Success...days 1, 2 and 3!

In our last post, we said we were just waiting for Peg's blood pressure to get down low enough for her to use the HBOT. Well, it turns out that just sitting back and waiting was what was needed. Peg went in for her first "dive" in the hyperbaric chamber on Monday, and went again on Tuesday and today.

Here's how it happened...over the weekend, Peg felt like she was ready, but there were no dives scheduled until Monday. In the mean time, David and I left on Sunday for a 3-day father-son
camping trip to Yosemite that we had been planning for a while. When Peg and I spoke on Monday, she told me the good news...she was able to get in for her first HBOT session! (Maybe it worked out better because I wasn't around. ;) Anyhow, Peg had gone early to the center in Ventura and spent time relaxing and getting ready, and then her BP was in range, so she was cleared for the treatment. Mike Bittner, the director of the center, accompanied Peg for her dive, and there was another person in for a treatment, as well.

Things went well for Peg's first dive, which was to 1.5 atmospheres. It was, of course, a new experience to be inside the chamber, especially for someone who tends to be claustrophobic, but she came through with flying colors. She repeated the process Tuesday, again without incident, though there was a leak in the new oxygen hood that Peg used (Mike repaired it with a sticky label from the oxygen valve). David and I were on our way home when we heard the news of the second successful HBOT dive.

Today, I drove Peg out to Ventura for her third dive. This time, she went down to 1.75 atmospheres...the goal is to take Lyme patients to 2.4 atmospheres for an hour at a time, but it is good to approach the goal at a good pace, in case there is any reaction. Again, things went smoothly, and Peg was glad to complete day 3.

You may be wondering about the dive experience. First, you get "suited up" in scrubs or other all-cotton clothes, and then you get fitted with a collar that the oxygen hood connects to. Then, you enter the chamber (along with any others who may also be taking or assisting with treatments). Once everyone is in, the hatch is closed the the pressurization process begins. It takes about 15 minutes to pressurize the chamber to the full "depth".
The hatch opens inward and is held shut by the pressure. (In an emergency, the chamber can be depressurized and then the hatch will open by itself.) The entire process is monitored by a technician who watches carefully that everything proceeds according to plan and records the progress in a "dive log".

When the pressure is at the right level, Peg connects the oxygen hood and and turns the valves for oxygen and and exhaust. With this type of multi-place (multi-person) chamber, the entire chamber is pressurized with compressed air, and then each person has their own oxygen hood (sealed around the neck by the latex collar), which they breathe through once the pressure is achieved (usually for an hour). The goal is to dramatically raise the oxygen level in the body, in order for it to have its healing effects.

After the scheduled time "at depth", the oxygen is turned off and the chamber is slowly decompressed (again, it takes about 15 minutes). When the pressure drops to 1 atmosphere, the hatch is opened, and the dive is complete.

So, this is finally good news, but there are still the Herxheimer reactions to deal with (I describe Herx's in an earlier post). Peg has already experienced some Herx reactions, which are reminiscent of her days when Lyme was running rampant in her. So far, the Herx's are not too bad, but we expect them to get worse until they get better.

So, thank God that we made it this far, and please pray that God will walk with Peg as she experiences the Herx reactions, and that they won't be too much to bear.