RSD/CRPS and Your Atlanta Personal Injury Case - Becoming Your Own Best Advocate

 As a personal injury attorney here in Atlanta, Georgia, who specializes in RSD/CRPS (Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy/Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) cases, I see many clients who are sufferers of chronic pain. In many instances these clients have had to visit multiple doctors and medical facilities over a number of years before being properly diagnosed with RSD/CRPS. Therefore I wanted to emphasize how very important it is for you to become your own advocate and to take charge of your own medical treatment. Doing so can lead to early diagnosis and therapy, and early detection and treatment is key in reducing the severity of the condition. You know your body better than anyone else, doctor or otherwise. RSDSA (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association) has an excellent video entitled "Yes You Can - Becoming Your Own Advocate". Below are some tips from the video describing things you can do to become your own best advocate.

• Once you have been diagnosed, it's important to understand as much as you can about the condition. Surf the web, read books, talk with others who have the condition. Get as much information as you can about the different available treatments, and take them to your doctor and discuss with him/her. Also have a list of any questions regarding points you may not understand. Because your time spent with the doctor is brief, you need to try to maximize it as much as possible.


• Keep a pain journal - Have a system to measure your pain on a daily basis, and always write it down. Many people use a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least severe pain and 10 being the most extreme pain. Then when you visit your doctor, be sure to take this with you so that you can figure out any patterns... times when you have more pain, perhaps activities which cause you more pain, etc.


• Make a list of what's wrong, what's hurting, what are you having trouble with - perhaps you now have physical limitations as to what you can accomplish. What's changed since your last doctor visit? Once again, remember to always take your pain journal with you to the appointment.


• Once you have found a good doctor, you then need to investigate all of the available treatment options. There is no single treatment that will work for RSD/CRPS. It has to be a combination of therapies. Perhaps medication plus physical therapy. Though your doctor will make recommendations, it's up to you to actually follow through and make sure that you have covered all available options for yourself.