A NORTH-EAST mother who flew to the US to beat a crippling medical condition has returned with fresh hope.

Ann Teasdale was in the depths of despair before a fundraising campaign in her home town of Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, to send her to Texas for revolutionary treatment.

The mother-of-four had already had a leg amputated after contracting the rare condition Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS) and as it spread, she faced the terrifying prospect of losing the other leg.

The three months of treatment she has received have not gone as smoothly as she had hoped. She is still in pain and not yet able to walk, but at least now has some hope.

Mrs Teasdale, 42, received daily treatment at the clinic of Dr Donald Rhodes, which involved sessions on the Dynatron machine he developed.

He also weaned her off the pain-killing drugs she was taking, which has led to some withdrawal symptoms.

She said: "It was definitely a tough time. There was many a time I would have given in and come home.

"I used to cry that I had had enough and could not take it any more, but deep down I knew it was my only chance and I had to stick it out."

Mrs Teasdale started walking with a prosthetic limb, but had to stop because the boot she had to wear on her other leg was damaging her foot.

She hopes that with treatment, the foot will improve and she can try again.

Now she is home, Dr Rhodes will continue to control Mrs Teasdale's treatment.

She will monitor her pain levels every day, and he will advise where and for how long to administer the Dynatron machine she has brought home with her.

Mrs Teasdale is still unsure about what the future holds.

She said: "I do not know what to think. I am still scared that nothing is going to happen, but I am the sort of person who wants things to happen yesterday."

Her husband, Mick, said: "Dr Rhodes has done more than anyone we have seen. Ann is a lot brighter than she was, her eyes say it all."

There is still money left from the £30,000 raised to pay for the treatment, and that will continue to help Mrs Teasdale fight the condition.

She said: "I have to say a big thank you to everyone who has given me this chance."