Knee Results Are In.....drum roll, please....!!

I've waited.
Since May 21st when I had the actual stem cell treatment. Well, before that, actually.
And May 31st was the last time I was in Philly. That was the date of my post-treatment, the PRP  (Plasma Rich Platelets) treatment meant to whirr those stem cells into action.
Since then, my knee has felt better and better. I've been walking, swimming, biking, and more walking!
I've 'tested' my knee--pushed on it in ways that would have brought instant pain before. I've felt so good when on the treadmill that I was way too close to breaking into a run. I didn't. Only 'cuz I wasn't supposed to, and I'm all about doing what the doctor says.
(For all the info on this stem cell procedure, visit this page of my blog to see all my back posts leading up to this point.)

I was feeling so tremendously great, that I just couldn't wait to get to Philly on August 15th, when I'd find out if the stem cell procedure worked...or not.

But first, bear with me. I have a story to tell before I can give you the outcome.

The only thing left before my trip to Philly was an event called Kingdom Bound. It's a 4-day Christian festival held at Darien Lake Theme Park in Darien Center, NY. It's what I've volunteered at for the last 6 years, this year making it my 7th. It's the place where I originally hurt my knee last year. Yup. KB, as we all call it.

I think I'll start calling it "oK, B careful!!"

Everything was going so well. The only rain that happened was on Sunday afternoon. But it didn't matter. I was careful.....no, beyond careful...going up all the steps that led to the stages I'd be interpreting on. If you remember, that's how I hurt myself last year-slipping on some wet steps at...KB.

Interpreting at KB 2012 for Casting Crowns.







Wednesday, the last day of the festival, arrived. In only one week, I'd be in Philly to learn how well my knee had healed. I was stoked.

The afternoon rolled around, and I was hanging out at our campsite. I call it Terp Tent Town. We are blessed to have several RVs that all of the interpreters can stay in, but since there are too many of us, we set up our tents all around the RVs. It's cozy, nice, fun with all the families living together for 4 days.

I was just standing on the lawn, talking to another interpreter, enjoying the last afternoon. When.....
it happened.

A child, an adorable child, was playing ball with a friend. Lightly throwing the foamy but somewhat hard ball back and forth. Just having fun.
And for some unexplainable reason....the kid CHUCKED it....at MY HEAD!

I saw it coming. I ducked. FAST. A quick lunge movement, something the doctor warned me not to do. In a split second, I felt....yup, you guessed it....pain. No. NOT from the ball. The ball JUST grazed my hair ever so slightly. It was.... my KNEE.

I stood up, in shock and still unable to talk because it hurt. The other interpreter didn't seem to notice my silence and kept talking. But I didn't hear a thing she said, because inside, I was talking to myself:
"I can'tttttt....believe....that JUST happened!! That hurts sooooo much!! It was feeling sooo good!!! I KNOW that kid didn't mean to aim the ball at me! I. am. going. to. S.T.R.A.N.G.L.E. that child!!!!"

I was almost ready to leap past the other interpreter and go for it, but I knew the headline in the paper the next day wouldn't look so good.....

"MAD WOMAN KILLS HER FRIEND'S CHILD AT CHRISTIAN FESTIVAL!"

So I smiled. At the child. I carried on and tried to forget what happened. I prayed that 3 months of waiting hadn't been undone with just one fast toss of a ball.

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By Tuesday the 14th, my knee was feeling almost back to normal, except there was still a lingering tender and sore spot near the original damaged meniscus. I left in the afternoon for Philly, stopped on the way to pick up a used weaving loom (I got hooked when I tried my hand at it at our locally famous county fair), then stayed overnight at a hotel.

I arrived for my appointment at 11:30am with nothing in my stomach--just too nervous to eat.

I got on the table, the goo went onto my knee, and Dr. Shiple applied the ultrasound. I watched the monitor to see if I could see the deep tear that had been there before.

