What I had is different from a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), in which stem cells are isolated from bone marrow or blood and reinfused into a person whose immune system has been essentially destroyed by chemotherapy. I did not receive chemotherapy, nor was my immune system destroyed before the infusion. I spent a week on the island and went home feeling pretty refreshed. Within weeks I felt like I could run through a wall. And I was actually able to run up and down stairs again. My grip was much better, and the numbness was gone in many areas. Even my eyesight improved. I was elated by these results and thought my multiple sclerosis (MS) was basically gone. And for three months or so I was a new man … until I wasn’t.
After My First Transplant, My Symptom Improvements Were Short-Lived
Slowly — or maybe quicker than I remember — all the symptoms that had been eradicated were returning, until I was right back where I started. I later learned that most people with MS who go through this type of stem cell treatment only have relief for three to six months and then need to redo the procedure. Now, that’s not a terrible outcome if you can continue to get this treatment year in and year out, several times a year. But — and this is a big but — it costs anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 each time! There may be people with MS who have very deep pockets for medical treatments not covered by insurance, but for the average Joe or Jill, this is just not realistic. I thought I was done with stem cell transplantation after this attempt, and I went back to beating MS through exercise, nutrition, and mind-set. But I experienced some setbacks along the way, and for me, that reopened the door to exploring newer — and what I hoped were longer-lasting — stem cell treatments.
Cord Tissue Stem Cells Raised My Hopes for Longer-Lasting Effects
In 2018 I received a call from the doctor in charge of the clinic where I was treated in 2014. He had been working with a type of stem cells that come from the tissue of healthy baby umbilical cords. He wanted to get me back to his clinic to infuse these cells into me and see if I could get some long-term benefits. While there are no clinical trials showing this treatment to be effective, I did hear anecdotes about people with MS who had had enduring symptom relief, and that gave me hope. Some of the other reasons I was willing to give stem cell transplantation another try:
I had faith in the doctor who runs the clinic where I received my stem cell treatment, as well as in his staff.The clinic says that it infuses 300 million stem cells during the procedure, which to my knowledge is at least twice as many as is standard at other clinics.This clinic has a soft spot in its heart for those of us with MS and has reduced their fee substantially for stem cell procedures in people with multiple sclerosis.
With my decision to try again made, I arrived in the Caymans on August 20, and a day later underwent a course of acupuncture, lymphatic massage, and chiropractic adjustment, and I received an IV vitamin infusion. On August 22, I had the stem cells put into my blood and repeated the treatments I’d had the previous day. On August 23, I had more complementary therapies and relaxed on the beach. The doctor informed me that this treatment was not like the one I’d had in 2014, and I would not be feeling like Superman and running up and down stairs in a week. This treatment takes time to “set in,” he said, as the cells found my body’s weak points to repair. He warned me to be patient as I waited. I was home on August 24, a little tired from all the travel and treatments, but hopeful.
Symptom Relief Started Within One Week of the Second Transplant
Since I wasn’t expecting any immediate results, I was shocked that within the first week I began feeling my left arm, which had been numb for 13 years except for those four months in 2014. I had an itch on that arm, which was not normal for me to feel. I scratched it and actually felt myself scratching the arm. Then, in the second week, my drop foot stopped dropping! For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you have seen my video of my leg workouts in the gym where I can move my left leg equally with my right, and my left foot does not drop even under the stress of the weights. By week three, I was jumping up and down, and my left foot was leaving the floor. I intend to film myself jumping rope soon, something I have not done successfully in 13 years. When I called the doctor to tell him what had happened, he responded that several of his patients have experienced the same results, but he did not want to give me false hope that I would be one of them.
Hopeful but Realistic as I Wait to See What the Future Brings
I am very hopeful now, not because the doctor told me something I wanted to hear, but because I am truly feeling the effects of the stem cells repairing my body. But since I had almost four months of symptom-free existence with the initial stem cell treatment in 2014, I am not going to get ahead of myself. I will see if and when more symptoms subside and if the benefits I have now stick for more than a few months. I consider myself an experiment of one, and I will continue to update you on my progress every few months to bring you along with me on my journey.
