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improved walking!...and possible malpractice...


rj711

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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 was prior to my stroke...i had the small based quad cane but the feeling of increased speed and safely keeping up with andre was wonderful!...i went to bed last night happy and grateful...:)...i saw a new neurologist this afternoon that i liked...way grateful for this too...she's setting up my outpatient ot and pt and will try to get me more acupuncture which is now offered free to rehab patients of the hospital...i'm usually apprehensive prior to seeing a new medical doctor...this visit went very well...

on another note i wonder if anyone has any feedback on this issue...i was not given the tpa shot in the emergency room even tho i got there 1/2 hour after my ischemic stroke...i did not lose consciousness...i was communicating and functioning cognitively and had no prior history of ulcers or bleeds of any kind...i can not help but wonder why that shot wasn't at least discussed with me as an option...i'm 51 years old for god's sake...i've contacted a malpractice attorney who took info and will get back to me...does this scenario ring a bell for any caretakers or survivors??...best to all, richxxx

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Rich, I'm surprised about your attitude about tpa. Yes, perhaps it should have been discussed with you, but maybe the doctors/hospital was being very careful. Tpa can cause a bleed. Certainly you wouldn't have preferred that. It sounds very much to me that you are not accepting and doing everything you can - which is fine - don't get me wrong, but there has to be some acceptence just in case. There are people here a lot younger than 51 who have had strokes because they had pfo's and never knew it. What would you suggest for them to do? And what would you suggest for those who have had bleeds? At present there is no "tpa" although they are considering a medication used for hemophilia. People who have bleeds sometimes just don't make it. Many must have surgery. Do you think that brain surgery doesn't leave problems? Then there are s few like Fred and myself who have had bleeds. Fred's bleed apparently was in a place where it did great damage, but he did not need surgery, nor did I. My bleed was in a "good" place, the cerebellum. So I walk a little drunk etc. I have accepted that and the fact that I lost much and have had to start all over again. Acceptence, Rich - think about that. JMHO.
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:Clap-Hands: Congrats on your walking better, and I'd be very careful in contacting a lawyer as if your doctor or hospital gets this news, when you need them again, hopefully, not, they :blush: may not be so willing to treat you, knowing there is a lawsuit pending -

but in a cozy way, check with your doctor as to why you were not given the shot - for me, I had a bleed, and it would have done more damage, so be sure before you suit that your rights were denied

GOOD LUCK, GOD BLESS

June :blush: :2cents:

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Rich:

 

I stroked at 34, just a 2 days after delivering baby, my hubby was asking about tpa but doctors vwere up in arms against it saying I would bleed to death or hemorrage, my atroke was clot based since I was in highly cogulating state just after delivery, anyhow I m happy about your walking strides & improved functionality already, so happy for u, looks like you are in ur upswing ride, keep on going, don't forget to wave at us on the ground from top

 

love

Asha

 

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So good to hear you are getting out and about. About the bleed. When I first took Keith into the emergency room he was able to walk in on his own. I told ER he was having a stroke. I was told that they were unsure if Keith was suffering a bleed vs clot. It required scans to determine the approach. By the time the results were found to be a bleed the damage had been done. I agree, you should have been informed either way.

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I was in the ER forover an hour before stroke (a clot in my brainstem) I was not given tpa as drs. told my family it may be a bleed. I was prompted to file a lawsuit but felt incompryent to follow through. I was too emotional to deal with it. In Virginia it must be filed within 2 yrs. I cudn't handle it mentally or emotionally. That was 9 yrs ago. Now I'm capable. I'm so excited to hear of your improvement. It gives me hope. Did you experience any mental changes from cell therapy? Like A Bolt Mary

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Rich,

Bottom line is you should have had the opportunity to decide for yourself weteher or not you wanted the tpa,In one of the above post it was mentioned that the hospital may not want to treat you if you file a lawsuit,however legally they could not refuse you treatment because of you filing a lawsuit, so in my opinion if you feel justified by filing a lawsuit, then by all means file one.

God Bless,

Tom

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thanks for the feedback tom...i was inspired by valerie greene's lawsuit regarding her misdiagnosis and subsequent 'nontreatment' in an orlando er...very different from my case however her relentless pursuit of that lawsuit has dramatically changed the way stroke and possible stroke patients are handled in that same er today...sometimes the best thing a lawsuit can bring about is necessary changes in procedures so that future patients will be treated more competently...thanks again for your support...best, rich

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Rich,

I'm very interested in the Kiev clinic, but I'm in a wheelchair and had my strioke in 1987. Do these things work against me? Will you please send me some information on the clinic. I'm aware of the cost. please e-mail me through PM

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Hi Rich,

 

I had a similar experience. I was in the emergency room for about an hour having a stroke and no one seemed to understand what was happening except my partner and a nurse who suspected it. I don't remember it because I was losing consciousness but the nurse gave me an aspirin almost as an afterthought "just in case". The aspirin served as a blood thinner. TPA was never even mentioned. I know it's very hard to file medical malpractice suits but good luck with your attorney.

 

The stem cell treatment is fascinating. Good luck with it and keep blogging!

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the clinic has a website with an english version: www.stemcellclinic.com

they completely accomodate people in wheelchairs...

email specific medical questions to peter sidorenko: peter@SCTICorp.com

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Hi -

 

I am so interested in your story about your stem cell therapy and the malpractice. My wife had a stroke last June at the age of 29. When we went to the ER the initially did a CT Scan and the doctor came back and told us that there was nothing wrong in her head. They moved on to other tests and about 5 or 6 hours later did an MRI and discovered the stroke. They rushed us to UCLA with the reason that they were better equipped for handling such a young stroke patient. Long story short, the Dr.s at UCLA pulled the original CT scan and saw the stroke, they made that comment right in front of me. We have an attorney now who has had their experts review the scan and they believe that there was negligence so we have a pending suit both for her and for me as her husband.

