Ah.
Well that’s my next Big Idea down the pan then.
…and pigs might fly …lol
I’m considering stem cell treatment at EnCell in Kiev. I have R&R MS but have permanent damage in my hip and leg that does make me home bound at times and does get me down.
My dad knows 2 elderly folk who have been there for treatment (not MS) and have had fantastic results.
Does anyone know anything about this place?
many thanks
It looks like snake oil. The part of HSCT which halts progression of MS, in approx 80% of patients, is the chemotherapy. Stem cells alone can not fix ms. This company Emcell, along with Swiss Medica are profiteering and will take your money by offering a treatment that will not achieve what they claim.
Thank you so much x
My pleasure, if you are interested in finding out more about HSCT and what it involves, you can start researching on various Facebook groups dedicated to HSCT for MS & Autoimmune Diseases. There are hundreds of people with personal experience of the treatment and information about which places in the world are safest together with the protocols they use.
Depending on your situation, and if it is something you think you want to pursue, you may be able to get treatment on the nhs. If not I’d suggest Mexico or Moscow which are the most experienced centres worldwide. Both have excellent standards and good safety records.
The main thing is due diligence. Research, ensure you know what it involves, speak to or meet people who have done it and then make an informed decision about whether it is right for you.
Top tip - your neuro will likely tell you you aren’t a good candidate, that if you go abroad for it you’ll come home in a box etc etc. Make up your own mind armed with all the information.
I have had stem cell therapy, self-funded from a clinic in Mississippi. The cells were harvested from fat (taken from my back) . I am not sure how the cells or if the cells were processed other than they are separated and put back in…that is where it gets interesting. I had a spinal tap to put the cells in my spinal column, an IV to circulate in my blood stream and given a powerful diuretic (can’t remember the name) to allow the cells to pass through the blood/brain barrier.
This clinic, and others like it, are popping up and are not regulated by the FDA as the procedure does not meet the legal criteria of surgery. At the time, I was working and already invested in a “Walk-aid” and trying desperately to prolong my health and career. This clinic also did second treatments at a reduced price.
The procedure, both, were ineffective for me. I had to try something and I was fortunate in that I was making good money at the time so I could “afford” to gamble. The house won unfortunately and for my time and money, I at least got an answer. Having said all of that, I still believe the future is in stem cell therapy but buyer beware. There are trials going on but you need to know that if you are paying for it, it is not an “official” trial.
My nature is to be skeptical and I asked one key question before my first treatment that I thought was a telling tail…do existing lesions look any different under MRI after treatement. The answer from the Dr was “no”…still I had to try so I did.
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Very helpful advice.
i have R&R and having been a lab rat for several years on abagio. Which has been brilliant- no relapse for 6 years but… (as always) I have permanent damage in my right leg and hip which restricts me enormously. Plus I have naughty bowels and suffer a lot from fatigue- so all in all I haven’t had much of a life for 12 years since Dx. I’m 41 now reasonably healthy but have had enough and want to give it a go. The Emcell stem cell treatment has cured on of my father’s friend’s muscle wasting disease and another friend of his has improved enormously, again not MS. They said the treatment and care was very good there, so with two personal recommendations it has obviously turned my head.
I’ve done plenty of reading and they talk about using fetal stem cells whose principle job is to repair. It does sound to good to be true granted and it’s a lot of money but not stupid money, so I’m considering it. I’m going to chat to my MS nurse about it next week so we’ll see.
Just out of curiosity where is the place in Moscow?
Thanks so much again
Seriously, please don’t waste your money on “stem cell treatment”. The phrase you will regularly hear when researching stem cell transplant (HSCT) is “no chemo, no cure”. The chemo does the work of abating the immune system, the stem cells are your own and only help your body to recover from neutropenia.
The hospital link is here