From Wahls Warrior Lorna whose Charcot Marie Tooth (neuropathy) has been greatly helped. My name is Lorna and I am 45YO. In March of this year, I could not walk. I have Charcot Marie Tooth, also known as Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy. I also have arthritis and my hip was replaced at the age of 25. I currently have arthritis in my spine, and spinal stenosis. Additionally, I have mild hypothyroidism, PCOS, and insulin resistance. To break it down, I was fat, slow, sickly, and in muscular, neural, and orthopedic pain. However, it wasn’t the CMT that affected my walking. It was stress. Numerous events, including the terminal illness of my mother, crushed me, and one day, my legs went out from under me. I was overcome with joint and muscle pain to a degree that I had never before experienced. My neurologist increased my Lyrica to 600Mg, and I was taking 2400mg of ibuprofen and was essentially bed bound until the Lyrica allowed me to bear weight again. It should be noted that Lyrica is the ONLY pain medication that ever gave me relief, and I had tried many. Blood tests revealed that I had scleroderma antibodies (SCL70). Scleroderma is a rare and poorly understood autoimmune disease. I went to a specialist who positively diagnosed me. Some forms of scleroderma are fast acting, with a 2 to 5 year life expectancy. My symptoms pointed me in that direction. I was devastated. The three doctors that I consulted did not believe that the course of the disease could be altered. My family doctor sought only to treat the insulin resistance as everything else was out of his expertise. He gave me a low dose of a thyroid supplement, and told me to go on a low carb diet. We switched from the Lyrica to Topamax. The Lyrica had caused me to gain 25 pounds, and I had lost so much mental clarity, that I could not find my way home one day. So it had to go. The problem with Topamax is that it only took care of the very worst of the pain – the intermittent whip like sensations that made me cry out and collapse. One dose higher and it affected my breathing. I walked out of his office with no answers, in incredible pain, thinking I was going to die. It gets better. I started out with Atkins. It was easy and still quite decadent with all of its frankenfoods. I researched autoimmune diseases and Paleo repeatedly came up. Over the next few months, my diet evolved with each new bit of information. I discovered Sarah Ballantyne’s PaleoMom blog, and through her, The Wahl’s Protocol. I followed the diets, albeit somewhat loosely, but I would say it was 70-90% compliant daily. I ended stressful relationships. I protected myself emotionally, recognizing that stress makes me sick. It is now seven months since I left my family doctor’s office. I am delighted to say that my health has changed completely. I am off of all pain medication. The scleroderma pain is gone. My joints no longer crack when I move. I do not have muscle cramping or nerve pain. My hip replacement, which is well past its revision date, no longer aches. My feet no longer burn or swell. My pronounced limp is now nearly imperceptible and the FIRST thing people mention when they see me despite the fact that I have lost 43 pounds. A lifetime of anxiety, panic and insomnia is resolved. I generally have consistent energy from waking to sleeping. When I do take naps, they are refreshing and do not interfere with night sleeping. My emotional stability is so significant that I have been able to handle extremely stressful situations, including my mother’s October death, without a return of symptoms. I literally feel my nervous system healing. Those with CMT also have demyelination, just like people with MS. My hands no longer shake. My strides are purposeful. I was told that I would NEVER be able to heal those nerves. I had accepted that I would soon be crippled unless MEDICINE came up with something to make this go away. In reality, I was able to do more for myself with diet and lifestyle than any physician had ever done for me. I am no longer afraid of dying young, leaving a widower and four children behind. And it all started with a diet. Terry Wahls MD Like · · Share
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 16:58:03 +0000
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