Testimonials

My name is Kelly Devine I’m 43 and disabled. I live in Frankfort, KY but from Baltimore/DC. I use to work for Fed Ex Ground and AGE. I’ve been a package handler and an Insurance Issue Clerk for the military. I recently had an appointment with my pain management in Louisville, KY after using kratom for nearly 8 months I have been told they are excited I’m doing so much better, they were concerned I was not going to make it, referring to my past 5 suicide attempts. Keep doing what you’ve been doing! Well, what I’ve been doing … was using kratom. My concern is when I went to the doctor on 7/23/15, I was informed the Pain Management is now testing for the alkaloid mitragynine. They informed me that kratom is banned in Kentucky and illegal. However, I created and run Kentucky Kratom United almost as long as I’ve been using kratom and I do know the facts. It is not banned in KY nor is it on the DEA’s list of banned substances. (on that date) I was told a Mr. Keltner from the LMPD informed them (doctors) it is a controlled substance. I suffer Chronic Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Disc Disease, Spinal Stenosis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Narcolepsy, Depression, Anxiety and PTSD. The symptoms from the combination of diseases I have can be so over whelming some days I can’t tell you what hurts worse, they all hurt equally. Before kratom I’d sleep 3 and 7 days in a row, I’d be tied to the couch or bed from lack of energy, chronic pain and depression. I have been on so many medications it would take hours to put them all on a list so I’ll relay some that I can remember. Viibryd, Prednisone, Fentanyl Patch, Oxycontin, Norco, Percocet, Endocet, Opana, Trazodone, Amitriptyline, Carisoprodol, just to name a few. For the last 20 years I have been getting Physical Therapy, Chiropractor, Exercise, Injection Therapy and Hydrotherapy. Still I suffered! I became so ill I could no longer work and was 3 years ago and was granted Disability. Well 8 months ago I was in a Chronic Pain Support group on Face Book when another member sent me a message telling me a story of this new plant she found and her chronic pain is now manageable, you can only imagine my response that one plant could bring this lifeless body back from the dead. It took me a month of conversations, investigating, and a lot of questions and “what if’s”. Right before Christmas I took the plunge, I ordered a sample from an on line vendor because my friend explained the dangers of buying kratom in a “smoke shop”. Well Christmas came and so did my sample! I followed the directions friends told me and started small, I was astonished! With in 20 minutes my pain just melted away, no high, no blurred vision, no paranoia, no hallucinations, it was just “gone”! I’ve been sold ever since. I have not tried suicide, cutting or burning my arm as a pain distraction since life changing leap of faith. Being off 11 medications I have a better quality life, before I would pass out or have black outs from all the medications I was on. Today I remember everything from the moment I wake up … to the moment I fall asleep. I am a daughter today, a sister and aunt I am so many other things today rather than a soulless shell of existence. I do chores around the house, I can go to family functions, where before I was asked to NOT come because my medications made me an embarrassment to my family and an embarrassment to myself. If doctors and states ban kratom, I will be back on all the medication, back to the weekly ER visits, multiple doctor visits a week, back to “my life as Death himself”. The thought of not having kratom leads me down that dark path of “I’ll die, I’ll just end it all”, and just for today, I do NOT want to die. Please do not make me choose between kratom and freedom from the chains of chronic pain and suffering I have become so accustomed to. Being a zombie and still in pain is no way to live, “no quality of life”, a phrase I spoke of often during my 5 suicide attempts and the visits and some extended to the mental hospitals. It is not a choice I want to have to make. Please keep kratom legal, reverse the bans so others can live life again as I do, please I beg all the medical doctors. Do not make us choose treatment and medical care over kratom. I needed pain management and because of an un-informed officer explained his opinion to my medical care team instead of the law, I no longer have a pain management doctor. That means no more injection therapy, physical therapy or check up’s. So you see now, this plant staying legal is even more important NOW because I WAS FORCED into making a decision, and I choose kratom over medications. Is this legal? I’m sure it is not, but do I miss the monthly and sometimes weekly doctor appointments or long drives to Louisville? No, not really, do I miss filling my prescriptions? No. You see the biggest fear I really have is the separation anxiety I have from knowing if anything goes wrong I no longer have ANYONE to fall back on, so keeping kratom legal is more important now than ever before! PLEASE keep kratom legal!

I used to be addicted to opiates; specifically, heroin. After being “clean” for a few years I decided to try Kratom, based on what I had heard. I admit I tried it to see if I could get a “high”… I didn’t get high. It was nothing like opiates. However it gave me energy and stifled any cravings I had. I started to take it semi-regularly to ease some of my chronic health problems, particularly debilitating fatigue. I have been given every stimulant by my doctor for this fatigue, including amphetamines. Nothing helped… but Kratom did. I didn’t become addicted. In fact, I used it daily for almost 3 months straight until one day I ran out- and the next day I felt fine, normal. I had no desire to get more, no symptoms similar to opiate withdrawal whatsoever. Take it from someone who was addicted to opiates… this is not an opiate. This is not addicting. Thanks for reading.

