Carol Bullis can’t wait.
She, along with two others, has collected names for a petition. And, for the past 10 years, she’s been taking medication to control multiple sclerosis.
In four days, she’s hopping on a plane for her favourite vacation destination. But this time, her trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico is all about her and her future. She will undergo a series of tests to confirm local results that she has a blockage in her vein, impairing blood flow. If the tests determine it exists, she will undergo angioplasty to clear it, in hopes that her MS symptoms will ease off.
“I’m tired of waiting,” she declared Tuesday, just as the Canadian Institutes of Health announced it wouldn’t support clinical trials on the procedure she wants done.
This summer, Bullis and two others with MS have collected 9,400 signatures supporting Barrie MPP Aileen Carroll’s request.
They want the government to sanction vascular scans and the follow-up treatments for all MS patients in Canada.
The Ontario government has said it won’t support the treatment, but the Saskatchewan government has said it will.
Bullis, now 44, was diagnosed with the neurological disease 10 years ago. Since then she’s been taking medication in hopes of keeping it at bay.
In November, CTV aired a documentary featuring the work of Italian doctor, Dr. Paolo Zamboni, who declared his findings that he found a blockage he called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in many patients with MS. He said he found that angioplasty often helped clear the condition in many patients, which included his wife.
“I heard about it (CCSVI) in November, like everyone else,” said Bullis.
By March, she had the test done in Barrie, confirming she had the condition.
And she spent much of the next two months researching the subject and the treatment.
Coincidentally, a clinic in the Mexican town where she’s vacationed for the past five years offers the treatment. She said she’s done her research, and is confident with the clinic and its level of service. She, and her travel mate, are also familiar with the community — they know the bus routes and some Spanish to get by.
Bullis considers herself fortunate. Although a back injury related to the MS makes walking a bit tough, her condition hasn’t been as severe as some other patients and she’s been able to continue long hours at work as a marketing manager, which is important to her.
Bullis also received a great deal of support from those who surround her, including her husband, family, friends, colleagues and her employer. In fact, she says that support network is helping to pay for the trip and the treatment she expects will total about $14,000.
Even though the jury is still out on the effectiveness of the treatment, Bullis said it’s something in the absence of nothing.
“It’s exciting because it’s noninvasive and it’s worth the shot,” she said. “Even if I have a small percentage of improvement, it’s better than I am today.”
And, she added, if the blockage returns, like it has for many who have undergone the treatment, Bullis says she won’t hesitate. She’ll undergo the procedure again.
“Anything that will make me feel better.”
