does stem cell transplant regenerate dead nerves?

To the degree that your nerve damage and pain is a result of deterioration of your myelin sheath, I believe the answer is ‘probably.’

My opinion is, yep- only a layman’s opinion, that you must have working nerve pathways to feel shooting, tingling, pain, whatever..

To the degree that the axons have died, be they either motor or sensory, the answer is “probably not.”

Contact the Chicago folks and see if you qualify, then go get checked out. After all that, you can decide if it’s right for you.

My personal opinion is that the stem cell transplant doesn’t heal your nerves – the schwann cell does.

I believe the stem cell transplant stops your body from making the bad cells which create the CIDP. Once those are gone & the attack on the myelin has stopped then the schwann cell can do it’s job & repair the myelin.

I would say the degree to which one recovers after stem cell transplant has to do with how much damage they have before the transplant occurs, but I’m certainly no expert on it.

Try calling the people at Northwestern & asking them. I’m sure someone would be more than happy to answer your questions.

Kelly

Transplant stops the immune system from attacking the nerves and stops demyelatination which causes the pain .

I went for my SCT 6 months follow up a few weeks ago . Most of the time I wouldnt feel anything on an EMG,this time it was literally “torture”. It was so painful. Every test I had done was painful this time around. I couldnt believe it!
When I told the neuro in Chicago he said that most likely my “small fibers” are healing faster than the “big” nerves. And the sensory part is awaking. and YES it is!!!LOL
Transplant does help and pain, tingling, numbness ,etc goes away. Strenght, balance, motor and sensory comes back.

I still have the numbness,tingling and pain (less than before) on the nerve where they did my biopsy, which they say it may not go away. Which I dont care much. I can handle one nerve being damage ,compare to keep living with cidp.

I know by experience Stem Cell Transplant helps. Its a healing process and it takes time. I understand that more and more every day that goes by.
We may need more time, a few years maybe to find out if it will “regenerate” all the nerves. So far we know it puts cidp on remission completely.

If you have any questions you can contact me anytime or call Chicago for more info.

Rossana

I believe that the SCT can put the attack by CIDP into remission, just like Emily’s Mom said. But if there is damage to the core of the nerve, the axon, that will not come back. Alice & I have talked about the difference between her treatment & the cytoxan infusions I received back in 2003 which put my CIDP into remission. We both believe that it was the CYTOXAN that stops the CIDP, only it is probably safer to be in a controlled environment than to have the infusions like I did & be living at home. But Emily, Randy B, Ryan & I all had just the chemo infusions, all with good results.

I did not get all of the feeling back below the knees, only partial. I still need to wear AFOs to walk. My hands are not 100%, but I can do everything I need to do with them, just don’t ask me to write a lengthy letter longhand! But I was strictly in a power chair with virtually no use of my hands when I decided to try the cytoxan protocol, am very happy I did. At this point in time, I don’t believe there is anything to rejuvenate destroyed axons in the nerves. Hopefully in the future there will be.

[FONT=”Microsoft Sans Serif”]i agree with both imfan (rossana) and Pam…

the only thing i will add is that axons do have “some” potential for healing if they haven’t been bare or exposed too long. there are probably other factors too– like age of the person and length of time of the illness, etc. but there is pretty clear research that shows how axons can repair when they haven’t been left exposed too long, or left “bare.” (i will look for the research if anyone wants it) also– there is a thing called sprouting that can occur whereby nerves sprout around the damaged axons to make contact and thus connectivity.

in my case, i had total foot drop and cement blocks for feet and shins for a long time. i was told that i definitely had axonal damage! it has all come back– i’m now running stairs two at a time to rehabilitate. i do other things to– like balance exercises and strength training– but when i tell you my feet just dragged along, i am not exaggerating.

an example: sophie and i met my parents on a beach in north carolina a couple of summers back. it’s the atlantic ocean so the waves weren’t whistling dixie— anyway, sophie and my dad would sort of drag me to the water, where i insisted on going–lol– and i was fine once in at least to waist level. BUT, whenever i tried to get out of the water and approach the shore, the waves kept knocking me over and dragging me along the ocean floor, shells and all–lol. i was all scrapped up… didn’t care though… i was unable to straighten my feet enough to walk or balance myself in order to exit the strong currents. hell, i couldn’t even walk on flat, still ground, never mind that with under-currents– i also had no ability to get up from the ground– i was too weak. i’ll never forget feeling my 80 year old father’s still strong hand grab my upper arm and literally lift me to a standing position where he and sophie could then drag me back to the cabin 100 feet away…

that was how i was. and now, i feel almost 100%, almost… my sense is that in the next several months i will be there. without the treatment i underwent, as i said before, i would have been on a shelf.

but to reiterate what Pam said– the magic is not in the stem cells, it is the chemotherapy drugs that arrest the illness– the stem cells simple rescue the body’s immune system so that you don’t remain in a state of neutropenia too long, hence drastically reducing the risk for infection.[/FONT]