About 13 years ago I didn't feel myself anymore. Although I know the pain goes back many more years, maybe even my whole life, I didn't realize it until I had CCSVI treatment. I have been telling many people that I haven't felt this good in my entire life.
Shortly after I had my son, who is 14 now, I would have days where I would feel totally paralized and Dave would have to carry me out of a friends house. Other days I would have double vision and migrane headaches that would make life unbearable.
I would end up in the emergency with severly disabling migranes and would be put on the Oxygen machines for hours I would feel so much better for a week or two..then back to where I was before.. Funny thing...getting more oxygen forced to the brain does wonders!...That's what opening the narrowed veins in the neck does, get more oxygen to the brain with proper blood flow!
Doctors decided I needed glasses as I started having vision problems so I got them, and they didn't work. When they said I had a pinched nerve in my neck, I started physio.This nearly killed me.
Ironic, I had a blocked vein in my neck , not a pinched nerve!!
this went on for about 5 years until one Friday at work I had the worst headache of my life. That weekend I ended up blind in my right eye and paralized on my right side and able to speak very little! At first I thought I had a stroke, man was I scared.
After several tests and an MRI they came to the conclusion it was MS.
WHAT A SHOCK! there was no background of this disease in my family.
After 8 days of IV steroid treatment I went back to work at a Vinyl Siding company where I had been working for a number of years. I came back to a letter basically saying that if I did not clean up my act I would be terminated. After several letters back and forth I realized that my boss did not care about what I was going through and he was trying to force me out.I asked the MS SOCIETY to help but they wouldn't. I got a lawyer to write a letter telling him to back off, it just got worse. He put everyone in the office against me and none of then would talk to me anymore. After a year of hell I left and went to work for the the competitors. My condition worsened again after that year so I ended up going on sick leave.
Thanks to a friend, 5 years ago I was given the encouragement to start my own business running a small daycare form home.now I only have myself to answer to. It has been great for me, when the kids were in school I could rest.
I have seen a lot of up and downs over the years with what I thought was MS. Shortly after hearing about Dr.Paulo Zamboni's findings of CCSVI and the narrowed veins I imediately started looking for information and people that had gone for the treatment so I could learn more. I made many friends through this, people that were going through the same thing as me, wanting to get this done! I spoke with people that had amazing results!
I was so Happy! I thought for sure the MS SOCIETY would get on this right away!
Boy was I wrong, we can't get the treatment in Canada...(But I'm sure you would agree WE CAN GET ANY DRUG WE ASK FOR!!)
After a lot of thought I posted a kijij add..not really
thinking it would work but it did! The Kijij add said...Collecting recyclable bottles to raise money for CCSVI TREATMENT FOR MS. Treatment is not available in Canada.
One day later news reporter Kayla Hounsell called me from CTV news, she wanted to do my story! I ended up with many donations form wonderful people. I woke to bottles on my doorstep. I had tons of donations at the bottle depos.
Kayla called me back for a second interview to update my story. this time I got an amazing phone call from a Pediatric Orthodontist named Dr. Gaum, He donated $7000 for my trip I was so grateful for his help! CTV news followed me the day I picked up the check at his clinic.
We did other fundraisers to get the rest of the money..and I have many friends and family to thank for all the hard work they did helping me with this.
I went for treatment Nov 30,2010 in Albany NY. At that point I was very fatigued, numb, confused from brain fog and should have been using a cane more often. My Mom came with me another friend traveled with us, she had her treatment the same day as me!
I can't stress enough how simple the procedure is. They give you 2 valium to help relax...you are awake, a catheder is threaded through your groin up to the neck veins..I heard a little pop when this happened, when they inflated the balloon I felt a small bit of pressure, then the room started to come into focus, the dizzy feeling was gone! after the second side was done I noticed my vision going from Digital to HD!! I felt relief almost right away! Dr. Siskin and his team were so wonderful, they had saved my life!! No words could say how I felt!!
Since then I have been totally symptom free and doing things I haven't been able to do in so many years! My before and after video's can be found on youtube under Crystal's Liberation.
I promised myself that as soon as I got better I would help others needing treatment and that is why I'm here tonight! I WILL NOT GIVE UP!
It is wrong in so many ways for us not to be able to get this done in Canada
there are Doctors here that can do it! We can't even get follow up care here in NS, even though thought the Health Minister said it would be available. Groups of us have rallied in front of the Province House, written letters to the NDP government, stated our case on the news, presented petitions, and showed our results to neuroligists. And I WILL STRESS THAT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN POLITE.We are still being denied proper health care. I can't even get an appointment with the MS CLINIC now. My neuro wants nothing to do with me unless its for my yearly 5 minute appointment.
I will not stop advocating for CCSVI therapy, I am a walking billboard that this can save YOUR life!
this was in response to this article:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/blog/trevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms/ccsvi-activists-or-cult/
? ? Today is the 4 month mark since my angioplasty for CCSVI. It is truly a beautiful day, the birds are singing in the trees, the sun is shining and I am smiling!! I am feeling "Spring Fever" for the first time in many years.