I sound rather like a broken record, but I'm happy to report that my symptoms remain relatively unchanged. Every now and then I experience a mild tremor in my fact, not visible, and I take naps in the afternoon.

Hi Nan,

Don't worry about the broken record, the words that it's repeating are words that we all like to hear.

Just to clarify something, are you saying that your hand/arm tremor has not reappeared, and that the only tremor you have now is a mild tremor in your foot every now and then?

Thanks,
Jeff

It would help if I proofread my posts. The mild tremor is in my face, not my fact or my foot! The hand tremor reappears now and then, not predictable and not even very annoying.

I had foot surgery for hallux rigid (big toe joint) on June 5 and was unable to ride my bike outside until today. I have a Cartiva implant. I rode for 45 minutes, including up two long hills. Other than being sleepier than normal this afternoon, I feel well.

Nan would you recommend the Cartiva Implant for Hallux rigidus. Did you have pain prior to surgery? How is the mobility in your Big Toe post surgery?

Sience my doctorate is in anthropology, i''m not particularly qualified to answer your question. The Cartiva implant has been used in Europe and Canada for 5 plus years but was just recently approved by the FDA. I was the third person in Seattle to have the surgery, all by the same doc. It took the doctor 23 minutes, which tells something about the complexity. Prior to surgery I had been living with arthritis and bone on bone, which was quite painful. The surgery was June 5, about 3 weeks ago. I walked out of the hospital and 11 days later I was no longer using the "boot". I just returned from an hour of fast paced cycling and went 45 min yesterday. My pain is at about a 3. I only needed 5 pills for pain after the surgery, 1.5 day's worth. Mobility is very good. I keep working on it.

This article from The Economist provides a good description of the Stanford Plasma Study. I continue to hold my own for the most part.
https://www.economist.com/news/scien...revitalise-old

Medscape has a recent article that contains some information about the young-plasma trial for AD.

"Human Blood May Offer Fresh Approach for Dementia Treatment", July 27, 2017.

"The next step is to identify and then deliver only those proteins that drive function. The idea is to actually make protein therapeutics or peptides that will recapitulate that function. This ... would avoid the need for plasma donors."

http://search.medscape.com/search/?q...ntia Treatment

(If you are not already a Medscape member, you will need to sign up for a free account)

Please see the Pedaling for Parkinson's thread for an account of my raft trip down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon. Again, the plasma benefits are holding strong. My balance is off and I'm slower but those are about the only negatives.

It's difficult for me to attribute what to what with both toe surgery and knee surgery on the same leg. After an initial positive period with the toe implant, I experienced pretty consistent pain (4), which didn't start to go away until I started doing toe specific PT. I also bought new bike shoes that eliminated pressure points on my foot. I'm hopeful they're good for the long haul.

The plasma results continue to amaze me. I still have no nausea, bowels function normally and I generally feel pretty good, although off sometimes later in the day. My energy level is low and I have had some depression now and then, which seems to be cured now that I'm cycling again. It's hard for me to sit in one place for a long time, flying, movie, play, etc.

On the Clinical Trials website, the "young plasma for PD" trial has an estimated Study Completion Date of December 2018. Unfortunately, I think we can expect to wait another year or two for the research paper(s) to emerge.
The Stanford Parkinson's Disease Plasma Study - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

Meanwhile, the "young plasma for AD" trial (Study Completion Date: February 2017) has recently published a research paper [1]. The research paper is behind a paywall, but here is an article about it.
Young Fresh Frozen Plasma Proves Feasible for Alzheimer Symptom Amelioration

[1] Sha SJ, Deutsch GK, Tian L, et al. Safety, tolerability, and feasibility of young plasma infusion in the plasma for Alzheimer symptom amelioration study: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Neurol. epub October 29, 2018. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.3288.
Safety, Tolerability, and Feasibility of Young Plasma Infusion in the Plasma for Alzheimer Symptom Amelioration Study: A Randomized Clinical Trial. - PubMed - NCBI