greetings from nyc...just got back from ot...i did a couple of sets of forearm flexion and extension...my triceps are definately working!...these sets were against gravity!...i come from weight training for years...it felt wonderful to move my left arm this way tho i have to be very very careful not to compare what i'm doing now to what i used to do...i'm grateful for the gains i'm getting on my journey...i'm having a rough time trying to find a neurologist that will work with my insurance plan.
hi...just a brief post before i leave for class...the good news is that my left arm is showing signs of increased strength!...it was really fun to push against my ot this afternoon and feel strength!...the progress is slow but it's coming!
i have a new cardiologist who has expressed interest in my stem cell treatment...apparently there has been a series of articles in cardiac journals recently that caught his attention...i'm going for a chemical stress test on tuesday...it will be interesting
hi all...wow i'm thankful...and definately a bit stunned still....to report that my left wrist is now showing extension against gravity!...we saw trace movements last week and the week before but today was the real deal...my ot is a terrific therapist to work with...i had to look several times to believe what i was seeing...my hand has been flaccid for sooooo long...my new acupuncturist is all that i want her to be...she's very skilled with rehab clients like myself and believes strongly in work
greetings...i think the interview went well with abc news...the reporter was very personable and she put me at ease...she asked all the questions many people would want to know about different aspects of the the treatment...i was happy to get a positive plug in for our wonderful org and it's wonderful ceo steve mallory!...the piece won't air before november...the final product is still up in the air as stem cell therapy has finally gotten more on the radar screen lately...any info i get will be
hi from nyc...well tomorrow is the tape interview with abc action news on people who leave the country for stem cell therapy...it'll take place in my apartment which will make me feel less nervous...i firmly believe in this therapy and hope i can be an articulate advocate for fostering change here in the usa and raising consciousness about it...i'll post any info i get about when/where it will air...i don't have too much more to report at this time...i am working with another ot now once a week
hi...stem cell rich here with another update!...i am amazed and grateful that the dorsiflexion return to my left foot has remained and strengthened!...my pt guy is really thrilled as 2 weeks ago when we first started there was no movement at all!...he suggested that i ask my rehab doctor to order a new, simpler afo that will factor in this new development!...ive graduated from my trusty quad cane to a regular cane...that quad cane served me very well but i must admit i'm so glad to be able to sa
hi all...i experienced the returning of the extensor hallucus muscle that raises the big toe on my left foot!...this was two days ago...in today's pt session it strengthened a bit (it's a smaller muscle) and there was also some firing of the peroneous muscle which raises the lateral part of the toes/foot!...my therapist was very happy for me as he clearly saw when we started two weeks ago that there was no movement whatsoever...this brought me back to kiev when several hours after the second cel
greetings...as i've already stated, i was very disappointed that i couldn't blog daily from kiev...so now i want to share more about the clinic experience for those of you who might be apprehensive about a ukrainian facility sooooo far from home...i viewed it all as part of an adventure (travel is my passion) but it wasn't until the car was turning onto the clinic block that i started second guessing what i was doing...i had a moment of doubt until i recognized the front of the clinic from pics
hi guys...wanted to share about the huge smile on my face last night and why it was there:
my friend/part time caretaker andre came over last night and we decided to see the film 'the night listener'...i loved every frame of it btw altho it may be a bit too dark for some...we had just enough time to get there before it started...i was amazed at how easeful my walking was...i was safely taking longer strides!
it was honestly the first time i sensed the feeling of functional walking the way it
greetings from greenwich village...i wanted to blog tonight especially now that my jet lag seems to be over...
update news: i have noticed a marked improvement in my emotional well being...my overall anxiety level is virtually down to zero...this truly feels like heaven to me as i went thru a very dark period a few months ago where i honestly did not want to live this way anymore...i now feel an overall sense of well being...optimistic and happy...god it's a huge blessing just to genuinely use
hi all...i regret very very much not having had any access to the net while i was in kiev...sorry...i just got home an hour ago and i'm pretty tired but had to get some words out to my strokenet peers!...okay...some bottom line stuff: it was a fantastic experience!...the clinic is state-of-the-art new...i thankfully learned a lot more about stem cells and how they can help stroke survivors from doctors who have been working in the field for 25 years...it's still incredibly confusing for me to un
goodmorning...i slept well last night knowing that my clothes were all packed...i'm a notoriously late packer...
