Centre of Excellence for CCSVI Testing and Liberation Treatment

Mr.Justin, Canada

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:58:06 +0000

Local MS patient finds help far away

Candace Chase/Daily Inter Lake | Posted: Thursday, November 18, 2010 2:00 am

Justin Wilbert, 36, of Somers had never been on a commercial airliner before he flew to New Delhi, India, in August â€” on borrowed money â€” for a radical surgical treatment for multiple sclerosis.

He was not disappointed by the results.

â€œMy vision improved a ton and my legs donâ€™t feel like theyâ€™re 50 pounds and full of concrete,â€ Wilbert said. â€œMy pain is dramatically decreased.â€

Although his neurologist warned him that the balloon angioplasty procedure had not been studied or approved for multiple sclerosis by the FDA, Wilbert decided to take the risk based on numerous Internet testimonials from MS patients around the world. From his perspective, he had little to lose.

â€œI went two years when I could hardly see â€” I was in and out of blindness,â€ he said. â€œI became bedridden and completely blind.â€

Along with taking his sight, the disease had numbed his hands, feet, legs and torso and subjected him to agonizing nerve pain. Wilbert became confined to a wheelchair about two years ago.It was a devastating development for a young man with an active lifestyle just five years ago. After growing up and attending Bigfork schools, Wilbert worked in Oregon for a few years, then returned to the Flathead Valley in 2003 to work with his stepfather in a tile-setting business.

He vividly remembers the day symptoms of the disease first appeared just before his 31st birthday. Wilbert and his girlfriend Katie Halcro were headed out of town on vacation.Near Hot Springs, he noticed something wrong with his right eye.â€œYou know when youâ€™re going down the road and you see heat waves?â€ he asked. â€œI saw them for the whole trip. When I went back to work, it was so bad I couldnâ€™t read a tape measure. Then I went completely blind.â€

Wilbert went to an eye doctor, then an eye specialist who referred him to a neurologist. After tests including an MRI that revealed lesions on his brain and spinal column, he received a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis on Oct. 15, 2005.From that day forward, Wilbert began searching for a cure for this central nervous system disease that damages patches of protective myelin sheath covering nerve fibers in the brain and spine.With electrical impulses disrupted by damaged myelin, multiple sclerosis manifests as a variety of symptoms such as fatigue, visual and speech impairment, numbness, nerve pain, weakness and much more.

â€œEvery person has it differently,â€ Wilbert said. â€œMy sight went quickly and I continued to deteriorate. My walking got really bad, then I had no feeling in my hands.â€

He began spending 23 1/2 hours a day in bed from the overwhelming fatigue, getting up just long enough to eat a small amount. His weight plummeted by at least 50 pounds.

â€œOne whole summer, I couldnâ€™t use silverware,â€ he said.

Although Wilbert tried every prescription drug and alternative treatment thought to help, nothing made much difference except Tysabri, a drug with a risk of a brain disease. The disease â€” progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy â€” is rare but deadly and the risk increases after multiple infusions.

â€œItâ€™s basically a mold that grows on your brain and you become a vegetable,â€ Wilbert said. â€œI took it for 36 months.â€

He credited Tysabri with getting him out of bed and improving his sight. But Wilbert worried as each infusion of the drug bumped up his risk. Wilbert said he wasnâ€™t afraid to die but he didnâ€™t want to lose his mind in the process.

His search on the Internet for a better alternative was rewarded on Nov. 9, 2009. He watched a Canadian television news show about chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency, a syndrome in which blood flow from the brain and spine to the heart is compromised or reversed, a process called reflux.

â€œThere was a new finding that most people with MS had stenosed (narrowed) veins in their necks,â€ Wilbert said. â€œIt can be like a twist of a kink or a platelet that grows across.â€

Italian Dr. Paolo Zamboni proposed a theory that malformed blood vessels caused toxic iron deposits in the brain, triggering an immune response and degeneration of the myelin sheath.Treatment begins with angiography to confirm the syndrome followed by a balloon catheter threaded through vessels to the narrowed area, then inflated to open up the vein â€” called the liberation procedure.

â€œItâ€™s exactly what they do for heart disease,â€ Wilbert said. â€œThey go in from the femoral artery.â€

Wilbert began researching clinics in the United States, Poland, Bulgaria, India and Costa Rica. He was on a waiting list for a New York clinic when he discovered Safemedtrip.com and Medanta Medicity, a New Delhi hospital that performed the liberation procedure with no waiting list.

â€œThey arranged everything,â€ he said.

His neurologist expressed his reservations about the procedure and his safety but helped him by writing a letter to expedite his visa.

A friend loaned him $6,500 to cover for the procedure and about $5,000 more for travel and hotel expenses. According to Wilbert, a doctor who performs the same half-hour operation in San Francisco charges $80,000.

On Aug. 29, Wilbert and his girlfriend boarded a plane for a 30-hour flight to India.

