My Healing Attempts: Spinal Decompression, Stem Cells... etc.

**sportsnut3007** · 07-11-2010, 12:31 AM

Hey Mike, thats good u are getting better. When I had my small protrusion of 6 mm it took time and some pt for it to go back down to 3.5 where it doesnt bother me currently. But i was hobbling around school a good 1.5 months and then about 2.5-3 of sciatic pain while sitting in class. Its always fun trying to be paying attention and having extreme sciatic pain. I had one jerk professor I tried to turn in something early so I could go home and he was like nope turn it in class. If he only knew the sciatic/acid pain I had maybe he would have understood. Also, on the brightside its just one disc lol i have 2 bad ones somehow with third one on way and not sure exactly why. With yours, u know its one bad weightlifting thing lol and if worse comes to worse u just need one replaced and dont have some rapid stuff going on all over the place somehow like I do.

**KanRunMo** · 07-12-2010, 12:52 PM

You must be close to coming home from South Africa. It's wonderful to hear that you have pain only after a night of drinking (uh, one would think maybe tone down the drinking) LOL. Anyway, I'm very glad to hear that you are doing better. I hope the MRI shows that the disc which had a stem cell injection is growing back to normal size. If I remember right, in their instructions, it said alcohol might kill the stem cells so be careful.

Scottie

**JK2234** · 07-15-2010, 04:00 PM

Can stem cells really make a (dark) disc turn (light) again on an MRI?

Someone post a link with some pics please.

My L4-L5 is dark on my MRI. evrything above it is light.

**mike86** · 07-23-2010, 03:06 PM

It looks like the procedure made no difference at all.

Here are the results: My Herniated and Degenerative Disc Healing Attempts

I send Dr. Schultz an email.. lets see what he says.

**mike86** · 07-23-2010, 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by JK2234

Can stem cells really make a (dark) disc turn (light) again on an MRI?

Someone post a link with some pics please.

My L4-L5 is dark on my MRI. evrything above it is light.

Looks like it isn't possiblet. See above post.

**sportsnut3007** · 07-23-2010, 05:22 PM

Mike what was the size of the protrustion? Mine was 6 mm or whatever the measurement is and went down to 3.5, mine was at l5/s1 though. It took like 4 months or so to be out of the burning pain down leg. It took about a year to be fully gone. Have u tried a chiropractor using the cox table? Idk if it will help but just a thought.

**Justin** · 07-24-2010, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by mike86

It looks like the procedure made no difference at all.

Here are the results: My Herniated and Degenerative Disc Healing Attempts

I send Dr. Schultz an email.. lets see what he says.

Hey Mike,

Thanks for posting your films. It will be interesting to hear what Dr. Schultz has to say. Keep us posted buddy and I wish you the very best with L4-L5. Hang in there!

**mike86** · 07-26-2010, 01:40 PM

Greetings everyone. I got a response from the Doctor, and I was feature on the Regenexx blog. With comparison pictures, I can actually see a reduction in the bulge. He is recommending another injection... But I don't know if I'm willing to go through with it if it involves another bone marrow aspiration.

Read the regenexx blog post:
Stem Cells used to Treat a Disc Bulge-A Case of Some Improvement, but Additional Treatment Likely Needed | The Regenexx? Procedure

**KanRunMo** · 07-26-2010, 07:35 PM

Several of the stem cell sites claim they use fat cells and get them from your abdomen (under layer of skin not inside abdomen). I don't quite remember why Regenexx goes to the bone marrow and then has to grow them invitro before reinjecting but I know they have a reason. I know Regenexx is a reliable place and the doctors are former pain management M.D.s and former orthopaedic surgeons. The other places claim that the fat cells have millions more stem cells. It will be interesting to see how all this research comes out. I do hope your bulging disc continues to get smaller. It certainly seems to be a long process. Keep thinking positive.