When I went for my angioplasty back in March 2010, Dr. Simka was the only one practicing it at that time. Currently there are close to a dozen place all over the world offering the treatment and many folks add themselves to several waiting lists and go with the first one that calls them. Others choose tropical destinations so they can combine business with pleasure. Neither one of these choices is very sound to base your health on. While this type of angioplasty is minimally invasive and relatively safe there are some points that one should seriously consider before booking your angioplasty.
Thoroughly research the background of the Doctor you are hoping on seeing. Find out how long they have been doing venous angioplasties. Can you obtain medical insurance that will cover you in case complications arise while you are overseas? Does the Doctor do stenting? Do you understand that it is not healthy to have angioplasty repeatedly on your veins? Are you knowledgeable enough about stents to make a decision to get one should the Doctors advise that you need one? Does the Doctor know how to use an arterial stent for a vascular procedure? Are you aware of the possible complications of vascular stenting? If you are receiving disability payments will your insurance company cancel your benefits if they find out about your treatment? If you are going through a medical tourism company, have you checked into how much you could save if you booked it yourself? Have you thoroughly researched the medical tourism company to ensure they are legitimate? Are you mentally prepared that you may not be operable? Have you managed your expectations or are they based mainly on other patient's success stories you have read on the internet?
Some other things to consider are keeping your trip quiet as airlines do have the right to refuse you a seat on their plane if they feel your health is at risk. If they do you will have to get a letter from your doctor specifically stating that you are healthy enough to fly. If you have time constraints and dates that you need to be in a certain place for angioplasty this could really mess things up for you. Another problem that I know of occurred after a patient came home from having the treatment abroad to find that her disability insurance had been canceled due to "no longer fitting the criteria for disability". Did the insurance company find out she went for treatment? Did her neurologist tip the insurance company off? It is better to be safe than sorry and keep your plans private.
I know that I have jokingly compared this angioplasty to getting a tattoo when talking about how minimally invasive it was but it is still a medical procedure, and like a tattoo the final outcome may or may not be what you anticipated but now will be something you will have to live with.
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Ginger: Great post about being careful about finding the right doc for CCSVI. I have linked your blog on the blog I started for my wife at http://deesbattle.wordpress.com/ (Dee's Battle with MS). We're in the process of starting the CCSVI connection. Please give a link back if you think our blog is worthy. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Shanara and I work for a company called Surgical Tourism Canada. If you are looking to get the Liberation treatment done please visit our website at www.surgicaltourism.ca Or you can call Yasmeen at 1-877-871-4315
ReplyDeleteWe have been sending MS patience over seas since March of this year. We put together a package for you, where you don't have to worry about anything. Your flight, Visa, Hotel, everything is included.
I did research all aspects before calling Andreas at Clinics of the heart at Los cabos Mexico and had really good results for a person with M.S. for thirty years.
ReplyDeleteHowever I was not ready for the sad realisation that there has been to much damage done for too long, I probably will never walk again,or drive a car or work but I know I will live longer as my bloodpressure is now better and I no longer choke when I drink, so small as it seems it is still worth doing.
TJ-Thanks! I just checked out your blog and was really impressed! I added your blog to my list of favorites!!
ReplyDelete@Reggy- Dont ever say never! It didnt take one night to get sick and it certainly wont take one night to recover again you might be pleasantly surprised at how resilient nerves can be. Go to physio and dont look back!
ReplyDelete@Reggy-Please watch this video about corticle remapping!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtnilpNodHg
Hi Ginger, Loved your post! I am wondering how you can possibly get medical coverage if you already have MS? My health plan will not cover anything that is not recognized in Canada and this includes CCSVI. I am still going to go to the US and get treatment and pray nothing happens while I am there. Thanks for any info.Blessings Wendy
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginger very well put. I will repost this important information :)
ReplyDeleteI was recently in Costa Rica for the procedure, I was feeling great when I got home. However now fatigue, and cognitive trouble has returned. I am applying for Disability. Do you really think I will get denied since I had this procedure? I haven't talked to my doctor about it yet. Thanks Ginger!
