Nerve Damage Recovery After MS

"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
– Hippocrates, 400 BC


HSCT Worked!
HSCT did what it was supposed to do for me. Eight months ago it reset my immune system and stopped my MS. It was a rare opportunity and what some might consider an extreme measure to heal myself with modern technology. My only regret is that I didn't do HSCT sooner. My health has been phenomenally good since getting a new immune system that no longer attacks me. Without living in a bubble, I've avoided any serious infections or illnesses. It feels great being off MS drugs. No more needles or nasty drug side-effects! When I look at myself, I do not see someone who has MS. For me, MS is over.

But… My nerves and mobility are not 100 percent recovered. While most of the MS symptoms have abated, I still walk poorly and my fingers aren't coordinated enough to play guitar. Nerve damage from MS heals slowly. For now, I'm very grateful to be able to type, hold a dinner fork, drive my car, and walk a few blocks. Healing improvements are happening, but slowly.

Miracles Happen Slowly
The bone marrow stem cells used in HSCT reset the immune system and stop the autoimmune attacks, but they don't heal nerves. If my recovery pattern follows that of the few hundred trailblazing HSCT MS patients before me, Dr. Burt says natural nerve healing and improvements will likely keep happening for three years. With the autoimmune attacks halted, nerves can remyelinate and heal. My body can also find new nerve pathways. Burt's advice is to drink plenty of water, eat a normal healthy diet and do physical therapy.

HSCT is no shortcut. Dr. Burt's research has spanned 30 years, with at least 10 more years to go. The stakes are much higher than just one patient. He's following painstaking research protocols with his Phase III study to give HSCT the best chance of receiving FDA approval for treating many thousands of autoimmune patients in the future.

My Recovery 
Meanwhile, there's no shortcut for me, either. I get impatient, wanting to charge ahead to do whatever it takes to walk normally again. Maddeningly, I have to go slow, can't do it alone, and need help. Fortunately, just as I found Dr. Burt, I've also found and assembled my own personal rehab team. Kim, Mike and Matt are amazing. My training regime and rehab team is as follows:

Walking (with and without a cane, as much as possible)

Daily Stretching and Yoga (at home)

Daily Stair Climb (up and down nine floors)

Pilates Twice a Week (Kim Taraschi at New Movement Pilates)

Physical Therapy (Mike Fricke at Pro Physical Therapy Muskoskeletal Balancing)

Acupuncture Twice a Week (Matt Bierschbach at Acupuncture Center of Minneapolis)



Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more. 
– Louis L'Amour