Saturday, March 6, 2010

Post 22 - Twenty-four weeks after treatment

Another two weeks have sped by as I approach the six-month milestone of my stem cell treatment at the XCell Center. Nothing noteworthy has occurred during these last two weeks but I would like to make an observation.

In Post 19 – I mentioned how my voice improved (stronger, clearer, etc.) after presenting a weekly class in an Elderhostel-type setting. Based on that, I speculated that continued exercise of any type might just help the body slow the progression of this disease. I bring this up again because now that my class is over and more than a week has gone by – I have noticed that my voice is less “agile” than it was while still teaching. It seems a little weaker and I’ve already experienced more “throat-clearing” episodes.

What’s my point? The saying “use it or lose it” may especially apply to those of us with MSA. The longer we’re able to challenge our bodies (and voices) with safe, beneficial exercise, the longer we’ll be able to experience active lifestyles. So, if you’re anywhere near my home here in southwest Florida and you hear sounds similar to a trapped animal – don’t be alarmed – it’s just me singing along with Elvis.

I’ll be back in two weeks with a summary of my entire XCell experience at the six-month mark.

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