A story of healing
Meet tom
In 2002, I had to have surgery to fix an ankle injury and woke up with a rare nerve disease called Regional Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), once called Causalgia. CRPS/RSD is uncommon, most doctors are unfamiliar with it, and there are no treatments or cure. CRPS/RSD is an extremely painful, progressive disease that can affect the patients’ entire nervous system. In fact, CRPS is even rated higher on the McGill Pain Index than childbirth or amputation. I was on over ten medications with treatments including nerve blocks, a nerve stimulator, nerve root stimulator, pain pump, and a continuous epidural for about 10 weeks.
I had a pick line for about a year and received infusions 4-6 times a month. Cannabis helped me endure the harsh medications, but almost a year into this process, my body began to reject the treatments. At this time, I needed help from my parents, just to survive, and I began to learn about how diet effects my body and disease. I stopped looking for a cure or an end to this horrible disease and started to learn how to live life with it. I started to take control of my diet and experienced real results, with my pain levels decreasing from a 6-8 to a 4-6. In time, I was able to detox from all the pharmaceutical treatments and was starting to rebuild my body from years of intense medications and being in a wheelchair. Every time I had to get off a drug, I had to do it myself, but certain strains of cannabis really helped me with the detox, even with the opioids and pump meds. A good friend helped me into a situation where I could grow my own, and I started to relearn what to do and how to grow plants again. Eventually, once I was clean and my diet was improved, I was able to fight back against my disease and get some life back.
After the damage the meds did to my brain, it took a few years to be able to think clear enough to function without much confusion, but I was able to fight back. Now, I want to offer what I have learned over all this time to others. Out of necessity, I have learned a great deal about using fresh herbs to aid in recovery and to maintain good health. Now I make lotions and salves that provide real and substantial benefits, because my life depends on it.
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