My heart leapt.....the deep tear appeared to be GONE!!! Ohh HALLELUJAH!!!

Of course, I'm no doctor, so I couldn't tell what else was going on. I asked if I could see a 'before' picture with the ones we were seeing now. Unfortunately, the old ultrasound machine had died since the last time I'd been there. All the files were buried in stacks and stacks of CDs, which hadn't been gone thru yet to figure out where my photos were. I'm thinking of volunteering to go down and go thru them myself so I can have my before pic--just kidding. Well, sort of ;-)

I DO have my MRI photos on my computer, but it just doesn't show the same thing as the ultrasound. I'm going to send a thumb drive down to Philly so they can get me one of the pics from this last time, as I forgot to ask for one while I was there (duh).

Anyway, there's more to this than the original tear being healed. Here's what Dr. Shiple said:

1. Everything looked a LOT better than last time. He was pleased!! That makes ME pleased!!

2. He couldn't see a deep tear in the meniscus.

3. The meniscus was still slightly herniated, but not anywhere near what it was 3 months ago.

4. The ligament seemed much healed.

5. From what I understand, the damage from the arthritis he was concerned about last time looked fine now.

6. There was hardly any fluid in the knee, which is a great thing.

Knowing that I had just had the 'accident' the week before, here's what he found to be the damage from that new injury:

1. There was a slight tear in the top of the meniscus, but it was of the stable kind that he said was nothing to worry about. 

2. There was some damage to the ligament that attaches the meniscus to the bone. I could actually see it myself when he explained what I was looking at. It wasn't horrid, but it was definitely there. This, he said, is what was causing my new pain and tenderness in that area.

He figured that before this newest event, my healing was about 90-95%. With this newest injury, he estimated it at 85%.

Not bad, in the overall scheme of things!!

Here's what he said concerning how to treat my knee from this point:

• Recent research with stem cells/PRP has shown that it's not necessary to treat the meniscus, but instead treat the accompanying ligament. When the ligament becomes healed, strong and stable, the meniscus will also heal as a result.
• Another PRP treatment was recommended as a result. Now, that would be the same thing as the  pre and post treatments I had, NOT the stem cell itself. Thank goodness, because the PRP treatment doesn't cost anywhere near the cost of the stem cell procedure!
• He felt this 3rd PRP would heal the currently damaged ligament, and also help the meniscus at the same time.

Here's a diagram from the Regenexx site showing how the ligaments directly work with and affect the meniscus:

So, I have an appointment once again in Philly to get another PRP treatment on October 12th.

In the meantime, I still can't run. I still have to be careful to not do any exercises that put pressure on the inside of the leg. But, I can bike, walk and swim to my heart's content, with lower resistance. I can't be too unhappy about this, considering that it's only temporary. If I have to be careful now in order that I will be able to have unlimited activity in the long run, I'll accept that wholeheartedly!

I'm still wearing my brace. My knee feels so much more stable with it on, and Dr. Shiple was pleased that I wanted to keep wearing it. He would like to see me wearing the brace in order to keep the joint open, thereby keeping the pressure off the meniscus.

Obviously, wearing the brace doesn't mean I won't get injured (I was wearing it when the ball came at me), but the ladies at Dr. Shiples said I might become their 'poster brace' girl! Apparently I showed quite a bit of enthusiasm over wearing it! Haahaa!

Now, here's the million-dollar question that Dr. Shiple asked me: 

"Are you glad you did this procedure?"

To which I said:

"YESSSS!!!!!"

Do I think it was worth the money and the travel? YES!! 

I'll keep you updated when Oct rolls around. I'm going to have my left knee checked at the same time. I've had a little tenderness/soreness in the same area as my right knee. I'm hoping it's not a torn meniscus, but I'd rather get it checked via ultrasound than going thru an MRI.

Personally, I'm not sure why doctors are still doing MRIs, when ultrasound shows such detail, not to mention that claustrophobic people like me will just about tear the technician's eyes out when being strapped into the MRI bed!

