Pansy’s Ataxia Blog

Day 14 in the hospital-Improvements

September 10th, 2008

Spencer the 2 years blind boy from Wisconsin can now see for the first time this morning ( 9-9-08 ) –the stem cells repaired the optic nerve to his brain. 
Pansy can see better today–she can read the writing on t-shirts with ease–her eyes do not have the quivering movements. She can feel her face and lips–she has not been able to feel her lips in about 20 years since the shunt was implanted in her ear at the Shea Clinic in Memphis and they cut the nerve during the procedure. Her balance improves each day–she is walking without any assistance device. She does not need a straw when drinking–the coughing condition that she has had for at least 10 years seems to have been cured. She is walking with ease–again the stem cells are doing their thing.
The spinal injection procedure takes about 20-30 minutes–that is the length of time that they are wheeled up stairs in their own bed to the procedure room and back to their room. As I understand it  they roll into a fetal position–the doctor makes a small puncture in the spinal cord almost opposite the navel. They draw out a small amount of fluid and reinject the same amount of stem cells and then those little fellows go work–they go the location that needs help–a number of tests are completed on the fluid that is removed.
The electric wave therapy is completed by having a small devices ( 2″ x 2″ ) strapped to below and above the knee–the wires are connected to a machine with a control dial that will increase or decrease the amount of electric wave needed to stimulate the nerves or energize the muscle. You can see the muscles move when they crank up the current.
Jason does the acupuncture–this therapy was learned by Jason from family members–for the blind children the needles are placed in the fore head above the eyes. Pansy’s needles are placed on the wrist area, elbow, ankle, knee, and thigh area. For people with a spinal cord injury Jason puts around 12 or 13 needles down each side of the back bone. I don’t know what those needles are suppose to do. I declined Jason’s offer for a free acupuncture session.
We went to supper tonight with Jason, Jessica, (translator ) Charles (broke his back falling from a ladder that fell sideways from a roof like Tommy Brown) and Danielle from Québec City, Charles ( back problems ) and Tonya from Boston

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized, ataxia