Hello Everyone,

Just a note to say that my appointment with Dr Strong (neurologist at
University Hospital) regarding Intrathecal Baclofen went wonderfully. He
was kind and very gentle, even if he left me waiting alone  in the examination
room for 45 minutes. He said that he thinks that I do have a mixture of
spastic and dystonic cerebral palsy, but that spasticity still dominates.
They will do a trial for me (this will probably be sometime in February...
hopefully they can schedule things over my winter break from university
classes). He said he thinks the pump will benefit me greatly, and that the
majority of my pain is still coming from muscle tighteness, in his
opinion. I told him about my rhizotomy and the plating in my back, so he
ordered x-rays of my lumbar spine so that the Movement Disorders team can
see where all of the hardware is situated.

Even better, they DO NOT DO PLACEBO CONTROLLED TRIALS ANYMORE, especially
in patients with as much spasticity as me! Dr. Strong also said that the
pumps are covered by funding grants from the hospital, and that some
insurance companies now cover the intrathecal baclofen here in Canada. If
not, there is a form to fill out to get the drug supplied under the
Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

He said that I have good strength, and that ITB THERAPY should not
adversely affect my ability to walk!

I have some hope for pain relief again...What a great Christmas present. I
met the neurosurgeon as well, and he is really nice. I totally trust these
people, and that is not something I say often regarding physicians.

Dr. Strong took the time to answer all of my questions, too, and let me
tell my whole story, and it is a long one!

He's already going to dictate a letter to the insurance company to see if
they will cover the drug (or else I have to pay about $30 for the trial
dose).

I just love nice doctors!

Thank you so much for all your kind thoughts and prayers. I am sure I had
angels on my shoulder today!

Now its back to writing exams

(the essays are all done!)

Take care and Merry Christmas

Jenn