Now, here's something I'll leave you with, something that angered me to new heights.

I asked Dr. Shiple when this procedure would be approved for insurance coverage, and would no longer be considered experimental. Here's what he said:

Apparently, the FDA, along with the drug companies, want to make OUR stem cells....the very stem cells that come from YOUR body and MINE....be considered a DRUG!!

Yup! As it is, the stem cells are taken out, spun in the lab, then put back into our bodies, the very bodies the cells came from.

The FDA argues that when MY stem cells are taken from my body and processed in the lab, they are NO LONGER MY CELLS, BUT A DRUG. A drug that must be SOLD BACK TO THE  PHYSICIAN for use in MY BODY, and therefore SOLD BACK TO ME,  the very body the cells came from!!!!!

Do you wanna know what would happen as a result???

The stem cell procedure that right now costs $4-5,000, would, if the FDA/drug companies get their way, suddenly cost....are you ready?? .................

...............................$91,000.00!!!!!!!!

Nothing would change in the process either. The only difference would be that the government and the drug companies would take MY stem cells, then SELL them back to me and make LOADS  of money!!

And, with a very calm anger in his voice, Dr. Shiple's advice to me was:

CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN.

I will. And I'll also spend my OWN money now, to keep my OWN stem cells and fix my OWN knees before the government gets their hands on them.

And next year, I'm hoping that KB will be injury free; if you happen to go, watch for stray flying foam balls and wet stairs, ok?

Diary of My Regenexx Knee Stem Cell Procedure in Philly

What follows is a diary of my Regenexx knee procedure. I had the procedure done in Philadelphia, Pa., more specifically at The Center For Sports Medicine in Springfield, Pa, a suburb of Philly. Dr. Shiple's office was the closest location at this time to have the Regenexx procedure done.
I hope this account helps others who might be deciding whether to have this procedure done or not. I've already been back to find out the results, and I'll share that in the next post. Read on if you'd like to find out what the procedure involved!

Friday, May 11th: My father-in-law passed away at 2:33pm. I was blessed to be at his side with the family. However, I knew that I was going to Philadelphia for my pre-treatment on May 15th, so I was nervous that I might miss the funeral. Thankfully, the funeral was planned for the 16th, but I was still nervous how this would all work out!
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Monday, May 14th: I went to work as usual, then to the calling hours from 6-9pm. I had planned on leaving for Philly immediately after, but I decided to sleep in my own bed for the night and leave early in the morning.
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Tuesday, May 15th: Left for Philly in the morning and arrived 1 hr before my appointment scheduled at 1pm. The drive from Perry, NY is about 5 1/2 hrs, without stopping, via Binghamton/Scranton on the PA Turnpike.

The pre-treatment I had this day was to get the knee prepared for the actual stem cell procedure I was to have the following week. Dr Shiple said the pre-treatment 'wakes up' the knee, so to speak. The treatment is called PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma), and here's what it entailed:

1st- Blood was taken from a vein in my arm. They then spun it down and got the platelets out, mixing it with something else (of which I've forgotten what that something else was--hmm. It was minor, whatever it was--the platelets were the important thing!).
2nd- Dr Shiple then used ultrasound to look at my knee. This is what he found:

• Significant amounts of fluid from my injury, which he said would have to be drawn out.
• I had a herniated torn meniscus. My meniscus was not only torn, it was actually popping up out of the cavity in which it was supposed to be sitting.
• He also discovered that I had badly damaged a ligament in the knee, near the meniscus, 
• as well as damage done to the bone from arthritis.