In 2004 I had back surgery,before that an opiate painkiller made severely sick during legitimate use.I never would have thought that I would have grown a so called love for them.it became hell three years afterwards.I remember having bad withdrawal symptoms with barely enough strength to drive to my friends house who then showed me this way out.I remember saying to her that there\\\’s no herb or tree that will stop this.well I was shown otherwise.today I can rise up and go to work without that noisy thought in my head,\\\’you\\\’re gonna be sick in a day or so,so you have two hours til work,start finding something quick!kratom has not only given me pain relief but relief of anxiety,its given me motivation.my strength is back to its fullest and I feel healthy and also not thoughtless.I do fear big pharma will take this \\\’way out of drug hell,away from me.I must say I will go to jail or pay taxes,even go underground to be able to say I\\\’m not scared of tomorrow cause.I pray this beautiful tree will stay legal.the media needs to be silenced.the headshops need to not sell it to minors.they\\\’re ripping people off anyway.

It sickens me when an essential herb like Kratom is marketed as a legal high and vendors dub their products as “pimp grade” and whatnot. It is utter sabotage on those of us who are in dire need of an alternative to AMA / FDA endorsed drugs. We cannot let this be taken from us; we simply cannot do it. My story is a 500-paged memoir, but in short: In 2008 I lost my career and began having panic attacks. I reported them to a psychiatrist as per the prodding of a friend and went home labeled a bipolar II patient. After seven years on various combos of 35 psychotropic medications and nothing but declining health––5 new physical afflictions, psychiatric symptoms I’ve never had prior to drugs, 5 suicidal ER visits per year, 100 pound weight gain––and doctors not listening to my argument that the drugs were poisoning me even when I presented them with before and after medication photos (blatantly obvious I was perfectly healthy prior to drugs), I wound up diagnosed with medical emergency brain damage in April 2015. Besides benzos, which can be deadly if abruptly withdrawn, I quit all of my drugs cold turkey, including my abused 180mg amphetamine drugs, knowing I’d endure pain, but I had to keep in mind pain is not the equivalent of death. I’ve found a godsend, compassionate chiropractic neurologist who is healing me without drugs and allows me to make my own decisions about natural treatments he is not allowed to suggest, and he sees me 3x per week pro-bono since he is the only one in medicine who has acknowledged I’ve been raped by psychiatric drugs. I lost everything from my healthy, muscular physique to my ability to function and am bankrupt due to paying out of pocket for what I was told would help me. Now I’m a 37-year-old funded homeless person, meaning I am privileged to have parents who make ample money to support my livelihood. In 2014, my last year on drugs, I went to the ER in a suicidal state 5 times, 2 being police-mandated––dehumanizing. So far, in 2015, I have yet to have a hint of suicidal thinking and haven’t been to the ER at all and haven’t had the need to call suicide hotlines. I was evaluated by my city’s most reputable, $400-per-hour psychiatrists (since some psychiatrists are seemingly worth that much money since they know how to know another person exterior of themselves better than other psychiatrists?) after the withdrawal. The results? He said my 2008 diagnosis should have been seen as acute anxiety due to job loss and financial hardship. (Thanks, Mr. Obvious. Here’s 400 bucks.) So, I learned it costs over $100k out of pocket to get brain damage by psychiatric “care, ” and it costs $400 to have a psychiatrist tell me none of it was necessary. Pure logic, yeah? No refund. Not even an apology. Just cold-hearted people who have no empathy for others just sort of ignoring that they nearly killed me. Due to the PTSD of it all and the fibromyalgia-ish symptoms that have resulted from it all, I am in chronic pain and fatigue. I’m using Kratom ONLY to avoid going back to prescription drugs and intend to only use it until I fully recover. I use no substances of this nature for “fun” and frankly wish I did not need Kratom. I, in fact, quit using cannabis because it was no longer therapeutic since I used it to help me sleep due to how amped up the stimulants made me. Without Kratom, I’d have no choice but to return to my rapists who deny their drugs had anything to do with my “unexplained” chronic pain. Just please, whoever is reading this, know that the majority of Kratom users are genuine sufferers who, oftentimes, had been done wrong by conventional medicine. If you are a lawmaker or are in office of any sorts, consider taking a philanthropic look at this herb. Just protect our liberty to manage our health independently and not leave us forced to trust our bodies and brains in the hands of ignorant people with framed degrees on their walls (that give them the impression they are not doctors of medicine but doctors of divinity and omnipotence) who frankly have no idea what they are doing. Just accept it: natural remedies exist and not every health problem can be resolved by a subscription-based drug treatment program where we pay somebody to write us a permission slip to give to a pharmacist along with money in exchange for a drug that treats 1 condition but includes 100 risks in doing so. Keep in mind that Scurvy was terminated with vitamin C, that pellagra was cured by niacin, that beriberi was wiped out by thiamine, that rickets went away thanks to vitamin D, et cetera. We don’t need the latest advancements in pharmacology; we need what the earth provides. Thank you.

