Why 3 mg. Low Dose Naltrexone Might Be Best

Why 3 mg. Low Dose Naltrexone Might Be Best

The above title should probably say 3 mg. being the best dose in those with liver disease, cirrhosis or cancer.  More evidence is being produced on why a lower dose of LDN might be best.  Jayne Crocker of LDN NOW has been in touch with Dr. Ian Zagon over the years (he discovered LDN and OGF) and she has shared his thoughts on why 3mg LDN is the optimal dosage and not 4.5. Particularly in those who have problems clearing LDN from their systems or liver.  Dr. Zagon also said that some may benefit from every other night dosing but at the maximum of 3 mg.


Remember, the discovery of LDN came about through research of an opioid system that has remarkable effects on mood an d *cell proliferation*. I highlight *cell proliferation* as I can’t stress enough the understanding of this. When anyone asks how LDN works, we always seem to tell them ‘it modulates the immune system’, which is correct, but let’s break that down a bit and explain what this actually means for cancer.



Once you are diagnosed with cancer, your body lives with cancer cells. These cells have a tendency to grow. The effect you want from taking LDN is to *regulate* cell proliferation, do what you can to stop the cancer cells from spreading. If taken at a low enough dose, LDN can stop the cancerous cells from proliferating by putting a stop to them spreading. In other words, it works by preventing cells from reproducing.

In order to achieve this effect from taking LDN, you need to allow as much time as possible for that endorphin OGF to do its magic (rebound effect). Endorphins are found in most cells of your body and are an important regulator of cell growth. OGF is the one endorphin that has been found to have an influence on cell growth (meaning it can put the brakes on) – which is a good thing!


Now, the duration of the ‘rebound effect’ which happens once LDN clears your system (hopefully in 4-6 hours) is usually around 20 hours, which is why people then take another dose of LDN. It very much is a supply and demand protocol. Once the rebound effect wears off, you take another dose of LDN and 4-6 hours later you allow the endorphins to to go to work for another 20 hours or so.

If for whatever reason you are not clearing LDN out of your system in 4-6 hours, you are diminishing the amount of time you are giving yourself for OGF to do all the good work (it’s not LDN that’s helping you here, but OGF). LDN is just a decoy! There are numerous people with compromised immune systems who cannot metabolize LDN efficiently at a dose of 4.5mg. It is the experience of Dr Zagon, that no more than 3mg will have this positive effect for everyone and I believe he is very adamant about this, especially those using LDN for cancer.

Dr. Zagon email:

The 4.5 mg story.

In 1983 after we published a series of papers in Science announcing our discovery of LDN/HDN - and opioids as growth factors - I received a telephone call from a Dr. Bihari. He was director of medical affairs at Downstate Medical Center in Brookl yn. He thought what we were doing was fabulous and should be used on patients immediately. He asked me what dosage to use. In our patents that were filed, we estimated 1--10 mg/day of LDN - this was based on human pharmacology work with naltrexone that others had done. I said to take a 50 mg tablet and cut it down to around 5 mg. He called me the next day and to my amazement he told me he took it the night before and awoke feeling terrific (remember, you get an endorphin high because LDN raises the endogenous opioids). Apparently, he then went on prescribing close to this dosage - 4.5 mg - to patients as an off-label drug. And, it was working. Now, in fact 4.5 mg probably is not maximizing the window of effect, and is prolonging the naltrexone in the body longer than it should be. That is why 3 mg is best - keeps to a short window of 4-6 hours for NTX, and then 18-20 for the opioids to react with the receptors.

Dr. Zagon


It is my understanding that Dr Smith obtained funding and approval to go ahead with the Crohns trial at a dose of 4.5mg when it was thought that 4.5mg was the best dose to take, but you can see from Dr Zagon’s explanation that in order to get the benefit from the OGF effect, a dose of 3mg is preferable. Dr Smith’s trial also had patients combining LDN with steroids. Now, with all the latest research done and knowledge base we have as of todate, one has to ask if this trial would have produced more favourable results if patients were taking 3mg?


Remember, the minute you take LDN, it is doing everything you do not want it to do (activates cells). In other words as soon as LDN blocks the opioids, it becomes a negative. Increasing the dose means you are increasing the time of the blockade period. You want to control cell activation, not encourage it and this only happens when LDN clears your system and OGF goes to work. The goal from using LDN is to get the maximum effect from the Opioid Growth Factor (OGF), not Naltrexone itself.