3rd- My knee was numbed up. The fluid was drawn out, and Dr Shiple proceeded to inject the platelets into the arthritis area, as well as the meniscus/ligament area. During most of the procedure, I felt no pain. Then suddenly, as I was talking away to the nurse, .....OUCH!!!! A huge sting and some pain, and it was as if I was suddenly hit with laryngitis!! Some more novocaine, and thankfully he was able to finish the procedure without any more pain.
Now, for those of you who say you wouldn't do this procedure since I had this sudden pain: this particular doctor said if I had ANY sort of pain, he'd stop, numb me more or go more slowly, whichever would keep the pain from recurring. This doctor will even numb your arm before taking blood! He's all about making sure you are as comfortable as possible and as pain free as possible during the entire thing!
[You have to remember: traditional surgery involves pain too; yes, you may be knocked out, but when you wake up, you are bound to have some pain. Making a decision as to stem cell or traditional surgery shouldn't be based on the actual procedure itself (and whether you'll be awake, asleep, afraid of needles, etc), but on the longterm--the actual outcome of the procedure and how it will affect the rest of your life (my last post explains this thought process). As an example, you can compare it to eating habits. If you only ate candy all day, every day, simply because you don't like the taste of vegetables and other good-for-you foods, you have the temporary pleasure of a sugar rush. However, the long term effects over a life time and probably a short one at that) would be very obvious: rotten teeth/tooth loss and sickness due to malnutrition are two big ones I can think of, not to mention the high medical costs.]

4th- I was given a script for Tylenol with Codeine, given crutches, and told I could walk on the leg but only slightly touch the ground (no full pressure on the leg for 24 hrs), and also told to use the cruise all the way home, then was sent on my way!
I stopped at a CVS pharmacy down the road, which thankfully had a drive-thru, put in the script, and was told I'd be notified via text on my cell phone when it was ready. The novacaine was wearing off quickly, but it was just a very slight dull ache and seemed completely manageable without medication.

I hadn't eaten, so I went into a Panera Bread right next door and got something to eat. By the time I finished eating, my script was ready.
I left immediately for home, stopping only once on the Turnpike rest stop to use the facilities.
My knee was achy, and although the pain was manageable, I would have rather not been driving. But, it was completely do-able by myself!
I arrived home, and my family was waiting to help me get in the house. I had prepared ahead--had my pjs laid out, meals made ahead, blanket and such brought downstairs, so I just plopped on the couch, realized how much my knee was hurting, but promptly feel asleep without taking anything and slept like a baby that night!
(I had missed all the calling hours for my father-in-law today, which saddened me, as my family told me of all the people who came. I would have loved seeing everyone, but if I had cancelled this pre-treatment, it would mean postponing the entire procedure for at least 3 months or longer. Dr Shiple is one BUSY doctor!).

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Wed, May 16th: I woke up pain free! However, my knee was quite stiff and swollen. I had to stay on the crutches today, so off to the 1pm funeral I went, hobbling along. 

Funeral, cemetery, dinner afterward, and by later afternoon, my knee was slightly sore from being stiff, but also from hobbling around. I also had a headache, so I went home and slept for several hours. I felt quite a bit better.

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Thursday, May 17th: I was able to ditch the crutches and went to work today. I have to walk quite a bit around school, but I was careful to put my leg up when I could. My knee was still ever so slightly stiff and swollen, but other than that, my day was just as normal as usual. I had a massage and pedi after work, so I was able to relax and put my leg up, which was nice. I started doing my exercises as ordered by the doctor. I was supposed to bend my leg all the way possible to get it moving and flexible. I think it helped to decrease the stiffness.

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Friday, May 18th: By today, I was able to bend my leg all the way back at the knee, and felt 100% again. The pain of the torn meniscus was still there, but any pain or stiffness from the procedure was gone!

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Sunday, May 20th: Jeff and I left for Philly. We were able to do some sightseeing (Liberty Bell, Freedom Hall, etc), and also got some good food!

My husband, Jeff, standing next to Benjamin Franklin's grave.

Me standing in front of Liberty Bell. I thought I was smiling, but I didn't realize how anxious I was about the knee procedure til I looked at this picture!

I discovered a FAN--TAS--TIC vegan restaurant called Blackbird Pizzeria! It's just a short walk from the Liberty Bell, and if you go, try their Cubano---ohhhh YUMMM!

