The Nu tech Mediworld 3 day Procedure

As many people before me have experienced having a 3 day procedure as part of the treatment course here, I have now completed the same, in order to receive a large mass of stem cells directly into the spinal cord. Its not an easy thing on the body (there are affects which can make one's body feel tired, put pressure on, cause pain, headaches, nausea, etc). Along with these affects come possibilities of infection due to the fact that a catheter being inserted into your spinal and left there for three days. Therefore, continuous antibiotics are pumped into your body to reduce the risks. People may or may not be aware that small changes placed on one's body can make major changes.... well these procedures make major changes on one's body in a matter of 3 days.

Once the intial insertion of the catheter is completed and the initial injection of stem cells are injected I was brought back to my room to lay on my back with my feet raised 2 bricks up off the ground while my head is sloped downward for 5 hours. This is the toughest part because your patience is tested to sit still in bed while the blood rushes down to your head.
During the 3 days, you are given two injections of stem cells into the catheter and in my case it was 50 million stem cells at each injection. The first one was with me on my back, the second was with me laying on my right side, then left side, then on my stomach and finally my choice of on my back again. (the reasons for these positionings are a little more detailed than what i want to write about but you can ask me later if you wish to really know). Before each injection you are given antibiotics....
During this time in the older hospital i was not allowed to leave the hospital for obvious reasons. Therefore, another challenge of this procedure is to keep one's self occuppied.... so i brought a book, watched movies and slepted of course. Having my friend around to talk to and have assistance is essential!! Thanks Erikk....
Of course, Geeta's staff are great and are constantly taking care of you and providing the best of care. Ashish Verma is a brilliant man who is a great anesthesiologist and takes no risks when it comes to treating his patient's. Not only does he have great skills and many years of practice he is a warm, compassionate man who is dedicated to his patient's and HESC treatment. I placed my body in their care with no doubts..... I had no thoughts of any anxiety towards concern with mal-treatment with someone like Ashish. Some people, including myself may have experienced other encounters with other health professionals where there are doubts about the competence of the physician treating them... in this case, there were none.
To tell you a bit about what feelings of changes that occurred during the injections over the 3 days, i will attempt to describe them....
The sensations varied but generally there were feelings of heaviness, spasms, contractions of my bladder, and tinglings from T5 (nipple line) right down to my toes. The feelings weren't the same each time the injections occurred. For myself, the most significant feelings came during the injections when i was laying on my back and i would get spasms that pushed on my ribs and constricted my breathing, pushed on my abdomen, and created heaviness on my legs all the way down to my toes. To me, this was a bizarre feeling and had never occurred to me since being injured. This is my proof that the stem cells are working.... The feelings would only last for a few minutes and therefore my breathing was not compromised.
I think that physical changes my take a day or two come out and be realised. However, i am finding already after less than one day that i am feeling that my core is contracting and i am able to sit with more stability and for a longer period time. I also found at physio today that my quadriceps are contracting with some limited movement when i am trying to push out my leg when bent at a 90 degree angle when Vardana held my leg. At the same time my bladder is contracting constantly and then I have to pee a short time later. Unfortunately, I still can't control it....
For me, this was a challenging 3 days and i was very fatigued after this procedure. At the same time i felt like i just got out of jail as i can't stand being confined for any length of time! Going back to the new hospital has its bad and good aspects and in some way it felt good to be back !
Now we wait to see what changes will occur??.....
Today i did two parts of physio right after returning and it wasnt too bad. I did feel that i struggled a bit with fatigue but it was glad to be on my feet and expending energy and not laying around on a bed for 3 days!!!!!!! Below are some photos to show you what the injections looked like:

The Struggle for Success

For anyone who has ever thought about doing this..... lets just say its not easy and success goes up and comes back and there are so many factors that impact on what happens. But still its all good mate! I guess i could describe the changes leading to improvement like going 3 steps forward and then 2 steps backwards. Some days are good and then some days are not so good. Then things will change again and improve more.
In my case the last week has been a bit of a battle with having an UTI which has delayed my first major procedure of a lumbar puncture almost a week. I am not sure when and if this will occur? Can you believe it, i am actually looking forward to having a lumbar puncture.....! This is a very painful event which can often leave one with a headache and nausea, or worse! However, with this procedure i was told that it may bring about a big change in function because it will bring in large amounts of stems directly into the spinal fluid in the spinal cord and go towards the injured site.

