New Research Promising for Early MS

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7858559.stm

[nncdalton]

thank you for the post. i hope one day this will happen. it sounds promising but the controversy over stem cells is so negative. it scares me that there will be treatment and i will not be able to get it unless i move to another country. i am sure that if someone found a cure they would maybe change their views.

Christy D

[PastorDan]

Christy, according to the article Cindy posted, this advance was with stem cells from the patients' own bone marrow.  No controversy at all there.  The advances with adult stem cells have been spectacular in a number of fields.  The controversy, as I understand it, when the interest groups are all honest and unambiguous, is strictly over embryonic stem cells.  Many of us believe that ending the life of an embryo is ending a human life.  What's most frustrating is that there has been zero success with embryonic stem cell treatments, or near it.  Also, there is still no law against such experiments; what the last President did was simply to halt the taxpayer funding of them.  Seems odd to me that a government subsidy isn't necessary for adult stem cell research, but only for a "technology" that shows far less promise.

[Lulu54]

Cindy,
Thanks for the link.  That is a promising early trial that perhaps will get to move into larger clinical trials.  Here's hoping that will happen soon and their enthusiasm for these early results will hold up.

Thankfully this research is outside the scope of the argument for or against embryonic stem cell use, and should not be subjected to the politics of this hot button issue.

Lu  

[cindy903]

Thanks for clarifying the stem cells that are used for this treatment. It looks so very promising. All research partcipants benefited from the treatment.

[opie74]

I was thnking of banking the cordblood if we have another baby.  Im fairly sure that we will now.  

[nikcay]

Hi Folks. My name is Matt, and I have lived trough a Stem Cell Transplant, 10 years ago. It was an experiment the government was funding through NorthWestern University in Chicago. They harvested my own stem cells through lymphopheresis (spelling?). After they were sure they "cleaned them up" and froze them, they flew me back out there for the rest. The rest consisted of 7 days of chemo for breakfast, full body leathal radiation for lunch, and chemo for dinner!! I lost almost 40# in that week!! Then they reintroduced my stem cells into my blood stream, along with a TON of other drugs to make sure they flurished. 28 days later, I was released from the hospital in Chicago, and made the drive home. My Father drove me, because airplanes were too confining and had lots of germs!    
     It's been ten years since the transplant, and I'm still doing OK!? Oh, I was diagnosed with Primary Progressive MS on my 29th birthday. Every three to four weeks, something else would go wrong with me. I was blind for three months, lost my legs, then my whole left side, then my short term memory, oh, then I went blind again!? SO . . . even though I was in excellent shape before getting sick, they only gave me a 33% chance of surviving. I didn't want my very young daughters to see me "go out" without doing everything I could!! So, I told the Doc to do his best, and if things didn't work out for me, to make sure he learned something, and get it right next time!! Lucky for me, he did a fantastic job!!
     If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I'm sure I've left a lot out! Keep feeling well everyone!! Matt

[mary1973jb]

Wow I have MS like you it *****. ***@**** e-mail me. My name is Mary.

[fortywhat2]

Hi Matt,
What a great story!  I too have PPMS was diagnosed in 2008 at the age of 52, they say I've probably had it for 10 - 20 years.  I had to leave my job as a medical office manager due to cognative issues... reduced processing speed and short term memory loss.  Fortunately I have not undergone the same issues and severity that you have.  Thank you for sharing your story and stay well.
Debbie
~live as if all your dreams came true~