Jeff got an authentic Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Geno's. We went back to our hotel room and I tried to sleep!

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Monday, May 21th: Jeff and I arrived at Dr Shiple's office in time for my 9am appointment, for the actual stem cell procedure! Here's a step-by-step of what happened:

(If you watch this video, you'll see a patient lying on a table getting the stem cells taken out from their back, then injected into their knee. This is exactly what I experienced. The video also explains some things about the procedure)

1. Blood was taken from my arm, as last time, and the platelets spun out.
2. I was put onto the table face down, much like getting a massage. My lower back was numbed, and what is considered the most painful part of the procedure was started: Dr Shiple inserted a longer needle into my iliac cavity (basically, it's the hip bone area closest to the spine) in six different spots. There was slight pressure as the needle was pushed into the bone, then slight pressure as he drew the marrow out, but I had absolutely NO pain, which I was SO thankful for!
3. He then drew out some fat from my lower back/hip with a very small liposuction needle. I begged him to use a larger one and take more fat off, but he just wouldn't do it (hehehe!). The fat was going to be inserted into my knee, along with the stem cells, in order to hold the herniated meniscus in place.
4. I was then turned over onto my back while the stem cells and fat were prepared. My knee was well numbed with novocaine, and, using ultrasound, Dr Shiple then injected all the stem cells, platelets and fat back into my knee. He had to inject it into 3 different areas around the knee: the arthritis area, the ligament, and the meniscus. Apparently, the most sensitive vein in our body is located on the  inner side of our knees, because even numbed, I DID have some discomfort when he injected in that area, as before---ouch!!
5. With all the injections done and bandaids put on, I was fitted with a brace. I again hobbled out of the office on crutches, only this time I was ordered to keep my foot completely off the ground for 48 hrs.

Jeff was now put in charge of driving, as the doctor had warned me ahead of time that I shouldn't attempt driving this time, and that I should get home asap (same as last time). We went to the CVS pharmacy down the road and got a prescription filled for something stronger than the Tylenol 3 I had gotten last time. Jeff also got me something from Panera Bread (I wanted to stay sitting this time!)-- I had been too nervous to eat on this morning, so by now I was ready to get something in my stomach!

Jeff drove me home right away. Since he didn't like going by way of Scranton, he decided to go over to Harrisburg, then up 15 thru Williamsport and on home that way. My husband is not a fan of driving, so he was more comfortable going this route. The only problem is that it took a good hour longer. My knee was hurting a lot, lot, LOT more than last time, and I just wanted to get HOME!!! After only a few hours into our drive home, I was forced to take some Tylenol 3. It helped slightly, but only lasted about 1 hr tops. During that time of slight relief, I somehow managed to hobble into the Starbucks in Williamsport to use the facilities, but that stop, plus a quick one for gas, were the only stops we made, thankfully.

Jeff did great driving, and we finally arrived home early evening (the whole procedure in the office took about 3 hrs), and as before, I had prepared meals, had the sofa and everything I'd need ready. I plopped on the couch, propped up my leg, and couldn't focus on anything except how to get relief for the throbbing pain in my knee!

I was nervous about taking the stronger pain med that was prescribed, so I had tried to get by with only the Tylenol 3. It was only afterward that I realized I should have taken the stronger meds!

I finally fell asleep around 1 in the morning. I woke up around 6am, took another Tylenol 3, then fell back asleep for a while.  When I woke up mid-morning, my pain was gone! Dr. Shiple said it was quite unusual for a person to be pain free less than 24 hrs after the kind of procedure I had. I was grateful I wasn't the norm!

I stayed off my leg for 2 full days (Tues and Wed) as directed. By Tues afternoon, I realized I had developed bad blisters around the bandages that were put on over where each needle had been inserted. I had to leave my brace off a few hours at a time, plus applied some Tea Tree Oil in order to help the skin heal.
Dr Shiple figured it was an allergic reaction due to the combination of the topical antiseptic he used and the bandaids. The antiseptic was not betadine; rather, it was a newer type of antiseptic that doctors feel works better. The bandaids were just normal ones, of which I've never had an allergy. Dr Shiple said for the next time, he'd use betadine so as to avoid this problem in the future.

