A few weeks ago I wrote about my ski accident in the Swiss Alps (if you haven’t read it yet, click here). When I wrote that I didn’t get the chance to share more about my recovery process because it was still so fresh. I want to share the process I’ve gone through and, as always, the cost of everything for me so far.
As of this writing I am 13 weeks removed from surgery. I’m walking around without crutches and my recovery seems to be right on track. It’s been frustrating knowing that I won’t just wake up one morning and be back to normal. I knew it would be a slow grind but the idea of it was easier to swallow than the actual process itself.
I’ve sought out a few different methods to hopefully expedite the healing process. If I have to wait 6-9 months to be back to 100% then so be it, but, if I can speed that up at all, I don’t see any harm in it. I’ll start by writing about my insurance provider, then a few elective treatments I’ve undergone.
INSURANCE
Ahh, health insurance. Up to this point in my life, it’s not something I’ve ever really needed. I don’t have any recurring health issues, no prescriptions to fill, no contact lenses or glasses needed, and, even though I enjoy a few dangerous activities, I never really seemed to hurt myself too seriously. I had Kaiser for half of 2019 but replaced a lost credit card, messed up my auto pay, and never took the time to renew it. That means, as you might’ve guessed, I didn’t have any health insurance on the day I crashed in Switzerland. I wrote about how grateful I am that the accident was in a country with affordable, and phenomenal, healthcare . Otherwise I would have way more of a financial burden on my hands.
While I was laying in the hospital bed, I started shopping around for insurance providers to help cover the cost of all the things once I got back to the US. After speaking to a few friends who work in healthcare, I decided to pull the trigger on a newer insurance provider, Oscar. I’m pretty sure it’s only available to those of us that live in Southern California, but so far they’ve been nothing short of extraordinary. I bought the most expensive plan they offered, simply because I knew I’d need be in and out of doctors offices, physical therapy, and more over the next 6+ months.
My plan has me paying $450/month for coverage. My physical therapy costs $150/session but, with my insurance, I pay $15 out the door (saving me $1,080/month if I have 2 sessions every week). I’ve had several meetings with general physicians, hip specialists, and have gotten two different sets of x-rays and have paid a total of $0 for all of that.
Now that I’m getting healthier and can start doing more and more, I’m beginning to go to other specialists for things like acupuncture and chiropractic. Much to my surprise, it’s all covered by my insurance too. It looks like Oscar was able to make me a believer in health insurance after all. Their providers are limited at the moment but they’re growing and, if you live in SoCal, I highly recommend them!
STEM CELL THERAPY
I’ve been familiar with stem cells for a while but I had the wrong idea of what they are exactly. I used to think embryonic stem cells were the only option available to us and always found it to be incredibly interesting, albeit ethically questionable. Fortunately, modern medicine has found new ways to harvest stem cells that are much more humane, more reliable, and can be just as regenerative.
Not long after my accident I received a message from Axis Stem Cell up in Seattle. At first I brushed it off and didn’t seriously consider getting treatment, simply because I didn’t know much about the process. I spoke to two of my close friends about it and, drawing from their personal experience, they strongly urged me to give it a try. So that’s what I did! Axis and I settled on a date for treatment and I was to fly up North to get it done. The process is as simple as extracting bone marrow, putting it through a series of treatments, and injecting the bone marrow derived stem cells into the troubled area; in this case, my hip and leg.
After getting my bloodwork done in LA and sending over my post-op x-rays and medical history, I was ready to go. I flew up to Seattle and met with the team. Everyone was incredibly friendly and informative, and were able to answer any and all questions I had regarding the procedure. Once I got onto the table and laid down they applied a local anesthetic to numb the area they planned on extracting the marrow from. After about 10-15 minutes of work, they were able to get 5 vials of marrow blood removed. I had never had marrow withdrawn before. It’s an uncomfortable process, but Bryn from Axis was supportive and encouraging the whole way. The biggest moment of discomfort came from the initial syringe that established the flow of blood out of my bone. From there they treated the blood and prepared it to be injected back into my body.
I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I knew everything they were doing. Medicine has some big words and fancy terms that go way over my head. Once they treated the marrow blood, they added exosomes to supplement the healing properties of the blood. Another local anesthetic was applied to my right hip and leg so I could bear the needles and pain that was to come. After about another 20 minutes on the table, we had cleared four vials of stem cell and I was ready to be put on an IV to replenish some of the nutrients I had lost.
