Stem cells for brain injury in an adult?

[stephanie]

Has anyone had stem cell transplant for an acquired brain injury due to a car accident? My husband was injured in July 2006 (2 years ago tomorrow) and though we were told he wouldn't come out of a vegetative state, he has done remarkably well.

His physical disabilities though seem to be getting worse rather than better. He has lost much of the use of his right leg (just can't get it to respond anymore) and therefore has become completely dependent on his wheelchair, despite the fact that he was actually walking with assistance for the first 6 months post accident. He has trouble with balance, coordination, speech (stuttering), incontinence (several accidents a week), working memory, problem solving, and decision making as well as difficulties controlling his emotions (short tempered). As a result, I have been named his legal guardian and he can't be left alone for more than 15 minutes at any given time. We'd really like to get to the point where he could be left alone safely for at least a few hours a day.

He received PT, OT, Cog, and ST on and off for about a year. This was funded by BSCIP as he was not insured at the time of his accident. This funding was cut off in March of 08. We are looking for the next step....he never made much progress in therapy (and physically, he has actually continued to decline).

We have two young children (5 and 2) and want their daddy to be able to be more involved in their daily lives.

Please let me know if you think he'd be a candidate for stem cell transplant and if yes, where do you recommend we go? I've read a little bit about the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and China but how do you figure out where to go?

Sorry so long. Just hoping there's some hope for more progress.

Stephanie

 

[barbara]

I am not a doctor so I couldn't tell you if your husband's condition could benefit from stem cell therapy. My suggestion would be to contact reputable clinics and gather as much information from them about anyone else that may have been treated for something similar. Also, when consulting with a doctor, take copious notes even if you do not understand everything that is being told to you. You can then compare what each doctor has to say. You may even find you would like the opinion of some of the nice doctors and professionals that participate on this forum. If you are considering Stem Cell Biotherapy in the Cayman Islands, they have closed that location as well as Peru and I would suggest you read my red flag warnings about that company. You need to be careful of any company or doctor that makes promises and boasts of high success rates. Also, beware of slick websites and fancy brochures and sales reps who are more intent on selling you the treatment than anything else. If you read some of the posts on this forum, you will get a good idea of the type of questions and concerns we deal with as prospective patients. Don't believe a lot of hype. No two people are the same, but some companies would have you think that everyone that has ever been treated by them has had terrific responses and that just isn't so. Please feel free to post again with questions you may have about certain doctors or clinics that you contact. We have a nice group of members on here who will be glad to give you their opinions.

 

[alex]

Hi Stephanie,

My husband has brain injury as well. It has been 1 year for him. He was in a coma for 7 weeks, and all the doctors told us that he would never wake up. He did! He has some motor function from the neck down; is wheelchair bound; totally dependend on care; he has a trach and feeding tube; his cognition is good, with some short term memory problems.

I have been doing a lot of research regarding stem cell treatment for neurological conditions, especially for TBI. I seems that umbilical cord blood produces the best results. The cord blood should be administered via catheter infusion into the brain (the catheter is snaked through a vein up to the brain), or direct implant (I am not so crazy about that idea). Others prefer injection via lumbar puncture.

In order to narrow down my search, I looked at the doctor's credentials, experience in the stem cell field, success rate.

I also found that different doctors/clinics specialize for different conditions. Some do stem cell treatment for heart patients and are leading in this field, others seem to have success with diabetes, and a few are working with neurological conditions. And of course there are a few that do all of the above.

I have actually contacted a few clinics and communicated with two different doctors. I am glad I did, because based on their responses/response time, I knew who I wanted to go to.

If all goes well, we will be going the beginning of August for stem cell treatment at Dr. Ramirez. I am excited and hope that we will have some success. I am still working on the details: oxygen for the plane ride; concentrator, hospital bed, wheelchair accessible van, on the other end.

You can email me, if you want more info.

 

[shazza]

hi

l had an illness called acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which attacked my brain and central nervous system, l cant walk or talk, in fact l cant move my right limbs and have limited movement in my left side!
over the last few years ive been going to a few clinics, but for one reason or another, these havnt worked out!
im now hoping to go to be treated at MSC, they have clinics in mexico and panama where i'll be injected in the spine
it'll now be next year before l can go, has anyone else on here been injected that way, and if yes how are they getting on?
sharon