I was born with an an extra vertabrae in my lower spine which has caused constant pain in my life. Doctors have all told me that surgery was not a good option due to the irregularity and may cause more permanent damage. I was living in Broward County Florida where it is very common to be overprescribed dangerous pain medications. Due to the seriousness of my abnormality I was prescribed oxycontin, roxicodone xanax, and muscle relaxers all to be taken together.Prior to this I was a very successful business owner and in my early 20’s had already sold my first company and was life was doing great. Due to my addictive nature I immediately became fully and physically addicted to these pills and soon my life was in a wreck.The doctors kept raising my prescription despite my obvious dependency to the medication. The quality of people I spent my time with on the search for more medication found me surrounded by lifeless vultures. I found myself spending my days and my time in the hunt for more pills. I could not plan a trip or go anywhere without my medication because I was terrified to go into withdrawals. My doctors just kept prescribing me more and more. It took me 12 years to come to realize my situation. My business was gone and my so was my wealth. My wife and I had a baby girl who was turning two and I was a mess. My f days were spent chasing pills and trying to avoid being sick. It had been over a decade since I had been even a few hours without my prescribed medication. I was not myself and everyone around me knew it. I agreed to go into treatment to try to free myself from these chains. This was suggested by my wife and family and was not an option. I was about to loose the few things in my life that were still any good for me. Rehab was very helpful but was not able to keep me from going straight back to the pills the second I got out. The 6 weeks while I was there I had pills stashed in my car and I lied to myself and everyone in the rehab about my desire to be clean. The pills had absolute control over my mind and I was not in control. After failing sobriety the first day out I went back to the rehab center and begged for another chance. In the second round at rehab I lost my mind due to the most serious withdrawals they had ever experienced. The hospital did not know how to deal with someone as addicted as i was and sent me to a lock down mental institution where my madness went out of control. My family did not think I would ever regain my sanity and were making possible long term arrangements for me to spend the rest of my days in and out of mental institution. In my desperation I turned to my spiritual side and asked the universe to let me achieve greatness once again. It was now clear to me that I had to get my mind together and clear from drugs to know what was next for me. I was able to keep clean this time around and soon after leaving rehab I started making friends in the sober world. One of my new friends and I were talking about our lives and he asked me if I had ever heard of kratom. He had told me that he did not know much about it but warned me it may not be good for someone with as an addictive nature as myself. I began to research what this new thing kratom was and surprised to find out that many people used this in replacement of pain medication and others used it to free themselves from addiction. So I went online and found a supplier who could send me some kratom to try. When I first tried it it had no effect on me and I was afraid that I may not be doing it right. I again tried again the next day and for the first time in 12 years I felt alive again. Not high nd not thinking about my dilemma just happy. This was the beginning of my relationship with kratom. I found that it was difficult to measure and one had to eat a bunch of powder that did not have a good taste. So being a business minded person I wrapped my head around this and spoke with some friends and we came up with an idea to concentrate it and make it more easy for others to try. I had tried sharing my new found friend with some others but when you tell someone they had to take 6 to 8 pills most people did not want to try. This was 2010 and i was now free from all prescribed medication and kratom had become a business for me. Lucky was the way I felt so that is what I named my brand. We began experimenting with various ways to administer the kratom and the best delivery methods to market. I was on the fast track back to myself and my successful life as an entrepreneur. My addictive nature was still in control although and I was drinking and smoking cigarettes which had become my new vices. After about 2 years I finally decided that smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol were something that I felt I have outgrown. I now give most of the credit for my health and happiness to kratom. I had no idea that it could help me with my addictive patterns. I have been able to quit all my addictive behaviors without any real effort. With kratom in my life I found no desire to be addicted to anything not even the kratom. I have used it safely for years without having any physical addiction to it at all. In fact I have stopped for weeks at a time and literally have no side effects other than a little less energy. I am an expert on addiction physical and mental and I can tell you that kratom is a miracle for people like myself. I am now 5 years free from pills, two years free from alcoholism and two years free from cigarettes. I have no habits other than hard work and family time. I now spend my time sharing my story and my beliefs with others who struggle with life and addiction. I have a company which markets kratom on many levels. We are not able to make claims of its benefits and marketing it has become problematic at times. It seems as if there is some dark force that gets the media and the law makers to present absurd misinformation without doing any research and no care for whom it damages. Kratom has been able to help so many people people for so many ailments. Pain, PTSD, addiction, energy, chromes disease, lyme disease, ADD, shyness, these are all some of the things that on a daily basis I am able to help people with. With some other members of the kratom community we have come together and formed an advocacy group to ensure the availability and legality with kratom and we now spend much of our time spreading the truth about this plant and trying to dispel the lies and misconceptions that kratom is a harmful dangerous drug. Without kratom I would be very fearful for my sobriety and the happiness and health of my family. I give most of the credit for the success and happiness in my life to kratom. I do not think I would be alive if I had not found this amazing herb and I urge you to research it yourself and find the truth before making something that this nation needs very bad illegal and jailing people for trying to free themselves from whatever their ailment might be.

