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I love Golf and used to play off 5 handicap now I will be lucky if I can play to 20 Handicap, using my golf cart but still love the game. I retired early due to my disabilities, but still keep myself busy with my faithful PC, writing the odd poem and the like. I also have 3 grandchildren (all girls) two live in Ontario with my daughter and her husband.

I am not a negative person and believe I will walk a reasonable distance without sticks in the future, it may be a while away but nothing worth waiting for comes easy.

In 1990 I was involved in a motorcar accident and believe this was the trauma that triggered the beginning of my Multiple Sclerosis attacks.

During the year of 1991 I started to tire quite quickly and my left foot began to drop. Theses were my first MS symptoms. Later I could not flex from the ankle. I could not lift my foot from the knee or hip. My left hand was claw like and weak and I could not straighten my arm in an upward direction. I had no energy or stamina and walked with the aid of a stick. My walking distance was approximately 25 meters

The only treatment I could receive here in the UK was steroid after an exacerbation. I was anxious because I was aware there was no know cure or effective treatment available to date (1997).

After chatting with a email friend Gary Shane from USA he told me of his visit to a Dr in Athens who prescribed low dose Mitoxantrone. So after my own research I went and had this treatment for about 30 months from October 1997 to March 2000, it meant a trip to Athens every 3 months. I stopped deteriorating and improved from 3.5 to 2.5 on the EDSS scale. Of course I have now reached my maximum dose.

Since stopping the treatment I have again deteriorated and currently about 4.5 on the EDSS scale.

I hope to start Beta Interferon in April of this year, if the NHS have the funding in place. If that fails to work for me then I am considering a stem cell transplant.

In the mean time I try to keep fit doing various stretches, use a electrical muscle stimulation and exercises with assistance. I also have a regime of vits and mins designed by a nutrition advisor.

Dave’H

A little more info

Stuff I have tried – as you can see we are easy prey for people promising they can help us. All the treatments below tallied to £42,000+ including the mitoxantrone which is the only treatment that helped me.

1992	MRI Scan
1992 -1993	Homeopathy	Good intentions: medication & diet principal as per books read, but a bit to extreme, all organic and she had me allergic to most things I had a very restricted diet. No real improvement. Medication included B12 injections.
1992	Steroids	RVI Newcastle
1992-1993	Osteopathy??	No improvement at all
1993-1994	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1993-1994	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1994 & 1997	Acupuncturist ‘Chinese’	Needles in foot, arm & hand + she recommended I see a neurologist
1995	Hypnotism	Made no change to my condition at all
1995	Carri Loder Treatment	No improvement at all
1995	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1995	Masseur	Helped my muscles, but not MS condition
1995	Reflexoligist	Feel an improvement, and I believe it helps, but not until a few days after the treatment and only lasts a short period, a few days maybe.
1995	Osteopathy	Joints manipulated, & cortisone injections in the back of left leg, but no improvement
1995-2002	Vits & Mins	Still take them
1995-1996	Decompression -chamber	Helps but only for a short period
1995-1996	Acupuncturist	Needles in head, neck, foot, arm & hand + medication Felt a little better on occasions but not convinced it was because of this treatment
1996	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1996	Amalgam Fillings removed	All amalgam fillings removed and replaced with none toxic white fillings. Made no difference
1996	Osteopathy	Joints manipulated, no improvement
1996	Allergy Testing (on going)	Helpful copy of results received
1996	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1996	Aromatherapist	Felt terrible for days after, maybe 3 different treatments all in the same session
1996	Spiritual Healer	No improvement at all
1997	Steroids	no help this time
1997	Chiropractor	Joints manipulated, no improvement
1997	Tai Chi	Class much To advanced for me. More personal tuition required if tried again I think there could have benefits
1997-1998	Weight Training (on going)	Helps keep muscle tone were you still have some strength and movement
1997-2002	Swimming baths	Stopped in May 2002 allergy to chlorine
1997-2001	Mitoxontrone /Imunoglobulin	I am improving, the only treatment I have tried to date that is worked 2.5 years complete and had an affect now stopped because of life time dose limitations
1997-2001	physiotherapy	Helps
1998	Cacey Treatment - Diet	No Help
1998	MRI Scan	Carried out at Darlington, check lesion size after Mitoxantrone, maybe reduced but difficult to assess conclusively
2001	Plastic foot support	No Good to restrictive and gave me pins and needles
2002	Steroid intravenous	No help – no more steroid treatment
2001-2002	Chiropractor	Joints manipulated, no improvement
2001-202	Massage	No change
2002	Natural Health California	Tablets L-Threonine- Moducare-Bovine myelin and cytlog Allergy to bovine myelin NO HELP AT ALL made me feel sick
2002	Bee Sting Therapy	Felt stronger after !st 3 sessions but spasicity worse. Then left leg got infected and cellulites was diagnosed. Hospitalized on IV anti-biotic. I believe it is one of the reasons I have worsened over the past 6 months
Sept	Naltrexone	Took for one week made me weak and spastic felt awful so stopped

Reach Dave by email to comment: davehalk@dh85xr.fsnet.co.u

Dave is in our Gallery on Page 5!

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