Good afternoon. Well, it is afternoon HERE!!! Since it is 1pm. Cheryl has completed her Stem Cell Therapy with Dr Estrada (www.stemcellmexico.com) and she is walking, álmost´without pain. There is a little catch in her getalong, but other than that, she is weak, but much more comfortable. It was just an incredible 2 FULL days with the doctor. After the first treatment, within MINUTES, she was able to put pressure on her knees while standing and feel little or no discomfort.
The doctor felt he accomplished as much as he could in this treatment, so he decided to complete the process by the end of the second day, instead of going into a half day treatment on the third day, which would have been TODAY (Thursday). She did get into the van and out of it and said there was a ´little´tweak, but nothing like what is WAS! he did the last injection of the San 10 Stem Cells into her knee last night and also injected the final Ozone treatment. She will be coming home a new woman. He did tell her to take it easy for the first 30 days, but he also said to ´sell´the wheelchair, but we are going to keep it around for at least a couple of months, ´just in case´!
His instructions for her were to do NO stair climbing for the first weeek, then on the second week, do three or four steps twice a day. Then a couple of days later, increase it to five or six, and so on. Nice and easy until the ´growth´is mostly complete, which will actually happen within the next 2 - 4 months. The cells will continue to grow after that, but the ´majority´of the growth will occur within this time span.
We love you all and will be home soon.
Tom and Cheryl
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Wednesday morning in Monterrey
OK. OK. So I didn´t get an opportunity to write yesterday!! That is because Cheryl and I checked into the hospital and I was not able to get onto my laptop. And, the reason - you ask - I could not get a wireless reception on my laptop is because the hospital´s network had a VIRUS!!! So, Lynn, thanks for helping me last night, but it wasn´t my fault or our fault.
OK. WOW!!! What a day Tuesday was. We checked into the hospital in the morning. the doctor told Cheryl some bad news, that being her uric acid was high. The ´norm´is between 0 and 7 and hers was at 29. But, in his calming way, he smiled and said, "Don´t worry. We will take care of that!" So, with that he came in and told her that she was going to get 7 injections, including an in line dwelling for the IV. Four of the other 7 would be injections directly into her knees, two on each knee. Now. Here is the kicker!! After he gave her the first two injections on her left knee, in which the knee was elevated, or bent, he told her to lay the leg FLAT on the bed. She said, "I can´t. I haven´t been able to do that for 18 years!" He reassured her and again said, "Lay your leg on the bed." And, you know what??? She was ABLE to do it AND with NO PAIN!!! Praise the Lord!! He then proceeded to do the same thing with the right knee, which is the one she injured 18 years ago. And, AGAIN - - - she was able to lay the leg AND KNEE all the way down on the bed with the leg straight. THEN - - - - he told her to stand up! She said, "NOW???" He said, "Yes. Now!" She did and she looked at me and said, "Tom!!! I don´t have any pain!!!!" By the way. When she said this, she had a HUGE smile on her face!!!
He then told her that injection he gave her was the San 10 portion of the Stem Cell Therapy that he had told us on Sunday night It gave immediate relief because it took the inflamation away - - - immediately!!! Now, she was taking the IV with the 10 million parts of Stem Cells which would go throughout her entire body. Within a few hours, the arthritis in her hands again had color and appeared to be diminishing.
No. It was not ALL perfect. She did experience a little high blood pressure because the IV was raising her metabolism and that caused the pressure to accelerate, so, he merely gave her some oxygen and cut off the IV for about an hour. Other than that, everything was pretty smooth.
We are now at Wednesday morning and he said that he was going to work on her ALL day today and that she would be done by late this afternoon or early this evening. So, we are looking at getting a flight out of her tomorrow instead of Friday. We also informed him that we had a wheelchair waiting at home for Cheryl. He told us to SELL IT!! He said that she WILL need to take it easy for several weeks, but that he does want her to walk, every day, at least 15 - 30 minutes twice a day with no stress, just casual walking.