About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and depression. I was put on a couple of prescriptions at first but then those prescriptions caused side effects so severe I needed more prescriptions to deal with the side effects. I could barely work part time let alone deal with my family responsibilities. Soon my pain meds had to be stronger because I was still in constant pain. And even though I was on antidepressants I was still depressed and even suicidal. I needed to get out from under the prescription drug madness. I tried other herbal remedies but those didn’t work. With a lot of research I finally found kratom. What a wonderful plant. I am pain free now and no longer depressed or suicidal. I have never had any dire side effects from using this plant other than the 1 time I took too much and threw up. No hallucinations, psychotic episodes, no muscle spasms or blurred vision or anything like I had on the prescription drugs I was on. I can now work full time and take care of my home and family and pets. I have energy during my waking hours and sleep well during my sleeping hours (I work overnights currently). I also help with fixing my house as well (we had a house fire 18 months ago). Even on the prescription medications that were supposed to help eleviate my symptoms I couldn’t do even 1\4 of what I do now. I feel that kratom has saved me from addiction to prescription medications. It has saved my life. Thank you.

I’ve been researching this leaf for about 4-5 years now. I’ve watched the internet marketplace go from infancy to what it is now. I’ve also seen the marketplace around where I live slowly grow, which is where my story heading begins to make sense. First off, where do I live? I live in a state that is on pills at a percentage way above the national average. At a local store that sells Kratom, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to educate the proprietors and many patrons about it from its origin, chemistry, effects, and usage. My semi-periodic patronage has also allowed me collect testimonials from many, many people there. I’ve met quite a few (over 2 dozen) that were happy to say that they finally kicked their opioid addiction with kratom. They finally quite opioids, and used kratom to ease their pain. And most of them afterwards, slid off of Kratom without adverse side-effects. I’ve seen people struggle with methadone and other treatments almost as hard as their original addiction. I also see people abusing these “fixes” as bad as they’re abusing opioids. I’ve met a middle-aged woman who just had knee-surgery and was prescribed opioids, but they made her terribly sick. She told me that her doctor had brought the idea of kratom to her as a “maybe this might help.” She said she tried it, and at very low doses, it helped her knee-pain tremendously, did not make her sick, and did not make her loopy. Almost every one of the people that I met were genuine upstanding members of society. These weren’t drug fiends. In this state that is filled with pills, the fact that something is helping some of these people is a blessing. Watch the documentary Oxyana and you’ll get an idea of what it’s like at its worst. Not only helping them get off pills, but allowing people in pain a route that almost certainly won’t leave them in a living hell. It would be terrible if we allowed irrational, incorrect fear to get in the way of more research. I can’t say it’s a miracle. All I can say is that I’ve met too many people that say they have been helped by it. That has to count for something. This state needs all the help that it can get.

I am 48 years old. I found kratom in 2010 while driving aimlessly. This time it happen to be 1000 miles from my home . I was THAT confused , depressed and just about at the end of my rope. I had met a wounded soldier that lost his leg in Afghanistan fighting for our country, the home of the free and the brave. I have had restless leg syndrome since I was 6 years old. My mother took me to dr.;s and all they could tell her was to limit my play , so she did. I couldn\\\’t play with the other kids because if I played to hard I would not rest for many nights . I was tired all the time so therefor I couldn\\\’t concentrate in school. It was hard for me to learn. I was held back in second grade , 7th grade , 9th grade , twice. By that time I had giving up and just quit. When I was 18 was in a bad car accident and I was put on pain medications. I was able to sleep , no restless legs. But eventually my injuries healed and I was taken off the pain medications and my life began to unravel , restless leg syndrome was back , and it was 10 times the monster it was as a child. So I self medicated with whatever I could . I was drinking everyday and was functioning but not without trouble, I am allergic to alcohol, it caused me nothing but trouble. I then found ways to get pain medications and I maintained , was able to sleep at night. But i could not get a permanent prescription because\\\” I looked fine \\\”. I was 24 and I was now a mother of two beautiful boys. I could not be the mother that they needed and deserved because I was always sick , always putting holidays off , birthday parties never happened for them, sports they wanted to join but I never could find the time to set aside for any of these things I was too busy looking for a Dr. or something to help me feel better. I ended up finding relief on the street corner buying heroin from strangers. I lied that life for three long miserable years. I eventually checked into 8 rehabs trying to stop the madness , trying to convince myself , with the help of a \\\”team of Dr.s \\\” many different medications, meetings ,counseling , following instructions to the letter . The last rehab I was in I stayed there for 8 months . I left there with knowledge about many things I had lost along the way , and a handful of medications , none of which helped my restless leg syndrome at all. So I found another Dr that diagnosed me with arthritis in my upper body , fibromyalgia , depression, and restless leg syndrome. He agreed to medicate me with opiate therapy, and Lyricia , and Cymbalta. Everything I worked so hard at to get off of not to mention while I was institutionalized and made to feel I was nothing more than drug addict . 2008 was when I checked out of the program and tried everything I was taught. I still was not right , I was still in pain , I was depressed and I STILL had restless leg syndrome . It was 2010 when I met that soldier that explained to me what kratom was , how to purchase it and what it did for him. I bought it , it worked , it changed my life . It has even changed the way I dress. I was lost my entire life. my mother, God rest her soul, could do nothing but watch her daughter self destruct , my sons missed out on so many things because I was absent , physically and mentally. I now have a new lease on life. I look forward to waking up , I look forward to peaceful , restful nights . I now tell everyone I know about this plant and how it has changed my life, because it is THAT good. I am not proud of the years I wasted trying to \\\”feel better\\\” . But I am proud of me today . Don\\\’t take the only thing away from me that has ever helped me feel like I am not different. I have two grandchildren with one on the way . I have a second chance at showing my boys who I wanted to be , but could not seem to get there because I was always sick. I use kratom 2 to 3 times a day and live happy, healthy and productive and have been for 5 years. Before kratom I couldn\\\’t do anything right two days in a row. But things are different today. I am better . Thank you for letting me share PART of my life with you. And please don\\\’t take my choice away . Kim Jerue .

