The Editor:
I am sure that everyone is aware of the controversy over CCSVI (chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency). It is a new theory put forth by a Dr. Zamboni in Italy that MS sufferers have blockages in one or all of three veins that drain blood from the brain. Those veins are the left and right jugulars and the azygous vein that is in the chest. Because of the blockages, he blood leaving the brain may be refluxed back into the brain where iron deposits are let, causing the lesions that all MS sufferers have.
His theory maintains that by doing an angioplasty, these blockages can be opened using a balloon - very similar to clearing blockages in arteries in the heart.
At this point, there is a battle raging between the old theorists that say MS is an autoimmune disease and has nothing to do with the veins, and those theorists that follow Dr. Zamboni's theory.
At this point there is no way that Canadians can be scanned to see if they have the blockages. The Saskatchewan government has announced that it will help fund research, but the federal government refuses to add any money to the study, on the advice of a panel that some experts say was biased.
Anyway, with that background, I am here to say that I am walking evidence that this procedure works! On September 12, I arrived in Cabo San Lucas to be scanned for the blockages and subsequently received treatment from a Dr. Moguel. He performed the angioplasty and ballooned my almost completely blocked right jugular and partially blocked left jugular. The results were instantaneous. My right side, that was becoming progressively useless, has come back to life. My right leg will now lift off the ground and my right hand now operates in rhythm with my left. My balance, which caused me to have frequent falls, has improved immensely and I am now able to walk around my house without the use of a cane. I have been completely cane dependent for the past year, and could plainly see a wheelchair in my not too distant future.
When I arrived in Cabo San Lucas, I arrived with a group of about six other Canadians. As the week progressed, more and more Canadians continued to arrive. It was amazing to watch each of those people be scanned, have their procedures and arrive back at the hotel, some with large improvements, some with little. We saw a young man, whose mouth was distorted and slurring words, talk and laugh normally. We saw another young man who took massive amounts of painkillers for his MS pain, walk with his wife pain-free. We saw most of the people arrive back with huge grins, bright eyes and moving limbs. There was hope again, where there had been none.
I am writing this letter to promote awareness of what is happening and more to the point, what is not happening. The scanning is NOT being done in Canada; the procedure is NOT being done in Canada.
Any "rogue" doctors that dare to attempt either of these medical tests are stopped and reprimanded. The federal government is prepared to spend millions on drugs for MS sufferers, but unwilling to spend a dime on this research.
This does not make medical sense or financial sense. They talk about ethics, but to leave so many MS sufferers who cannot afford this treatment elsewhere to just wither away, is about as unethical as you can get.
We need everyone to get on board with this. Get as angry as we MS sufferers are at the unfairness. If you are found to have a blockage in an artery or vein, you would have it removed immediately ... unless you have MS. Fair? I think not!!
My theory for the decision to not scan MS sufferers for blockages is that if they find a blockage, they ethically would have to remove it, so they do not want to find it.
Make yourself aware of what the federal government and health care community is doing; get angry, write a letter, fight for a fair system.
Respectfully yours,
Shelley Baldwin,
Oxbow, Sask.