 

I have looked a little into the stem cell therapy and found a company with about 12 locations - one in Mexico. As we live in Los Angeles that's not too far from us. It is expensive but well worth it. Right now my wife cannot use her right hand and has very little movement in her right arm. She walks with a single point cane and an AFO. Although I bought something called the FOOTFLEXR and it seems to work OK so she's using the AFO less. We also bought the SABEO FLEX and it just came in. Her OT therapist recommened it.

 

But I would like to know more about how your stem cell therapy has helped you and if you have any questions about what we're going through I would be more than happy to chat about it.

 

Please e-mail me if you care to chat: please e-mail me through my e-mail. Best Regards,

 

Alex

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as far as stem cell therapy goes i don't think it matters whether you've had an ischemic stroke or a bleed...

the cells do repair work in either case...

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HI - I am so glad for you that things seem to be improving.

On the TPA - I would go along with Tom and say that if you feel it is justified, then gio or it. the caveat being - do you really want something like that hanging around distracting you from your progress?

IMHO - I would do a bit more reasearch on TPA - the "experts" are now backing off of advising it in every situation - and they will not recommend it for use out in the field - i.e. en route via ambulance.or in a military mash unit. because of the high risk of eith er making an existing bleed worse or encouraging a bleed to occur.

There are several clinical trials in process and about to start in order to better guage it's efectiveness or find a better alternative.

I was able to receive the TPa shot with my first stroke, but am gld I did not get it with the second as it would have complicated matters unmercifully

:2cents: Like I say - if you feel that is the way to go - good luck and god bless, but do your homework first - forewarned is forearmed!.

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Hello,

I am glad your treatment is working for you. I looked in to it for my mom and I got scared off. I give you credit for your bravery.

My mom stroked at 55. We went to the ER and she was sent home after a catscan with a migraine. She could barely walk. Hours later we returned to the ER and were told she had a minor stroke. They said the only treatment was aspirin. They admitted her and put her on the regular floor. Her Dr. said she would be fine she would need a few days in the hospital and a few weeks in rehab. As the hours went on she lost the abilty to swallow and breathe on her own. When the nuerologist decided to come see her for the first time after his office closed he called us in a room and looked at us and said she is going to die as he shrugged his shoulders. Like no big deal. We had her transferred to another hospital. The new Dr. had her started on a blood thinner before they would let them fly her and he looked at the MRI and said there is no way it could have been read as minor. She had a brain stem stroke. We never heard of TPA or Heparin or anything til she got to the new hospital.

Everyone told us we should contact a lawyer. We were so mad that there was something that could have helped her and they didn't use it or even discuss it as a option. Now she is quadraplegic and unable to do anything for herself. Our lawyer got all of her medical records and had some doctors review them and it came down to us having to prove that had they given her the shot it without a doubt would have made a difference. He said that nuerologists are divided on the drug and that we could have a handful of ones to say yes and they would have 10 that would say no. IT didn't matter that we were misinformed about her stroke would it have changed the treatment that they did and the answers were No. Each hospital has a set of standards that Doctors have to follow and if they meet those standards then there is no negligence. It just doesn't seem fair. If we would have known how severe her stroke was we would have had her moved right away when she was still able to walk and talk. We blamed ourselves for a long time. If only we would have taken her to another hospital would she be where she is.

Good luck to you and I think you are right if you can open thier eyes and make them treat stroke patients better or make them more knowledgeable then it is worth it. My mom was given the shot eventually way past the window of time they use it for but she was loked in and the Dr. was willing to try anything. Her prognosis was poor. Maybe that is what brought her back to us. She has little movement now and on some days can speak some. Who knows if they had given it to her right away maybe she wouldn't be stuck in a bed.

 

Ruth

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Hi Rich,

 

Ruth has a good point about the TPA and our experience was similar. When my husband had his stroke he was rushed to the hospital via airplane because the local medics knew about the tpa timeframe. He made it to the hospital easily within an hour of his first symptoms. When I got there they had done all the tests, and I asked about the TPA - we were still well within the three hour window. I remember the Dr looking at the clock, and seeming uneasy, he stated that he had seen some bad outcomes from TPA. My husband is young (47 at the time of his stroke) healthy and very fit. Had we been given the TPA option, I believe we would have allowed the administration. It took me a long time to accept that we weren't given this option. I'll explain how it helped that I got over it. While in the rehab unit of the hospital, in another room was a girl who was just over 30 who had a stroke for the same reason my husband did (PFO). She had her stroke just a few days before my husband did. She went to a smaller hospital when she had her stroke and was given TPA. My husband and she were in rehab together for several weeks, she was younger and had TPA. They both had similar strokes (opposite sides of the brain, but in same area). My husbands recovery without TPA has been much faster. It is hard not to compare, and I did notice my husbands recovery seemed to be progressing faster than hers. When we saw her four months later (both were getting their PFO's closed) she was still very dependant on her wheelchair; we had gotten rid of my husbands by then. It was impossible to tell if the TPA helped her or not. I almost think we expected the TPA to cause the stroke to present itself like a TIA. If that is the expectations, it didn't happen with the girl that got it. It seems that it might be really hard to measure acceptable expectations from TPA administation.

 

-Karen

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