Scleroderma

Norma 2006 USA

I wanted to post my story to date to give all of you who have been struggling with this disease (scleroderma)tremendous HOPE: Two years ago, at age 46, I rapidly went from an extremely physically fit, happy dance instructor and wife and mother, to a “frozen,” incapacitated, skeletel, pain-ridden, depressed shadow of myself. After diagnosis, and talking with specialists I had very little hope of ever regaining any quality of life, and in fact, only getting continually worse. Through a friend I heard of this AP therapy and was desperate to try anything. After travelling to meet with this doctor who was so optimistic, I began the AP therapy. I have now been on it a year. Though I first significantly declined (as they explained I would) getting to the point where I could barely open my mouth, dress myself, sit down or get up, move without extreme pain, drive, sleep, and the list goes on and on, I began to notice subtle improvements. My skin began to show slight signs of softening and the discoloration was fading. My face began to lose it’s mask-like quality. Within seven or eight months I noticed more improvements. The pain was decreasing and my ability to move was improving somewhat. Though I went thru a period where other doctors were advising me to cease this therapy, claiming it did not work and had serious repercussions, with the help of my doctor’s faith and committment and this foundation, and other patients’ success stories using AP therapy, I found the courage to continue. It is now almost exactly a year after having begun this therapy program. I have, with each passing month, continued to see improvements. I very recently saw a Scleroderma specialist at a very prestigious university hospital who told me he has never seen such a dramatic improvement in anyone with this disease!!! A few days ago, I attempted to take my first dance class in nearly two years. I only hoped to move cautiously about. By the end of the hour, I performed for the class with the instructor. I, as were all who knew of my condition, was utterly flabergasted!! I had not been able as to so much hope or dream that I’d ever be able to do anything near that again. I now am pain-free, extremely more mobile and flexible and am not depressed at all. My life went from utter dispair and incapacitation, isolation and depression, to feeling nearly whole again, happy and rejoining my family and the world. My AP therapy doctor promised me that I would dance again one day. At that point, I couldn’t quite believe him, or concieve of ever being physically capable of anything remotely close to that again. Saturday I danced again, and now know that in the relatively near future it will once again be a regular part of my life!!!! I hope this helps some of you to continue your couragous battles. These were the stories I held in my thoughts constantly to give me the hope I so longed for.

Return to Stories