Feel very blessed to have been able to get the treatment when and where I did. People have already asked me if I had any second thoughts or regrets about getting a stem cell transplant. Gosh no! One of my most concerning symptoms is so much better already that it makes me believe that the transplant is a huge success. That symptom is weakness in my legs. Prior to treatment my legs were weak like rubber. Since the treatment my legs are solid and getting stronger. Had been told that newer symptoms had the best chance of recovery versus older symptoms. Leg weakness for me had started about two years ago. For this reason I am very optimistic that my future quality of life has been secured from the ravages of MS.
When we were at the hospital in Moscow, Alicia and I were told by Dr. Fedorenko to expect positive results from the treatment beginning in months 3 to 6. Well the time is here. It's now been 3 months and I am highly encouraged by what I am experiencing already. Hopefully that means more good things to come in rolling back some of the deficits caused by this insidious disease. I've read many blogs and reports from other patients that good things come for many months to a few years after treatment.
Upon returning from Moscow I found that the burning sensation in my legs and feet were gone. However it was short lived as the burning sensation slowly crept back. Makes me think that it was probably due to the steroids that were given to me during the treatment and upon release from the hospital. Still holding out hope though that as my recovery marches forward the burning sensation subsides and/or goes away again. Always have to keep in mind that the recovery is still in the early stages for me and my body. It's just hard to be patient sometimes. Really trying to focus on staying positive in my mindset and outlook. Dr. Fedorenko really stressed how important it was to stay positive and I agree with him 100 percent.
Had a little bit of a setback in my health this past month. Wanted to share this for other people who are looking at HSCT as a possible treatment but are concerned about heart issues. Prior to having my treatment I begun to experience AFIB and had an ablation to rectify the arrhythmia. It seemed to be a success. This was shared with Dr. Fedorenko prior to the testing they performed on me at their hospital. He told me that AFIB was not a disqualifier, but they were going to perform extra testing to verify that my heart could withstand the chemotherapy. Obviously my heart tested well and I tolerated the chemo with no incidents for my heart. Everything was going great for my heart until a few weeks ago. The arrhythmia started up again. Darn! Went back to the doctor who performed the ablation. Turns out the arrhythmia had changed from AFIB to A flutter. Unfortunately it meant another ablation. So last Friday I went back to the hospital for a second ablation. Wanted to share this with you all so that people who have heart issues understand that it is not an automatic disqualifier for HSCT treatment. Dr. Fedorenko will look at this on a case by case basis.
The biggest issue that I am still dealing with concerning my MS symptoms is tiredness. It is still giving me a lot of trouble. Hoping that the ablation helps to give me more energy as it is possible that some of the tiredness is coming from heart issues and not so much from MS. It's so easy to blame every health issue on a chronic disease when there could be other underlying health issue causing problems. Only time will tell on that one. The bottom line for me is that tiredness is a big problem for me even after HSCT. Hoping that now I am three months post transplant some relief comes my way on this issue if MS is a major contributor.
All in all I am very happy and satisfied with how things are going for me after HSCT. It certainly gives me hope for my future where I was feeling like my future was trending toward hopelessness. Looking forward to getting a year under my belt of recovery and having my immune system reconstituted.
Be well!!!
