Louise Herbert flew more than 8,000 miles in January for a risky procedure to slow her MS – and says it’s the best thing she’s ever done.
The 41-year-old mum, originally from Shetland, had been a keen runner and netball player before she was diagnosed with the condition at 26.
It caused her immune system to attack itself, at times leaving her so exhausted she could barely spend time with her nine-year-old daughter.
At the start of the year, Louise travelled from her home in Newmachar, Aberdeenshire to Puebla, Mexico for £47,000 haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
Some patients find it does more harm than good – causing hair loss, nausea and even infertility – and around 3% die from the treatment.
But Louise felt it was a risk worth taking.
What did the treatment involve?
During the treatment, doctors took stem cells from Louise’s bone marrow.
Then used intense chemotherapy to wipe out her immune system, before reintroducing the cells to try and “reset” her body.
Although Louise did suffer excruciating back pain during her treatment, she’s relieved she dodged many of the other side effects.
“To be honest, I think I was really lucky because the chemotherapy never made me feel sick, I never felt nauseous or lost my appetite,” she explained.
“The only thing that really bothered me was these injections we got every morning and every night for a week.
“I got horrendous back pain one night, it was so bad I pressed the SOS button on the phones we had to speak to a doctor,” she recalled.
‘It was a good sign’
Though the back pain was an unpleasant experience, from a medical point of view it was actually a positive.
She said: “It was showing there was plenty of stem cells there and they were ready to come out, I think they came out two days later.”
One effect of the chemo was that Louise’s hair fell out – but it’s started to grow back with “wild and frizzy” curls.
“I don’t think I’ll grow it much beyond my chin,” she added.
Though it’s still too early to be certain, Louise believes there have already been some encouraging signs.
She said: “It’s still early days, they say it’s 12 to 18 months before any improvements are seen. I’m at seven-and-a-half.
“I don’t think I can walk any further than before, but I have a bit more confidence in my walking.
“I went on the same walk seven times last week, I used to come home and the first thing I wanted to do was sit down in the chair, I wasn’t like that last week.”
‘I could lift my leg myself’
Tasks such as putting on trousers also seem to be less strenuous for Louise than before.
She explained: “It was a case I had to lift my left leg up because it couldn’t lift itself, it’s been like that for about five years.
“But for the past week I’ve noticed I could lift it myself, I’ve been going to Pilates which should help improve my balance.
“I don’t know if it’s that or the HSCT, but something’s done it.
“I’m not saying I can lift my leg every day, but if I can do it even three out of seven, that’s great.”
Upon reflection, Newmachar mum Louise is happy she made the decision to travel to Mexico for this MS treatment.
“I’m so glad I did it, it’s the best thing I ever did, you’ve got to try,” she added.
Read more:
Aberdeen woman with MS to spend £46,000 for stem cell treatment
Aberdeenshire mum says 8,000 mile Mexico trip is ‘only option’ for her incurable condition
‘I wanted to see if I still could’: MS patient raises charity cash with gruelling challenge
Conversation