Let’s say if you take 3mg you are blocking the opioids for 4 hours, You then have to allow for another 4 hours for OGF to undo all the activity that LD N has done. So 8 hours later you are really benefitting from the OGF for the remainder of the 24 hour cycle. This means 16 hours of great work. Increasing the dose of LDN to 4.5mg means the blockade will last longer, maybe 6 hours. So you then have to allow another 6 hours for OGF to get your body back to what it was prior to taking LDN (12 hours), so you then only have 12 hours of benefitting from taking LDN as opposed to 16 hours with taking a dose of 3mg. And 24 hours later we start again.


And over the last few years it seems that by and far most folks with liver issues and elevated enzymes all do very well with LDN, with great reduction in their lft's.  However, in a few folks, usually in those with cirrhosis, they have reported elevations -  and I believe that all of them were taking 4.5mg.  The couple that did know their ferritin levels also reported high levels (350+).

How do we know if we are clearing the LDN?  Good question - but again, another reason that each person needs to find out what dose works best for them - and not think that one must take 3mg or 4.5mg.  Experiment with dosage if you can.  More later..

Thanks Jayne!

March 2011 Hepatitis C Treated with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) - Dr. Zagon comments

Hepatitis C Viral load -  16,500 slightly up from the 14,679 that it was in October 2010.

ALT - 30 up from 24 in October  (6-40)

AST - 33 up from 31 in October  (10-35)


Basically the same as it has been for the last few lab tests!  Normal liver function tests and lower viral load using 3 mg. of Low Dose Naltrexone.

My platelets also went up as did my red blood cell count.  However, my IgA was back on the low side again - last labs, it was normal for the first time.

Ferritin was 43, which is down a bit from last.  Iron was also down as was total saturation.

I also saw my gastro recently and was pleasantly surprised with his attitude and manner. I had not seen him since 2009 shortly after starting LDN and he had yelled at me for taking it.

I had a new abdominal ultrasound done last week and got back the results.  The U/S report used the word unremarkable to describe most things - however, it showed "diffuse fatty infiltration of the liver" DRAT! My last u/s was done about 3-4 months following my appointment with Dr. Berkson in 2009 and my five IV ALA (alpha-lipoic-acid) treatments and it had "normal liver function" with no mention of fattly liver! Every other u/s that I have had since 2001 has had fatty something, but not the one after Dr. Berkson.  I do know that Dr. Berkson recommended a course of initial IV ALA treatments, then oral supplementation and then another round of IV ALA.  I have never had any more treatments since 2009.

So, maybe that is proof of the power of IV ALA - or as the gastro and I discussed, maybe interpreting ultrasounds is up to whoever reads it. But I would tend to think that the IV ALA did it - back in 2009 during the same time, my AFP (alpha feta protein) test went up to 6.1 (which was slightly above normal) - it had always been normal before. I remember reading at the time that liver regeneration can sometimes cause elevations in AFP. My doctor today told me that I was correct - "You have been reading". My AFP was normal for every test since then.

Fortunately for me, my own CAM doc here does ALA, so I will want to have a few. It'll probably be awhile though as I don't have the money for it now.

Anyway, it was a pleasant gastro visit - probably the only one that I've had since I was diagnosed in 2002.


NOTE!  2013 UPDATE ON DOSING - PLEASE READ POST:

Why 3mg. LDN might be best?

Back to original post:

Dr. Zagon's comments on LDN dosing

For my current labs,  I was taking the 3 mg. LDN every other night.  In the past, I had tried increasing the dosage and taking it almost every night.  Some folks in our Hepatitis Cam group had initial drops in their viral load and liver enzymes on 3 mg. but their levels seemed to go back up down the line.  When they increased their LDN dosage, their levels went back down.  I wrote to Dr. Zagon about this and this is what he said:

"You are a product of not understanding how LDN works - a classic example I might add. And most of your colleagues on the web share your misinformation.

LDN works through what is called the opioid growth factor - a native peptide (and its receptor) in your body. LDN is a decoy that fills in at the site of the receptor - the body not having the peptide makes more of it in compensation. Now the trick we discovered 30 years ago. A short time of naltrexone - low dose naltrexone is the term lay people use (but really intermittent opioid receptor blockade) increases the peptide. After the naltrexone is metabolized - optimal time is 4-6 hours for around 3 mg, the high levels of peptide and actually an increase in receptors as well can interact. This depresses cell/viral proliferation - and makes you better.

