Dear Professor

It hasn't reached the elbow yet and has stopped spreading at least for the moment so it is still possible to carry out the operation but as I said to you the amputation may be unnecessary but the only way to find out would be to arrange for it on a Friday but bring me in the previous Sunday and start a continuous full sympathetic nerve block then. We take pictures of the hand on the Sunday then compare them to my hand on the Thursday, now if there are significant signs of reduction the op is canceled and I am kept on the block until 48hrs after all signs have disappeared, if not then you operate the next day. It appears that I am not be the only one who believes this may be a cure, a couple of weeks after the appointment I read an article from the University of Washington that stated they were looking to start a study on the use of Full Sympathetic Nerve Blocks in the Treatment of RSD sufferers and the possibility of it being a cure. Now I have no idea how long it takes to get funding get permission do the trials, analyze the data and produce a paper but I would guess a couple of years and the chances of me going that long without another spread are slim.

If we don't do this I don't have much of a future, I have read of 2 UK sufferers and a number of US ones who reported that once the RSD completely encircled the limb it restricted the blood flow so severely that they developed gangrene and had to have amputation's to save their lives. Even if it doesn't get that bad 10% of us go full body, that is all 4 limbs, torso, neck, head, eyes, mouth and internal organs. or I could just end up as bad as some you will see in the video below.

If we do and the Full Sympathetic Nerve blocks work as I hope then it should disappear from my legs as well and I will eventually be able to return to a full working life, you will have found the cure I don't now if you would be interested in trying to get funding to run a proper trial but at least I could put it on the internet for other sufferers to ask their doctors to try. if they don't and we have to amputate I accept that despite the 100% claim from the Americans nothing can be certain but even if it was 50-50 it still better than the 0% chance I have now. If it goes wrong it could cause it to spread but that is going to happen anyway, first spread was caused by the use of a sensitivity pin 4 ins outside the affected area the second by my grandson treading on my toes so the chances of it not happening again are virtually zero. Things could go wrong and I could die on the table, I would give you a disclaimer saying you could not be held to blame, but considering the first 2 if we don't and the fact that according to one American source in the long term 25% commit suicide that's the second best thing. If it works and there is no phantom limb pain and no spread then you have a means to share with your colleagues of preventing Phantom Limb Pain in any future amputees and any RSD sufferers will be able to have any operation without risk of this condition spreading or starting up at the incision site, some have had it start in their mouths from having a tooth pulled.

The chance of helping thousands of people even though they will never know my name makes this worth the risk to me.