Dear Editor:
Narrowed, blocked and malformed veins equals poor circulation. Fix it! Everyone knows poor circulation is not good anywhere in the body, we do not need a medical degree to know it. Simple common sense dictates fix our circulation first then study and research "why".
Circulation is not in a neurologist's field. Just as a kidney doctor does not do studies on brains (brains are not in the kidney doctor's field of study). Maybe proctologists should research neurologists.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) victims have the right to have good circulation.
I know most of you know MS victims can not have the procedure done in Canada, but did you also know we cannot even get tested! Most of us who travelled outside of the Canada did so, not even knowing if we had narrowed veins, nor how many veins or where the troubled veins were located. So is it right to not even do a very safe test?
I had a Doppler ultrasound done on my neck for a totally unrelated thing in February 2010. I was almost refused it because I had MS. They questioned me at admitting and again the technician questioned me. I had to keep reassuring them it was not for my MS .I know several people with MS were refused after a doctor ordered the test.
Angioplasty takes place in the arteries and venoplasty takes place in the veins. They use the same equipment for both procedures. If you have access to the internet look up history of angioplasty.
Now doctors say they will not guarantee the vein will stay open. They will not give a guarantee to a person who is getting angioplasty around the heart either, but "they" still do it. They can't guarantee arteries and veins because they are elastic. It would be like trying to guarantee an elastic waist band not go back to the same size after a time. Our veins and arteries are similar to elastic waist bands or rubber bands.
Now I do not think it is a cure (neither were the costly drugs). This procedure does not get rid of the scars and lesions in my brain that I have gotten over the years, my body has to work at trying to heal them (which my body may not be able to do). I do have a greater quality of life and it gets better as I begin to retrain my muscles, and work at getting my strength back. Waiting to treat this disease creates more work and slower progress, which is normal. You can't expect us to run marathons without training.
Prevent our government from discriminating against people with MS, we are victims of the system not the disease process.
Darlene Fullawka
Canora, Sask.
