I was reading this old topic about your RSDS symptoms and nerve pain:
http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001575.html

Have your RSDS symptoms improved, and if so, what has helped? Was there a particular abx that helped with this?

Did you know you had Lyme, and did you have these symptoms, before your car accident?

In your opinion, how is the Lyme causing these nerve pain/hypersensitivity problems? Is the problem in the sensory nerves themselves, or in the brain where the sensory signals are processed? Do you think the problem is caused by the bacteria, or their neurotoxins?

Wow.. lots of deep thought needed to reply here. This topic is an older one.. but I will try to respond with my best.

Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - in case others were wondering.

You asked.. "Have your RSDS symptoms improved, and if so, what has helped? Was there a particular abx that helped with this?"

Simple answers.. Yes.. symptoms have improved. Not 100 percent.. but much better at times.

What helped?

Tuff one. All the things I am doing.. and all that I learn and feel haven't been sifted through in my mind yet to be able to say "for sure" what is going on.

I am still learning about new tick borne diseases out there.. and unluckily.. each time they find a new one.. guess who has it!

My best guess.. off the top of my head.. and I don't want to be held to this answer...

My theory is Babesiosis (with Lyme) is linked to a lot of the severe pain syndromes some of us have.

I feel the Babesiosis is responsible for.. or very much contributing to the head pressure headaches.. and the muscle pain.. and possibly the nerve pain.

Any OVERLOAD of pain described in people here makes me think Babesiosis. Yes.. I think Lyme can cause pain.. but I THINK it is different.

But then.. it MIGHT just be the difference in Lyme strains... and symptoms linked to those strains???

I DO know that until I was first treated for babesiosis.. this pain never went away. It was less at some points.. but never stopped.

After treating for babesiosis.. it improved greatly. When the babesiosis came back.. so did this pain.

When I herx this pain is worse.. much worse.. so it still could be Lyme related? But then I herx while on Mepron.. so who knows?

After I was hit by the truck.. this pain.. on top of the other truck caused pain.. came back with a vengence.. but so did all my other symptoms. I had relapsed with everything.

SORRY.. Gotta stop here.. back later to finish if my computer is still working.

Thanks for jumping in. I need help here.. and any opinions are welcome. Ibrake has me on the hot seat making guesses I am not ready to share.. and I have not completely worked out in my mind yet.

hehehe

Ibrake...

I thought if I quit I could magically come back and have all the answers for you.

But I know now I would have had to go further than my kitchen to think this out. More like to ALASKA!

I AM trying though...

You said..

"In your opinion, how is the Lyme causing these nerve pain/hypersensitivity problems? Is the problem in the sensory nerves themselves, or in the brain where the sensory signals are processed?"

Hmmmmm.. I had the pain LONG before the truck accident... so an infection was the source. I am sure the accident didn't help matters.. but was that due to relapse... or new damage? I dunno.

Years ago I believed that the bacteria was "eating" the mylen sheethes.. spelling?.. and the raw nerves were exposed. It did feel as if I had a raw nerve exposed.. like when you go to the dentist and a nerve is exposed to air. That is how my body felt... kind of.

And that is what "picture" came to mind as I laid I bed day after day in pain. I didn't have any sources to go by to come to that conclusion or idea.

Now I am not sure what the cause is? Could it be that was the original cause.. and then the brain.. in a freak out mode... failed to continue to "work" properly and shut down?

Or.. is it the bacteria attacking the nerves.. or the brains mis-firing? Or both?

The what about the toxins? They can't be helping the situation.

I would LOVE to say I have the answers.. but I don't.

I would like to think that it is a brain signal malfunction.. but can't say for sure. SORRY.

The chiro neurologist thinks it is a brain thing.. and with a few simple movements he IS able to reduce some of the worst pain to a comfortable or non-existant level... even the herxes are "calmed" a lot when he does his "thing".

He thinks it is all controlled by the brain. He is MUCH smarter in this area than I could ever hope to be... so until I know different... I have to "listen" to him.

And since he was the ONLY one able to address this.. and knew all about it before I had to say a word...

And since his treatments work to help it.. I may lean in his direction at this time.

As for toxins and neurotoxins... hmmmmm..

I tried to rid myself of the toxins.. and ended up worse... so I can't say that worked at all.

Once treated for Babesiosis.. and after seeing the neuro specialist.. I was MUCH better.

HA! I am scraping for answers.. but have no conclusive evidence at all.. only more confusion.

Really wish I could help.

What do YOU think is the cause?

My RSD was either caused by the routine knee surgery that I had or the muscle stim machine they used on me post-op...I really didn't have any significant "burning" type pain or skin sensitivity with the LD..I had some burning type pain in both my feet, but thankfully that lasted only about a week..

I can't really say for sure what causes RSD pain..my pain management doctor told me that my nerve endings were misfiring..so, for example, I couldn't ride in a car for about a year without experiencing significant pain when the car hit a bump..walking was difficult, so I really didn't too much walking either..

Like Tincup explained sometimes the covering on the nerve endings may become exposed and cause the problem..Pain management doctors can try different things that may stop or slow down the misfiring nerve endings and in doing so the burning pain, the skin sweating, skin discoloration , skin sensitivity eventually just stops..

But here is my thought..If anyone may be experiencing RSD-like symptoms regardless of the cause(accident, lyme..), I would get to a good pain management doctor who specializes in treating RSD..

I had a series of 12 nerve blocks, neurontin(seizure medication) and my RSD finally went into remission..It is worth trying anything to get rid of that type of pain..