Char’s MS Blog

September 12, 2007

September 12th, 2007

Hi eveybody! I have had a hard time getting this blog up and running. First I had to wait to get it set up, then I need to borrow other patient’s laptops when they are available, then need to luck out on a time when the internet is up. We’ve been in Shenyang 9 days already. A staff person named Tony met us at the airport and took us to a hotel, then picked us up the next morning and took us to the hospital. We felt very well taken care of. Tony speaks pretty good English, actually he lived in Montreal for 5 years and became a Canadian citizen. There’s one other girl named Lucy that speaks English, other than that it’s sign language. I’ve had two consulatations with doctors, through Tony’s interpreting. Life has settled into a routine. I have accupuncture at 9:15, physio therapy at 10:00am and 2:45pm and a 3 hour dailyIV whenever it works out. I’ve had a heart test, blood tests, x-rays and a 2 hour MRI. They are very thorough here. Last Wed I had my first umbilical stem cord transfusion which was painless. Then Thurs they took out cells from the hip bone. Ouch! Now today they are putting those cells in my spinal cord. My MS specialist at UBC clinic was most excited about this procedure, so hopefully it works. My left foot used to drag but is already lifting so that I can walk a little, so that’s encouraging. I’m not sure if it because of the stem cells or the physio therapy. The therapist is excellent. He doesn’t speak English, but it didn’t take long to figure out what he wants me to do. The other patients were telling me that someone with ms left a while before we arrived and he didn’t feel any benefit while in China, but is improving since he got home. So it takes 2 to 6 months to get all the benefit. The hospital is clean and our room has a TV, DVD player,(you can buy a package of DVD’s for $1), water container, fridge, microwave. We have our own bathroom with a shower. There is a Wal-Mart which is very different

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