Like I said earlier - - - WOW!!! You had to be here to experience it. I have said it before and I will tell you again. Here is the web site for Dr Estrada
www.stemcellmexico.com
If you are having any problems which cannot be repaired medically, PLEASE consider e-mailing him and asking if he can assist with your problem.
We love you all and will see you soon.
Tommy
OK. WOW!!! What a day Tuesday was. We checked into the hospital in the morning. the doctor told Cheryl some bad news, that being her uric acid was high. The ´norm´is between 0 and 7 and hers was at 29. But, in his calming way, he smiled and said, "Don´t worry. We will take care of that!" So, with that he came in and told her that she was going to get 7 injections, including an in line dwelling for the IV. Four of the other 7 would be injections directly into her knees, two on each knee. Now. Here is the kicker!! After he gave her the first two injections on her left knee, in which the knee was elevated, or bent, he told her to lay the leg FLAT on the bed. She said, "I can´t. I haven´t been able to do that for 18 years!" He reassured her and again said, "Lay your leg on the bed." And, you know what??? She was ABLE to do it AND with NO PAIN!!! Praise the Lord!! He then proceeded to do the same thing with the right knee, which is the one she injured 18 years ago. And, AGAIN - - - she was able to lay the leg AND KNEE all the way down on the bed with the leg straight. THEN - - - - he told her to stand up! She said, "NOW???" He said, "Yes. Now!" She did and she looked at me and said, "Tom!!! I don´t have any pain!!!!" By the way. When she said this, she had a HUGE smile on her face!!!
He then told her that injection he gave her was the San 10 portion of the Stem Cell Therapy that he had told us on Sunday night It gave immediate relief because it took the inflamation away - - - immediately!!! Now, she was taking the IV with the 10 million parts of Stem Cells which would go throughout her entire body. Within a few hours, the arthritis in her hands again had color and appeared to be diminishing.
No. It was not ALL perfect. She did experience a little high blood pressure because the IV was raising her metabolism and that caused the pressure to accelerate, so, he merely gave her some oxygen and cut off the IV for about an hour. Other than that, everything was pretty smooth.
We are now at Wednesday morning and he said that he was going to work on her ALL day today and that she would be done by late this afternoon or early this evening. So, we are looking at getting a flight out of her tomorrow instead of Friday. We also informed him that we had a wheelchair waiting at home for Cheryl. He told us to SELL IT!! He said that she WILL need to take it easy for several weeks, but that he does want her to walk, every day, at least 15 - 30 minutes twice a day with no stress, just casual walking.
Like I said earlier - - - WOW!!! You had to be here to experience it. I have said it before and I will tell you again. Here is the web site for Dr Estrada
www.stemcellmexico.com
If you are having any problems which cannot be repaired medically, PLEASE consider e-mailing him and asking if he can assist with your problem.
We love you all and will see you soon.
Tommy
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday Night in Monterrey
Our first full day in Monterrey, and YES, it was full!! Started off this morning with a continental breakfast here at the Comfort Inn. Then, a car was provided for us to take us to the hospital. There, we filled out a couple of forms and saw the room we will be staying in, starting tomorrow (Tuesday). Following the ´tour´of the hospital, the nurse drew some blood from Cheryl. Cheryl said one thing. "She´s Good!" From there, the hospital´s drive, Victor, drove us back to the Comfort Inn, where we freshened up (that meant a nap for me) and met up with a driver whom Victor recommended to show us the ´sights´! First, he took us to the Riverwalk. It is about 2 miles long and we took the boat from one end to the other. Very pretty and LOT´S of waterfalls and cascading water.