this way feels so much better...everything else can wait a week until i return...the car is coming at 3pm to take sally and i to jfk...we'll arrive there 3 hours before the aerosvit nonstop flight is scheduled to leave at 6:55pm...i want to get there early to request seats on the emergency exit row...they have more legroom (i'm 6'3") which will make sleeping at least a possibility..
greetings...i flew back to new york this afternoon...btw jetblue treated me wonderfully...a skycap met me with a wheelchair at the curbside check-in...i got my boarding pass there then he took me thru security..beep
beep beep...and right to my gate...the flight attendants were just as helpful...they changed my seat to the first row...the whole experience of flying alone was virtually anxiety free...well except for using the bathroom during some turbulence......i went over to my bank to make th
greetings...i met with peter sidorenko yesterday for 3 1/2 hours...he provided a lot more background info about his company and the relationship that they have to the clinic in kiev and why they chose them...i'm now about as comfortable as i can be with this entire endeavor knowing more about how it operates...my understanding of what to expect has been deepened...
i've learned that there are many important aspects to this therapy: the techniques the clinic uses to cryogenically store the cel
an afterthought...pool safety for stroke survivors!...dr. rhodes over at the hbot clinic told me not to go into the pool without a life preserver jacket...i'm not quite 5 months post stroke...my friend took me to wal mart and i got one...now i do not have to worry about slipping or about my head going under the water...very very important to stay 100% safe...
greetings...it's a beautiful sunny hot day down here in orlando...i'm planning to spend some time in the pool as i have the entire day to just relax......i sincerely want to express my gratitude to all the people who have responded to my blogging...i had unwittingly set my blog to invisible and i wondered why no one at all had any feedback...(thank you again steve for your help in correcting this)...well now with the feedback thusfar i feel the glorious support of other survivors squarely behind
rich here...i spoke with peter sidorenko at length two days ago about going to kiev, ukraine for fetal stem cell therapy after reading about his presentation here on strokenet...i have decided to take the actions to make this happen...i want as much return as possible as quickly as possible...i live by myself in manhattan and the days can be utterly unbearable for me as my life has shrunk to a one bedroom apartment...i believe in this therapy and am looking forward to this treatment/adventure...
ps...i am also trying to obtain info regarding 02 therapy after the stem cells are introduced...as usual, there seems to be diverse schools of thought...big surprise, right??...but from what i gather it is a useful therapy to support the viability of the cells...anyone out there with any knowledge about this??...my thanks
greetings from orlando...i'm down here going for my twice daily 02 therapy...i have only positive things to say about central florida hyperbarics located at 5423 lake howell rd in winter park...the entire staff is well qualified, professional, and accomodating in every way...and it's affordable by any standard...i'm a supporter of the science behind this therapy to help restore brain function...my treatment will end sometime next week...i'll report more about my experience with it at that time..
i'm going to see my internist this week to get a letter from him stating that i have no serious underlying disease processes and that i am a good candidate for stem cell therapy...i'm still waiting for the hospital to copy my records from february and march of this year...i had sooooo many tests done...hopefully this will all be enough to get a green light from the medical board at scti...i have one issue i'd like to discuss further about exactly where all the cells will be injected...other than
i have just found out about a place in orlando that welcomes stroke patients for hyperbaric 02 therapy...this was a reccomendation from a survivor who has used the facility very often...her name is valerie greene...she has written an inspirational book about her recovery called 'the fire within'...check out her website: www.valeriegreene.com...the entire staff is well qualified and the treatments are affordable...i un-
derstand that this is a beneficial therapy for stroke survivors as it has t
greetings...i have chosen to go to orlando for two weeks of hbot...i leave on july 5 and the twice daily oxygen therapy begins the next day...i have received a promising email from the medical doctor at scti...he'll need a few more non-complicated tests from me before he can render a green light for my trip to kiev...the medical record gathering has been a royal pain in the butt...the hospital requires that you go to them in person when requesting anything (new confidentiality laws plus they're
thanks solely to a md friend i obtained a copy of a carotid sonogram that scti requires as part of the screening process for the stem cell therapy...i faxed it to them yesterday (thanks to a helpful neigh- bor) ...now i am waiting for a negative result from the occult blood cards from the lab tomorrow...after that i'll get the green light for my trip to kiev...i'll meet personally with peter sidorenko in orlando in the next 2 weeks while i'm down there for hbot therapy...he has been very persona
