Birthday presents: True diagnosis and a possible treatment

It was a strange day, well, certainly out of the ordinary! I am talking about last Friday, November 8, 2019. First of all, it was my birthday (yep, now 67, getting on a bit) but it was also the day I had to see my neurologist for my regular MS check-up. Not the day I …

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Paul pays tribute to dedication of staff as he prepares to leave Moscow HSCT centre

Although I have taken a break from writing during August, I just had to catch up with Paul Morrison who, earlier this month, travelled to Moscow to undergo HSCT for multiple sclerosis. The exact type of the disease is a matter of opinion, his neurologist says Paul has SPMS, but tests in Moscow indicate a …

#paulsfighttowalk : Support sought for HSCT in Moscow

Former Londoner Paul Morrison is seeking support to travel to Moscow to receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in August. These days Paul (46) and his family live a stone’s throw from my home in southern Spain. He shares my challenge of living with multiple sclerosis. His dad, Phil, has set up a GoFundMe account, …

Russian Physician’s Guide to HSCT in Moscow

There’s good news for anyone with multiple sclerosis who is considering undergoing HSCT, especially if that involves being treated in Russia. And that’s because Denis Fedorenko, MD, who is in charge of the stem cell transplant program for MS patients, has put together a comprehensive guide to the whole procedure at the A.A. Maximov Department …

Phoebe’s HSCT Story: Back home (Last in a Series)

Phoebe Scopes was the first international patient to receive Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) therapy for multiple sclerosis in Moscow. In this fourth, and last, part of her story, we join Phoebe on her return home to the London. Ian: What is your post-HSCT MS state from getting home until today? Phoebe: Back home, four …

In Moscow for HSCT: Part 3 of Phoebe’s Story

Two weeks ago, I introduced you to Phoebe Scopes, the British woman who was the first international multiple sclerosis patient to receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in Moscow. Today, in part 3, Phoebe takes us with her to the A.A. Maximov Department of Hematology and Cellular Therapy, at the National Pirogov Medical Surgical Center …

Phoebe Scopes, British HSCT Pioneer in Moscow, Part 2

Last week, I introduced you to Phoebe Scopes, the very first MS patient from another country to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in Moscow. Today, in Part 2,  we pick up the story of the 46-year-old who lives in London. Ian: So, you had done lots of research. How did things then develop? Phoebe: By late …

Heeding Advice About Vitamin D Supplement Results in Improvements

 So, I’m four weeks on from starting to take vitamin D supplement. How’s it going? To be honest, I did not expect much. How could a vitamin make any difference to the multiple sclerosis symptoms that are so much part of my life? What affect could vitamin D have? I would not have started taking the …

HSCT in Moscow, Day by Day

Doesn’t time fly? It seems only yesterday that I was preparing to go to Moscow, yet tomorrow will be three weeks since my return. (Note: Now four weeks). I have written enough about my experiences at the AA Maximov center so, today, we’ll take a look at how HSCT progresses, step by step. The following is …

Home from Moscow, strangely contented

Yesterday was a long and tiring day, returning home to the sunny and south of Spain from the colder temperatures found in Moscow. With the help of two members of the support team, I left the hospital at 7am, which was 6am in Spain, eventually getting home at 10.30pm. Believe me, 16½ hours of travelling …