Overarching Story

Pinetop, Ariz. — In November 2020, my father, Cory Baskins, came back from my brother's football practice with what everyone thought was a broken foot.

 

While it started as a broken foot, it became much more than that in the coming months.

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My father went in for surgery to repair the fracture. The doctors administered a nerve block to stop the pain during the procedure. The next few days of recovery did not go as expected.

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Jessica Baskins, my stepmother and a nurse for more than 20 years, noticed that these were not typical post-surgery results.

 

Concerned, she took my father back to the doctor, where they said everything was fine — that he just needed more time.

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“I knew that things were bad beforehand, but I didn’t know how bad,” Jessica said in a Zoom interview.

 

After being told it was a bruised nerve and that he just needed more time to recover and more medication,

my father went to a physical therapy office.

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“Instantly, I was in the room for no more than 30 seconds. He pulled my walking boot off and he told me, Cory, you have what’s called CRPS,” my father said in a Zoom interview.

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Complex regional pain syndrome, or CRPS, is a chronic pain condition that typically affects limbs.

 

The symptoms include continuous burning or throbbing pain, sensitivity to touch or cold temperatures, swelling, changes in skin temperature, color changes (the skin may turn white, red, blue, purple or blotchy), changes in skin texture, decreased ability to move the affected limb, and muscle atrophy or weakness.

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There are two stages of CRPS.

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Stage 1, or CRPS-I, means there is no confirmed nerve damage. Symptoms are less severe compared to stage 2, but still painful.

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Stage 2, or CRPS-II, means nerve damage is confirmed. Symptoms are more severe and can more significantly affect mental health.

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In a phone interview, Dr. Alan Discont, a foot and ankle specialist, spoke about CRPS and the possible treatments for it.

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“In the early phase, phase one, we immediately get patients out for physical therapy, for neurological consultation, because sometimes some oral medications may be helpful in the early stages,” Discont said. “But if it’s gone on more of a chronic stage, like it sounds like for dad, spinal stimulator and or spinal facet injections — so obviously a pain management specialist.”

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Possible treatments to help curb the pain of the disease include pain relievers, corticosteroids, nerve pain drugs, physical and occupational therapies, sympathetic nerve blocks, psychotherapy to help cope with chronic pain, and, in the most severe cases, spinal cord stimulators or implanted pain pumps.

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“The biggest challenges I’ve seen over the years is early recognition and early treatment,” Discont said. “Sometimes the diagnosis can be easily missed unless you’re looking for it or you’re aware of it.”

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When asked how CRPS has impacted him, my father replied, “Prior to this diagnosis, I was extremely active. I did any and everything around the house — fixing the roof, building the deck, going hunting, hiking, skydiving.”

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The challenges those with CRPS face can vary greatly, ranging from pain and swelling to suicidal ideation. CRPS is commonly referred to as the “suicide disease” among patients.

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Those suffering from CRPS are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and attempts than those without. According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, 20% of those suffering from CRPS had attempted suicide, and 46.4% reported experiencing suicidal ideation.

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Those with CRPS commonly go to therapy, whether with a licensed therapist or in support groups, a topic covered in more detail in the sidebar story.

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While there is no definite cure for CRPS, therapies and options are available to help manage it.

Awareness of CRPS is not widespread. My father would go into doctors’ offices and end up informing the doctors about CRPS rather than the opposite.

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“I would say no, it’s not being more understood or taught about internationally or worldwide,” my father said of the common knowledge of CRPS. “It is becoming more known, but at the same time, it’s not necessarily being taken more seriously, as there hasn’t been a rapid furtherance of remedy or treatment.”

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If you or anyone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, ideations, or actions, I urge you to call the suicide hotline, 988. 

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NIH article referenced - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3942549/#sec18