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| Beike - Paul |
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| Spinal Cord Injuries | |||
| Friday, 25 April 2008 00:05 | |||
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P A T I E N T E X P E R I E N C E - S P I N A L C O R D I N J U R Y NAME: Paul  AGE: 40 COUNTRY: Australia DIAGNOSIS: Spinal Cord Injury, L1 incomplete, Mild Brain Injury REASON FOR COMING TO TREATMENT: Four and a half years ago, while working at a construction site, Paul was hit directly on the head by pallet that had fallen off of a crane and completely crushed into the ground by the impact. Paul was told he was lucky to have survived the accident. However, he suffered a mild brain injury and an incomplete spinal cord injury which has confined him to a wheel chair ever since. He participated in physical therapy for the first few years after his injury, but after seeing no improvements he stopped going. In early 2007 he became involved in a wheelchair basketball team and traveled throughout Australia to compete in tournaments. It was here that he made friends with another spinal cord injury patient who provided him with information about stem cells treatments which were available in China. After a few months of research and discussion the two now best friends decided that they would venture to China together for the stem cell transplants and therapies. BEFORE THE TREATMENT: After his accident Paul was largely paralyzed from the waist down. He had minimal function in his quads and hamstrings and could bear some weight, but below his knees he had no movement and was completely confined to a wheel chair. He had minimal bladder sensation and was only able to hold his bladder for 3 to 5 minutes once he sensed the need to urinate. START OF TREATMENT: January 3rd, 2008 TREATMENT COURSE: Spinal Cord Decompression Surgery with Autologous Bone Marrow Stem Cells applied directly to the injury site. Six Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Transplants both IV and Spinal. Six Cord Serum transfusions via IV. Six Nerve Growth Factor transfusions both IV and spinal. Rehabilitation Therapy, Acupuncture, Electric Muscle Stimulation and Physical Therapy. AFTER THE TREATMENT: While still in the hospital during the course of his treatment Paul had already begun to show significant progress. Most strikingly, he gained the ability to move his feet from side to side while sitting in his wheelchair. His friend, Ben, pointed this out to Paul one day stating to him that he was moving his foot. Paul had not even been aware he was doing it. Of course at first he himself did not even believe it was real, as he had not been able to move either of his feet even the slightest bit since his accident. After a few days of working on intentionally moving his feet he found he had gained complete control over the movement. Over time he was also able to exert coordination within the movement and he found that his foot control also strengthened over time. Less visible, but equally important to Paul, was his increased bladder sensation and control. Before coming to china, he had not been able control his bladder for more than 5 minutes which resulted in many humiliating accidents for him. By the end of his month long stay he was able to hold his bladder once he sensed the need to urinate for at least 20 minutes. This gave Paul plenty of time to locate a bathroom. On one of his last days in China he spent an entire day out exploring the city of Shenyang without needing to use the bathroom even once. Paul went back home to Australia with a fresh outlook on his life having found new motivation he began physical therapy once again to build upon his new skills. His overall quality of life and functionality had improved and he was very pleased with his newly gained skills which have provided him with increased independence. Paul was most looking forward to rejoining his basketball team and to showing off his new skills to his family and friends. Paul's Injury History Paul discussing his improvements 1 Paul discussing his improvements 2 Paul showing his improvements Paul discussing his physical therapy
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 14 September 2008 17:44 |