â€œI never went outside in India. They donâ€™t have handicapped accessible anything. The poverty is unbelievable,â€ he said. â€œThe people were unbelievably nice and the hospital was super high tech. They all speak pretty good English.â€

Wilbert was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 31 for a full range of imaging over three hours, followed by the liberation procedure.

â€œItâ€™s a super simple thing that should be available to everyone,â€ he said. â€œIt was painless.â€

Wilbert felt immediate results with a feeling of warmth returning to his feet and sensation to his hands. In his hotel room, he was astonished to see his image in a mirror for the first time in years.

â€œI thought, â€˜Am I really that scrawny,â€™â€ he said.

His appetite and energy soared by the day after the procedure as his pain diminished. Wilbert said he went from taking three to four pain pills a day to three to four a week.

â€œWhen I first got back from India, I loved going to bed,â€ he said with a smile. â€œI couldnâ€™t wait to see what miracle I would find in the morning.â€

After returning in September, he has had one treatment with Tysabri. The next week, he consulted with his neurologist and stopped his infusions.

Wilbert said his improvement has continued at a less dramatic pace. He has no regrets about the operation and would do it again if his blockages return.

â€œWhere mine were, they almost never re-stenose,â€ he said.

His friends have organized a benefit Saturday at Buns by the Lake in Somers to help repay the cost of the trip to India as well as to spread the word about this procedure. Wilbert said patients in Canada and Australia are holding rallies to get government approval for this operation.

When people question if his results are simply from the placebo effect, Wilbert said he doesnâ€™t care why it worked.

â€œI just know it works and thatâ€™s all I know,â€ he said. â€œI think a person with MS would be a fool not to get this.

Source: http://m.dailyinterlake.com/mobile/news/local_montana/article_7a773bde-f2a7-11df-b179-001cc4c03286.html

Elin,Denmark

admin — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:35:25 +0000

“Just to let you know that we are now safely back in Denmark after anÂ unforgettable trip to India, – and Medanta in particular. Friends have beenÂ calling all day to hear how things went, and we have been unable to concealÂ our enthusiasm and admiration for your country and the treatment we got atÂ Medanta, thanks both to the professionalism and kindness of the doctors andÂ nurses, but also the logistics behind it – and by that I mean you, Prateek !Â Your personal kindness, which never seemed professional, has warmed our hearts and will remain there as a good memory.Â So far there has been no definiteÂ progress, but we are confident that time will do its good work here !Â Will you also please extend our warmest feelings of gratitude to all theÂ staff on the 7th floor.”

Best wishes,

Elin and Kjeld

Ms.Susan, Bahrain

admin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:04:52 +0000

“We were extremely happy with the services provided by Safemedtrip.Â Â All email questions were answered promptly and the personnel were very helpful and considerate at all times, right from the initial contact through to our departure.

We would recommend that anyone considering the CCSVI procedure should put Safemedtrip at the top of their list.Â Â Many, including ourselves, may have concerns about travel toÂ India, but with Safemedtrip handling all aspects of your time inÂ India, right from the arrival meeting at the airport to departure, there is no need for concern.Â Â Safemedtripâ€™s staff took care of us in a very professional manner.”
Susan, Bahrain

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Mr.Craig,New Zealand

admin — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:38:17 +0000

“Greetings from New Zealand,

Both Craig (as he is known) and myself would like to thank you and your team for everything that you did for us leading up to and during our stay in India. Also a special thankyou to Â team at International Services.The reasons we decided to travel to India was because the treatment is not recognised in New Zealand and India was the most affordable for us. After researching the treatment and reading about other people that had travelled to India our decision was then made and we feel that we made the best choice.

We arrived in India at 5.30am on Mon 13th Sept and were met at the final exit by your people as promised and taken directly to The Medicity.That day was spent running all the tests that were needed to decide if Craig was eligible for the Treatment.Even the MRI was performed at 11.00pm. The tests revealed that he had a total blockage high in his left jugular vein. Tuesday at approx midday he was taken for the procedure. The liberation procedure was successful and a stent was placed in the vein directly behind the left ear. Craig then spent the night in post op and returned to his room at around 10am on Friday morning. Not long later he was whisked off to physio where he managed to do 10 minutes on an exercycle. Something he couldn’t do before the procedure. Other things we have noticed is that the headaches which were constant have now gone and he no longer suffers from burning sensations in his feet. Also his left arm and leg were always cold to touch but are now warm and have returned to normal colour. We are looking forward to more progress in his walking as he regains his balance.

Overall our experience at Medicity was terrific and we would like to sincerely thank Dr Simut Singh, Dr Gupta and their teams, the nursing staff, The physio staff, International Services and anyone else that I may have forgotten to mention. You were all so wonderful and helpful to us during our stay.”