Taleda Giallanza – 60yrs Old Chronic Pain Restless Legs Migraines Anxiety Depression Arthritis – Neck, Spine, Ribs, Legs Excessive Scar Tissue Knees, Abdomen & Intestines My Kratom Testimonial

I’ve lived a pretty full life, certainly hasn’t been boring. The first injury I can remember was to my low back when I was a little girl; jumping on a carnival trampoline went to do a belly flop and kinda bent myself in half, the wrong way. I’ve had low back pain ever since.

Jump ahead to adulthood, married with child, loved to go hiking thru the California Redwood forests, mountains, trails, camp out, be one with Mother Earth. One trip was sitting atop a gigantic boulder about the size of a small mountain, smooth but covered with oak leaves, pine needles and such. Sat there enjoying the day, with a full back pack on loaded with food and canteen and other possible. Had my feet drawn up under me, wearing my favorite pair of Pivetta hiking boots, steel plates and guards, super protective and sturdy, just about ankle high. Well, I went to turn to talk to my son, my feet slipped on the leaves and then out from under me, and down I went landing flat footed on a slanted boulder; the slant was facing me, not behind me. Which if you can imagine, was the worse of the two angels. Anyways, my knees smacked into my chin which knocked me out, and the force of the landing pretty much shredded all the soft tissue in both ankles, feet and lower legs.

The good part was, an off duty fireman was walking that same trail, came upon us about an hour later, maybe it was because he heard my screams. He and my husband made a fireman’s chair of their arms and carried me off that mountain. Took about 3 hours. Doc at the ER said my injuries were like an “implosion” and that my Pivettas saved the bones of my feet and ankles from being shattered, and kept my feet from swelling. They had to cut my boots off and well, I kinda went black after that. Woke with double casts, two black eyes, a busted lip but at least my teeth were still intact.

Buried my Pivettas near that same boulder about a year later.

Jump ahead about 10 years find me on a horse ranch, working with green broke horses, which meant further training them to the saddle and to the trail, as this was not only a stabling ranch where people kept their stock but also a training ranch those who purchased horses, what to do with them. There were endless classes and I was in every one of them, but I was there to get the rental horses ready to rent out to the public. I rode bareback a lot because you and the horse have no interference, which also meant there weren’t a lot to hold on to when things went sideways. So I had lots of falls and getting bucked off. The one that ended my career was a doozy and really stupid on my part; working with a hell bitch who just didn’t want to be ridden, but off to the arena we went to work out some kinks. We were riding split reined, I was on a English saddle. I accidentally dropped one of the reins pulling on a glove and as I bent to grab it, I applied just enough pressure with my knees to her sides that gave her the go ahead to run. And she did and she bucked and her neck connected with my nose and my butt went over my head and I landed on my neck. I woke up in ER with severe concussion, 3 fractures in my neck and I couldn’t feel anything below my hips. Seems I’d landed on my neck with my torso going one way and my hips and legs going the other way. About 18 hours later I got feeling back and about 4 months later I went back to the ranch. She and I had a discussion, a nice ride and I hung up my cowboy hat.

Jump ahead to 2008. As a Massage Therapist, I was always on my feet, bending my body in certain ways holding positions to administer particular techniques to clients. I was working at a huge Las Vegas Hotel spa, I mean it was HUGE like about 86K square feet. I ran a lot between appointments to keep on time. Already living with chronic pain but not taking any meds for that or the RLS that began in my late twenties, dealing with occipital migraines every couple of weeks, hobbling along when I wasn’t working, icing and doing whatever I could to help my knees, I knew my time at that spa was limited. As a Veteran I started going out to the VA hospital for Cortisone shots in my knees, but you can only get those a couple times a year. Xrays, MRIs, CTs, Physical Therapy, all showed the end result of all my injuries and limited range of motion and, endurance. Just touching my knees was like electricity. Swollen twice their normal size all the time so that walking or sitting was almost impossible, working as a MT was excruciating and I knew it was time to do something. The breaking point came when it was hard to pick up my foot from the gas pedal to the break and back in a timely fashion. You gotta be able to do that, right? The VA didn’t have an Orthopedic surgeon for knees so they contracted a civilian for those types of surgeries. Mine scheduled bi-lateral meniscus and cartilage repair and, removal. That was fun. The scope pictures showed Grade 4 Osteo-Arthritis in both knees and he told me, after surgery “It won’t be long before you’re back here for replacements.” And I was; about 4 months later, I had them both replaced at the same time. I started on my pain medications for the first time; 4mg Hydromorphone 4 times per day.

