Today is the day we have been looking forward to, but with a bit of apprehension. Even though we know that the spinal injections of stem cells can be the most beneficial for Dave, the thought of anybody putting anything into his spine made us just a bit nervous. The nurses did a great job in making us more relaxed with two simple words ‘don’t worry’ said in their soft, calming voices.
Acupuncture this morning actually hurt Dave’s left leg. As Martin put the needles in, a couple of times Dave really jerked his leg. Up until now, he really hasn’t felt the needles in the legs. After all of Dave’s morning therapies were over and we walked three laps, we decided to go outside before getting the spinal. We took a rick shaw ride through the city. These rides prove to be more fun that any amusement park ride and really get us laughing at times.
The nurses started prepping Dave at about 3:30 and by 4:15 he was wheeled down to the Stem Cell Transplantation Room. At about 5:00 he was brought back to our room for the six hours of laying flat. So far, he has just been sleeping. Probably the last couple of hours he will get tired of just laying there. That’s when I will step to the plate and keep him entertained.
I’ll try to post a couple of pictures…hope it works. You can click on them to make them bigger.
Prepping for Spinal Wheeling into Stem Cell Transplant Room
August 20th, 2007
Sundays are always free days for all stem cell patients. We went to the hotel restaurant for brunch with Ryan, a patient from Colorado, and his parents. It definitely won’t be our last time going there!
There was a torrential rain and thunderstorm so we spent a pretty quiet afternoon just relaxing back in our room. Of course, we continued to make our laps around the 20th floor. Dave only completed 6 laps (his goal was eight laps), but he also walked downstairs to the 18th floor which proved to be good exercise.
Last night we both slept through the night for the first time. We didn’t wake up until 5:00 am. What a treat that was!
August 20th, 2007
Today was a regular day of all therapies. I, Karen, was given a new name by Martin, Dave’s therapist. I am now known as Mrs. Martin because I am assisting on the physical therapy sessions so we’ll be able to continue them at home. Martin is training “Mrs. Martin” to be as strict with Dave as he is. Martin even invited Mrs. Martin to watch as he had to blood-let a hematoma from one of our neighbor’s feet. It was done by using a totally Chinese method. How interesting that was to see! (Dave opted not to observe…you know how squeamish he is with that sort of thing…not!)
Dave is actually beginning to look forward to his acupuncture because we can see the good it is doing for him. He also did his laps around our floor. Today he did a total of eight laps (not all at once). Two of the laps were done with him walking backwards while holding onto my arm for support and guidance. Martin said going backwards will use more of his calf muscles and build them up, which is what Dave needs, especially for his right leg. All eight laps were done without his brace or cane. I have to hand it to Dave – he is so diligent about all of this, even though I can see how exhausting it is for him.
I haven’t mentioned how extremely hot it is over here. It is always in the upper 90′s with a heat index much higher and the humidity is very, very high. I, who am always cold in the US, have a steady stream of sweat dripping down my face! The heat doesn’t seem to be bothering Dave, while in the US heat really bothers him.
Presently, there are six patients on our floor from the US and three patients on the 18th floor from the US. All are here for stem cells for varying conditions. We also have patients from Hungary, Romania, and Italy.
Today we completely ate out of our “provisions”. Tomorrow, however, we will venture off to the local five star hotel for a western/eastern brunch. Talk about broadening our horizons!
August 19th, 2007
Today was a free day for us as Martin had the day off. After the morning doctors visit, we were free to do what we wanted to do. Dave decided he had better do some form of exercise so we walked three laps around the 20th floor, without leg brace or cane. Today three laps…tomorrow five laps!
We then decided to tour West Lake in Hangzhou, with our neighbors and their baby, Cameron. Of course Johnny came with us to help out in any way. We took a very cool boat ride, then decided to have lunch in an authentic Chinese restaurant. We were seated and looking at the menu but couldn’t recognize anything on it (although Johnny said the one entree would taste like chicken but he couldn’t explain what it was).Our cautiousness got the better of us and we left without eating. Pizza Hut was calling our name so we had quite a feast there.
After such a long day out in the extreme heat, we both fell asleep by 5:00 pm. Of course we awoke at our usual 3:00 am waking hour. Hopefully, by the end of our trip, we will be able to sleep completely through the night!
