BELLAIRE, Texas - A Houston-area hospital is using an innovative way to help patients heal quickly -- by using their own stem cells. A local patient cannot believe how quickly it helped her get over her pain and heal faster than ever. She says it is all thanks to surgeons at Foundation Surgical Hospital.
Not so long ago, Barbara Rogers felt down on her luck.
"It got to where I couldn't work without pain, couldn't move without pain. I did nothing without pain!," exclaims Rogers. She tried everything to heal the problem. Then, when she had to miss her toddler grandson's birthday party because the pain was so bad, she knew something had to be done. That is when she turned to surgery at Foundation Surgical Hospital.
"She had developed a deformity in her back. The level at the waistline had become arthritic and unstable and had fallen out of alignment, causing her severe back pain. There was pressure on the nerve which caused difficulty walking and being active," explains Dr. Christoph Meyer from Foundation Surgical Hospital.
Rogers became homebound, until she underwent a state-of-the art procedure. Dr. Meyer had extracted her own stem cells during her surgery.
"Almost everyone is very excited about the possibility when we tell them how we harvest the cells. Since they come from their own bodies, not from somebody else, they're very excited," says Dr. Meyer.
Doctors have known for several decades that stem cells help the healing process, but Dr. Meyer says there has been no technology to produce it, until now.
Once surgeons remove the stem cells from bone marrow, an automated system prepares the extracted cells in only thirty minutes. It purifies them and separates them from other cells, so that surgeons can re-inject them into the surgery site.
"In general, we see the patients healing faster and perhaps more robustly than they did with former techniques. Where it might be 3 to 6 months for someone previously, now that's probably cut in half in most people," says Dr. Meyer. It was only five weeks for Rogers.
Dr. Meyer says because the stem cells come from a patient's own body, there is no concern for tissue rejection or other problems. Also, they take the stem cells through the same incision site, so there is no extra bruising to the patient.
"It's turned out beautifully. I've had a 360-degree turn around," says a smiling Rogers. She goes on to say, "I have recouped more life and the quality of life is staggering - it's overwhelming!"
Rogers walked the second day after her surgery and now she is walking 6 miles each day! Her quality of life is back, and she says she has improved 110 percent.
On the Web:
Foundation Surgical Hospital -- http://foundationsurgicalhospital.com/
Not so long ago, Barbara Rogers felt down on her luck.
"It got to where I couldn't work without pain, couldn't move without pain. I did nothing without pain!," exclaims Rogers. She tried everything to heal the problem. Then, when she had to miss her toddler grandson's birthday party because the pain was so bad, she knew something had to be done. That is when she turned to surgery at Foundation Surgical Hospital.
"She had developed a deformity in her back. The level at the waistline had become arthritic and unstable and had fallen out of alignment, causing her severe back pain. There was pressure on the nerve which caused difficulty walking and being active," explains Dr. Christoph Meyer from Foundation Surgical Hospital.
Rogers became homebound, until she underwent a state-of-the art procedure. Dr. Meyer had extracted her own stem cells during her surgery.
"Almost everyone is very excited about the possibility when we tell them how we harvest the cells. Since they come from their own bodies, not from somebody else, they're very excited," says Dr. Meyer.
Doctors have known for several decades that stem cells help the healing process, but Dr. Meyer says there has been no technology to produce it, until now.
Once surgeons remove the stem cells from bone marrow, an automated system prepares the extracted cells in only thirty minutes. It purifies them and separates them from other cells, so that surgeons can re-inject them into the surgery site.
"In general, we see the patients healing faster and perhaps more robustly than they did with former techniques. Where it might be 3 to 6 months for someone previously, now that's probably cut in half in most people," says Dr. Meyer. It was only five weeks for Rogers.
Dr. Meyer says because the stem cells come from a patient's own body, there is no concern for tissue rejection or other problems. Also, they take the stem cells through the same incision site, so there is no extra bruising to the patient.
"It's turned out beautifully. I've had a 360-degree turn around," says a smiling Rogers. She goes on to say, "I have recouped more life and the quality of life is staggering - it's overwhelming!"
Rogers walked the second day after her surgery and now she is walking 6 miles each day! Her quality of life is back, and she says she has improved 110 percent.
On the Web:
Foundation Surgical Hospital -- http://foundationsurgicalhospital.com/