appendex that almost killed me, a heital hernia, a broken left ankle, and last year in January pnumonia among some of the other problems I have had in my life. It amazes me how much a human body can take, Im gonna be 55 in August,my how time flies.....just 8 years ago I was water sking,hiking the Colorado Rockies where I live, mountain biking, and I still was playing at Pro Raquette ball tournements then in August 2nd of 2000 the carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand started the RSD. God says in the bible that he will not put any more on a person that he can handle....well he must think I am a real tough guy or his back is turned on me!

 

Franklin (Franknberrie)<my kids called me that when they were little! Now my 6 grandchildren do the same only ad grandpa to it!