Two Regina sisters with multiple sclerosis weren't willing to wait for the outcome of expected Saskatchewan clinical trials of the "liberation" procedure, an unproven therapy that many disease sufferers hope will bring relief from their debilitating symptoms.

Bonnie Gorski and Tracy Buhler -- like some other Saskatchewan MS patients who have crossed borders for the treatment -- already travelled to California earlier this month to get the vein-opening procedure done at a San Diego clinic.

Despite ongoing debate about the treatment's effectiveness and the relationship between blocked veins and MS -- and warnings from some medical experts that patients should wait for scientific conclusions -- the women say they're confident they made the right decision.

"It was a no-brainer. If your life is slowly being taken little by little, if you're offered a glimmer of hope you're going to grab it," said Buhler, 44, who was diagnosed with MS at age 29.

"I don't have time to wait," said Buhler, who describes how MS has eaten away at basic abilities.

"Every day, you're losing something. You're losing the ability to write, to speak, to walk my dog, to work full-time," said Buhler, a nurse.