ReplyDeletefood for thought I tell you; I am wondering if I should go ahead, based on discussion elsewhere as well. I am afraid that my LTD will be cancelled and am not quite sure about stents... man I should have thought of this
ReplyDeleteGreat post Ginger. I'd like to add that anyone considering getting the angioplasty investigate doing it as close home as possible. First, it will be beneficial for follow up. Second, it will be less expensive. Third, if you have any complications later, such as re-stenosis, it will be easier to repeat the procedure if needed.
ReplyDeleteYour advice about stents is VERY important. At this time there are no approved stents for veins and stents WILL deteriorate and fail over time, (I've heard 10 years) leaving bits of material in the vein which will travel with your blood to ... well, you get the picture. For a young person, this is very important.
Finally, there are more and more places in the US starting to do this procedure. Find a doctor close to you, ask a lot of questions about their experience, do your research as Ginger says, and make an informed rational decision.
I've done all of the above and am scheduled for mine October 7th in Tampa. Good luck to everyone out there.
Hey Ginger
ReplyDeleteI wanted to send you my blog but did not know how to connect. I'm here in Poland and a lot of it due to your adventure.
http://kas-goestokatowice.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-18-2010.html
Never cease to amaze me, Ginger (not to mention make me homesick for some good ol' Alberta-folk!). I was rereading some of my older posts and this one stuck out: http://bit.ly/bZCP6w.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy!
I have been following the CCSVI trials with interest and am delighted that work on this procedure is now being done in Canada. I wonder if it will also be of benefit to persons with known vascular conditions ie. classic migraine that are also poorly understood. I am struck that severe headaches are part of both conditions...
ReplyDeleteGinger when you had your angioplasty, you weren't anesthetized or drugged were you?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. I am a regular follower. I had the CCSVI done at Georgetown University in the States. They sent the results to my neuro who immediately sent me to a Local vascular surgeon in Naples, FL. Both sides were opened with balloons as I was greater than 90% blocked in each side. My blog is cassyische.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis back in 1983. I can hardly walk now and it seems my condition worsens every day. When I first heard about the Liberation procedure and its results from a friend, I thought United States would be the first to conduct the trials. I could never imagine the corruption involved. I ended up applying for this simple procedure in Poland and waiting.. The other options were to get it done in India. After researching the internet extensively, I came across http://www.ccsviclinic.ca/ . They are screening for CCSVI in Fargo, ND and have very affordable packages for the Liberation procedure in India. I called (404)461-9560 and spoke to their nurse administrator Lisa whose priceless support made me realize that we are not alone in the fight against MS. They are screening within the US and Canada, their medical travel package includes flight arrangements and help with the visas, world class accommodation and meals within their hospitals, the liberation procedure, a stent if needed, medications necessary, a site-seeing tour, Pre-and post-procedure supervision, Full medical file including copies of charts, screens, CDs of Venograms, blood work, EKGs, etc. Post Procedure Screenings, follow-up and consultation with surgeons for the next 6 months and so many other provisions Lisa told me about, I can’t recall however you might be able to find out more on their site.. http://ccsviclinic.ca/?page_id=564 . They are providing all of this at just $13000 as compared to the other companies that charge something like $20000 just for the procedure. You may also contact Lisa by emailing her at apply@ccsviclinic.ca or calling her on (404)461-9560. I am getting liberated mid- November and I am so very thankful to everyone at CCSVI Clinic for making this happen!
ReplyDeleteThere are thousands of websites which provides information about
ReplyDeletehow is angioplasty done.
But dilseindia is one of the websites where one can get good info about the angioplasty.
