Living with RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) Guest Paul Gileno

My guest tonight will be Paul Gileno, Founder/President of the CT Pain Foundation. His website is http:/www.ctpainfoundation.com I suffer from Pain. I have CRPS in my left leg, failed back syndrome in my lower back and a severely damaged left sciatic nerve all of which cause severe pain, spasms, depression, loss of sleep, and a whole host of other problems. It has been 5 years since this all began and basically it is getting progressively worse. Before my pain journey started, I owned my own business, which was growing and very physical. Trained as a chef, I was in very good shape and health, operating a gourmet food store and an off-premise catering business. At the age of 30, I broke the bottom of my spine at work, and since then life has been flipped upside down. I was forced to sell my business, had multiple back surgeries, went through physical therapy, and tried every kind of pain management treatments available and nothing has worked. I now walk with a cane, and require a foot brace due to severe foot drop. Without it, I keep tripping over my own foot. So I went from working 6 - 7 days per week, 12 - 15 hours per day, to being unable to get out of bed for several days. I understand what constant pain is like, and what it does to you physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have gone thru so much, including the depression, sadness, anger, self-loathing and everything else that comes along with a pain disease. My wife understands what it is like for a family member to watch and be unable to help that person who is suffering. Everyone suffers when someone in a family has pain. We started to look for support groups in our area and could not find one. We looked for educational programs and found none. As we continued to search, we realized Connecticut and the surrounding areas really needed a local organization, one that can assist people through support groups, information and simply showing them they are not alone.