decompression, vertabra replacement and the material in between, Help needed on info urgently!

[Wise Young]

The following was posted by Tonyb in the Cando Research forum:

Im no doctor, scientist or whatever so please excuse my poor language. Im a C5 quad and a dear friend of mine has problems with vertebrae wasting and grows from C2 - C6 and I desperately want to help him not becoming a quad coz we all know it sucks. He has been told he needs a decompression, growths removed and the material in between the vertebrae replaced. We are shit scared!!!

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON ANY PROCEDURES, ESPECIALLY NEW ONES THAT THEY CAN FORWARD TO ME? We really appreciate any help. Thank you sincerely.

[Birde]

Tony, email me at mebirde@aol.com

[imported_admin]

I compiled all the abstracts published on the subject of tuberculosis and spinal cord injury. You can download it from http://carecure.rutgers.edu/Spinewire/Research.html. Outside of the United States, tuberculosis is a very common cause of spinal cord injury. In India, for example, it accounts for nearly 50% of spinal cord injury cases. The tuberculosis infection damages the vertebral bone, causing bone collapse and compression of the spinal cord.

Early treatment, if paralysis occurs, to protect the spinal cord is similar to traumatic spinal cord injury, with high-dose methylprednisolone given within 8 hours after injury and for 24 hours. Although the beneficial effect of MP has not been documented in a large randomized clinical trial, many clinicians have reported beneficial effects of high dose steroid therapy.

It looks as if your friend needs the surgery and it should be done as soon as possible. The surgery should be surgery. In fact, I have known some cases where the surgery late and treatment was given later. I am sorry that I am not of much more help than this. g