I'll be the Regenexx Stem Cell Therapy Guinea Pig!

[Keano16]

Good luck, keep us informed.

[mike86]

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 . 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.

I'm going back for a platelet injection in the afternoon. After that I'm heading back home and waiting for the call to tell me that the stem cells are ready.

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.

I'll give you more details tonight!

Cheers.

[Justin]

mike86,

Thanks for sharing your experience with Dr. Schultz and the Regenexx Stem Cell Therapy. We'd love to hear the details when you get a chance. Sorry about the bone marrow biopsy--not a pleasant experience from patients I've spoken with.

Rest well and I do hope Regenexx helps in your situation.

[mike86]

Hello everybody.

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. I should be coming back in about a month.

Regarding 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.

I guess I'll be posting updates in a month.

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! They also have a driver that takes you anywhere you want. The cab ride to the clinic, from the airport is $90 .

If you have any questions, let me know!

Cheers!

[Justin]

mike86, thanks for updating us. It sounds like you were well take care of and that they thoroughly walked you through everything (even the bone marrow biopsy ). Please keep us posted and we are hopeful that the Regenexx procedure will help you. :thumpup:

[Rev. Zen]

Wow, Mike. Thanks for all of the great information. I will be following you on this website and your blog to see this is an option for me to consider looking into.

I have a quick question. Will this treatment restore your disc height ro will it simply prevent it from decreasing any further?

[mike86]

It's been 18 days since my first appointment. Pain levels are steady, peaking at 7-10 out of 10 when I'm sitting down or when the day has been very stressful. I am going to the gym and doing very moderate exercises. I've also been doing the Inversion Table about once a day for 10 minutes. I've also been taking my supplements with one little side effect: a little light-headedness. Oh and I found the nimodipine medicine at 1/10th of the cost in my country! YAY!

I got a call from Regenexx yesterday and they wanted to know how I was doing. I asked them when I would be coming back and they said they will call in a week or two regarding my appointment status. They said they're still waiting for lab results.

To answer a few questions I've been getting:
-They said I was a FAIR candidate, which meant it could work, or it couldn't. What I have going for me is that the herniation is CONTAINED and is still only a bulge at this point. He also said the DDD is not severe and the treatment could make the disc retain water again. They've also had success making bulges smaller..
-About disc height? I have no idea! I haven't asked...

Make sure you visit my blog for the latest updates: healingmyback.blogspot.com

[mike86]

I went in for the PRP (platelet rich plasma) injection yesterday. It took 5 minutes. Absolutely painless.

I also got a new MRI, which I will use as my base to see progress (btw, the MRI, so far, is exactly the same as the old one.. showing no progress at all.. which means that my spinal decompression treatment was a huge failure).

I am still taking all my medications and supplements, including Nimodipine, Glucosamine, Chronditrin, Collagen II, and Hyaluronic Acid.

I'm going in for the STEM CELL RE-INJECTION in less than two weeks! I also have a first-class ticket back home so that my stem cells don't suffer from the harsh environment of economy class.

TTYS!

[Justin]

mike86, thanks for the update! Let us know how things go after your next injection. BTW, how many stem cell injections do you have scheduled?

[mike86]

I have 3 stem cell injections scheduled, separated by 2 weeks each.