🚀 go-pugleaf

Index Number: 27470

To: All

While I think I understand how a differential block works, I would
appreciate some knowledgeable (and charitable) soul to verify or
inform me further.

I will be receiving a differential block very soon, and from what
I recall of the anesthesiologists explanation, it goes like this...

A needle is stuck into the spine, somewhat higher than a normal
lumbar block, and an anesthetic is injected, numbing everything
from the chest, down to the toes.

As the anesthetic slowly "wears off", I am asked if I can feel a
pin-prick at various points along the way.

If at some point where I can feel the pin-prick, I can also feel
my chronic pain, once again, then the pain is deemed to be "somatic".

If, however, I feel the chronic pain, regardless of level of returning
sensation, it is sympathetically mediated.

I have RSD, and this is a test to determine if the pain is any longer
sympathetically mediated, or is simply somatic.

The gist of all of this is that if it's somatic, than one of two things
will be done to eliminate the pain.

One is "denervation", and the other is amputation.  Because of additional
significant and irreversible circumstances, I will of course choose
amputation.  It's the only way I'll ever walk again, anyway.

But, what I do not understand is this...

It seems to me that I may be misinterpreting part of what I was told about
the block.

I would think that as soon as the block is administered, and _if_ I still
feel my pain, then there would be no need to wait for it to "wear off".

I would think that a diagnosis of sympathetically mediated pain could
immediately be surmised.

Am I missing something here?

Thanks,

Jim Graham

        -> ->Disclaimer: I do not speak for my company. <- <-
                          Neither do they speak for me.
 ______________________________________________________________________
| Internet: graham@venus.iucf.indiana.edu                              |
|           dolmen!jgraham@moose.cs.indiana.edu                        |
| BBS:      The PORTAL DOLMEN BBS/ParaNet ALPHA-GAMMA (sm) (9:1012/13) |
|            (812) 334-0418, 24hrs.                                    |
|______________________________________________________________________|