RSD Canada

Hi all,

One of my doctors recently sent me for a bone scan questioning whether I have RSD or not.  The scan came back negative, and now I'm not sure what to think. 

The pain in my arm started 2 years ago.  It started as just unexplained pain, (I thought I just had tendinitis in my wrist).  When the pain started to increase and move up my arm I went to my doctor.  Time past…I went to physio for almost a year.  It didn't hurt, but it didn't really help any. 

At this point the pain was so bad I could barely move my arm; I wasn't sleeping…blah blah blah.  I went back to my family doctor and he put me on gabapentin.  Once we incresased the dosage a couple times there was a huge difference.  The pain is never gone, but at least I can sleep now.

The specialist I am seeing now hasn't mentioned RSD to me, but the last time I was there it was a bad day, and he saw the swollen, discolored arm I had been describing; this is when he ordered the bone scan.

My aunt is the supervisor where I had the scan done, and she told what he wrote on the request.  She said she didn't know what RDS was, but told me to google it.

Sorry, I know this is kind of long winded, but I'm confused and just looking for some new opinions.

A lot of the info I've read about RSD is familiar (the skin issues, etc.), but it has been 2 years, and I haven't been diagnosed with anything.  I understand the time frames for the stages, and it seems I'm not following them.

Is there a chance this is RSD and I've been treated for it randomly; taking gabapentin and cortical steroid shots…  I no longer have the severe, debilitating pain, but it has been getting worse for the past 6-8 weeks.  I'm just trying to understand what symptoms are present after treatment has begun.