From the Riverwalk, he took us to a restaurant, which served, as its main meal, baby goat parts. We passed on that and said, thank you very much. I did have a margerita, though, before we left. We were informed by several people about the ´caves´,here in the Monterrey area, which house thousands, if not HUNDREDS of thousands of bats, since they heard that we have an interest in wildlife. So, the driver drove us to the ´caves´to get there before the tram closed at 5pm. What he didn´t tell us is that the caves are UP the tram, about 1500 - 2000 feet AND that once inside the caves, there are about 2,000 stair steps!!! Now, don´t forget, we are talking about a person here who is about to undergo a procedure to get her knees BACK into shape. We don´t want to destroy them altogether before we start the procedure. Well, you know Cheryl. So, once we started the climb, there was no turning back. Once we finished, she said SHE was finished and to "GET ME HOME!" I think were her exact words.
Needless to say, we stayed in the room tonight, vegging. She did ask me to tell you that she is REALLY looking forward to getting this procedure started. Dr Estrada feels very confident that she will have NO pain (or at the very least, LESS pain) within hours after he begins with the Ozone treatment. We plan to leave the hotel for the hospital around 10:30am (our time - two hours earlier than Tahoe time) tomorrow morning. So, by 1pm, she will feel MUCH better.
The Ozone is the first step, THEN he will begin with the C34 Stem Cell injection into her body. She will start off with 10 million tomorrow. Not a bad start. Weather was ´warm´but not hot.
We are getting close and ready to go. Thank you to all of you who have written us and asked how we are doing. We appreciate knowing that you are concerned for Cheryl and her situation. We will be home late Friday night, so Saturday, we will be able to start the REST of Cheryl´s life (as Paul Harvey would say). Talk to you soon. Tom
From the Riverwalk, he took us to a restaurant, which served, as its main meal, baby goat parts. We passed on that and said, thank you very much. I did have a margerita, though, before we left. We were informed by several people about the ´caves´,here in the Monterrey area, which house thousands, if not HUNDREDS of thousands of bats, since they heard that we have an interest in wildlife. So, the driver drove us to the ´caves´to get there before the tram closed at 5pm. What he didn´t tell us is that the caves are UP the tram, about 1500 - 2000 feet AND that once inside the caves, there are about 2,000 stair steps!!! Now, don´t forget, we are talking about a person here who is about to undergo a procedure to get her knees BACK into shape. We don´t want to destroy them altogether before we start the procedure. Well, you know Cheryl. So, once we started the climb, there was no turning back. Once we finished, she said SHE was finished and to "GET ME HOME!" I think were her exact words.
Needless to say, we stayed in the room tonight, vegging. She did ask me to tell you that she is REALLY looking forward to getting this procedure started. Dr Estrada feels very confident that she will have NO pain (or at the very least, LESS pain) within hours after he begins with the Ozone treatment. We plan to leave the hotel for the hospital around 10:30am (our time - two hours earlier than Tahoe time) tomorrow morning. So, by 1pm, she will feel MUCH better.
The Ozone is the first step, THEN he will begin with the C34 Stem Cell injection into her body. She will start off with 10 million tomorrow. Not a bad start. Weather was ´warm´but not hot.
We are getting close and ready to go. Thank you to all of you who have written us and asked how we are doing. We appreciate knowing that you are concerned for Cheryl and her situation. We will be home late Friday night, so Saturday, we will be able to start the REST of Cheryl´s life (as Paul Harvey would say). Talk to you soon. Tom
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sunday Night - IN Monterrey
Well, we are finally here in Monterrey, Mexico. The hotel we are staying in, for the first two nights, is a Comfort Inn. We met with Dr Estrada tonight and he basically took us through the next four days, so we would have no surprises. The doctor is well spoken, and YOUNG!!! 58 years old!! Gee. That´s MY age!!! Tomorrow morning, Cheryl will go to the hospital and have blood drawn, so he will know exactly what he is dealing with. From there, he will determine the exact treatment he will be using on her. He was very positive that she will RE-generate the new cells which will help her walk - without pain - again. PLUS - - - he told her that the C34 Stem Cells which he will be both injecting into her knees and the IV, that it will also help her eyesight and the arthritis in her hands. He said to "Take a picture of you hands now, because they won´t look like this again." Because of the Ozone process he will be using on her first thing Tuesday morning, this will eliminate MOST of her pain, if not ALL of it within hours after starting. In fact, he states that she will have to be careful NOT to overdo your renewed energy and lack of pain!!! He said that after the first treatment, he will have her walking the halls of the hospital for 15 - 30 minutes twice a day. She hasn´t done that in MANY years.
