I just wanted to post a link to a YouTube channel that has stories of people who have had the Liberation Treatment done at the hospital that Karen will be going to. These people are all very different with varying degrees of MS. The videos certainly give hope and show some of what is being offered by the Liberation Treatment. http://www.youtube.com/user/ReformedMSSociety

The entire Reid family will be travelling to Bulgaria when Karen goes to have the Liberation Treatment performed. We will be leaving Saskatoon on September 15th and will arrive in Bulgaria early the next day. Karen's hospital stay will be 3 to 4 days with the rest of the family staying at a hotel near the hospital. The testing for CCSVI will be done on the first day in the hospital, the procedure will be performed on the second day in the hospital and the remaining days will be for recovery. We will arrive back in Saskatoon on September 21st. Here is a link to the hospital website with all of their information, http://www.tokudabolnica.bg/en/page/727/CCSVI_Center for anyone that wants to check out the hospital that Karen will be getting the procedure done.

The Liberation Treatment

The Liberation Treatment involves opening narrowed veins in the neck of the patient. The condition of narrowed veins is called Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency or CCSVI. Karen will be tested for narrowed veins when she first arrives in Bulgaria. If she has narrowed veins she will have a non-invasive surgery to have the narrowed veins opened. The veins are opened with a small balloon which is threaded up to the veins in the neck from an incision in the upper thigh. Opening the veins will allow blood to flow more freely from the brain back to the heart.

We started this blog as a way for friends and family of Karen Reid to follow her on her journey to Bulgaria to recieve the Liberation Treatment. We will use this as a way to keep in touch with anyone who is curious about how Karen is doing leading up to, during and after the Liberation Treatment.