Stent has proved to be a life saving tube for cardiac patient which is used in angioplasty surgery. The tube is a tiny, expandable, mesh-like tube made of a metal such as stainless steel or cobalt alloy. A cardiac stent is a small tube that is used to widen arteries supplying the heart that have narrowed. Stent for heart is sold by different companies in the world.Stent for heart
ReplyDeleteIt is estimated that the failure rate of the “liberation therapy” may be 50% or higher, even through the most experienced surgeons in Poland & Albany. As more people receive the therapy there is growing concern amongst patients that http://www.ccsviclinic.ca/?p=765 the procedure needs to include a post-procedure protocol that is more effective than simply releasing the patient from the hospital within a day.
ReplyDeleteIt should be mentioned that our research is under much scrutiny & attack from elements that are trying to control the industry & the dialogue.We would ask you to have the independence of thought to see through their campaign of deceit. http://www.ccsviclinic.ca/?p=783Regular research updates will be published on the Clinic website. Questions about participation may be directed toward the Clinic administration at 888-419-6855.
ReplyDeleteIt is estimated that the failure rate of the “liberation therapy” may be 50% or higher, even through the most experienced surgeons in Poland & Albany. As more people receive the therapy there is growing concern amongst patients that http://www.ccsviclinic.ca/?p=765 the procedure needs to include a post-procedure protocol that is more effective than simply releasing the patient from the hospital within a day.
ReplyDeleteThere is a difference between responsible reporting and what Melissa Martin chose to write about the CCSVI Clinic in this article. She was in possession of factual information and documents that put the CCSVI Clinic in a favorable light but chose to withhold the information she received from the physicains and researchers at CCSVI Clinic that would have conflicted with her agenda to smear our reputation in order to sensationalize her story. At no time did anyone from the CCSVI Clinic pressure patients into going to India for the Liberation Procedure. She should have considered that the one single person who made that claim clearly had her own agenda because she was disheartened by her 'borderline' results. We simply provide information to people about our enhanced hospital stay and aftercare program should a patient decide to have the procedure. You can't pressure someone to make an important decision about their health and all of our literature clearly states that. These MS patients are more knowledgeable about the CCSVI condition and about the options for treatment than most physicians are. To suggest that they can be pressured into a decision to have the procedure done in India is ludicrous. Patients who have signed up to be part of our open-ended study on the safety and efficacy of an enhanced aftercare protocol to reduce the rate of re-stenosis versus having the procedure on an outpatient basis (which may be contributing to long term failure of the procedure) have done so to ensure that they are getting the best care possible and because they want to be part of the important work we are doing for MS patients. http://www.ccsviclinic.ca/
ReplyDeleteCCSVI Clinic Receives Joint IRB Approval for Aftercare Protocol Study.
ReplyDeleteDr. Don Simonson, the Principal Investigator for the study agrees; “Of course there are other reasons that patients restenose, depending on the condition of their veins in the first place, and operator inexperience, so we have designed a study that isolates the aftercare protocol because we feel it may be at least as important, and in any case well worth studying.”
CCSVI Clinic is already sponsoring patients for this protocol with a 10-day stay in the hospital where patients will be imaged daily, post procedure. If there is evidence of re-occlusion, they will be taken back to the OR and re-treated. To comply with the IRB approval, once home, patients will be examined and/or surveyed at regular intervals by a Principle Investigator (PI) for several years after the treatment to study the changes. Patients will have regular consults with the surgeon who performed their procedure as part of the protocol.
More and more MS patients are reporting initial success (including vascular and some neurological differences) as a result of the venous angioplasty (liberation therapy) but then regression to previous symptoms sometimes within weeks post-procedure. It is estimated that the failure rate of the “liberation therapy” may be 50% or higher, even through the most experienced and best-known surgeons. Consequently, there is increasing concern amongst patients that the liberation therapy hypothesis needs to include a post-procedure protocol that is more refined than simply releasing the patient from the hospital or clinic within hours or a day of the procedure. If the study hypothesis is correct, it means that there are many other considerations that indicate a post-procedure stabilization period, re-examination, and re-treatment if necessary.Please log on to http://ccsviclinic.ca/?p=830 for more information.
Nice article related to angioplasty. Thanks for sharing your experience with angioplasty. Day by day heart related problems is go on increasing.
ReplyDeleteSmith Alan
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