So I had the replacements done – stupid but people do them at the same time. 2^nd day I was supposed to go to Physical Therapy but the pain was so horrific I can’t even describe it. I also had a lot of trouble breathing. But up I got and I tried but it just wasn’t happening. Later that 2^nd day some of my monitors went off, a nurse rushes in, next thing I know I’m being wheeled down for a CT and that shows I had about 10 Pulmonary Embolisms – blood clots – in my lungs. Hence the trouble breathing and then the order came no exertion, no physical therapy, basically no movement.

A week later transferred to a “rehab” home – it was a place you put your elders when you want them to die. It was a tragic place. My surgery was Nov 17, 2008. I was transferred right before Thanksgiving. The whole time I was in that place I never saw a doctor, never saw a Physical Therapist, just nurses would come in, give me shots, give me pills, empty my foley (my pee bag), big orderlies would lift me into the bathroom so I could do my business, then back in bed. They kept pillows under my legs so my legs wouldn’t swell. But that also kept my knees slightly bent.

On Dec. 10^th I discharged myself afraid I would die in that place; my Mom came to get me and drove me home, we felt like bandits escaping prison. I had a bag full of drugs, a walker, 2 canes and crutches. The only good thing was before I split, one of the nurses finally removed that damned foley!

My surgeon was a good surgeon, it wasn’t his fault the way things went, but while I assumed he’d been informed of my progress, he assumed I was doing fine as he’d heard nothing. I called him a few days after I got home to say hey and did you know this is what happened to me and now what’s the plan. He was stunned. NO physical therapy for a month? He arranged for my first session of PT on the 17^th, a month after my surgery.

My PT was an angel from heaven. After consultation and examination, he told me in no uncertain terms “You know what we have to do here; you know the work that is in front of you. At least 3 months PT, 3 times a week, couple hours every time. I have to break all that scar tissue around your knees or you’ll never walk again.” Yeah it was going to be a fun time.

And so … let’s just say if someone offered to shot me I would have said Yes. More pills came fast; Morphine 30mg 4 times per day, Hydromorphone 4mg 4 times per day. I can walk and lead a fairly normal, active life only because my PT ignored my screams and did his job, breaking down all that scar tissue, stretching and pulling and pushing and bending my legs and knees until I was pretty much “normal”. Took four months, but the damage done to the nerves and soft tissues was irreversible. Just something to live with

Jump ahead Oct 2013. Had my own massage business and was making and selling my own body and bath products. So I was running 2 businesses, 7 days a week and a crazy person to say the least. My days were full of massage appointments and when I wasn’t doing that, I was filling product orders. My medication had taken a turn to support my activity of being on my legs about 18hrs every day. Now I was taking: Morphine 30mg 4 times per day, Morphine 15mg 4 times per day and Hydromorphone 2mg 4 times per day. I had a Pain Management Specialist at the VA who cut my Hydro’s from 4mg to 2mg because “I” was taking too many opiates.

So October 2013 – hadn’t been feeling so good, like I had the flu, the intestinal kind. The girls at the spa kept saying “Taleda you don’t look so good.” I couldn’t eat, was in gut pain all the time and everything I drank came right back up. So I cancelled some appointments thinking I needed to rest. On the 2^nd day I was in so much pain it felt like I had glass in my guts. I drove myself to the VA ER. SIX HOURS LATER I was seen, finally. Blood work and so forth came back not so good; my WBC was 18 indicating I had either a whopper of an infection or, several. I had a fever of 104, I was dehydrated and the slightest touch on my lower left side produced vomiting waves of pain.

The doc I was seeing called in a Gastroenterologist who made it clear I was very sick and admitted me to hospital right then. I’d never experienced pain on that level before and I pray to God I never do again. I drifted in and out of consciousness for days, writhing in pain, I had so many IVs and tubes and monitors it was a mess when I had to rush to the bathroom. On the 4^th day, my infections were controlled enough to allow surgery.

I ended up having my Sigmoid Colon removed and about 2 feet of my intestines. I wear a Colostomy bag. I was in ICU for 4 days after surgery. All in all in hospital for 2.5 weeks. Had to have a neighbor drive out with his wife so he could drive me home in my jeep.

Recovery at home took about 4 months. I lost my massage business, I pretty much lost everything. I didn’t care, I was grateful to just be alive. My medications were reduced from what they were in the hospital and I was transitioned back into Pain Management Care and back to the medications I had been on, for years.

Now those pain meds keep my pain calm, I function, I’m not pain free, and I am of course an addict. I endure neuropathy in my knees, sometimes it’s so bad I can’t stand or sit. I have back pain always, especially when I sleep, my migraines subsided I guess with age as I rarely get one. I still have intestinal problems on occasion. On the whole, my limitations are standing for long periods, sitting for long periods, lifting pushing pulling, and I have no control over my bowels; in the mornings at least 2hrs before I can leave the house and I don’t eat during the day, and at night after I eat I have to wait at least 2 – 3hrs before I can sleep.