August 18th, 2007
Today was a regular day of therapies. Martin is really pushing Dave in physical therapy, which is a good thing. After that session Dave needed and deserved a little rest.
We are very impressed with the doctors and nurses here. They are very knowledgeable and very caring individuals. Their sense of humor is pretty fun. Dave is somehow known as the very big, hairy, humorous American. You may have noticed that all of the doctors and nurses have American names. They use these names so that we foreigners can remember them. However, they are all Chinese and many of them speak English pretty well. For those who have a difficult time with English (and those of us who have a difficult time with Chinese), an interpreter is always available to help us bridge the communication gap!
Today we decided to immerse ourselves into the Chinese culture. Leaving our “provisions” in our room…we ventured out to KFC for lunch and then we visited Pizza Hut for dinner!
August 18th, 2007
Today, after doctors reviewed Dave’s MRI, it was decided that he would be getting one IV injection of stem cells and three spinal injections of stem cells. The IV injection took about 45 minutes and went really well, with no side effects. This injection sends the stem cells throughout the body. The spinal injections send the stem cells directly to the brain for the central nervous system. Another session of acupuncture was done, this time we played music which helped in making Dave more relaxed. The electric wave therapy went well and there was no physical therapy today due to the stem cell injection. One thing we did notice today was that the color of Dave’s feet was that of a normal color. For many years now his feet have been purple due to poor circulation. Today, we were happy to see them looking so normal. We actually saw blood vessels pulsating in his feet as the blood was being pumped. Something is definitely working to have this positive effect!
August 18th, 2007
This was Dave’s first day of actual treatment and a very full day it was! The day started early with acupuncture at 8:00 for 1/2 hour. This is really not one of Dave’s favorite things to do but we know they do it for a good reason. This was followed by the doctor/nurse visit. Next came 40 minutes of electric wave therapy on his leg muscles. In the afternoon came 50 minutes of physical therapy. Some of this was very difficult for Dave to do, especially for his weaker leg and anything that was directly related to balance. He did a great job, though, and will work his way up to more and more endurance. After a brief rest, Johnny took us to the Foot Bath for a foot/body massage. This was a wonderful way to end the day!
August 17th, 2007
Today was basically a day of testing and evaluating. Blood tests were done, along with a urinalysis, MRI and EKG. We were able to meet with Dr. Mary who wrote up a case history on Dave and we also met Dr. Mike, who is Dave’s main doctor. We also met our new Chinese friend, Johnny. He is 24 years old and volunteers at the hospital during the day (this helps him in learning English) and nights he works at KFC. He is truly watching over us and helps us in any way that he can. Dave also had an extensive evaluation done by Martin, his physical therapist. This evaluation lasted amost two full hours – we were so impressed! Dave has never in his 30 years of living with MS had such an extensive evaluation done in the U.S. After all the test results come back, the doctors, nurses and therapist will design a treatment program for Dave.
August 17th, 2007
Sunday began with a great brunch, then a brief tour of Shanghai. Chinese people are very intrigued by Dave’s size and the fact that we are Americans. The street vendors wouldn’t leave him alone. Finally, after buying 1 fake Rolex watch, 3 Mont Blanc pens and 15 postcards (for a total of $15.00) we were able to get back in the taxi and travel the 2 1/2 hours to Hangzhou. It was a pretty relaxing day after getting checked in at the hospital because Sundays are totally free days for patients. Hospitals in China do not provide any food to patients so the families are responsible for feeding them. Jerry, a staff member for Beike Biotechnology Company took us to the supermarket which is a couple of long blocks from the hospital (we can see it from our room up on the 20th floor of the hospital). In addition to being able to cook meals in one of the two kitchens on our floor, we are able to order carry out meals from several nearby restaurants. Dave & I plan to live off the “provisions” we brought along with us for the first few days!
August 17th, 2007
We arrived in Shanghai, China on Saturday, August 11, after a 14 1/2 hour flight. The flight was very long, but very good. The girl sitting next to us was returning home to Shanghai and spoke some English. She wrote down in Chinese the name of our hotel for that night and the hospital name for the following day. We then just had to give these papers to the taxi drivers, as they do not speak or read English. What a help that was!
August 17th, 2007
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Prepping for Spinal Wheeling into Stem Cell Transplant Room
