SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA, Michelle Walsh: I am an MS patient who underwent CCSVI surgery by Dr. Michael Arata and was a source for Courtney Perkes’ article, published on October 9th. I was deeply disappointed in the article because I felt that it did not fully capture the undeniably positive results that many patients, including myself, have experienced as a result of the CCSVI procedure.

My Secondary Progressive MS had me fitted for a wheelchair. I was bed ridden up to 16 hours a day and always very tired. At my stage of MS there are no options at all. Neurologists are not optimistic when you have the more advanced stage of MS I had. I knew with my MS getting worse everyday that I had nothing to loose and everything to gain by trying the CCSVI procedure because I would die from MS complications if I didn’t. If you had the choice to try something that could possibly extend your life would you?

Dr. Arata discussed in great detail the risks involved with this procedure and answered all three pages of questions I had at my pre-op consult. I also had to sit, read and sign through many pages of this the day of my procedure at the surgical clinic. I was aware of every risk involved and Dr. Arata made no guarantees this could help my MS at all. This procedure has returned a quality to my life that no one can understand unless you have this disease. I can now dress myself, play with my two young children and not pee my pants when I stand up. I know for a fact as do my doctors I see in Canada that this is not a placebo effect because I have the scientific proof this has helped my MS because my lesions on my brain from my MRI’s show that they are not active thus meaning my MS has not been active since my procedure.

For the naysayer doctors out there who oppose this I say to them all: In the history of research, no one has really found anything to help with MS so it’s time to put your big egos aside and look outside of the box because around the world more patients get this done and feel better. We know we still have MS but at least we have some symptom relief and hope for our futures.

http://letters.ocregister.com/2011/10/12/raising-awareness-for-ms/