I want to try the stem cell transplant.

[BigA]

I have been researching ALL the treatments for ms. I am not happy with all the CRAB and Tysabri drug choices. It seems that they all have the potential to cause cancer as a small percentage rate. However small, I refuse to use any type of drug that could cause something that is worse than what I already have.

Since my diagnoses I have been on a steady decline in my health and stamina and muscle strength.

My main concern regarding the stem cell transplant is the chemotherepy part. That does scare me a bit. Mainly because I know a person gets very sick and I do have 3 young children in school. Which they do bring home illnesses...common cold, strep throat, flu, etc.

I am making contact with the Universities, clinics that do this procedure...hoping that I can be put on a waiting list or something of that sort.

Can anyone give me some advice on the chemotherepy part regarding this treatment?

I don't get it. The CRAB drugs have years and years of data on safety and you're keeping away for a small statistical risk of cancer? But then you're willing to travel to a foreign country have your immune system killed off by chemo and then built back up again?

Surely there’s more risk and a lower chance of it doing anything, compared to say, Copaxone, which has a pretty benign side-effect profile.

[izziebean]

Surely there’s more risk and a lower chance of it doing anything, compared to say, Copaxone, which has a pretty benign side-effect profile.

For some people, the DMDs do not stop the attacks. I tried both Copaxone and Avonex. Neither worked for me.

[BigA]

Izzie:

Re-read inmoni5's Post. It seems his/her main complaint about the DMDs was the potential to cause cancer, not any lack of effectiveness.

I got the feeling that he/she had never tried them, but was willing to undergo stemcell transplantation.

I was just wondering if it is covered by insurance? Also, what exactly is involved?

My dh and I were discussing this yesterday and I will ask my Mayo neuro next visit in May...

Just wanted to get a few details. Thanks.

Me, too! I would really like to know more about it as far as insurance is concerned (as well as details about the actual procedure; esp. like the idea you can use your own stem cells).

[PanBogdan]

Many miracles tell about therapy, but I consider, at qualitative, and the main thing of well-timed operation and a
chemotherapy it is possible to recover and thus to manage that is called with small losses.

[dyin_myelin]

Getting chemo to target bone marrow, at least in cancer treatment, is like detonating a nuclear bomb. It increases your chances of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is treatment resistant. Copaxone, when injected up to fifteen times the amount typical of human dosing, did not cause neoplasms in mice. A small study in Israel found a slight increase in breast cancer. After a lifetime of trying to avoid carcinogenic materials and lifestyle decisions I definitely feel your pain; however I am going to throw Ty at this because wetting myself in a wheelchair with lopsided eyes and the inability to think well isn't how I'm going down. That is just as bad as cancer IMHO.

[JerryD]

I believe that the Cleveland Clinic has done some trials , just recently completed, using a NON MYOABLATIVE procedure with MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL INFUSION on 24 patients, 12 were RRMS and 12 were progressive patients. I want to know what happened to that information, but I am at a stand still on it. I have reached out to the investigators by email, and got no answers. Maybe one of you can uncover the outcome of this trial. Good luck