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 understand it all...(plus there were communication problems re language at times)...more is being revealed as research continues...(over there at least!)...the entire staff was competent. professional and compassionate...i and my companion were truly taken good care of...my first dose of 10,000,000 placenta cord stem cells was introduced thru an iv on wednesday...it was a short procedure...20 or 30 minutes max...the prior 2 days were spent being examined and tested...nothing invasive or unpleasant...

the next dose of the same amount/type of cells was given in four im injections on friday...one in each triceps area and then one each in my right and left buttocks...later that day my left toes moved for the first time since february!...what an amazing feeling!...my stroke affected my left side...i walk with a quad cane quite well but thusfar i have not had any dorsiflexion or plantarflexion return...and no movement whatsoever in my toes...what i was told was to expect these stem cells to work on repair for up to 8 months....the doctors told me that often results can take 3 or 4 months...research has shown that these cells can penetrate the scar tissue that often surround damaged tissue...in my case, i had a heart attack in '94 which has weakened my ventricular contractions and covered them with some scar tissue in the damaged area...these cells can actually improve my heart function...i'm hopeful for this as the clot that gave me the stroke could have originated in my heart as blood tends to pool in someone with my condition before the ventricles contract...the same concept applies with these cells going to damaged areas of the brain...the cells pass the blood brain barrier to do this...i'm less clear on the mechanism of repair with the 4 im injections but they obviously worked to restore movement in my toes...overall i believe that this treatment will restore a lot of health and functioning...to what degree will remain to be seen...i'd love to report amazing returns to my left hand which is largely flaccid except for some flexion in my fingers...and hopefully i will in the near future...but i do know that

i've received the most exciting and promising procedure that's available to stroke survivors...now what's next is to get my butt to good old fashioned pt and ot...believe it or not my discharge instructions are in russian...sheesh...luckily a good friend who was born and raised in russia is coming over tonight to translate for me...they strongly recommend pt and ot following this treatment...there are also dietary guidelines...they want me to be in touch with them so they can monitor my recovery and evaluate the need for more treatment in the future...probably in march/april '07...i was thrilled with kiev and discovering a new and fascinating country to explore...i'm crashing...i'll keep posting anything new...i'd be glad to answer any questions whatsoever...best, richxxx