By increasing your dose of LDN you are cutting into the time you need for an optimal reaction. Hence - you feel problems.

My advice - take 3 mg/day. If you have a problem, start taking LDN once every 2 days (many folks are taking it that way - and
some every 3 days).

Dr. Zagon

A story. A lady calls me and says she has breast cancer. She is taking LDN and the cancer is growing more rapidly. I ask her how LDN is being given - she says that since LDN is so good, she is taking it several times a day. Now you know why she had a faster growing cancer - she was not allowing the opioid-receptor interaction to occur because of so much naltrexone.

And, if you block the receptors all day with naltrexone (high dose of naltrexone), we now see that wound healing is accelerated. Why, because the cells are speeding up in replication and healing the wound faster.

Below is what I wrote to Dr. Zagon:

I have been on 3 mg. LDN for over a year for my HCV with terrific results - viral load dropped from 1,400,000 to 11,200 on my April 2010 labs and lft's are normal. I was on 3 mg. every other night,then every night. I recently increased my dosage in an attempt to lower my viral load even more - went up to 3.5 and then to 4 mg. taking it every night. However, I have had small outbreaks of shingles and HHV2 on the 4 mg. dosage. I did not take the LDN for a couple of nights and started again last night at 3.5. I am going togo back to every other night dosing for now.

So after Dr. Zagon's first response, I wrote back to him and explained about our Hepatitis Cam group's database and how most folks lft's and viral load went down when they increased their LDN dosage.  This was his reply:

First, science is science. If these individuals are having to go up on dosage to evoke a positive response, that is potentially meaningful. My interpretation is that these patients are exhibiting a tolerance that builds to LDN. Very interesting. Our initial recommendation was 3-10 mg of LDN daily.

Second, your story does not conform to what others may be
seeing - tolerance. If anything, you are encountering a sensitivity. I would certainly try 3 mg every other day and see what happens.

Third, this entire LDN business is empirical right now -
you have to be in the frontier of just plain trying things out. In
your case, lower is the best. It may be that in some individuals
their pharmacology is far different than yours - they might be
building a tolerance and need more. Alternatively, the LDN is either breaking down over time and loses potentcy, or is not or high quality or is being mixed in with "fillers" that are negating the action of the LDN.


That correspondence took place over last summer (2010) - now, I ponder why my viral load seems to be staying the same (though slowly creeping higher) and not getting any lower, or thankfully, not skyrocketing back up to where it was pre-LDN - which was over 1 million.  What can I do to get it even lower?  So, despite what Dr. Zagon says, I am going to start taking the LDN every night and perhaps slightly increasing the dosage in an attempt to lower my viral load even more.  He has added a bit of confusion into the mix, I must say.   Or look into TLR's (Toll Like Receptors) - there has been a lot of research of late about them, particularly in HCV.  Dosing of LDN 2 x a day is also another possibility - I will update after more research.

May 2010 Hepatitis C Labwork with Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

In March, 2009, I started taking Low Dose Naltrexone, or LDN to treat my Hepatitis C. It was initially prescribed to me by Dr. Burt Berkson at his clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 3 mg. capsules. Since that time, my own doctor writes my LDN refill prescriptions.


Within months, it brought down my viral load and normalized my liver enzymes. And on my most recent lab work (5/2010), my viral load is even lower.


Viral load at 11,300! In December, it was 34,524. September: 18,729. Pre-LDN Jan. 09 - 1,280,000


ALT: 25  December: 34  Sept. 36   Pre-LDN Jan. 09 - 174 (range: 6-40)

AST: 30 December: 31 Sept. 37 Pre-LDN Jan. 09 - 99 (range: 10-35)


My doctor uses Quest lab:

HCV RNA, PCR test result of 11,300 with a log of 4.05. It was the COBAS (R) Ampliprep/COBAS, TagMan (R) RNA Test Kit (Roche)



Will update complete labs soon!  Vitamin D at 95 from 53 after taking 5,000-10,000 of NOW Vitamin D3.

Low Dose Naltrexone January 2010 Lab Results for Hepatitis C

I started Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) last March for Hepatitis C. I also test positive for Sjogren's Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). These are my latest lab results.