The 5th vial of blood was added to an IV drip, along with; glutathione, ascorbic acid, and a Myers cocktail. That all got absorbed into my bloodstream over the next 20 minutes and from there I was good to go. I’m hopeful this treatment will significantly expedite my recovery process, and the testimonials I’ve seen keep me optimistic!
I had this procedure done at the end of February, 2020. It’s hard to be certain whether or not this procedure has aided in my recovery. How can I be certain that I’m more healthy now than I would have been had I not undergone the treatment? At the end of the day, I will never know. I do know that I am very happy with how my recovery has gone. The first week or two after my stem cell treatment, I was sore and experienced residual pain from the procedure, but that didn’t last long.
Stem cells can be a daunting thing. If you want to hear more, there are a few interesting podcasts that might be worth listening to. After my treatment, I listened to Bad Batch and let my mind wander. Then I listened to Doctor Death and really got into my own head. Both of these podcasts don’t really apply to my situation but it’s still a little disconcerting to listen to crazy situations like these. Bad Batch seems to apply solely to embryonic stem cells, which is not the same procedure I underwent.
HYPERBARIC CHAMBER
After my treatment at Axis, they offered to send me to a local hyperbaric chamber for an hour of added recovery. Hyperbaric chamber technology is pretty cool and it’s something a few other friends had recommended but it wasn’t something I decided to take seriously until seeing for myself.
Once I got back to Los Angeles, I found a local treatment center close by by the name of O2 UP. For $550 I got six 1 hour sessions in hyperbaric chamber over the course of a week. It’s hard to be certain whether or not these types of treatments can be effective but I had an enjoyable experience and I do think I benefitted from my first six sessions. Once it becomes appropriate, I plan on scheduling six more sessions to help my recovery further.
Here’s a quick direct quote from the website to get a better idea of what hyperbaric is:
“Hyperbaric oxygen therapy works in an incredibly simple yet effective way. By taking oxygen and placing it under greater than normal pressure we are able to push this oxygen into your blood plasma, tissues, and body fluids; literally super-oxygenating your entire system.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
Up until this point, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of maintaining a positive attitude. There have been times where I’ve gotten frustrated or annoyed with my own inability to do simple things like I used to be able to do, but I know it’s only temporary.
With the current state of world affairs, my rehab has been slowed down just a little. Obviously I won’t be going to physical therapy or the hyperbaric chamber anytime soon, but I am still able to workout from home. In addition, I was planning on beginning acupuncture but that will have to wait until things are able to return to normal.
As of now, my pain is minimal but it’s not completely gone. I notice weird tingling sensations where the plate is on my femur. I can’t sleep on my right side for very long without being in extreme discomfort. I haven’t regained my flexibility entirely, which means putting on socks and shoes still presents its challenges. My muscles still have a long way to go to get back to normal and regain their former strength. But, all that said, things have been going well. I go through most days without being hindered in any way by the injury. The soreness lingers a little longer after a challenging workout but that’ll only lead to more strength later on.
Although I was skeptical about the stem cell treatment I received, I’m very happy with the results I’ve been seeing. I do believe that I wouldn’t be as far along as I am had I not undergone the procedure. If you’re thinking about having a similar procedure, please let me know if you have any questions!
It’s wishful thinking, but I hope to be back to normal by the time this quarantine is over with. As of this writing, we’re stuck inside until at least April 30th. Personally, I think that’ll get extended even further. I’m aiming for a full recovery by the end of May 2020. If I don’t quite make it by then, that’ll be ok. I don’t think I’m too far off from that being realistic though. A 5-7 month recovery is just about what I expected when I was laying in the hospital in Switzerland.
Unrelated to the recovery process thus far but I hope to get the 5 screws and plate removed from my leg in November 2020. I think they’d give me lasting discomfort if I don’t get them taken out. Not to mention the idea of having all that in there just feels weird to me. I’ve gotten mixed responses from medical professionals. Some encourage me to remove them, others say not to unless I have a reason to. We will see what happens over the next few months, but I hope to have them taken out eventually.
Thanks for reading! I may have left a few things unclear or left some of your questions unaddressed or unanswered. If you have anything to add or any questions whatsoever, please feel free to comment them below! I’ll do my best to respond to every one of them. Thanks for reading!