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Wednesday, May 23rd: Noontime marked 48 hrs that I was supposed to be off my leg. By 3pm, I decided to finally ditch the crutches. It felt weird trying to walk after 2 days of not putting my leg down! I didn't stay on my feet for very long, as my knee was still a little stiff and swollen, so I took it easy the rest of the day.

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Thursday, May 24th and beyond: I started bending my knee and walking as directed by the doctor. Instead of the usual rest after traditional surgery, this procedure requires the patient to start moving as much as possible. They want the stem cells to know, thru the exercise and movement, as to what they are supposed to do and become (re-grow the meniscus, repair the ligament and bone, etc).

By the end of the week, I was back to normal in every way, except my knee was still slightly stiff and swollen. The swelling was actually a good thing, believe it or not! I was instructed not to take any kind of anti-inflammatory, since they actually want inflammation in the joint! The inflammation brings blood to the area, which aids the stems cells and platelets in the healing process. Our bodies are amazing things in how they work! I'll never look at inflammation as a bad thing again!

The swelling continued for several months, and more so included my foot/ankle. Dr Shiple said this is normal, since gravity is at play here. But again, the sign of swelling was a good thing....it meant there was still inflammation in my knee, and that the stem cells had more of a chance to 'do their thing.'

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Wednesday, May 30th: I left for Philly once again and stayed overnight in a hotel in Quakertown, Pa.

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Thursday, May 31st:  I walked around downtown Philly a little more in the morning, went to Blackbird Pizzeria again, then off to Dr Shiple's office for my 1pm post-treatment appointment.

By this day, I was feeling great--my knee hadn't been stiff for probably 3 days, the blisters were almost gone from the allergy, and the pain from the meniscus tear didn't seem as bad as before. 

My back, where they took the stem cells, was still tender. That continued to be tender for almost a month after the procedure. It never was painful, nor did it hurt to sit; but it was tender to the touch, which was completely understandable. It was also bruised, along with my knee--also to be expected from such a procedure. The bruising eventually went away and never caused any problems.

My arm had bruised quite badly from the stem cell day procedure, but was because pressure wasn't applied long enough to the vein after they took blood. So for today, they took blood from my other arm. My veins apparently aren't as good as my right arm, as they had to use the ultrasound to get into the vein. Once in, the red stuff flowed well--blood is amazing stuff, I tell ya!

Today's post-treatment procedure was an exact duplicate of my pre-treatment, except he only had to insert the platelets into the outer part of my knee, not the inner part where it hurt so bad last time. I was SO grateful! The post-treatment was necessary as it was sort of like the 'fertilizer' to help the stem cells grow and repair the meniscus and ligament.
He said my knee looked great--the fluid was staying down and everything looked as it should. I was instructed to wear the brace as long as possible, to walk, bike, swim, and just plain move! I had brought my crutches with me, hobbled out after the procedure was done, and drove home.

This time, I wasn't in any real pain, just some slight discomfort, so I took the opportunity to stop at my niece's house near Binghamton, which was on my way home. It was a real treat, as she fed me (she eats the way I do--a higher raw, vegan diet), and I got to spend a few hours with her, her husband, but especially my grand-niece and nephew!

I again had to stay off my leg for 24 hrs, but then I could resume normal activity, and by Saturday, I was walking, cleaning, and doing all my normal activities. The swelling continued (not a bad thing, remember), I did the exercises as recommended by the doctor, and I settled in for the next 2 1/2 months,  praying that I'd get good news on August 15th, when I was due to go back for a checkup.

And that's where I'll leave you for this post. My next post will be the big drum roll with the results, so be sure to tune in!!