Thank you, thank you and thank you ever so much! I would like for all of us to figure out financially to get this device in our hands. I have coresponded with Kevin Siewart also basically about doing the clinic, but one of my doctors and Mr Siewart has not connected because he want's basically a medical response from the source; the doctor.

I figure that there is a source that we can further create to buy these devices. I understand per your email, that one must attend an orientation per se, then one has a 30 day trial period to see if the device helps you or not. It only needs to be done for 20 minutes each day. Given what we must live with every moment of our lives, 20 minutes twice a day is no big deal if I can live the rest of my life normally.

Beecute, I would love to learn more about your trial as I'm sure everyone else would. I wrote Doug here on DS about treatments, because I truly believe that this is one form of treatment, and I wanted to establish a treatment source here on DS as well. I got no response.

I continue to research. I recently stumbled upon 'vertigo secrets'. I will post that soon to share with all of you. Be well my friends. To our dizzyness!

yes, Anne - please tell us more about your experiences; this has really piqued nyinterest! hank you very muchfor this info!

I will be back and tell you more of my story soon.
This week is a super busy one at work- lots of end-of-the-semester grading.
Next week should be good.

If you have any specific questions, please ask. Don't worry if they sound silly.

Iwas gonna ask more about the depth perception thing, but I guess you have to experience it yourself, huh? If u can, please tell us the rest of ur story? Thanks!

I travelled to the UK from Australia in June 2009 to trial a brainport for a month and subsequently bought one because my results were so good. Almost seven years ago I had a brain stem bleed from an angioma which was subsequently removed. My balance was severely affected with constant dizziness. Over the years I recovered gradually so dizziness lessened and mobility improved however I reached a plateau twelve months ago. I was desperately looking for options to help kick start further improvement. Apart from balance problems I had a myriad of other neurological problems due to the brain stem injury.

I read Norman Doidge's book "The Brain That Changes Itself" and was amazed when I read about the BP in the first chapter. Icould relate so much to the story of Cheryl Schiltz even though our conditions were so different, the symptoms were very similar. I researched and through contact with Wicab Europe was able to arrange training at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading. It was a costly exercise but has proved a worthwhile investment as my overall health has improved so much.

I generally train twice a day for 20 mins and have been since June 2009. My walking gait has improved greatly and balance is so much better. My dizziness has lessened quite a lot so that I now notice waves of dizziness at times when I make certain movements whereas I was dizzy with any movement previously (an even at rest much of the time) I noticed a residual effect within a few days of training and this gradually increased over the next two months. Now I can miss a training session if I have too much activity and not feel any adverse effect. My speech improved markedly as it was quite slurred before BP training. On my return home my family and friends were amazed at the improvement in walking and speech! I can go out on a shopping trip and enjoy the experience much more rather than feel overwhelmed by everything while I am moving around. I have an extra clarity to my vision some of the time, but when I get fatigued it is a bit more blurry or foggy. I still experience some neurofatigue but don't feel like I hit the wall and I recover much more quickly. In fact I feel like most of my neurological problems are not as significant since BP.

My training stance has made good progress. I started out with feet apart in shoes and was very wobbly and unbalanced. I can now train with eyes closed, barefoot, with one foot in front of the other and balance quite well during my training sessions. (Romberg position)

I am such a fan of this technology as it is changing my life in many positive ways. Although not a full recovery, it was worth the trip for the improvement I have experienced so far and I hope to continue to improve over time. I wanted to post here to give hope to others who may be in a similar situation to me. I hope one day that the Brainport will be freely available and more affordable to help the many thousands of people who suffer from balance and dizziness problems.

I am happy to answer any questions about my experiences.

beecute and jeszab- how are you gals feeling now? I am desperately seeking a brainport or pons device for my balance issues from a tbi. Do you think it could also help my chronic upper neck pain? I would love to connect with either of you if you'd be willing to talk, though I know this is an old thread.

:)

Hello there. I just noticed a msg in my email though I rarely use the email that connects to this forum. I am still using Brainport and it has made a huge difference to my life. I train once a day with it and it helps me feel more connected, alert and improves my neurological state. A few months after my note above I was able to get back into driving my car after 8 years off the road, a big help in a more independent life. It is actually harder to tell there is anything wrong with me although I have not recovered completely and still have many issues. I am sure I would not have improved so much without the help of the Brainport. It is no longer being manufactured though I am told that Wicab are considering making them again. Helius Technologies are the ones to watch for Pons device as they will be selling it commercially once approval is granted. You can get regular updates. I hope to obtain one to replace Brainey as it is wearing out and PoNS is much more compact but still the same kind of technology.
I am going to a two day workshop in Melbourne next week with Norman Doidge who is presenting sessions on issues covered in his books. I wonder if you have read his later book 'the Brain's Way of healing'. It has much food for thought about many neurological issues including pain management. It lead me to buy a BCure laser device which comes from Israel and helps with pain and inflammation. you can read about it online and it is very interesting technology. I have been using mine for some months and think it helps me a lot with pain issues and also healing injuries. The low level light has an effect on our cells which helps with pain and reducing inflammation. It is well researched and has approval to be sold for this purpose. You can even buy them on ebay but make sure you buy the BCure device. It is very easy to use and portable. It comes with sufficient information to be able to master its use without any training.
I helped several aussies with Brainport some years back and all had amazing results so it is worth pursuing and giving it a try. I noticed a difference within days of using it and had been very wobbly before that. I had suffered a number of falls and was getting frustrated being relatively young (age 46) when I had my brainstem bleeds and surgery. I am now almost 60 and feel like I have lost part of my life, though I have been living it as fully as possible and still with great enjoyment despite the problems I have experienced. They are nothing compared to some people! You can find me on Facebook - Janet Morrison, Melbourne if you want to have some easier more personal contact!

Hi Jezab, I would like to obtain further information about the BrainPort balance device. I would appreciate any direct contact details to the company or a distributor to find out the current status of availability. I am not good at using Facebook but will try to contact you through that avenue as well. I live in Qld. thanks, Ib

Beecute, I work for Wicab, the company that makes the BrainPort Device. Would you be open to allowing us to share your experience using the device with others? I can be reached at wconn@wicab.com.
Thank you!