Regards

Denise and Craig , New Zealand

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Ms.Vibeke, Denmark

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:30:38 +0000

â€œThank you for your efforts in connection with Vibekeâ€™s treatment. We are very pleased with the result that we have not seen the last of. There have every day since reading been small improvements. we still have a little trouble understanding that it is real. There has been no decline in the improvements we have registered. Some signs have been there so long that Vibeke was not aware that it was a symptom. She discovered that she could suddenlyÂ something she had never been able to get. It’s about to taste the food. She thought she had a normal hearing, but it has improved. She thought her fingers were as they were, but slightly crooked appearance was to just fingers when she is not tired. Her feet had a curved shape, now she need new shoes because the foot and toes were longer. In addition all areas Vibeke himself was aware of. There are also improvements. Improvements are often seen after sleep. I will ask you to greet your colleagues and say thanks.â€-Vibeke and Ole , Denmark

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Ms. Carole, UK

admin — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:52:27 +0000

“Good to hear from you again -in response to your email, we found the Medicity and Safemedtrip on the web, we chose it because it offered the best and most comprehensive treatment package and our expectations were more than realised by the whole experience. The medical facilities and the skill of the team were first class and without sparing your blushes the support you provided in helping to arrange the trip was invaluable. I think it took a little over six weeks from first contact to arriving at the hospital in New Delhi.Travelling was made easy by BA and it is worth considering business class for those who are Â in the more advanced stages of MS. The visa might prove to be a bit more time consuming, we ended up with a medical visa. It costs a little more and required a bit more time to complete but with help from Safemedtrip and our local GP it all worked out OK in the end.
In terms of -was the treatment worth it- of course it was and Carole is working hard on her physio.
I am more than happy to speak or correspond with anyone contemplating the CCSVI treatment at the Medicity and to share more of the details of our experience.

Hope all is well with you and your family

Regards to the team at the hospital”

Carole and Ivan, UK

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Mr.Lawrence, Canada

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 06:41:31 +0000

“Hello, my name is Lawrence and I chose India for my liberation because of the price of the procedure. The Safe med trip people were great, very prompt at returning phone calls.Â Â Â The date of the procedure was a couple of weeks after that so for her probably 5 weeks from initiation to being there.Â The hospital was great, new, clean, fantastic patient care.Â They also have tight security at the hospital; you are picked up and dropped off Â at the airport.Â I was given all my MRIâ€™s, diagnostic test results and everything pertaining to my procedure to take home.Â If you take someone with you they stay in the same hospital room with you. I went alone but my friendâ€™s husband was there with her and he said this saved money. I did some sightseeing and souvenir shopping while at the hotel.
As Larryâ€™s spouse I can say I see a lot of changes since he returned, when we were driving home he said he could actually feel the brakes, he can stand down in his workshop hours longer without having to sit down or take breaks, he can get up a lot easier in the mornings, he has had 1 nap in the 5 weeks he has been back when he usually has to have at least two, of at least 3 hour duration, a week, before he left all I heard all day was Iâ€™m so tired, Iâ€™m done, 10 times a day, I might hear it once a week now.Â It was worth every penny. Go for it.“-Â Lawrence, Canada

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Ms.Joanne,Canada

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 06:19:59 +0000

“Good Morning. Â My husband and I recently travelled to India with your help for the testing and Liberation treatment for MS this past month. Â Procedure was performed on Sept 14, 2010. Â Our experience was good.The trip, hospital stay and care was good. Â You made the planning of the trip very easy with your constant emailing of instructions and phone calls. Â We chose India after

speaking to satisfied customers and looking at you website and seeing all the testing that was performed etc. Â Profiles of the attending Doctors was reassuring and we were equally pleased upon meeting and speaking with them before and after the procedure was done.”

Joanne,Canada

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Mr. Thomas,USA

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:29:04 +0000

“Â I had a very plesantÂ experienceÂ both before and during my procedure. I found Safemedtrip using a internet search engine when I was looking for a facility that was treating CCSVI. Â Your facility was readily available and willing to perform this procedure. Â Unfortunately, there is no place in the US that Â I am aware of, that is even screening for CCSVI. Â My hospital stay and the events before and after, were very pleasant.Â In general, I am very happy with my experience at Medanta and I have already recommended your hospital to others.I would be happy to speak with anyone that wants information about my experiences with your services.”

Thomas,USA

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Ms.Norma,Canada

admin — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 10:00:01 +0000

“The trip home was very long ,but very rewarding. We got home at around 2:30 pm On Thursday the 26th, On Saturday we went to my nieces wedding which was 100 miles from home. Came home on Sunday, had one day of rest and then went back to work on Monday. Both of us were a bit tired .

As far as myself, I have never felt better. I work in a high school which has 4 Â floors and before my CCSVI, I could not walk up the stairs. I would use the elevator. Now I use the stairs. I am finding my legs are tired as I do a lot of walking; but not the way they were before the CCSVI. They are tired because I have not used these Â mussels in 20 years. Overall I do not have the fatigue which I had before.

I will say my stay at the hospital was excellent. I would do the CCSVI in a heart beat if I had to, and I would come to the Medicity Hospital in India.The Doctors and nurses gave excellent care and attention.

I have already recommended your services and the Medicity Hospital to a number of people.

Thanks again”- Norma ,Canada

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