Friday, February 19, 2010

In Colorado for my First Appointment!

Hey guys! I'm back at the hotel! The staff was wonderful! Very professional and caring. Dr. Schultz did the whole process, VERY THOROUGH. He answered all my questions and reiterated that I was a FAIR candidate and that there is a possibility that the treatment will not work.

They took a whole bunch of blood from my arm and immediately sent it to the lab. After that I went into an operating-style-room with a fluoroscopy machine. They started with local anesthetics and started with the bone marrow draw. Now, I know this will vary from person to person, but my experience was absolutely painful Click here to enlarge. It is bearable because you know it's not a damaging kind of pain, but a necessary one. I got a little nauseous but it went away after they opened the windows for me. I was in the clinic for 3 hours before I was dispatched. Again, the staff was absolutely wonderful and I got to meet both doctors.

The doctor recommended a platelet re-injection later in the day (he said: to get the blood flowing). So, I had my platelet injection in the afternoon. It wasn't painful at all. Apparently your blood is spun until the plasma separates from the blood. Then they freeze it and spin it again, causing the cells to burst open and release growth hormones. This is injected alongside a TINY dose of steroids (dex-something). This will help with blood flow.

I also got all my medicines and supplements and will start right away. The supplements are: Glucosamine, Chronditrin, Collagen II, Hyaluronic Acid, and Nimodipine. Warning: Nimodipine is EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE and is a very serious medicine for brain hemorrhages whose side effect increases nutrition in the spine. So you better have insurance to cover it. I'm sure it will given that you're given a prescription for it.

Again,rRegarding the bone marrow draw.. well, like I said, it's PAINFUL as hell. Never had this much pain in my life. But the doctor was very understanding about it and kept constant communication with me during the procedure. He did an additional procedure which I did not understand, but apparently he injected some medicine to help with repairs before the stem cells are re-injected.

And by the way, STAY NEAR THE CLINIC! I recommend the Omni Interlocken or any 4-star priceline result. I got my reservation at $77! Click here to enlarge They also have a driver that takes you anywhere you want. The cab ride to the clinic, from the airport is $90 Click here to enlarge. Or you could take a shuttle for $27.



Given all of this, I've come to one simple conclusion: THIS THING IS SERIOUS. It's a complicated procedure, although it seems as simple as in injection.

If you have any questions, let me know! 



I will be hearing from them in about 3-4 weeks.

Cheers!