Hello everyone,

I found this board while researching stories of full recovery. I found Ness's story and it closely paralleled another story I found (Roger Carlson's recovery story posted in the "stories of hope" section of the *edit*) which I have been using to map my own road to recovery. Ness was right: there are virtually no stories of full recovery out there. I have to wonder if it isn’t just that people who do recover do not wish to relive the experience by posting it. I have decided to jump in because I know how much Roger and Ness’s stories have meant to me through this journey.

In September of last year I was a fully-funded grad student running 7 miles/day and power walking another 6 on campus. I developed Achilles Tendonitis that month and spent four weeks recovering. I was almost back to running when, on Halloween, I was walking across campus and felt a bizarre fluttering in my left calf. Three days later I could not walk on my left leg. Four days after that it went ice cold and turned a funny reddish-purple. It felt like it had been doused in gas and set on fire. The local clinic (I was in a rural college town. Medical care was virtually non-existent.) told me it was just the tendonitis flaring up again. Told me to stay on crutches for four weeks and use RICE therapy. I KNEW this wasn't tendonitis, but they wouldn't listen. Four weeks came and went with no improvement and by then it was winter break. In January I went back to the clinic and they insisted it was still tendonitis (!) and said they would not refer me to anyone until I tried physical therapy. By then my left lower leg was atrophied to the bone--I had lost all the muscle and still could not walk on it. The PT turned out to be a disaster which caused a full body spread and dramatic systemic symptoms (difficulty breathing, extreme fatigue, one-sided weakness, vision problems, etc.). I was convinced I was dying and had to take a medical withdrawal from grad school. I flew to family in the Midwest and my health continued to fail while I pursued diagnosis. By April it was determined I had CRPS. I was referred to a Physical Medicine and Rehab doctor who has put me through a series of lumbar nerve blocks.

In the meantime I decided to try to keep meds to a minimum and follow Roger’s protocols. I am on LDN and Dibenzyline (a vasodilator that also blocks nerve pain) at a VERY low dose, and several supplements I feel are helpful after extensive research. Four months ago I could not walk, cook for myself, drive a car or really take care of myself at all. I have developed my own PT protocols and now am walking two miles/day, have nearly a normal daily life, and am back to looking for work. In fact, three days ago I made an overnight road trip on my own through two states for a job interview without any CRPS ramifications.

I don’t know if the blocks have anything to do with my progress…they have certainly not been a silver bullet. If anyone is interested in hearing the details of my therapy routine I’d be happy to share. In the meantime I continue to journal my progress and listen to my body. I believe that you CAN FULLY RECOVER and I intend to. I have read blogs from naysayers that claim the best you can hope for is remission for a few years. I chose not to buy into that.

Ness and Roger are my heroes and my inspiration. I hope my story and progress can help someone else in the future. I’m glad to have found this forum and hope to become an active (and useful) participant!