u/brokehag

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of discussing a consumer proposal, and have concluded it is likely my best path given current circumstances. This post is less about that, and the circumstances, and more about my Registered Disability Savings Plan.

I am currently banking with TD, and due to the CP I will have to close my account and move banks for my everyday banking, as I currently hold a consolidated loan with TD that will be involved in the proposal. However, I currently hold an RDSP through TD Direct Investing, too.

While I am aware my RDSP is protected during the CP (I have not been able to afford making any contributions, it is solely bonds from the government), I am not quite sure what will happen to my account access once TD becomes aware of my proposal. I have not yet done any trading with it either, as I am focusing my financial literacy on getting out of and staying out of debt in the future.

I have considered transferring it to National Bank Direct Brokerage, but I am not yet at the 20k balance to avoid extra fees with NBDB during the transfer. Ideally, I'd wait until my RDSP has hit that point to move it.

My question is: Does anyone have knowledge of what would happen to my access to the TD held RDSP after my CP? Should I bite the bullet and swap to NBDB anwyays? Could I possibly keep my RDSP with TD despite the CP?

Thank you in advanced for any insight. I have asked my LI trustee via email as well, but figured it might be good to scope for other perspectives.

History: 35F, 155lbs, 5'4". Had extremely mild sciatica symptoms in left side over the last two years, never bad enough to worry about. Usually resolved with movement. Was a landscaper for ten years, then retail worker, but three years ago I got a desk job. I live in Canada and nobody has a GP here, it's awful.

July 2024: I fell off of my bicycle hard onto my left hip. Left me bruised but nothing alarming, I walked it off. Felt some sciatica symptoms in September but resolved with massage.

October 2025: I was sick in bed for a week, sitting stupid (reclined against pillows) for four days straight. Got up out of bed and felt a sudden pain in my back, couldn't completely straighten. This resolved after a few days and gentle massage.

October 2025-January 2026: Since then, sciatica symptoms returned worse than before, but usually resolved on their own. Spoke with a telehealth nurse practitioner in December, but nothing came of it. Proceeded to go on a short trip in January no problem, walked plenty. Noticed I'd stand on the sides of my feet sometimes when not wearing shoes, or in the shower when I was doing extensions to wash my hair.

February-March 2026 saw a sudden worsening of symptoms. Tingling in feet and legs after sitting, tingling pain down left leg when I walked, especially with bad shoes. Usually walking started off uncomfortable, but would resolve as I got into the motions. Occasional symptoms while laying in bed. Kept on as normal, but began seeing a physio in late March. Began doing this thing where I throw my left leg up onto the corner of my desk to relieve the pressure (not great posture admittedly).

Physio assigned me some movements to decrease pressure on my spine and build up core strength. This included cobra press-ups, figure-four stretches, cat-cow. Cobra made things feel worse immediately so I stopped. He performed some gentle traction and that always helped, but only for a couple of days. He was going on leave for knee surgery so only saw him twice. I fucked up at this time and used a massage gun on my glute, but realized that agitated the nerve so stopped. This was across end of March, and April.

In early May I saw a sudden worsening of symptoms worse than before. No longer could stand for longer than a few minutes without radiating nerve pain down my leg into my pinky toe. Walking would start out fine and then become unbearable and I'd have to sit after a few minutes/half a block. I was shuffling around. Went back to the same physio office, but to a new practitioner. He said it seemed like periformis, or my muscles trapping the nerve, did not suspect my spine because extensions trigger the nerve. Suggested new movements including using a tennis ball on my glute to massage the sore area. Also suggested light touch to relax the muscles. Two days after seeing him I walked a whole 45 minutes and only sat twice the entire trip.

Fast forward to today, and it feels like it's gotten worse and worse. Suddenly after that 45 minute walk I went to walking even less than before, always slumped over and hunched. Used to only find relief when laying or sitting, but now I feel discomfort in both. I literally never feel better unless I'm folded forward over a tall stack of pillows with my butt in the air, zero weight on my hips/back, or on my back with my left leg curled up to my chest. I have to uber to appointments, I shuffle and then have to squat to relieve the sudden explosion of pain. Tingling remains in lower leg but majority of my pain is localized to back of thigh, glute, and then into my hip. No back pain other than stress of being hunched forward on middle spine. I can barely sleep. Last night I had to rotate my left leg clockwise in the socket, point my toe inward, and hold it to relieve the pressure long enough to sleep.

Tried the McKenzie method and nearly vomited from pain, lol. Not ready for that. Been gingerly trying McGill Big 3 but I think I'm too inflamed for that right now. I cannot extend my leg at all, or extend my back without insane 10/10 pain.

Friday (May 22) I went into urgent care for an appointment, and the doctor that saw me decided very quickly it was degenerative disc disease, or lumbar facet syndrome. She kept going on about how she had back surgery and that I don't want back surgery- I said to her all I want is to know what is going on so I can begin the path to recovery. She gave me a requisition for an X-Ray of lumbar spine and SI joints, and a print-out from the mayo clinic on exercises for back stability (not much different than what my physio advised).

I got the x-ray yesterday, and couldn't even lay flat on the table. The nurse tried to push my left leg flat and I screamed, and she looked concerned, told me I ought to get an SI joint injection? We worked around it. I got a call back today from the urgent care clinic, and this is what the nurse passed along from the doctor:

"X-Ray shows nothing acute. Likely degenerative disc disease. Continue with Naproxen, assigned movements, and attend BackFit Clinic."

I'm stunned. No request for MRI, no follow-up, no suggestion of alternative meds or even further physical examination. I look at BackFit, and it's this... fully chiropractic clinic here in my city. What sort of absurd advice is this? Even if chiro was an option, why would a doctor send me there without properly assessing if it is my spine, or something else?

I feel like everything I can try on my own has made things worse, and my pain is ramping up. I feel I can't justify going to the ER because I have bladder control, but the pain is wreaking havoc on my mental health. I'm so afraid I'm going to get worse, and I'm terrified of the pain. I've never felt anything like it. Do I keep trying gentle exercises, and rest? Escalate to the ER? ):