Bad Knees Blog - Take 27: One year on
Yesterday afternoon I complained to Cindy that my knee was hurting. She asked, "The right knee?"
When I said "Yes" she said, "It's the painting. You've been up and down a ladder for the past three days."
If you've followed my stem cell journey, you probably understand just how significant this is. One year ago this week I underwent several days of procedures and stem cell injections. I began the Bad Knees Blog chronicle then, and if you recall, I was in a bad way. After a lifetime of being athletic and overdoing things physically, I had begun to believe it was over. I had bone on bone arthritis in both knees, and my right knee was getting serious. Never mind that I wouldn't be able to run a marathon or cross-country ski through twenty miles of pine woods in the Upper Peninsula - I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to hike the Adirondacks, or even take my dog for long walks in the city. Melodramatic? Maudlin? Whatever you call it, severe pain does that to a person.
The first doctor who gave me the bad news said simply, "You need a knee replacement." I went for a second opinion (Incidentally, that doctor and his secretary seemed visibly ticked-off by that). Anyway, the new place tried a number of treatments and even offered to enroll me in a research study on a new therapy.
That's when I started looking at stem cell treatments. It was new, unproven, and my "good" doctors suggested it was not worth the effort or the cost. Nevertheless, I read a lot, reviewed treatment centers here, in Mexico, and abroad, and ultimately contacted several clinics. I understood this would not be a sure thing, but studies, anecdotes, and the knowledge that I could always get the knee replacement if this didn't work, spurred me on. My wife, Cindy, also encouraged me to go for it. That's important, as this was going to cost something north of $5000.
I'll remind you that I was in severe pain, could not walk the dog, had trouble getting in and out of my car and shower, avoided stairs whenever possible, and worried when we would go to the supermarket because I wasn't sure I'd manage the walking. Worst of all, I could not sleep for the pain.
So, the "What have I got to lose?" rationale was not out of line.
I ended up connecting with the Rehabilitation and Pain Specialists (RAPS) clinic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the stoic Dr. Lieber. They used the Regenexx procedure which included platelet enrichment, prolotherapy, and stem cell harvesting (a euphemistic way of describing drilling into your hips) and stem cell injections. In addition, the clinic prescribed the "magic" knee brace (see late night TV), physical therapy, and a number of dietary and supplement recommendations.
At times I was worried. I am a skeptic in the truest sense, I'm not a fan of supplements, and I wanted results. It wasn't going quickly enough.
Then, months after the procedure, I began to notice change. I could bend my knee. I had much less pain, and I could sleep again. I was also able to walk longer and longer distances. Then last summer we visited my son and his wife in the Albany area, and we walked through several parts of the city on one day. On the next we walked around Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. My knee hurt, but I had put in several miles for the first time in memory.
It got better and better, and by all observable measures, it continues to get better. At one point, I noted in a RAPS survey that I still wanted empirical evidence that the stem cell procedure was the reason for my improvement. After all, I had followed a number of regimens over the months.
Dr. Lieber called me and asked if I'd send him the before and after x-rays of the knee. I immediately scheduled an "after" x-ray and sent both series of pictures out to the clinic. They show increased space between the bones. Is it new cartilage? I have no idea, but it is "empirical" evidence of improvement, so the skeptic in me can breathe a little more comfortably.
There is a much more to learn about the promise of stem cell treatments, but there is no doubt that they are promising.
So, one year on and my knee hurts because I not only was up and down a ladder, but I was squatting to sand, prime and paint, and when the ladder seemed like too much, I was climbing up onto and jumping (yes, jumping) down from a kitchen chair. This would have been impossible one year ago.
Would I do it again? Yes. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you first do your homework, and find a clinic with a proven track record. Stem cell therapies vary widely.
So that's it. I seem to improve every month. I'm looking forward to some vertical meanderings in the Adirondack Mountains, and I can assure you, my friends, that it is not over.
So, Ciao everyone. Be good, and be happy. There isn't much else worth thinking about in this life.
Rehabilitation and Pain Specialists Clinic (RAPS), Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.rapsmd.com/
Regenexx http://www.regenexx.com/?utm_source=googlepaid&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=248009729&matchtype=p&device=c&keyword=regenexx&network=s&gclid=CNuT-aza79ICFZ2CswodtBcMyg