All in all, this first meeting, which was more of an informational session, was very educational and a good feeling of comfort! She now is REALLY excited to get going, especially since when we got off the plane, here in Monterrey, they did not have a ramp, only the old stairs that you must use which attaches to the plane. That didn´t help any.
Cheryl got through customs OK, despite the liability she had with her - - - ME!! Weather is warm, but not too hot.
I will write more tomorrow.
Tom
All in all, this first meeting, which was more of an informational session, was very educational and a good feeling of comfort! She now is REALLY excited to get going, especially since when we got off the plane, here in Monterrey, they did not have a ramp, only the old stairs that you must use which attaches to the plane. That didn´t help any.
Cheryl got through customs OK, despite the liability she had with her - - - ME!! Weather is warm, but not too hot.
I will write more tomorrow.
Tom
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Saturday morning. Today is going to be VERY busy for us. I am doing this early so I won't forget. You know - the mind of an elephant!!!
This morning, at 10am, we have a Work Day slated for LTWC. This is the day that we winterize all the cages and get the place ready for winter. Traditionally, it is the Saturday AFTER the Volunteer Luncheon. Silly me, I totally spaced out when I announced it last Sunday. I didn't even THINK that we were also leaving tonight for Mexico. Oh well. We WILL get through this!
By the picture above is of Cheryl playing for the train set she has waited for ALL of her life. When she was a little girl, both Bob and Darryl got a train set, BUT, because Cheryl was a girl, she got dolls!! Well, I got this for her 4 years ago and she just LOVED it. You can tell by the smile on her face.
OK. Back to today. After we finish the cages and feed everyone, clean up and pack, we leave for Sacramento, spend the night there, they fly to Mexico tomorrow for Cheryl's Stem Cell Therapy. We have VERY HIGH anticipation that this will do what the doctor says it will do and Cheryl will be OUT of pain for the first time in about 19 years!!! What a blessing.
If I don't have time tonight - in Sacramento - to update this blog, I 'will' update tomorrow afternoon after we check into the hotel. Yes, I am taking my camera, so you just 'might' see a taste of Old Monterrey. I wish that we could spend more time there, but this business - PERSONAL business - comes first. This will only be our third trip to Mexico, so we are looking forward to it AND to the warm weather. Right now - in Tahoe (9:35am, Saturday) - it is 42 degrees. It is supposed to be iln the mid 80's in Monterrey for our stay there. I think I will wear shorts.
Our love to all. Keep Cheryl in your thoughts and prayers. We will talk soon.
Tommy
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Derek and Cash Carlson (Derek is the one in blue). October 13, 2008, Cash entered the world to a very proud momma and poppa. In case you can't tell from the style of clothes Derek is wearing, this picture was taken in Chattanooga, TN. Cash was 6 pounds, 13 ounces and 19 inches long and arrived at 7:43am. Congratulations, Derek and Tracy and welcome to the family - - - and the WORLD - - - Cash!!!
OK. OK. So I have been busy for the past few days, trying to put out fires around here (not literally) and doing our best to get ready to leave for Mexico on Sunday morning.