I was a bit apprehensive as I didn't feel too well on the morning of my labwork - I had that "virusey" feeling and was also a bit stressed as they couldn't find the tests that they needed to run in the Quest Lab computer - so I sat for 45 minutes fuming. I had been feeling great except for that day (of course).

My HCV viral load crept up a bit from 18,729 in September to 34,524 - not too bad considering how I felt that day. Last January, pre-LDN, it was 1,280,000 and had dropped to 49,400 in June after being on LDN for 3 months. So I'm staying pretty stable - better than skyrocketing back up but not going down as I had hoped. For awhile, I was taking the 3 mg. LDN every other night, but for the last month or so, I went back to every night dosing. I will discuss with my doctor about possibly increasing the LDN dosage.

My ALT/AST were back to normal range though they weren't that high last time. In January last year, my ALT was 174, in May it dropped to 23, in Sept. it was 36 (range 6-40) and now is 34. My AST was 99 in January, 30 in May, 37 in Sept.(range 10-35) and 31 now.

Albumin (range 3.6 - 5.1) 4.8 - was 4.9 - it was 5.2 last January

Globulin (range 2.2 - 3.9) 2.9 from 3.0 - it was 3.7 last January

Bilirubin total (range 0.2 - 1.2) 0.7 from 1.1

Alkaline Phosphatase (range 33-130) 66 from 57

Total Protein - (range 6.2 - 8.3) 7.7 from 7.9 - it was 8.9 last January

Alpha Fetoprotein - 5.0 same as last time - was 6.1 which was high earlier last year.

My ferritin dropped from 80 to 38 which might be pushing it a bit - I'd been religiously taking the IP-6 along with a product called Chelaco (which my doc sells). My total iron is 136 (range 40-160) down from 165 and iron binding capacity is 373 from 352 (range 250-450)

Sjogren's level - 3.3 from 3.5 - it was 4.5 in January, pre-LDN

RA - 21 from 24 - it was 31 in January - pre-LDN

Vitamin D (range 20-100) - 59 from 49 but had been 62

Most of my other blood counts are the same - I need to talk to my doc before I try and interpret them - nothing really out of range but some of the ones that we were trying to change, via the methyl B vitamins are the same as they were in 2007. (MCV, MCH) red blood cell count, etc. I might talk to her about being tested for IF - Intrinsic Factor which can inhibit your body from absorbing B-12.

My red blood cell counts have always been on the low end - which was another argument on my part whenever a doc would try and push HCV treatment on me - ("how long before I'd be on Procrit? I'd ask them)

Slight decrease in platelets (range 140-400) 163 from 172 (186 last January)

Slight drop in red blood cell count (range 3.80-5.10) 3.84 from 3.95 (4.21 last January but 3.78 prior to that)

White blood cell count (range 3.8-10.8) 6.1 from 4.6 (6.0 from last Jan.)

Neutrophils - (range 1500-7800) 4111 from 2585 (3750 last jan.)

Eosinophils (range 15-500) 140 from 120 (102 last jan.)

Basophils (range 0-200) 24 from 14 (12 last Jan)

The LDN isn't really affecting my lymphocytes overall - some are better, some are worse.

CD3 (Mature T cells) (range - 57-85) 80 from 77

Absolute CD3+ Cells (range 840-3060) 1122 from 1008

%CD4 (Helper Cells) (range 30-61) 58 from 52

Absolute CD4+ cells (range 490-1740) 817 from 720

%CD8 (Suppressor T Cells) (range 12-42) 19 from 24

Absolute CD8+ cells (range 180-1170) 269 from 333

Helper/Suppressor ratio (range 0.86-5.00) 3.05 from 2.17

%CD16+CD56 (Natural Killer Cells) (range 4-25) 7 from 10

Absolute NK Cells (CD16+CD56 Cells) (range 70-760) 99 from 128

%CD19 (B cells) (range 6-29) 10 from 11

Absolute CD19+ Cells) (range 110-660) 139 from 134

Absolute Lymphocytes (range 850-3900) 1404 from 1308

Absolute CD3+ cells (range 840-3060) 1122 from 1008

Absolute CD4+ cells (range 490-1740) 817 from 720

Absolute CD8+ cells (range 180-1170) 269 from 333

Absolute NK Cells (CD16+CD56+ cells) (range 70-760) - 99 from 128

Absolute CD19+ cells - (range 110-660) 139 from 134

My doc also tests all of my adrenals (4 thyroid tests, progesterone, testosterone, etc.) Immunoglobulins, HHV 1-6 viruses, along with the standard CBC's, etc. All are pretty much the same as they were 2 years ago.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the results especially as my viral load did not really increase as I had feared it might - and my LFT's have stabilized.

