DAY EIGHTEEN Oct. 4

Woke up a 6AM, due to too much rest yesterday. No headache, back a little sore. Feet are warm, nearly 100%. Calves and shins warm too. I could never tell if they were involved, due to the neuropathy in my hands, also. But I may feel Dr. Shu's needles today.

Back from rehab. Dr. Shu was ready and quickly adminstered painlessly. Feel somewhat woozy. Fell once in my room, injuring Sally more than I. Maybe I missed the four days of rehab. Maybe it's the start of another physical revelation. Maybe I just need a nap. Back to rehab again at 3PM.

Jon, if you're reading this, how come you don't see any eggrolls here? I also signed on for a fifth injection.

Medical differences here, alcohol isn't used, instead large swabs with an iodine solution are used for all disinfecting needs. The only trouble is it stains clothing. My underwear had what appeared to be a giant skid mark, but it was an iodine stain from the spinal. I hope it doesn't alarm the laundry man. Also with daily IVs, you'd think they'd leave a shunt in, but they poke me fresh daily. Nurses are so skilled they use the same hand painlessly, though. Acupuncture needles are inserted by hand, instead of tapped in through a tube. They are becoming morel conscious of the need for absolute sterility, hence my trip to a 'clean room' for the lumbar punch yesterday.

Two Austrian ladies are here together with their small children. I asked if they have to be sedated before the spinal. One said yes, but 2 year old son Benjamin is hard to keep still afterwards for six hours. I can imagine. 7 year old Mattia from Italy has a hard time in acupucture, looking like a pin cushion. It's these kids who are the brave ones.

Kathy wrote and said there was blue skies in Hong Kong which is only 45 minutes away. Hard to believe. She's back at home in St. Louis, nursing a sick husband and father-in-law, getting over her major jet lag.

I wondered how the stem cell procedures move forward before I came, but reading the blogs from earlier, it is apparent. They used to make you lie for only four hours, now six. There used to be two IV injections. Now only one, and the rest are spinal. Chinese herbs used to be served as a disgusting tea, now mixed in a daily IV. That is only what's apparent. There are probably other unseen procedures. 5000 year-old societies must do something right, except the pig's knuckles.

However, the stem cell treatment seems to be basically the same for all patients here. They differ in different techiques (someties surgical) at different hospitals in China, affiliated with various biotech companies, using different sorts of stem cells, derived from various sources (mine are cord blood - legal in the USA, but regulatory hurdles preclude human trials) They've been doing them here since 2001. Hal told me they're working on using placental stem cells, which are even more potent. I intend to return, if the money holds out. I expect progress on both our parts, even if it's meager. I'll be going to Qingdao up north, as Nanshan will become a children's ward by then.

Battery's running low. Till tomorrow.