February 3, 2005

Two months ago today I had bunion surgery on both feet. With the help of Dr. Crawford, I was able to virtually eliminate any sense of pain or discomfort and am now able to walk normally and fit into my regular shoe size – all in half the expected recovery time.

My surgery was performed at Kaiser. The procedure involved removing a piece of bone from both of my big toes and re-securing the remaining bones with a pin. I was told that full recovery from this type of surgery is expected to take four to six months. It was also suggested that I buy a pair of temporary shoes (one size bigger than my normal size), as it would probably be four months before I could fit into my regular shoes, due to swelling. In addition to the surgeon’s advice, I also spoke with several people who had undergone the same surgery. They all warned me to expect a lot of pain and swelling and a very long recovery period. I was NOT looking forward to this experience and had put off the surgery for many years.

Thankfully, I decided to take advantage of Dr. Crawford’s services (in conjunction with those of the surgeon) and none of the negative expectations I had been warned about were actually realized. A few weeks prior to the surgery, Dr. Crawford had me on a regimen of herbs to strengthen and balance my system. Then, immediately after the surgery, I began taking enzymes to assist in the healing process. For the next 8 weeks, I saw Dr. Crawford once a week. In addition to the herbal support, Dr. Crawford employed a variety of methods to direct accelerated healing to my feet, including laser and sound treatments. Each time I left his office, my ability to walk comfortably improved dramatically. On the fifth week, the surgeon took x-rays of my feet and informed me that the bones had already fused together (a process which usually takes 8 weeks). In fact, he said there was no need for me to come back for any future post-op appointments! And, today, two months after the surgery, I was able to put on my tennis shoes and walk without pain!

I am extremely grateful for the help I have received from Dr. Crawford and would highly recommend him to anybody who is undergoing a surgical procedure. I believe that Dr. Crawford provides a common sense, holistic approach to health support that is severely lacking inour modern HMO system.

With gratitude,

Amy Edwards