So, let's start with Mexico. Cheryl is getting VERY excited. She is hurting really bad right now and wants so much for this procedure to do what they say it is going to do so, for the first time in 19 years, she will be free from pain in her joints. We arrive in Monterrey, Mexico around 2pm on Sunday and will take it easy and do a 'little' sightseeing of the town before Tuesday morning. We will have to make one trip to the hospital on Monday evening, for a final consultation and to finish up some paperwork. Then we check in on Tuesday morning for the first of three days of treatment. That is all I now at this time. We want to thank so many of you for offering your good thoughts and prayers for Cheryl's full recovery and safe travels.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care - - - we have been trying to 'upgrade' our new 'web cams'. To this end, as of tonight, we do not have a 'live' camera. The camera you see on our web site (www.ltwc.org) was frozen from this afternoon. We 'should' have everything up and going again tomorrow, hopefully by noon. I would like to thank Lynn Spencer and Sue Novasel for spending the entire day here at LTWC to try and make this, very complicated system, work!! It looks very close, but it has looked close before. I have all the confidence in the world with Lynn and Sue, so I feel certain that this will work out.
I would like to congratulate my nephew, Derek Carlson and his wife, Tracy, for the birth of their first child. Cash Carlson was born on Monday morning and both mother and son are doing fine. I have yet to hear how OLD Dad is doing!!! Knowing Derek, I am sure that about 2 hours after Cash was born, he was out on the golf course!!!
We thank you for all of your e-mails and phone calls and we look forward to returning home next Friday, all done with this new procedure. Talk to you soon.
Tom
So, let's start with Mexico. Cheryl is getting VERY excited. She is hurting really bad right now and wants so much for this procedure to do what they say it is going to do so, for the first time in 19 years, she will be free from pain in her joints. We arrive in Monterrey, Mexico around 2pm on Sunday and will take it easy and do a 'little' sightseeing of the town before Tuesday morning. We will have to make one trip to the hospital on Monday evening, for a final consultation and to finish up some paperwork. Then we check in on Tuesday morning for the first of three days of treatment. That is all I now at this time. We want to thank so many of you for offering your good thoughts and prayers for Cheryl's full recovery and safe travels.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care - - - we have been trying to 'upgrade' our new 'web cams'. To this end, as of tonight, we do not have a 'live' camera. The camera you see on our web site (www.ltwc.org) was frozen from this afternoon. We 'should' have everything up and going again tomorrow, hopefully by noon. I would like to thank Lynn Spencer and Sue Novasel for spending the entire day here at LTWC to try and make this, very complicated system, work!! It looks very close, but it has looked close before. I have all the confidence in the world with Lynn and Sue, so I feel certain that this will work out.
I would like to congratulate my nephew, Derek Carlson and his wife, Tracy, for the birth of their first child. Cash Carlson was born on Monday morning and both mother and son are doing fine. I have yet to hear how OLD Dad is doing!!! Knowing Derek, I am sure that about 2 hours after Cash was born, he was out on the golf course!!!
We thank you for all of your e-mails and phone calls and we look forward to returning home next Friday, all done with this new procedure. Talk to you soon.
Tom
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Today is Sunday. The day is finally over. Wow. What a past 8 days. Last weekend was the Kokanee Festival and it was the best one ever!!! Today was LTWC's Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon where we invite all of the volunteers who volunteered with LTWC this past year and we serve 'them' lunch. In this case, the prime menu was the salmon which was left over from last weekend. This is the first time in three years that we did not have to buy more salmon AFTER the festival, because the last three years, we sold out!!
In addition to the Volunteer Luncheon, it was darned cold!! When I woke up this morning, it was 20 degrees. No. That is NOT Centigrade!! By the time the lunch actually began (about 12:15pm), it was a heat wave at about 38 degrees. Yahoo!! This was the best attended volunteer luncheon we have ever had. Now, we prepare for departing this next Saturday evening to spend the night in Sacramento, then fly to Monterrey, Mexico the next morning so Cheryl can go through her Stem Cell Therapy procedure. (www. stemcellmexico.com). She is really getting excited and anxious to go and get it over with so she can start healing.
Yesterday, we released all 19 raccoons which we have had at LTWC since June and July. It was a great spot and a good release. They all took their time in departing from the airline pet carriers we transported them in.
