HI all,

I hope everyone is doing OK .

According to my"history" I have not posted since Nov.2008.
I see a lot of old faces on here and many new ones .That makes me sad .

I want everyone to know that I am in remission !!!
I have been in remission since July 2009 or so....
Remission is indeed possible even after exhausting every avenue out there to get well and heal .I know I had.

I was diagnosed with RSD in 2001 or 2002.
During the course of my illness I saw some of the top specialists in the field including Dr S. in Pa. who recommended that I go to Germany and get the ketamine coma

I am not really sure what precipitated my remission.
I had several to many ketamine treatments prior to getting better .
I also underwent regular HBOT .
I saw a naturopath who gave me a "healing tonic"which caused me to get sicker than I have ever ,EVER been for 4 or 5 months. My RSD spread to full body . I thought I would fall over and die from the pain and burning on many occasions .
He told me I would have to get worse to get better but that was ridiculous!
I was relentless in my search for a cure .

Now, I am GREAT.
I am off all meds including topamax
I have lingering health issues esp. from Thoracic Outlet which caused my RSD in the first place , including shoulder issues and cubital tunnel.
I also have "stuff" going on from the dystonia which affected my hands and feet .
I have early onset (waaaay early but that's what they call it ..lol) pre- menopausal osteoporosis...from the meds perhaps sucking calcium from my bones ?
I don't know .

It's not always easy but......

I am free from RSD and all is good. It IS possible YAY. !
NEVER give up HOPE.

My current life is blessed .I have been a vegan for almost 2 years and mostly raw vegan for over a year .
Dietary and lifestyle changes effect everything
I feel really good health wise ,mentally and my energy ...AMAZING!
What a difference !
I am working out more than ever ( I never stopped despite the pain ). I walk up to 12-15 miles a day and do many other forms of cardio and weight training.


Good Luck to everyone and never ever give up

Peace all
GnP

GnP -

Nice to see you up here again.

I wonder if anyone else has tried a long term vegan diet? Anyone?

Mike

Wow !

That's fantastic !

Do you mind me asking, was the HBOT covered by insurance ? Some of us were just discussing that here.

I'm assuming you had to pay privately for Germany/ketamine......Did you have results quickly from that ? How long did you have to be there ?

Congrats to you!!

I would guess that you don't work, if you have time to walk 12-15 miles a day. Either that, or you are a really fast walker!! It's great that you have so much energy.

can you tell us more about you ketamine treatments and the HBOT that you received? Like how much, how often, and how soon after you went into remission?

thanks so much. Researching and then arranging to get treatment is an all consuming task here in the North East. It took will be 2 years from the date of my diagnosis when I finish with my initial low dose outpatient ketamine treatments. At that time I will have been out of work for one year, and need to return in order to keep my position and (more importantly!!) my benefits. All I have done since last January is work on getting the low dose ketamine infusions so that I can try to get better. It shouldn't be so hard for us to get access to the treatments and corresponding insurance coverage for them....especially since, at 70%-80%, ketamine has the highest success rate out of all the treatments out there.



XOXOX Sandy

Hi

Congradulations! I'm so happy to read that you are in remission. I am also. Zyprexa has been a wonder drug for me. I pray that everyone here goes into remission and escapes the awful pain of RSD.

Pam

Thanks for the warm welcome

Sandy ..I wake up around 4:30 or 5 AM . I often do 2 hours in the gym before most people wake up...or more.
I also walk late in the afternoon .My days are full .
I was keeping up with cardio workouts through out my illness though not like now .Being an athlete is a big part of who I am .I was not going to let a little thing like RSD slow me down .
It kept me somewhat" sane " during the hard times .
Eating whole ,easily digestible foods for fuel has certainly increased my energy and stamina ( more on that later ).

Finz - I paid out of pocket for the HBOT. The center I went to had an RSD protocol varying the dive depths from shallow to deep. I did about 10 "dives".
I never went to Germany, thank goodness.I got better before I had to make that very difficult decision.
My PM doc here (past tense )) performed approximately( I forgot the exact number) 8 one day ketamine treatments - the equivalent of the booster infusions over the course of about 4-5 months. I received 2 treatments in a row when I was feeling particularly poorly .

I received the last 3 treatments (ketamine, naturopath and HBOT) concurrently hence my hesitation to label one as "the cure".
Maybe it was the combination of all 3 or just one , or maybe it was a function of time . I cannot be sure

Mike - in a nutshell (the abridged version )- an acidic body is prone to disease and inflammation . Dairy ,meat , sugars ,coffee etc cause the body to become acidic hence disease prone .
Eating whole foods from the earth creates an alkaline environment in the body which is much much healthier for this and so many other reasons .
I am actually getting an advanced degree in nutrition and related fields as we speak.
so... lunch at that healthy place we went to again soon ?

Pam - so happy for you too !!!!!

Happy to answer any questions.

Peace.

HI Good 'n Plenty

When I saw the word "Remission" followed by all the exclamation points, my heart raced with anticipation!
Thanks for coming back to the boards and sharing this miracle! You must be in a state of extreme happiness, having escaped the shackles of RSD...

I have some questions!

1. When you had RSD in your feet, (as I do) what kind of cardio exercise did you do? (Any walking for me creates 'off the charts' immense swelling, burning, redness and nerve pain!!)

2. Can you give an example of a day's diet that you adhere to?
(breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks..and any supplements you may take!)

3. After which treatment and intervention did the remission begin to appear?

4. Did you do acupuncture and /or meditation/visualization?

5. I know it's hard to determine, but what is your gut feeling on what truly finally put you into remission?

Thanks so much, Good 'n Plenty! I know these are a lot of questions, but I know others are wondering, too !!

Thanks for adding some sunshine to our day!!!!! I wish remission were contagious!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you!!

Hope4thebest!

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and story. It was just what I needed to read after a really tough day. I wish you continued remission and shining health. I would certainly be interested in learning more about a vegan diet. Especially any hints for someone in a very rural area. I am happy for you, God Bless you and keep you!

Hi GnP, Thank you so much for your letter and encouragement. We are thrilled for you!!!!!!!! I had two remissions at the beginning following physical therapy and massage therapy. Now I'm full body plus internal 15 years now. My Dr. just built two clinics with HBOT. He is having amazing results for various reasons. I'm considering HBOT. How many treatments did you have. Did you do one hour treatments at 2.2 or more? Did you do the ketamine first? Please give me a few details PM . i would appreciate it so much. You didn't go to Germany did you? Have low dose here? of ketamine. Thanks again, Your friend, loretta

Thank you for the positive post. I am happy for you and it helps me hold to hope. You are really living life and working hard too.