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I suggest the possiblity that this is a manifestation of TMS. Check out John Sarno's The Mindbody Prescription.
Everything I have read about CRPS suggests that it is essentially the same as FMS, i.e. a psychosomatic pain disorder caused by stress. The unexplained weight loss experienced by the patient in this article would also be consistent with this.
Its amazing how she stays positive when the majority of her life is spent alone, in pain, and with no cure in sight.
I used to think that something like this wasn't possible. I always assumed that if you were in constant pain or something you would somehow grow used to it over time in the same way that being subjected to cold temperatures raises the bodies resistance to cold temperatures. Another example would be drugs and chemical receptors in the brain. Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't it be the same as with drugs, the more…
getting accustomed to pain isn't a trait that would be carried through evolutionary selection. Pain is a signal about something that has to be addressed. Out of 2 possible reactions - acting on the signal vs. not hearing the signal the first is obviously evolutionary preferable. An yes, evolution and selection isn't merciful, and here i'm very agree with buddhism. We evolved to be scared and run away from sources of pain and constant risk of pain is what makes us moving through life.
BTW, am i the only one who is WTF??? while reading it:
>In 2006, Justin, an Upper Dublin High School grad pursuing an economics degree at Penn State University, lost 60 pounds over the course of a few months, with no end to the mysterious weight loss in sight. Justin’s doctors, perplexed by his condition, performed surgery on him to install a feeding tube in his small intestine.
Both seem pretty awful.
http://www.rsds.org/3/treatment/stacy_campbell_pregabalin_ga...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Everything I have read about CRPS suggests that it is essentially the same as FMS, i.e. a psychosomatic pain disorder caused by stress. The unexplained weight loss experienced by the patient in this article would also be consistent with this.
What unexplained weight loss? He was diagnosed with a bacterial infection at the Mayo Clinic.
Related to the guy who has 100 orgasms/day? http://gawker.com/the-undeniable-tragicomedy-of-a-man-orgasm... Both seem pretty awful.
"...the brain to send pain signals to the body..." Is this wrong or am I missing something?
From what I understand, not sure if correct, the spine has a weird role. If you touch a hot stove with your hand you instinctively jerk your hand back but there is a small delay until your brain gets it and thinks "hey that's hot!"
My Father has suffered with full body RSD/CRPS like the patient in this article. Even the slightest breeze can cause him excruciating pain. He has a morphine pump in his abdomen that provides a constant drip of dilaudid on his spine, its the only thing that lets him manage his pain. There is some hope. Last year some scientists in Italy discovered a break through treatment that has had good success...though only test…
I ask this with all respect for the suffering your father goes through but I am genuinely curious... Has he tried THC in any form (smoke a joint, pill extract)? I have heard of great pain relief from other diseases, and wonder if there would be any relief provided by medicinal marijuana?
Initially, they weren't able to diagnose it due to the odd cause. Like the article said, mostly this disease is caused by extreme trauma. My father's case was when he cut himself and had to receive a Tetanus shot. About 5 hours after the shot, he was back an the hospital with an arm swelled to twice the size and it's been downhill since. He's actually been to a number of universities for studies, as he's the first documented case to get it from a shot I believe.
He's taken virtually all forms of THC to help, but the only way it is manageable is in addition to the extremely heavy methadone dose and oxycontin as well. Usually he relies on smoking, but pills are sometimes used. Unfortunately, his THC use has increased to the point that's it's insanely expensive and he rarely is thinking clearly any point in the day. It's had long term effects on his mood as well, either from the pain or the heavy drug use (it's hard to tell). He appreciates the THC because it's reduced his dependency a little on the methadone and oxycontin, which were beginning to do severe damage to his memory. It definitely wasn't a miracle cure though, but it's seemed to help.
I don't think a cure is between our reach (some doctors don't even believe its a real disease... just in case life doesn't suck enough with the disease itself) but I'm trying to lead the creation of better treatments, and topical pain-relieving in general.