Bad (better) Knees Blog - take 21

Here is one of the paintings I used to do for my kids. It's called "The Pond", and I'm including it here because it's a happy thing.

And now for the serious part of our program.

At 7 this morning Cindy and I set off for Pittsburgh and my 3 month check up with the effusive Dr. Lieber. We stopped at Bagel Jay's for coffee and chicken sausage sandwiches, our traditional traveling send-off breakfast.

We've learned to buy one and split it, and so we were on our way down the I-90, through miles of beautiful New York state countryside, past Cleveland (the morning after the Cav's miraculous NBA championship win - go LeBron), and along highway 79, one of my favorite road trips. We we're enroute to the RAPS stem cell clinic by way of the Pittsburgh Ikea. Incidentally, of all the Ikeas I've visited, this one had the crummiest vibe. Here's a tip for Ikea Pittsburgh: open a couple of checkout lines, and tell your staff to try to be pleasant. Just saying.

Anyway, if you recall, this journey began about three years ago when what I thought was an IT band strain ended up being bone on bone arthritis, not only in the painful knee, but in both. When I asked the doctor what I should do, he said, "You need two full knee replacements." Conveniently, he was also a knee surgeon.

I found a new doctor. He was great, and so was the clinic which it so happened served the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, and the major university athletes in the area. I figured, if it was good enough for the millionaires, it was good enough for me. The doctors tried several alternative treatments before suggesting I meet with a surgeon. Meanwhile, I began researching alternatives, and stem cell treatments kept showing up on my browser. I was concerned that it might be another scam, but the more I read, the more I was persuaded that it was legitimate. I wrote to clinics across the United States and Mexico and ended up interviewing with three of them. I chronicled that in detail earlier in this blog, so I'll simply note that I chose the RAPS clinic in Pittsburgh.

That was 5 months ago or so. I had the treatment three months ago today, and it's been up and down. Many of you know I was feeling pretty low at my prospects for a while, second guess the decision to spend our money on this experimental treatment. A few friends told me to stop whining, my old friend Mary gave me a prescription for positive self-talk. I was also getting biweekly physical therapy that included more and more rigorous strength and flexibility work. I followed the regimen at home during the rest of the week, and added upper body strength training about a month ago. I was also sticking to my daily dose of supplements, avoiding NSAIDs altogether, using infrared heat therapy twice daily (no ice), and drinking no more a glass of wine on any given day. I was, and still am, following the doctor's orders to the letter.

And then, about three weeks ago I felt a change. In truth, it was much more gradual than that, but I was suddenly able to walk my Lab buddy a mile a day. My flexibility had increased dramatically, I could walk up and down stairs in relatively normal fashion - no more elevator at work -, and the pain level had gone from 5 to 7 to 1 or 2, and even that had become rare. The thirteen hour drive to and from North Carolina was another story, but my muscles never did tolerate long drives very well. Just to put this into perspective: a couple of months ago, I worried about going into a supermarket because I might have to walk too far.

So, when we pulled into the RAPS parking lot, I knew things had changed.

The doctor was noticeably surprised by the change. When he measured the inner flex of my right knee, he said, "Wow! That's a huge improvement." Then I asked if I could expect continued improvement. He said, "Oh yes. Definitely." What felt so good about that appointment was that Dr. Lieber appeared as sincerely pleased today as he had been disappointed two months ago.

Cindy and I left Pittsburgh feeling good about this decision. Now here's the thing - I don't know how much of the improvement is from my little stem cells. I've been focusing a lot of my energy on getting this right. Physical therapy has helped, and I may even be willing to concede that the glucosamine/condroitin, curcumin/turmeric, omega 3, collagen, and vitamin D supplements probably contributed (my fingernails are great). I'm also careful about the shoes I wear, and I know my limits. So, barring a double-blind study, I'm not ready to declare the stem cell therapy a miracle. I have a long way to go, but I've come a very long way since this journey began, and so I believe it is a miracle in progress.

We're going back in September, and I'll be sure to post btween mnow and then and, of course, again at that time. I can say with confidence that, knowing what I know now, I'd do it again.

Be good and be happy everybody.