so i heard a few good things about diabetes how to controlle it and cure it too but one that called out my attention was th inslet(not sure how to spell it)transplants which was only goin on in other countrys as an experimental method well what are the requirements for this and what do i got to do ,to get into one of this experimental things
so i guess my question is does anybody know anything on how i could get in contact with this facilities AND HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD THIS COST ME

Islet cell transplants are not routinely done because they are very expensive AND they require a person to take immuno-suppressives, which can have very bad effects on the body, AND they are not always successful!

If you're diabetic, you need to learn how to manage your illness with diet, exercise and medication if necessary.

Ruth

I'd like to add to that also. Islet cell transplants were only being experimented on with people who had other transplants and were already taking the anti-rejection drugs. It's not something they would do on a person who didn't need another kind of transplant. I know they were done in Canada but I'm not sure what other countries.

There is a site with a lot of information but I don't think I'm supposed to post a link here. If you go to the search engine that begins with a "G" and type in 'islet cell transplants' then you'll get a great Canadian site that will answer a lot of your questions. It's the first site listed and the title is THE ISLET CELL TRANSPLANT RESEARCH. Hope that helps.

There are a whole lot of things that people don't realize about islet cell transplants. First, they are usually only done on otherwise healthy diabetics who have uncontrolled, unexpected, extreme lows. It is only recently that centers in North America are doing islets after kidney transplants. They are only starting to do islet transplants in people that have had other transplants.

The bottom line - as far as I am concerned - islet cell transplants don't work. The average life expectancy of a graft is about 18 months where you are free of insulin. The cells may then work sporadically for a while longer basically putting you into a "honeymoon" period that type 1s often get. Very hard to keep good control.

A lot of research has been done in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It's called (amazingly enough) the Edmonton Protocol and is also being used in Minneapolis. They too are starting to do islet cell transplants after kidney transplants.

I have found my anti-rejection meds for my kidney not too bad. However, because islets are much more delicate, you end up on anywhere from 3 to 5 times the amount of immunosuppression that you would be on for just a kidney. If you are going into an islet transplant with very high doses of things like Prograf (they use this plus rappamune in Edmonton) you have to be aware that prograf is very nephrotoxic. You could severely damage your kidneys (if you go in as otherwise healthy) and end up needing a kidney transplant.

I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't want to have had diabetes for almost 40 years, be non-diabetic for 18 months, and then have to go back. I just wouldn't be able to do it. None of the centers doing this procedure ever mention how patients do once they are back on insulin. Islet cells are hard to come by and there is a wait to get subsequent transplants if they even do them at all. It is still considered an experimental procedure and you may not get a 2nd chance.

Also, you are injecting foreign cells into an organ (the liver) where they are not supposed to be. There is no data on how the liver is affected with numerous transplants. I would imagine there would be some scarring or reaction.

The initial trial in Edmonton that was announced to the world occured in 2000. By late 2002, none of the participants had fully functioning islet cells.

While it is a nice dream - I think that you are still better off waiting for something that works consistantly and for a long time.

Sorry to present such a negative post.

Cora