August 2014 I was reading Yahoo News in the morning with coffee like I always do and saw an article from Natural News on Kratom. I’d heard about Kratom but never gave it much thought as I assumed it was like any “new” herbal trend – amazing today forgotten about tomorrow. But I read the article and was intrigued; I followed the links provided at the end of it to two Facebook Groups. The article btw was written by Paul Kemp. One of the FB Groups had 2 admins, Kim Jerue and Destiny Fletcher. I wrote to both of them about myself and asked to join just out of curiosity. I went to Youtube and watched I don’t know about 5 different videos from Jonny Enoch. I was pretty interested in the whole herbal, natural, get off opiates and be pain free at the same time, concept.

I read testimonials from everyone, their stories so sad and yet I saw myself in those stories of unimaginable perpetual pain wanting something anything to be a whole person again. Only another person who experiences what we experience can possibly understand. I started asking a lot of questions, I did my own research. I kept wondering if Kratom was right for me. How to get off my scripts without horrific withdrawals was my main concern as it is for everyone. Nobody wants to face that! We live with enough pain as it is! But my 2^nd concern was the cost. I lost everything, I have no money, I can’t pay my bills let alone my mortgage which is so far behind I worry everyday about foreclosure, I worry about living on the streets. At my age, I have to worry about that shit too? So the cost of Kratom is prohibitive for me and I rarely am able to buy it. But when I can I buy some or when someone gives it to me as a Gift, I know from experience how miraculous it truly is.

I found thru Kim Jerue a wealth of information; she’s a compassionate person who gets it, who understands what we all deal with, who tirelessly campaigns to keep Kratom legal and properly available to those who want it. Responsible, intelligent mature chronic pain sufferers who want to live addiction free. We have that right.

But it isn’t only chronic pain sufferers who benefit from Kratom; PSTD, MS, Menstrual Cramps, PMS, Depression, Anxiety, RLS, and on and on I mean I haven’t heard of one condition, illness or disease that Kratom doesn’t help with.

So for me, to finish up this long testimonial; Kratom works for me. It works when I use it for the symptoms I use it for; chronic pain, depression, anxiety and RLS. I works keeping me pain free and active, it works keeping me focused and my emotions on an even keel, it helps me not fall into lethargy and give up when everything crowds in on me. I sleep better, I eat, I have energy, I’m happier, I’m not moody or argumentative or easy to irritate. Sure some of my physical issues are still there, my legs are still stiff and sore, my back is still a mess but nothing is going to eliminate that. But the severe pain associated with that structural damage, Kratom does eliminate that! I’m like an old car; runs great just don’t look so pretty on the inside lol !!

I feel Kratom needs to remain Legal and accessible thru responsible vendors. I feel there needs to be some sort of system for Vendors to become vendors; I mean I can’t do massage therapy unless I have the proper training – I feel someone dispensing Kratom should have some qualifications! Kratom, like any herb, should be taken only after one has done their research, asked questions of knowledgeable advocates who understand the chemistry of Kratom, who aren’t about the “money” part but are about the compassion part. Am I saying that right? I wouldn’t buy Kratom from just anyone. I would buy and use Kratom from a trusted, respected, educated source.

Be responsible. Use common sense. Know your Vendor. Know where the Vendor gets supplied from. Understand Kratom. Experience the different strains. Find what works best for you. Don’t offer guidance without the education behind you.

Be smart.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

I am writing this testimonial in hopes it will help all of us in keeping our plant-kratom accessible and legal. My name is Dale Jerue-and for the past 25 years have been working as a substance abuse treatment provider. I have held positions from Counselor Aide to Clinical Director. The last position I held prior to my retirement I worked as a counselor in a local methadone clinic. More recently, I provide supportive counseling (free of charge) to individuals who have chosen Kratom in their efforts to deal with opiate addiction, depression, and overall general wellness. Most of the individuals I have contact with have been in several addictions programs; and have attempted to engage in NA/AA with no success. These individuals are now reporting relief of symptoms and are now engaged in maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyles. I am also a recovering individual and I too now use Kratom to maintain abstinence from opiates with outstanding results. I became aware of Kratom a few years ago by my sister, who like me, has had difficulties remaining drug free after several inpatient rehab stays. My sister told me of her success using Kratom and I was able to witness her return to a full and productive life-one so profound that I needed to visit her in person-and the results were just like she stated. Over the past 25 years, my most discouraging work experience was working at the methadone clinic where patients were put directly on a methadone maintainence program and never given an option of completing treatment-more or less becoming slaves to the treatment system. Please, let’s work together to keep The Kratom-Our Kratom Dale Jerue MHS, CAP (ret)

