I have been living with RSD since 1999 and it is a very dibilitating disease. Just finding a doctor to diagnose it took years. I have RSD in my left ankle and I have had countless casts put on because doctors just didn't know what else to do. I have had doctors tell me that it was all in my head and I just needed to get over it, that I was a drug seeker, that I was just looking for attention, that I was just pretending. As a person that suffers great pain, this just about crushed me. I began to question my own sanity until I was referred to a pain management doctor. Walking into that office on July 3, 2002 was my freedom day!! I was told that I wasn't crazy, that I had RSD. RSD is reflex sympathetic dystrophy and untreated can lead to devasting results. I was put on medication and had several rounds of nerve blocks. Unfortunetly, none of these worked for me. I am a veteran and went to the VA hospital in my area and dealt with pain management for several years exhauting every known treatment known for the diaease. Last month I had a spinal cord stimulator put in and for the first time in 10 years I am living pain free. What a difference to the quality of life I have. The recovery from 2 major surgeries has been trying at times and I had to sleep in the recliner because I couldn't lie flat, but I would sleep in a recliner for life if it meant a pain free life. I am so grateful to all the doctors who helped me find a way to deal with the pain and for the advancements in modern technology!!