Gyms, Jims and a thick pair of socks

Friday and Mondays are the two days of the week with the most activity as far as treatments go. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I have physical therapy in the mornings then nothing for the rest of the day. This Friday we went down for our 9:30 am pick up to go to physical therapy but there was no van or driver there to greet us. Usually they are there waiting. I called the Stem Cell Institute and they said the driver had vehicle trouble and they were sending someone to get us. The driver that picked us up was Amitt and he was the first driver that we've had that spoke English. I think he picked us up in his personal vehicle. Amitt drove us to the modern high rise building where the bio-fitness center is located.  There are few street signs here in the city and there are many one way roads so to try to navigate with all the crazy traffic would be a nightmare unless you know the streets very well and all our drivers so far seem to have a good handle on that.

Yesterday John had talked to our friend Rhody who lives in Boquete, Panama about six driving hours away and whom we will visit the weekend after my last treatment. Rhody told us of a supermarket called Riba Smith's that was well stocked with many things you cannot find anywhere else including lots of organic and health foods. We asked Amitt if he knew where one of these markets were and he said he did and he asked if we wanted to go there.  We said we would like to after physical therapy if it wasn't too much trouble. 

The bio-fitness gym was new and spacious and not very crowded. I had the feeling that they mostly worked with rehabilitation clients. There were only two other people working with individual trainers while I was there. My trainer was a young handsome latin male by the name of Ivan. That's Ivan with me in the picture.  I think today was mostly an evaluation day as far as physical therapy goes. Ivan checked my flexibility by stretching me out, which was painful due to my lipo, then he tested my strength using a weighted ball and step platform. He then tested my balance then my mobility level. I wish the Stem Cell Institute had arranged for a evaluation day prior to my lipo. With my core muscles still sore from the surgery I am not as physically capable as I was before surgery and there was plenty of time for an evaluation session on Monday afternoon. It would have been nice to have a pre-lipo base line to determine the level of improvement during my time here. Perhaps they will work that in for future patients at some point.

After physical therapy Amitt took us to Riba Smith's. It was a very nice store but I wanted to get in and get out and John wanted to shop. I was worried about keeping Amitt waiting and John wasn't. I finally saw Amitt and told him we were trying to hurry and he said no problem. I asked him if he could help me find a card for a friend and he did then he went and purchased an ice cream cone and patiently waited. John was off like a kid in a candy store. By the time we left we'd packed out about $85 worth of food. We are now well stocked.


We returned to the room and unpacked the groceries. John was just about to make something for lunch when the phone rang and they said the driver was downstairs to take us to my afternoon appointment. My scheduled pick up was at 2:30 but the driver had arrived at 1:30.  We were late so we grabbed our stuff and headed out. Downstairs there were two other gentlemen waiting in the van. They were father and son, and Jimmy the son was here receiving stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis. This was the end of his third week and he was reporting great results. The one setback he suffered occurred the night before after taking his weekly Avanex shot. I'm not sure why the doctors here in Panama recommend that patients on a drug regimen remain on the drugs while taking stem cells. From what I understand the doctors in Costa Rica recommend just the opposite. I will ask Dr. Paz about that the next time I see him.

At the clinic Dr. Pichel came in and greeted us then asked who wanted to go first. I told Jimmy he could go first. I desire the stem cells but dread the injections. John and I talked about things that needed to be included in the blog while we waited. I had mentally prepared myself for the initial injection of anesthesia. Just had to endure that little bee sting. However this time it wasn't a bee sting, it was more intense like a centipede bite. I complained loudly and John said Dr. Pichel pulled the needle out of my back and massaged the area some then stuck it back in.  Again the pain was intense and I cried and complained. John was telling me to hang in there until the anesthesia took effect but all I could feel was the centipede.

A minute, which seemed like an hour, passed and the pain was gone. John said Dr. Pichel repeated the proceedure of inserting the larger shorter needle then the longer skinnier needle. The picture above is the long skinny needle being inserted and the picture to the right is the injection system with the short larger needle, the long skinny needle and the syringe. By the time she put the short needle in my back all I could feel was pressure. After inserting the long needle she injected the golden fluid containing the stem cells and almost immediately I felt pressure in both hips.  The fluid going in definitly impacts nerves and sends sensations to my brain. Over the next half hour the pressure in my hips dissipated.

Dr. Pichel and Dr. Hernandez examined the bumpy rash on my midsection and said I should try wearing a shirt under the girdle. I left the girdle off for the ride back to the hotel and that wasn't such a good idea. With every bump the van hit it felt like someone was hitting me in my mid section.

While waiting outside for the van to come back and get us we talked with Dr. Hernandez who waited with us, his little red and white cooler constantly in his possession. We talked about his crazy ex-girlfriend and about the plans for expansion and improvement of the Stem Cell Institute.  That's me and Dr. Hernandez in the picture sitting on the bench in the warm humid Panama City atmosphere.

The van arrived with Jimmy and his Dad inside. Jimmy asked the driver to drop them off at a restaurant on the way back to the hotel. Traffic was terrible on this Friday afternoon. The automobile's horn is an intrical part of the driving system here. There are surprisingly few accidents, but we did see a minor one on the way back to the hotel. Back in the room I lay down and prayed for the stem cells to do their thing. About five hours after the injection both my feet felt as if they were freezing cold. I borrowed a pair of John's socks and put them on then took a pain pill and John tucked me into bed. When I woke the next morning the sensation was gone.