To Mary Kay Smith, re: Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy:

I suffered from this after an ankle injury - I can't begin to describe how
painful, depressing, disheartening, and miserable this disorder is.
"Indescribable pain" doesn't begin to describe it - I felt like my foot, and
later my entire lower leg were being held in a fire, every minute of every
day. Finally the worst of it was resolved by a week-long continuous epidural
infusion, followed by a couple of more local nerve blocks. It causes
dysfunction of the involved extremities that may or may not be reversible. I
can't imagine living with this for seven years - I quite seriously believe
that I would not have been able to endure the pain and depression. Even now,
after 4 years, I'm "not right" - RSD affects the sympathetic nervous system
and makes it act and react in ways that are not normal (and never for the
good). Basically, the wiring between body & brain goes all haywire, and pain
and proprioception are affected. It has caused me all kinds of peculiar but
painful and dysfunctional problems that essentially defy "normal" cause &
effect explanations.

So you've got my interest with this woman who says it improved during
pregnancy & nsg. Why, I wonder? Hormones? (That can't be the answer for
everything, can it?) Well, hormones mediate between nerve, muscle, brain
function, & biochemistry, so why not?

But which hormones, & why? I don't think that there's much (anything?) in
the RSD literature about it r/t pegnancy & BFing. RSD isn't an inflammatory
disease like arthritis, so I doubt that it's the ligament/cartilage
relaxation effect. RSD isn't exactly a joint problem either. Endorphins?
Prolactin? Serotonin? don't know how, but hmm.....Someone SHOULD do a study;
this pain is the kind of thing that makes the sufferer willing to do
anything, go anywhere for any promising treatment, take any drug, in the
search for relief.

Hope someone out there knows more than I do!

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC Ithaca NY