Severe neurological symptoms - question

[lenora]

Learner1....Good Morning. I did reply to you via @valentinelynx, but for some reason I couldn't find it on the site it was probably moved to: If you can, go to:

Forum
Emotional Support
Chatting with Lenora
Look for last reply or post by me, and go to page 27 or 28....often things are moved there and people aren't aware of it. Don't think I ignored you...I wouldn't do that.

I agree that there's a total difference between using your own platelets and the stem cell "fix." The latter is the one I would be most afraid of. Medicine is constantly changing, new patterns are emerging and we have to do a lot of checking out before we rush to the first place that "promises" to fix us. Thanks! Yours, Lenora.

 

[Learner1]

Learner1....Good Morning. I did reply to you via @valentinelynx, but for some reason I couldn't find it on the site it was probably moved to: If you can, go to:

Forum
Emotional Support
Chatting with Lenora
Look for last reply or post by me, and go to page 27 or 28....often things are moved there and people aren't aware of it. Don't think I ignored you...I wouldn't do that.

I agree that there's a total difference between using your own platelets and the stem cell "fix." The latter is the one I would be most afraid of. Medicine is constantly changing, new patterns are emerging and we have to do a lot of checking out before we rush to the first place that "promises" to fix us. Thanks! Yours, Lenora.

Thanks, @lenora !

 

[Learner1]

Learner1....Good Morning. I did reply to you via @valentinelynx, but for some reason I couldn't find it on the site it was probably moved to: If you can, go to:

Forum
Emotional Support
Chatting with Lenora
Look for last reply or post by me, and go to page 27 or 28....often things are moved there and people aren't aware of it. Don't think I ignored you...I wouldn't do that.

I agree that there's a total difference between using your own platelets and the stem cell "fix." The latter is the one I would be most afraid of. Medicine is constantly changing, new patterns are emerging and we have to do a lot of checking out before we rush to the first place that "promises" to fix us. Thanks! Yours, Lenora.

Hi, I didn't find a post by you for me. Just didn't want you to think I ignored you.

 

[valentinelynx]

@valentinelynx Thank you for the warning. I agree that there's a lot of sketchy activity by folks hawking stem cells, though, as you mention, there seems to be promise by using one's own cells for orthopedic problems, but it's the wild west out there with lots of charlatans.

But, it's a common mistake to link.stem cell treatments to platelet rich plasma, which is using one's own platelets. It strikes me that PRP is sort of like darning a sock, providing more surface for the rebuilding of tissue to occur. It is used in professional athletes and is done in university medical centers.

I agree that PRP shows some promise. However, this promise is to date not supported much by research. What evidence of benefit there is appears to offer some promise for acute injuries to tendons, but not for chronic injuries. I found this article about the research to date that, despite a rather flippant tone, does a good job of covering the science so far. The best studied application seems to be knee osteoarthritis, and a recent meta-analysis concluded that PRP was likely to improve clinical outcome in knee OA more than hyaluronic acid, so that's promising. The lack of good evidence for PRP is the reason this treatment is not covered by insurance. The great profitability is why it will continue to be heavily marketed despite the lack of good evidence. In the right hands, it's probably fairly harmless, so if you've got the funds, it might be worth a try.

 

[Learner1]

PRP was experimental 11 years ago, but people were having success with it then:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattl...sma-may-give-athletes-shot-at-healing-faster/

Insurance is always happy to call something experimental do they don't have to pay. The copays of rotator cuff surgery and physical therapy would be much higher than the $900 PRP treatment. And, my auto insurance paid for it, as the 3 rotator cuff muscles were torn in a car accident.

Two different surgeons I had evaluate it encouraged me to look into PRP as an alternative to surgery as my other doctors were concerned about the impact of the stress of the surgery and anesthesia and the arduous rehab on my body and referred me to the Sports Medicine department at the University of Washington Medical Center where they've done a lot of research on the technique.

https://familymedicine.uw.edu/sports-medicine/patients/regenerative-medicine/

As the wait there would have been 4 months, I chose the MD PhD who could do it in a more timely manner. I did look into it before doing it, and found 2 friends had successfully had it done on their knees.

Even if it hadn't been covered by insurance, I would have happily paid for the very successful treatment. I've since met patients who opted for the surgery and had a year of very arduous rehab after it, and am very glad I avoided the surgery.