A Daughter’s Pain and Healing
This is an article by Reggie W. Greening. I offer it with the author’s permission for informational purposes. The author and I have no financial involvement. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE HIS OWN AND DO NOT REPRESENT MY VIEW OR MEDICAL ADVICE.
Some people with pain have benefited from alternative therapies. In my experience, no single therapy is effective for every pain patient. Therefore, I am unable to endorse any therapy as effective or worthwhile for everyone.
However, sometimes, I do hear stories about patients who have had success with a particular therapy. What follows is one of those stories. I am always glad to hear when a person with pain finds relief from treatment.
By Reggie W. Greening
Here is my story about how we were able to get my daughter off opioids.
A Daughter’s Pain
Beginning in August 2017, my daughter began having severe pain in her left foot. She described the pain as the feeling of her bones being crushed by a red-hot anvil.
As time progressed, she started having more and more symptoms. It started out with sharp pain, then discoloration and severe swelling set in. This is about the time when she stopped being able to walk and had to be put on opioids in an attempt to manage the pain.
The bone crushing sensation began around the end of September, followed closely by the burning. All the while, she was unable to walk, She was taking opioids every four to six hours like clockwork. Meanwhile, no one could figure out what was wrong or how to manage the pain other than by using opioids.
Finding a Diagnosis
While attempting to find a diagnosis, my daughter went through many rounds of testing to eliminate possible diagnoses. She had multiple X-rays, two MRIs (one with contrast dye injected intravenously), a three-phase bone scan, a nerve conductivity test, and an examination of two phases of bloodwork. She also went to a plethora of doctors including a podiatrist, an orthopedic doctor, a rheumatologist, a dermatologist, physical therapists, a homeopathic physician, a chiropractor, a pain management doctor, and a general medicine doctor.
Her podiatrist and one of her physical therapists suspected Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). She finally received a diagnosis of CRPS from her podiatrist on February 16, 2018, which spurred my research to find a more sustainable treatment option for her.
Scrambler Therapy
I spent hours searching online for treatment options for her. I found a physician in New Jersey who posted intriguing videos on YouTube about Scrambler Therapy and its benefits for those suffering with CRPS as well as other nerve conditions. This led me to look for a doctor who had experience with the machine closer to our home state of Louisiana. I eventually found a doctor in Dallas, Texas who has a machine in his office.
Healing Begins
Her first round of treatment was administered by a doctor of osteopathics in March of 2018. After the fourth consecutive day of treatment, she was able to walk with the aid of crutches for the first time in seven months. The next day, after her fifth treatment, she was able to walk autonomously for the first time in seven months. If it were not for the therapy, her prognosis may have been much more reliant on medication. However, by the end of her initial round of treatments, she was entirely off of opioids and NSAID pain relievers.
I have seen the benefits that appear to be due to the therapy. My daughter was able to begin walking again after this treatment was administered. At the time of my writing, she has been off opioids for two months. She has been able to maintain the benefits of the initial treatment through booster treatments as needed.
Currently, the treatment is not covered by insurance, and payment for it adds up rather quickly. I am trying to get this therapy more widely acknowledged and known about so that it may become an option for those suffering with chronic neuropathic pain in order for them to be able to get off of opioids.
After 12 treatments
Thank for posting this story, Dr. Webster. After reading it, I looked into Scrambler Therapy and found some good articles concerning its use for neuropathic pain and irritation. The Mayo Clinic now has a Scrambler Therapy machines and has done some research studies and has recently begun using it in clinical practice. Many studies have been done and the results have been mainly positive, though more research is needed. From what I’ve read, they are still looking at the different diseases this therapy can help with. Hopefully, in the near future, all insurance plans will cover this treatment for patients suffering from these previously untreatable conditions.
Hello, I had my first Calmare therapy session in 2016 and follow up annually for treatment. It is the only treatment that helped with my Crps of the shoulder. I have been able to reduce and get off most medications and so happy with my results. Thank you for writing this article. Calmare therapy, for some reason, just doesn’t get the reconition it derserve.
Fight the insurance company with appeals. There are no cures for RSD. Treatments that worked for your daughter could work for others. You submit by saying “insufficiency in network doctor .. then add procedure worked vs cost of years on medication, spinal cord stimulator and it’s upkeep”
I’m over 6 years walking (even ran a 10k) now after 8 years on crutches. I choose a doctor to remove sensory nerves so I didn’t feel pain or touch. The doctor doesn’t take insurance and after appeals I was refunded my expense in full.
Congratulations to your daughter for getting her life back, and yours, but now get the cash back.