Also, we finally got the web cams up and going for Li'l Smokey. (www.ltwc.org) It still needs a 'little' work, but at least you can log on and see the cub which had all four paws burned (2nd and 3rd degree burns) last July 17th. He is now with OUT any medication, ointment, bandages or booties for the 3rd consecutive week. Doing GREAT!
So, as you can see, lots happening. I will keep you posted on Cheryl's procedure when we arrive in Mexico.
Talk to you soon. Tom
In addition to the Volunteer Luncheon, it was darned cold!! When I woke up this morning, it was 20 degrees. No. That is NOT Centigrade!! By the time the lunch actually began (about 12:15pm), it was a heat wave at about 38 degrees. Yahoo!! This was the best attended volunteer luncheon we have ever had. Now, we prepare for departing this next Saturday evening to spend the night in Sacramento, then fly to Monterrey, Mexico the next morning so Cheryl can go through her Stem Cell Therapy procedure. (www. stemcellmexico.com). She is really getting excited and anxious to go and get it over with so she can start healing.
Yesterday, we released all 19 raccoons which we have had at LTWC since June and July. It was a great spot and a good release. They all took their time in departing from the airline pet carriers we transported them in.
Also, we finally got the web cams up and going for Li'l Smokey. (www.ltwc.org) It still needs a 'little' work, but at least you can log on and see the cub which had all four paws burned (2nd and 3rd degree burns) last July 17th. He is now with OUT any medication, ointment, bandages or booties for the 3rd consecutive week. Doing GREAT!
So, as you can see, lots happening. I will keep you posted on Cheryl's procedure when we arrive in Mexico.
Talk to you soon. Tom
Friday, October 10, 2008
Today is Friday and I am currently requesting legislation to eliminate Fridays, especially what we have been through the last TWO Fridays.
Today, we 'thought' we had the web cam's going well for Smokey until we got a call from a company telling us that only three or four people could log on at once. That is not what we wanted and we asked them if they could help us do what we 'want' to do. they said, "Yes" and - hopefully - it will be UP on the LTWC web site tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we will be releasing our raccoons beginning the 'catch' phase at 10am and should be leaving the center here by 10:30pm. They are ALL (all 19 of them) in the bobcat cage and - Cheryl tells me - that we 'have' had them in there before, but I will be darned if I can remember. But, I can hardly remember yesterday, so I will trust her memory. Then, Sunday is our annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. We expect about 70 people to attend. Hope the weather 'warms' up a bit.
More later. Tom
Today, we 'thought' we had the web cam's going well for Smokey until we got a call from a company telling us that only three or four people could log on at once. That is not what we wanted and we asked them if they could help us do what we 'want' to do. they said, "Yes" and - hopefully - it will be UP on the LTWC web site tomorrow.
Tomorrow, we will be releasing our raccoons beginning the 'catch' phase at 10am and should be leaving the center here by 10:30pm. They are ALL (all 19 of them) in the bobcat cage and - Cheryl tells me - that we 'have' had them in there before, but I will be darned if I can remember. But, I can hardly remember yesterday, so I will trust her memory. Then, Sunday is our annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon. We expect about 70 people to attend. Hope the weather 'warms' up a bit.
More later. Tom
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Welcome to my first Blog. If it appears that I don't know what I am doing, that's because I don't. I have never done this before. BUT, the reason for this blog is to keep friends and family members updated on Cheryl's progresss as she undergoes her Stem Cell Therapy in Monterrey, Mexico. We will depart on Sunday morning, October 19th, arrive in Monterrey that same day, stay at a hotel in Monterrey for two nights, then Cheryl will be checked into the hospital on Tuesday morning.
For more information on the hospital and the doctor, go to
www.stemcellmexico.com
Talk to you soon.
Tom
For more information on the hospital and the doctor, go to
www.stemcellmexico.com
Talk to you soon.
Tom
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