Archive for October, 2006
It was a long flight home but I made it back and I feel good. It is going to take a few days to get caught up on things here at home. I am going to start doing physical therapy tomorrow. Dr Wang and all the physical therapist in Shenyang told me that the physical therapy is the most important thing I can do. I agree with them and I am going to do most of my therapy at home. The therapy that I received in Shenyang was very good and I am setting up the equipment at home to be able to perform the same therapy program. I miss all the great people in Shenyang, they were all very helpful. The doctors, nurses, therapist and all of the people involved in the program were friendly and professional. My father and I made a lot of new friends while we were there. I have had contact with a few of our friends through email already. I will keep in touch with everyone at the hospital and with other patients with email. I believe I will gain more and more feelings in my legs as time passes. Dr Wang said it takes some time for the stem cells to repair damaged areas so I will take it a day at a time. I hope all my friends who are stem cell patients there are having good results. I will keep my blog up to date as my condition changes and improves.
October 25th, 2006
It’s Wednesday morning Oct 18th the day after my last stem cell injection. I spent my four hours in bed after the injection and had a slight headache. The headache went away after I got up and moved around for awhile. I saw my friend Chris after he has his stem cell injection and he had a headache also. He thinks like I do a headache is a small price to pay for the good results we are looking to receive from the stem cell treatments. My friend BO CAO came to my room and we talked for quite awhile. He ask me about things in the United States and I asked him the same questions about China. He also asked me if I have any new feelings in my legs. I do have some new feelings it feels like something is squeezing and putting pressure on my legs down to my feet. I know that it takes time for changes and I will be patient.
Sid came by and we talked about physical therapy he spoke to Dr Wang and now I will be having therapy in the morning as well as in the afternoon. Sid also has been in contact with Grace and they are going to try and get me setup to have a stem cell iv Friday. I hope that it gets setup because I leave for home Saturday Oct21st. I have met a lot of new friends here from the United States, Australia, Canada and China. I plan on staying in contact with them all through internet email or by phone. I hope that they all have great results from the stem cell treatments. I will also be able to stay in touch with Jon, Neil, Grace, Sid, Venus and all of the good people that make things move along at the hospital. If you ever need something or some help all you have to do is ask someone will be there to help. Dr Wang all the other doctors all the nurses, Charlie and all of the physical therapist have been great. I plan to keep my blog updated to let people know of my improvements as they occur. It’s time for me to get to physical therapy and get the day started.
October 18th, 2006
It’s Tuesday Oct 17th I am to receive my final stem cell injection today. I started to get a cold and I had a fever Sunday and Monday. Dr Wang made sure that I received medicine and treatment so the fever would be gone before my last injection. I did get to have physical therapy yesterday and it was a good session. When Charlie
my physical therapist helps me stand using the parallel bars I feel more pressure in my legs. It’s like I can feel the muscles getting tight. I do some exercises lying on a mat and I am able to move my body much easier than before the treatments. I am looking forward to getting my final stem cell treatment. I think that it will take some time for the stem cells to attach to the proper area. I am to leave Saturday Oct 21st but I will continue doing physical therapy when I get home. I’m sure I will get more improvements as time goes on. I will keep everyone up to date.
October 17th, 2006
It’s 3:40pm Tuesday afternoon and the weather is a little cooler but it’s nice. I had another stem cell injection today and my four hours in bed is now over. I feel good no headache at all but I do have a little pain in my back but it’s not bad. Grace and Sid came by my room after my injection to see how I was doing. They stay busy but they seem to always be close by if I need them for something. I think I will go out and see what’s going on here in the hospital and I may go outside for awhile. I thought I would be tired but I have a lot of energy right now. I will get back into my daily routine tomorrow oxygen treatment, acupuncture and physical therapy. I will most likely have some type of food ordered and delivered here to the hospital tonight. I just have Grace or Sid order it and they stay here until it arrives to make sure it’s the correct food and the correct price. I hope that I will have some more new feelings in my lower body and legs soon but I won’t rush things. I am very satisfied so far with the results from my treatments. I am sure there are more good things to come.
October 10th, 2006
Dr Wang came and talked to me about surgery yesterday Oct 8th. He said that he and the other doctors went over my MRI’s and that the spinal cord canal was clear. He said that surgery would not be necessary and we would continue with the stem cell injections, oxygen treatments, acupuncture, and physical therapy. I have noticed some different feelings in my legs. I have a tingling feeling and that feeling really gets more intense after I have a oxygen treatment. I believe that the oxygen treatment really gets the blood circulating. I am to have another stem cell injection tomorrow so I hope to start having more good feelings in my legs. I am not getting in a hurry I’m not rushing things. I know that the treatments work differently with the type of injury that each patient has.
October 9th, 2006
Today is Tuesday Oct 3rd it’ a nice day outside today. I had a iv first this morning and then a oxygen treatment. Then I received a iv with stem cells in it. What is good about the stem cell iv is that you can get up after it and do what ever you feel like doing. With the stem cell injection I had last week a side effect is a bad headache. The stem cell iv has no side effects at all. The person I met here who is in the military went home yesterday to visit his family. We exchanged email address’s and I sent him a email the night he left to make sure he had a safe trip. Today being the day after he left I received mail from him he said he made it home safe. He also said he would be coming back to the hospital Oct 7th and we will be able to go see a few more places in town. It’s great that you can meet someone here in Shenyang China and develop a good friendship. We have a little trouble talking sometimes but we always figure out what we are saying to each other. I stayed around the hospital all day today but I kept busy. There is a community room here with a television and Sony play station 2. I spent some time there with Chris a new friend here for treatment he is from Missouri. Physical therapist and new friend Tianyang or Charlie is his English name was there also we all played a few games on the play station. It has been a very good day overall I am having a easier time communicating with more and more people. It’s time to get myself in bed getting proper rest is very important. I want my body to be in the best condition possible to help in accepting and getting the full benefits from the stem cell treatments.
October 3rd, 2006
I have been out on the town checking different places out so it’s been a few days since I posted anything on my blog. I have made a friend he is in the Chinese military I met him at one of my treatment. He took my father and myself out to purchase some blue jeans and shoes then we went to a place he likes to eat at. The food was great very tasteful and everyone there was very friendly. They are celebrating new China from Oct 1st until Oct 7th it is their independence holiday. They say that they became independent in 1949. I still have been having oxygen treatments acupuncture and physical therapy everyday. I believe that I will having another stem cell injection sometime today. I will find out tomorrow if Dr Wang thinks that a surgical procedure would be a benefit to my type of injury. I am very comfortable with what ever Dr Wang suggest he is very professional. I have had some different types of feeling in my legs and hopefully I will notice more after another injection. I am sleeping better and I seem to have more energy during the day. It looks like it’s time for the nurse to give me my daily IV. They want to make sure that my body maintains plenty of fluids. Well my IV is finished and it’s time to go for a oxygen treatment.
October 2nd, 2006
