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Four months

It's been four months since the stem cell injections. I think there is still improvements happening.

I still don't have any pain on the top of my left foot or right knee. My pain in my hips has continued to be reduced.  My pain in the left knee is still significantly less than it had been before.

I am still leaving my name on the list for a left knee replacement.  But I'm still hoping I can get another couple of years with reduced pain.

I did not do well with the excerises- I rarely did them. I'm still attempting to walk as much as possible and never less than 3,000 steps a day ... aiming for 6,000 steps. My mobility has increased, but frustratedly I still have difficulty getting up from the floor. Kneeling hurts my knees. My ankles, and the soles of my feet hurt. Most of the pain in my feet can be alleviated with the use of orthotics. I haven't found a suitable send me as yet so I live in my runners and wear birkenstocks in my house at all times - NO bare feet for me anymore.

Getting old sucks, and recognizing that some of my aches and pains are from a lifestyle of inactivity and being somewhat overweight is the consequence.

Since my stem cell injections I have only taken anti-inflammatories twice!!!! There has been a few other occasions that I perhaps should have taken a few. Given healing from stem cells can occur for months after the injections, I don't want to do anything that may negatively affect them.

At Capri Clinic they suggested that I consider PRP after 6 months. This is another procedure that is not covered by any insurance. It is less money than stem cells at $500 for an injection. My doctor recently informed me that PRP  is being done in our community and will provide me a referral. I'm thinking I may do it.

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections are derived from a sample of the patient’s own blood. These injections contain plasma with higher concentration platelets than what is normally found in blood. PRP injections attempt to take advantage of the blood’s natural healing properties to repair damaged cartilage, tendons, ligaments, muscles, or even bone.

Over all - Was stem cell injection a success for me? Yes. Absolutely!

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Capri Clinic day one

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Two weeks since.....

It's been two weeks since I had the stem cell injections. Today is the first day for me to start the exercises recommended by the Kinesiologist, perhaps a better description would be stretches. Until today it was recommended that I carry no weight and my only form of exercise was to walk and to walk daily. Back to the stretches, there are 16 different ones. To do all of them in one sitting it would take more than an hour. Most of them are required twice a day. Luckily there are five stretches that are only once daily; but saying that... they are 3 sets of 20 repetitions on each side. A couple stretches are every other day. So.... at least two hours of exercises per day, as well as walking of at least 6000 steps a day. This is more than I can do if I have any other tasks to do beyond going to work. I'm so pleased with the result of the stem cell injections so far. No pain in my ankle or right knees at all. My hips still have some pain but significantly less. My left knee was