I am a young, healthy, vibrant, talented, intuitive, sensitive young woman with an entire life to live. Having only lived 35 years it feels as though I’ve already lived a lifetime. My truth is easy. I have spent many years living in a prison of addiction. Each and every choice I have made has been my own. For years I’ve been told to write my story. Well, now I am. My story begins at age 9 when I lost my special someone, my best friend, my soul mate, my grandmother. A part of me died with her. A child doesn’t understand that pain and for many years I didn’t. Still today the memories flow as tears. My upbringing was perfect. I would venture to say privileged. After Nanny’s passing life went on. At age 13 began the cycle of antidepressants and what I believe began the confusion of brain chemistry. Our family Dr. thought it best to prescribe a child, me, a variety of them over a period of time. I experimented with buy Zoloft online, Paxil and Desyrel to only name a few and so the downward spiral began. I spent my teenage years trying to find myself. I floated through life like a butterfly on a breeze. I laughed. I loved. I cried. I lived. At age 23 I became ill briefly resulting in a Cholecystectomy and was routinely given Hydrocodone for pain as I recovered. At this moment my relationship and love of opiates began. When I was 24 I was arrested for prescription drugs. I was ashamed and embarrassed. In an attempt to save her youngest daughter my mother packed up the hollow shell I’d become and fled our hometown leaving behind our family, my destruction and warrant for arrest. For 30 days my devastated, broken but hopeful mother nursed my soul back to life. I knew I would change and for a short time I did. My search for an altered state of mind was apparent. I like it. I loved it! I could escape. In these moments I found freedom. Freedom from myself. After opiates I found alcohol, my 2nd love, and the marriage of the two were Heaven on Earth. In 2009 I was arrested for DUI. OK. No big deal. It happens. I can recover from this (“thankfully the other drugs in my car weren’t found” was one of my 1st sober thoughts after the fact). In 2012 I was arrested for my 2nd DUI and as a penalty, aside from the many thousands spent on my behalf, I stayed 10 days in an inpatient rehab facility. I have not driven in 4 years. I’m unable to do the simple things that most take for granted. My husband drives me to work everyday just as my father drove me to school when I was a child. I cannot grocery shop without an escort. I wait most evenings for a taxi to bring me home. I pay that taxi $15 per ride. I don’t participate in social activities. I depend on others everyday to aid me in doing the very small things I once did for myself. I know my weaknesses and issues all too well. In past years I’ve sought help. I’ve seen more therapists than any young adult should. I’ve been prescribed Topamax for alcohol dependency. Years I have spent attempting sobriety for opiate addiction by taking Suboxone. We are taught that our doctors are all knowing meanwhile aided in my demise. I found Kratom by accident. While healing from a surgical procedure on my wrist I was desperate for pain relief. I simply googled “natural pain reliver”. Kratom was 1st on the list. Filled with hope I began to research. I started reading every article I could find and spent countless hours consumed with learning about the miracle herb. Pain relief, addiction, depression, anxiety…THIS IS ME! I am able to write this testimony today with a smile. I am hopeful. For the first time in many years my mind is clear. I am now able to live a normal life as a productive, contributing member of society. I was looking for pain relief but found so much more. I am no longer my own worst enemy. I have a life to live. I am drug free. I am ALIVE. I am FREE!

It is an outrage that due to circumstance and ignorance about a completely safe product with medicinal and recreational value a potential ban may be implemented. As a member of the medical field and a fervent believer in personal freedom, the right to purchase and consume kratom must remain for us as a people. Rather than ban things we do not understand out of fear, we should strive to educate the public on the matter. KRATOM MUST STAY!

Earlier this year my girlfriend started having some tooth pain. Cavities had started to really become worse on her molars and her wisdom teeth were growing in as well. A month later one of her teeth literally cracked open and she lost 1/4th of her tooth. This increased her pain and it became chronic which she has had to deal with now for over 4 months. Unfortunately her insurance doesn’t cover her dental needs and she doesn’t make much money. She has had to resort to ingesting a lot of OTC medications like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium. These barely relieve the pain and we have searched for a way to stop this pain so she can function normally. She ended up going to the emergency room 3 times due to the pain and received prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication such as ibuprofen 800 and once she received a prescription for Vicodin. These still didn’t really work too well but it helped. The pain became worse and I was desperate. I had known of Kratom in my past when I researched natural plants you could ingest for various benefits and decided to order some for my girlfriend. She started taking Kratom and to my surprise it significantly helped her tooth pain subside. This natural herb, which is legal in most of the world and is currently being legalized in Thailand, should stay legal here in Broward County and in Florida as well. (The CDC website that talks about alcohol http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm) Alcohol which is a LEGAL substance here in America kills 88 THOUSAND people a year in America. I have seen someone die in front of me being hit by a drunk driver and the drunk driver lived, I pulled him out of his car through the window. If we care enough about public health we should ban alcohol use instead of this plant that is being marketed as a synthetic drug and dangerous when it is not. Perhaps we should rid Kratom from the shelves of gas stations and food marts or make it only available to people over 18 years of age. Banning it outright is not the answer. My girlfriend who just had one of her teeth removed by saving up enough money has 4 more teeth that are waiting to be pulled. She was prescribed oxycodone and ran out of them. She currently ingests Kratom to help with her pain, banning Kratom will make her have to deal with chronic pain again and I don’t like seeing her cry herself to sleep. Please reconsider this act to ban Kratom until more information is garnered and a more rational way of handling Kratom is drawn up. Thank you.