EDDIE: MY MS GAMBLE

A Ballymoney businessman ignored medical advice and put his life on the line to undergo pioneering surgery in Eastern Europe in an attempt to halt the debilitating disease of Multiple Sclerosis.

Fifty-two-year-old Eddie Torrens became the first person in Ireland and possibly the United Kingdom to have surgery carried out at a clinic in Bulgaria by a four man team headed by Professor Grozdinski, a leading Russian surgeon.

The 40-minute operation performed without a general anasthetic at Tokuda hospital in Sofia entailed inserting an inflated small balloon in the jugular vein which is designed to clear out the blockage of the brain draining veins, as well as two other non-invasive procedures.

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The insertion of the balloon holds the vein open permanently and the presumption of the treatment is that by eliminating the cause of MS - the cerebrospinal venous insufficiency - improvement will take place and the progressive development of the disease will be stopped.

Mr. Torrens, a well-known car dismantler, spent three days in hospital under close medical care and must see a specialist in Glasgow for a follow-up check. He is also required to take medication to thin the blood, but he is already delighted at his progress.

Speaking exclusively to the Times, Mr. Torrens admitted it was the biggest gamble of his life and that he had defied medical advice from his neurologist who insisted that on no account should he contemplate the operation.

However, it was a gamble Mr. Torrens was prepared to take. He had endured a daily battle of coping with crippling pains for the past seven years and was slowly getting to the point where his mental state was beginning to suffer.

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Faced with endless trips to doctors and anyone else who might offer a hint of respite, Mr. Torrens decided that he was fighting a losing battle and the one final chance lay in the hands of a Russian surgeon whom he had never met.

Fully aware of the risks, Mr. Torrens put his life in the hands of the four-man team and became the 50th person under the care of Professor Grozdinski to have the treatment carried out.

Mr. Torrens admitted that part of the procedure left him in excruciating pain for some ten to fifteen seconds.

"I thought my head was going to explode," he admitted.

For three days he received medical attention, but was then fit enough to be discharged and make the return journey to his home on the Farran Road.

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Remarkably, Mr. Torrens was back running his car dismantling business without taking any rest but with renewed hope.

"I saw a change immediately. I could lift my leg much easier than before and my movement generally was a lot better. Now I don't need help to get in and out of bed and I can get up from a chair much quicker than before," he said.

The change to his life he says has been remarkable and despite the scepticism of his medical advisors here, Mr. Torrens has no regrets.

"I understand that my specialist was acting in my best interests when he told me not to go, but I couldn't take any more. I was at my wits end and maybe would have been in a wheelchair in six months. That would have been something I couldn't handle," he added.

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The operation cost some 5000 Euros and is likely to last some four years with the risk of the balloon deflating.

"If I have to go back I will, but my feeling now is that I would definitely advise people with the disease to go and get the operation done. It's only a matter of time before this type of surgery is carried out in Britain. I was lucky enough to have mine done and as far as I'm concerned, it has worked.

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