Hi Deb

A 4!!!!!!!! OMG I am so happy for you! I want to try this HBOT myself....

So glad you are doing so well, and coping with the separation from Darrell and Frank. I hope Frank improves soon, you must be very worried about him being so far away from you, but at least you know he is in good hands with people who love him too. Darrell must be so excited about the magical 4. I hope you can see a time coming where you might get down even lower....

Keep it up and well done for persevering with this through all the stress and anxiety. It's incredibly inspiring to read your diary about this treatment, thank you so much for all the information, as well as your thoughts and feelings on each day.

I'm rooting for you here, and hoping to see a 3 perhaps?!

Bram.

Bram,
Thanks Bram for your kind words of encouragement. I've been both up and down at the same time. I see some improvement with the treatments but I long for home and Darrell and Frank. I did reach a 4. It remains my lowest number yet. I'm still trying to get back at least to a 5 if not a 4 on the pain scale. Something happened last weekend to cause a flare ... most likely stress related. Note too that the flare has not been as severe or as long as previous flares.

My sores are healing, though I do have new sores that still pop up. They are smaller and heal quicker. The redness of my feet and left leg are more often pink rather than red. My overall pain numbers are down even after some activity. Granted that activity is minimal. As you noted, I am trying to stand taller instead of hunched over. I am starting my 6th week. And yes, it does seem like 6 weeks. I've not had to go it alone. Darrell made sure to set up caretakers to watch over me on the weeks that he could not be here. I do feel strong enough now that I might be able to go it alone if had to be.

By this diary, I hope you find some insights into the HBOT process and possible benefits, as you mentioned that you were considering the treatments for yourself. I know that you are suffering a flare of your own right now. I hope you find relief soon. I encourage you to take comfort in your wonderful poetry, if even just for distraction. For me distraction is key when trying to manage through the pain of CRPS/RSD. I've enjoyed your poetry corner. Thank you. I lack the skill.

BTW: I love animation. Ice Age, Toy Story, Shrek, Monsters Incorporated, etc. are examples of excellent graphic animation on the big screen. In another life I would be an animator working for Pixar or Disney or DreamWorks or ... Well, I can dream can't I?