Day 4

Peg went in for her 4th HBOT treatment today (at 2.0 atmospheres), and she is feeling a little better than she has the past few days. She says she is happy and grateful… grateful and humbled that this is finally “her turn” and that loved ones are praying for her every day. Last night, Peg was kind of “weepy”, crying easily, but so far tonight, she is more peaceful.

It is still a mental struggle for Peg to go into the HBOT every day. When we first toured the facility, her initial reaction was, “there’s no way I’m going in there.” Over time, she has grown more accustomed to the idea of sitting in a sealed chamber with a hood over your face, but it still runs “cross grain” to her normal thinking. It is also disruptive to our family’s schedule for Peg to drive to Ventura every day…she isn’t used to commuting, just being a taxi service for the kids.

There have been some immediate results from the HBOT sessions. From the first treatment on Monday, Peg said she felt thinner and her body and joints felt more flexible. Even her wedding ring fit a little looser than it did before. She has noticed that there is less pain in her joints, and more “popping” when the joints move more freely. I have previously mentioned some of the negative effects – the Herxheimer reactions that Lyme patients experience with healing. She has had some headaches and muscle aches, and has felt irritated and panicky. Today, though, those symptoms have been a little less, for some reason. Yesterday evening, she was feeling overwhelmed and achy, but this evening she is feeling better physically, with just one bout of tears.