My body has continued to make small changes and i am definately getting stronger in the core of my body. I am continuing along the same direction but today I tried something new to advance to the next level. This next step involves walking without lateral support between my calipers and crutches.... this was extremely difficult on the balancing act..... but i did do some very small steps for a short distance inbetween the parallel bars. Before the previous week i was using the 'walkabout' which is a device that attaches to the calipers to help with movement in a foreward motion and helps with holding the calipers together to prevent lateral and medial motion and me swaying sideways and falling over. Last week i had been using the walker without the 'walkabout' piece to practice walking and learning to balance side ways. So now i am advancing to the next level and stepping away from the walker and going to the crutches. Its going to be a long journey for this.....
The more my little babies get into me and start working the more my body heals! Go baby stem cells and Go Baby Steps Go!!!
I am going to say see later now, as i need a nap after that big Physio session....Whew!
take care

The daily grind

Here i am part way into the 3rd week. Its a hard grind people..... the deal is that everyday you go through physio twice and grunt and push and hope the stem cells will help make connections and repair so that you can try to mentally make moves in your mind to get contractions or maybe even move some little part of your muscles that havent moved in years..... a cm!!

But don't worry boys and girls I am a hard case and i will continue to struggle for days and hours until those little tiny stem cells keep giving results.... Although i would have to say my little cells seem to be responding fairly well.... a few more twitches and slightly more moves and voila !!!! I am practicing with calipers and up on my two feet to try n walk backwards, mind you baby steps and very small steps and the latest today is side stepping in the parallel bars. Its all stepping stones....

Don't forget people this is a long slow process that doesn't really fully develop until 10 months. I am pregnant and don't you forget it!!!
Tomorrow i am off to have another procedure and won't be posting blogs for a couple of days.

One thing i am reminded on a daily basis is how amazing this invention and process is and how the vastly the different types of people with different disabilities and how HESC could possibly change or cure all these problems! Its truely insane and almost unbelievable, but its REAL!!!!!!!

LITTLE BY LITTLE / PEU PAR PEU

We have been busy workers and not doing much updating, sorry.... With Physio 2x day and yoga in the late avro, its constant. This is a 6 day a week job. Then there's injections twice a day and of course got to feed those babies to feed... the stem cells of course! With all the physical work and the growth and repair with millions of stem cells growing inside of me I am very tired. So after i write this brief posting i am going for a nap!

Since i last wrote I had what they call a procedure. This was the first one. We have to go to the other older hospital where i go into the operating room and have freezing put into my lower back and then i received 3 large injections of stem cells into the Caudal region (around S5). This was the weirdest feeling.... as i thought that i wouldnt feel anything....WRONG! I felt a sharp twinge and my body spasmed big time and each time they made the injection. These cells are being placed directly on the nerve fibers and hopefully will have a more direct route to my damaged area from the bottom. Then after the procedure it was back to room where i had to lay with my bed cranked up to brick levels up and my head down laying on my back still for 4 Hours! Talk about a head rush after!!! And in this old hospital the power kept going out and aircondition was very weak and it was atleast 35C! I was sweating like crazy. I couldnt tell if it was from the head rush or the heat.
But the staff here take good care of you and they gently got me up and within 30 mins i was up and feeling a little weak but ready to go back to our room at Green Park (the new hospital). By that time it was almost 11pm.
The next day I was very tired but it was back at the physio.

Generally i am told that things take a long time and if changes are to occur they are very small and you have to make a big effort to see anything. This is very true. As i have mentioined a few days ago that i began to see some toe movement, I can now add to that with a list of other motions or contractions occuring. I can now wiggle a few more toes on the right foot, still little contractions on the left, I can bend my lower legs when lying down on the bed about 7% increase from nothing, I can Abduct left leg when straight, but not the right and hardly any adduction on both legs, i can externally rotate my right leg when bent at 90 degrees when laying down and i can somewhat hold the leg in place without any assistance (the left has some movement but it is minimal), I am getting some movement and power with my quads in both legs (however mostly with right), I am getting some of my lower abdominals working and we are working on my core strength. For those of you who know me, if this seems unreal to hear, i can tell you it feels unreal to see!
Now i am beginning to put some of these motions together and i am attempting to walk with calipers for support. We began trying to walk forward and backwards. It may seem like a simple thing but let me tell you.... it is not! The hardest part is not being able to feel the ground below you and be moving and standing!
But it feels GREAT!! Here is a little view of me above....
Thanks for watching everybody. More stuff later.
Kev