Low Dose Naltrexone for Hepatitis C Lab Results

I had new labs done last month and they were even better than the first ones! My viral load dropped down to 18,700! In January, it was over a million - it had dropped down to 49,000 in May and keeps dropping! How low can it go? I hope to 0!!!!!

I feel pretty good now too. Much more energy. The Low Dose Naltrexone is really doing a number on my Hepatitis C virus. I had started at 3 mg. a night but now take it every other night and it still seems to be working......for me, it seems that less is more with the LDN.

I belong to a Yahoo support group called:

Hepatitis Children and CAM Alternatives

Click to join Hepatitis_Children_and_CAM_Alternatives

Despite it's name, there are a great many adults who have various forms of Hepatitis. C, B or autoimmune. Many of the members are also using LDN for their conditions and all are having great results.

If you are considering using the combo treatment of interferon and ribavirin to treat your Hepatitis C, or have tried it and failed treatment or had to stop because of the side effects, please consider using Low Dose Naltrexone instead. Other than initial sleep disturbances, there are very few, if any, side effects. It is very inexpensive as well. My 3 month supply costs about $50.00 and I get it from Skip's Pharmacy through the mail. Their site is here:


Skip's Pharmacy

On another note, my fibromyalgia, IBD, and chemical sensitivities are much, much better as well. The combination of a gluten/dairy free diet and the LDN has made all the difference in the world.

Not Ready For Any Support Group

For many years, I have sought alternative or natural solutions to treat my Hepatitis C virus and have basically learned to "take charge of my health". and to question my doctors and whatever pharmaceuticals that they prescribe (or try to prescribe) to me.

I have refused the current interferon/ribavirin "treatment" for Hep-C for many reasons. The main reason is that it doesn't really work, particularly on my genotype (kind of strain) of 1b, and it is horrendously toxic and damaging to the immune system. I was fortunate that my biopsy done in 2003 showed only minor inflammation at Stage 1/Grade 1 and the virus has not really progressed - thankfully.

My initial information about hep-c (and most other disorders) came from the wonderful book, "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" - which I credit for saving my life. I had seen the book at Whole Foods Market sometime in the 90's and bought one at a garage sale around 1997-98. I learned about Milk Thistle and began taking it as I thought that it might provide my liver some kind of protection against my drinking - I had pretty much quit doing any kind of hard drugs by then, but I still loved my beer. At any rate, I found out that I had the virus in 2002 and my 2003 biopsy revealed (amazingly enough) little damage. What was also extremely amazing to me was that my liver was still functioning at all as I had several decades of extensive drug/alcohol use/abuse as well. And I mean serious, hard drugs too. I can only surmise that the milk thistle might have protected and repaired my liver enough to prevent anything worse.. But who knows? Matthew Dolan's great book, The Hepatitis Handbook is another great souce - I hope that he updates it someday.

I'm doing great with my own research and with the help of my great doctor, Dr. Kashi Rai. I will attempt to chronicle my battle with the Hep-C dragon, as well as my 7 herpes viruses, (HHV-1, HHV-2, Herpes Zoster, EBV (epstein barr), CMV, and the newly emerged HHV-6) as well as my gluten, dairy, nut, most seafood food intolerance. My favorite book about Celiac/Gluten intolerance is Dangerous Grains by James Braly and Ron Hoggan.

I share my life with 10 cats, now 9 since Brooks died in October.. ( of which 8 of them and I lived through the flood after the levee breaches following Hurricane Katrina) while I continue with the daily juggling act of surviving in post-Katrina New Orleans. Brooks had been battling end stage renal failure and I did the best that I could to help make his last bit of time, good time.

New Orleans is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, or more accurately, the flooding caused by the breaches in the levees and floodwalls that were constructed by the Federal Government's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To learn why New Orleans flooded - and it was not due to a "natural disaster" but due to the "Worst Engineering Disaster in History" as cited by The American Society of Civil Engineers, check out Levees.org

I should know. My car broke down 2 days before Katrina - which was up until that Friday, still supposed to hit the panhandle of Florida. I had 8 cats and took care of dozens of feral cats in my neighborhood. I was broke and I refused to leave the cats behind.

