Home Community Member Stories Cecilia

Cecilia's Story

ccastro@mail.internet.com.mx

I just want to tell my story since I would like to know if you have heard anything about the treatment with enzymes.

I have had arthritis for almost five years now. The first year a was treated by a reuhmatologist with metrotexate, voltaren and hydroxyclorochine. I entered in remission after 9 months and I stopped taking metrotexate because I had a very bad cold which make my lungs heart so bad I didn´t wan´t to take it anymore. I continued taking volataren and I was as if I didn´t have no sickness for almost a year after which all my symptoms began slowly to come back. At the beginning only my feet hurt but then my knees stopped working well and I had to stop making exercise (aerobics). I didn´t want to go by to my doctor as I felt guilty no to be taking any medicine at all, besides I didn´t want to take metrotexate or anything alike. I got so sick that I couldn´t almost dress myself. Everything hurt. I couldn´t stand having some sweaters on because I felt the neck was to heavy for me to stand them. Of what I can remember I couldn´t even eat well because I couldn´t open my mouth completely because of the pain.

I was so tired all the time that I only wanted to lay in bed all day and not to do anything bercause everything hurted so much! I was taking voltaren twice a day but it didn´t make any difference.

That´s when a friend told me to go and see a doctor who had a treatment with enzymes. It was in november 1998. The treatment is more or less like this. The first month days I received a series of shots of enxymes made by a special laboratory. After that I went to have an implant (not a transplant!) a gland of a baby pig (hipophysis) and after that I have to receive again the treatment with enzymes to mantain the implant working. They gave me an IV every week of enzymes. ( A doctor comes to my house every week to do so). After nine months a received another implant and then another one on may last year. No they have told me that I don´t need the IV every week but only every two weeks.

For the implant they only open a very small incition in the arm and put inside the glands. You have to take the usual care of any incition,. No to hit it or not to bath it for a week. At the beginning I couldn´t notice the change but after a month or so I began to feel less tired and after the second implant I was taking only one NSAID a day (mesulide). After the last one sometimes I spend many days wihtout taking any. Only when it is rainning or it is too cold do I feel the need to take it. But I can tell you that I have a perfect normal life. I can do almost anything I want. I have returned to make exercise but sometimes it still hurts. Mainly when it is going to rain. The shots I have to have twice a week are very painfull, but besides that and the intravenous enzymes they give me I have no other problems. The good thing about this treatment is that it has no seconday effects at all. The doctors that give this treatment are doctors with recognized titles from universities well known in my country. One of the enzymes they use appears in the vademecum book and they tell me soon they will have the others one there. They use this treatmen only not exactly the same dosis for different swickness. They tell me they have had very good results treating diabetes.

Last december I went to see a rheumatologist who is a friend of my brother (my brother is a pedriatician) and he took an x-ray of my hands and knees to see what was happening. He told me I was not doing bad. He only recomended me to take one vioxx everyday meanwhile the cold wather is passing. He told me he wants to see me regularly and that he will let me continue with my treatment. I took him the informtation of two of the enzymes and he said he knew that the enzyme treatment is done in Germany but that he didn´t know that is was being used for arthritis. As he is an investigator he is interested in the treatment he told me he was going to find out about it.

Beside that I also take glucosamine and choindritin and sometimes when I remember I also take the joint complement from the knox company,
which by the way I have to buy in your country because I cannot find it here.
I live in Mexico City., and I just want to let you know about this treatment.

January 22, 2001

Update:
September 8, 2001

Last august I have just had my fourth implant of hipophysis, everything as usual and I´m continuing to have the enzyme treatment.  The doctor recomended me to come back in December to make me another implant, this time of suprarrenal gland of the pig   which is better for arthritis.  He told me that the hypophysis one is for the  better working of the whole system and the other one is more specific for arthritis and that with both I´ll be much better.  He also prescribe Glucosamine but this time through shots.  At least these don´t hurt and I have to take them every two days.  He says they´re very good for the joints.  I hope they are.  I´m also starting to go to spinning class and I find it very good, it is sometimes hard but I´m being able to take it  two to three times a week.  I only have to be careful to follow the instructions so as not to hurt my knees.  I also started taking a boron suplement which I read is good for the bones.   This is all I´ve done for the moment.