A stroke survivor and his wife share their observations 10 months after receiving their initial Perispinal Etanercept (PSE) treatment, having completed three doses. The video captures their long-term progress as they discuss gradual improvements in visual processing, central pain management, piano-playing ability, spasticity, and overall daily quality of life 22 months post-stroke.
Patient-Reported Changes Featured in This Video
- Visual Processing & “Visual Consciousness”: The patient notes a shift in how his brain interprets visual information, reporting restored confidence in his vision, a reduction in left peripheral movement distortions (such as misperceiving objects as moving people or animals), and improved spatial awareness.
- Reclaimed Fine Motor Skills (Piano Playing): Prior to treatment, the patient struggled to make the brain-hand connection to play songs he had known for years. Following treatment, he reports that his musical ability and cognitive connection to his repertoire have fully returned.
- Immediate Spasticity Relief & Long-Term Pain Gains: The patient recalls feeling an immediate release of tightness in his left rib cage right after his initial injection, followed by a steady, ongoing reduction in severe post-stroke pain over the 10-month period.
- Medication Reduction from Stroke Pain Relief: Due to sustained pain relief, the patient reports that he was able to completely discontinue a high dosage of Lyrica—a standard neuropathic pain medication—fairly quickly after starting PSE treatment.
- Anxiety & Quality of Life: Both the patient and his wife highlight a significant reduction in disabling post-stroke anxiety, noting a return to daily happiness, relaxation, and normal family life.
Read Video Transcript
*Transcript generated by YouTube
So, your stroke was 22 months ago and 10 months ago you came here. You had your first injection. You’ve had three doses of perispinal etanercept. And what’s happened? My brain’s understanding what I’m seeing much more now and uh you know, that the horrible pain I was having is
is much better. And the spasticity um much better. My quality of life is improving all the time. It’s it’s much better. Um
The anxiety has been a big factor. I mean, um that was just really disabling in the beginning and and now I’m um you know, I’m able to relax more. I my strength is is much better. I’m able to do so many more things now.
Um my piano playing is is just as good as it ever was. I was having trouble making the connection in the brain, you know, the connection with you know, this the songs I’d learned over the years. But now it’s it’s it’s they’re all back. I mean, it’s that that ability I’m so thankful for that cuz that’s been a big part of my life. It’s been my music and and uh so thankful to have that. But just everything. I mean, it’s been an overall improvement in all aspects.
My vision was really bad after initially after the stroke and it’s interesting because um I tell people it was it was a vision issue, but it was also a consciousness issue. It’s just my brain um you know, after the injections is is learning to understand what what I’m seeing more. I just didn’t have the confidence. I didn’t trust my vision and now I’m able to to trust it more and I don’t get the uh the wavering on the left peripheral and movement and at times I was, you know, seeing like I thinking I saw a person walking or an animal or something in my left peripheral and then I don’t have that as much. It’s just a general improvement in everything. It it It’s like as my vision’s improving, so is my just my consciousness.
I immediately I I I felt um some sensations. The tightness spasticity in my left rib cage pretty much immediately when I was flipped upright again, um I could tell something was going on. Um it’s it’s been a gradual um improvement. And I always remember you telling me that you know, I think in time you’ll see improvement and you were correct. It’s uh It’s been a slow steady improvement. Um I was able to completely go off um Lyrica, which I had been on a pretty high dosage for probably a year. Mhm. Um and um was able to get off that fairly quickly. And uh so that was pretty amazing. Quality of life is so extremely different after the stroke. Uh he was just miserable. Um after we came here and he got the shot I could see him coming back in increments. And then especially after the last shot, our life is like almost back to normal. Like he’s happier. You can tell he’s enjoying being being alive again. It’s coming back. So I’m so appreciative. I mean I I can’t be more thankful to be a doctor.
But thank you so much. Thank you all.
The future looks much brighter. Literally and figuratively.