The storm on Monday, August 29th, 2005, was pretty scary but afterwards, I was able to use my cell phone to call up friends to let them know that everything was ok. There were trees down and wind damage but really, not much rain at all. Then, the water started gradually coming up - and kept rising. Soon, I could hear dogs up and down the block barking and yelping until I didn't hear them anymore. My feral porch cat, Emerald, had ridden out the storm underneath the house, as did most of the feral cats in New Orleans - a city of raised homes. I heard her crying and I tried to get to her through the floor furnace - but when I got it opened , water gushed in........and I never heard or saw Emerald again.

The rest of the day and night are a blur to me now - my mind fractured off into the surreal - like watching a movie of someone else. I managed to climb up into a 7 foot high closet before passing out from shock, exhaustion and hyperthermia. But I woke several times during that long night and could hear my cats crying in terror.

The next morning, I woke and could hear what sounded like copters flying overhead. But all that I wanted to do was to lie there and never move again. One of the cats started crying pitifully from the front room and I opened my eyes to see her clinging to the curtains. This got me moving and out of the closet and down into the water that came up to my neck.

During the next hour, I was able to break out my back windows and swim 3 of the cats out to the carport roof - I could only find 2 carriers as they had sunk down somewhere on the floor in the murky water. The 5 others were placed up into the same closet that had given me refuge and another feral cat swam outside to cling onto the limbs of a tree.

I was rescued by a first responder in an airboat and taken to the railroad tracks nearby. Soon, the Missouri Coast Guard picked me and the 3 cats up and took us out to the Interstate. Eventually, a school bus took us, and other rescued folks and their pets to a shelter in Thibodaux, La. - about 40 miles west of New Orleans. I spent several days there in pretty primative conditions - no electricity, no phones, no email.

Family members were finally contacted and they came to get me 5 days later. It took another 2 days to get to where my Mom had evacuated to - in Birmingham, Alabama, where we had relatives. But throughout this ordeal, I was obsessed about the poor cats that I left up in that closet and I contacted every rescue group listed to try and get someone, anyone to go save them.

Finally, after getting no responses, I decided to go back to New Orleans to get them myself. Everyone told me that it would be impossible - the city was under lock down and no one was being allowed back in. Huh. Through an internet chat room, I met a man named Steve Vicknair who was in Houston, Texas. He had a boat and he wanted to help people like me rescue their pets.

And that is what we did. On September 11th, 2005 - two weeks! after Katrina, we got back to my still flooded apartment to find all cats still alive!!!! They had no food or water for all of that time - but they survived!!!!!

I stayed in Birmingham with my Mom (and the 8 cats) for 6 months until her health declined and she moved into an Assisted Living facility. Her house (and my inheritance) had taken in 11 feet of water and was very underinsured. She did have flood insurance as did most of the families in New Orleans - but the very minimum. We fought with Traveler's home owner's insurance for almost 2 years before they paid my Mom what she was owed. But the house could not be repaired.

I moved back to New Orleans in March of 2006 into an apartment in the Mid-City area - an area that had not gotten too much flooding compared to the 80% of the rest of the city. I got back involved with animal rescue, cats in particular...it was still a hairy time, with packs of dogs running wild in the streets and many, many starving animals. Things have somewhat improved but the animals of New Orleans still need so much help.

ARNO - Animal Rescue New Orleans - is still here. It is an all volunteer group that was formed shortly after Katrina - and has probably done the most out of all of the rescue groups:

The Katrina pictures that I managed to take when the water came up......and months later:

Katrina

The Cat Rescue pics:

Cat Rescue

Mom's House

My health gradually deteriorated in those first years back - my health care had been provided at Charity Hospital for about 3 years before Katrina, but it had to close - and is still closed. However their clinics still remained open - an emergency one had been set up at the Lord & Taylor department store near the devastated Superdome - that was so strange to go there for medical treatment, when a year earlier I had shopped for shoes.....

I developed shingles, and a strong chemical sensitivity - possibly due to the stress and perhaps being in the water during and after Katrina. I was in constant pain from fibromyalgia and my IBD often prevented me from leaving the house.

Thankfully, I was able to get Social Security disability - 3 years in the making - it only provides $693.00 a month but I do get Medicare, which enabled me to find Dr. Rai - the doctor who led me to Dr. Berkson - who changed my life.

I could never live anywhere else - New Orleans is and forever will be - the center of the universe!