For the next eight months, she was investigated and treated by several physicians, including a general practitioner, orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, rheumatologists, and anaesthesiologists at a tertiary university pain clinic. The doctors found no plausible explanation for her symptoms until the diagnosis of CRPS was made. Her pain was resistant to paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, steroids, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, clonidine, opioids, nerve blocks and physical therapy.

All this time, and despite all the best efforts, Kristin’s pain remained 8-10 on a 10-point pain scale, and she slept only a couple of hours each night. Left without any treatment options, she was given an EGFR-inhibitor.    

Dr. Kersten remembers being astonished by what met him in the waiting room. Kristin had constructed a shield around her hand to protect it from any ambient air movement which was enough to aggravate the already unbearable pain. On the day after her first infusion of EGFR-inhibitor, Kristin rang him, crying:

I am pain-free and driving a car again! 

Kristin has been prescribed EGFR-inhibitors to treat her CRPS pain ever since. She started out with an antibody but converted to tablets over 10 years ago. Her CRPS is still active and has spread to other parts of her body (her limbs swell up periodically), but the extreme pain that woke her from her sleep so many years ago, has not returned.