Cindi - I don't know what your pain tolerance is, but I found the pain relief from surgery, plus the increased quality of life in being able to function again were well worth the surgery and rehab. I lost count of my ortho surgeries for arthritis, and I always forget the work of rehab until I am doing it, but each operation has been worthwhile.

I cannot find any evidence that Regenestem or Dr Neil Amin's company has FDA approval for Wharton's Jelly, which has been declared an "allograft" - use of human tissue from one human in the body of another - which does in fact require approval. Stem cells are a different story, and have been approved for some uses.

Here is what the FDA has to say: https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/important-patient-and-consumer-information-about-regenerative-medicine-therapies

Let me know what you find, both about FDA approval of specific Wharton's Jelly suppliers, and about whether Medicare actually covers the service.
Sue