I haven't posted in awhile, just been busy and also not sure which of several topics to talk about. Anyway I decided I was going to update my status first.
At this point I have not seen any dramatic results. Under the more optimistic scenarios I would have seen something like that by now. Realistically, given the length of time my disease has been around, repair is going to be very complicated.
If you look at any detailed descriptions of the Central Nervous System (CNS) which includes the spinal cord and brain, its an incredibly complex system. As I have stated, my left leg function is the most significantly impacted by the damage MS has caused. There is no one nerve, bundle of nerves or place along my spinal cord where one act of repair will "fix" the problem. Its also probable that some tissue is just degenerated entirely which is an altogether more difficult problem. Because signals can be rerouted or there are multiple pathways serving a particular functional area (e.g. calf), some repair does not mean complete repair in the same way that function is not necessarily lost in any one event at any one time.
Even when nerve conduction is restored the muscular strength also has to be recovered. I have experienced some sensations, especially in my left arm which is also affected, that are new and lead me to believe something is going on. The ability of any MS treatment to improve function is very hard to measure. There are no real good quantitative tests, it generally falls to indirect things like walking speed, which combines the aggregate function of many nerves and many muscles.
So in summary:
1. More repair is possible
2. I believe some repair has happened
3. I am definitely not worse than before so am hopeful the rate of progression down has been slowed or stopped.
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