Feeling great after treatment

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/01/2011 (5395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I have been back in Canada for 10 days. It has been 13 days since I received the liberation treatment in Merida, Mexico, and I feel great!

Firstly, for those suffering with MS, I would like to tell you that the procedure was quick, easy and painless! I was in and out of the hospital the same day, I had no stitches (the incision was roughly one-quarter-inch long on my upper thigh with no scarring). The immediate effect was that I finally had warm feet for the first time I can remember in my entire life — initially I had chalked that up to the fact that I was in Mexico — but now, back in the ice box, they are still warm. Amazing.

Since my return from Mexico, I have noticed the following: I feel much more awake. Prior to the procedure, I had trouble staying awake for the entire day. When I got home from work a lot of days, I would have a nap — even after drinking obscene amounts of coffee, taking prescription energy meds, and six to eight ephedrine per day. My body would be shaking from caffeine, but I would still fall asleep. I have not taken any ephedrine since my return from Mexico, my coffee intake is just above the average coffee addict and I have been forgetting to take my energy meds at lunch time. Amazing.

I have noticed an increase in cognitive function. Prior to the surgery, I needed to write everything down or do things in exactly the same order so that I wouldn’t forget anything. Since returning, I have cut my list making by about 75 per cent. I am no longer my office’s “sticky note queen.” Amazing.

My friends and family tell me that I look better — more awake, more animated, to which I jokingly reply, “What, I didn’t look good before?” But looking back at pictures, I really did look drawn out and tired most of the time. Amazing.

I truly am amazed at how much better I feel, and now that I feel good, I realize how poorly I really did feel before.

For all MSers, the liberation treatment, whether it is permanent or not, is a very worthwhile treatment and does help relieve symptoms. I met several Canadians in the hotel in Merida (where they get roughly 11 Canadians per week for this treatment), and all agree that they feel improvement right away, regardless of their degree of impairment.

I was watching the news this morning about the top stories this past year, and one struck me again. It was the story of Maddox Flynn from Edmonton, a two-year-old boy with a facial deformity that could only be corrected in the States, and of all the people who donated money for his family to have the surgery he needed.

This made me think again of the wonderful people who helped me get to Mexico for my surgery, and continues to remind me that all my extra energy can be put to good use in the continued fight with Health Canada to allow those with MS to have the liberation treatment here in Canada if they so choose.

My new year’s resolution this year is to ensure the continued awareness of CCSVI and the liberation treatment, and to continue the fight to make this possible for all Canadians.

HEATHER DIXON

Brandon