Peg completed 37 (oops - make that 27) HBOT sessions on Friday. The actual sessions have been going fine, though later she is experiencing some of the usual Herx reactions with regularity. (She did feel a slight reaction partway through Friday’s treatment.) She is feeling a little sick, and she has been tired every day. Even so, Peg says she has been looking forward to going into the chamber, as she knows it will eventually bring healing from the Lyme disease.
Again, I can report that, even during this time of financial struggling, we have received gifts enough for nearly all 40 of the planned HBOT treatments. Thanks to all of you who have given generously to help us through this journey. As mentioned in an earlier post, we will soon be able to decide if 40 treatments are enough in Peg’s case (we hope 40 will be enough).
Please continue to pray with us that God will complete His healing in Peg.
We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
- Rom. 5:2b-5 (NIV)
Showing posts with label Chamber. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chamber. Show all posts
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Better Days
Well, this week’s HBOT sessions have been the best that Peg has experienced so far. As she was in the chamber, she experienced some cloudy-headedness, as well as weakness and trembling, but those reactions were not too severe, and they dissipated fairly quickly. She had some of the usual reactions after the HBOT (achy muscles, especially hips, legs, and feet), but they were not as severe as she has had in the past, and later on she definitely felt better and had more energy. Peg did notice that her eyesight isn't quite as sharp as usual (Lyme disease often temporarily affects vision), so perhaps that is a new area of reaction. We have observed that the reaction aches and pains seem to move throughout her body, out toward her extremities. It’s a little scary, but we’re getting used to it by now.
It’s a bit too soon to tell, but maybe her Herx reactions have peaked, which would indicate that we are getting the upper hand against the Lyme. (Remember, the reactions are caused by the Lyme bacteria dying off more quickly than the body can deal with the “toxic refuse” of dead spirochetes, but if the HBOT is killing the Lyme, there eventually will be fewer bacteria to die off, and the reactions will subside.) Peg has been able to resume her exercise patterns (1-hour long walks near our house and 15-20 minutes “jogging” on the rebounder), so she definitely is feeling better.
We are encouraged that the treatments are working just as we had hoped, and that Peg is on her way to being Lyme-free. At the end of this week, she will have reached the half-way point in the HBOT (and we will also need to come up with the funds for the rest of the sessions). It has been quite a journey, indeed!
It’s a bit too soon to tell, but maybe her Herx reactions have peaked, which would indicate that we are getting the upper hand against the Lyme. (Remember, the reactions are caused by the Lyme bacteria dying off more quickly than the body can deal with the “toxic refuse” of dead spirochetes, but if the HBOT is killing the Lyme, there eventually will be fewer bacteria to die off, and the reactions will subside.) Peg has been able to resume her exercise patterns (1-hour long walks near our house and 15-20 minutes “jogging” on the rebounder), so she definitely is feeling better.
We are encouraged that the treatments are working just as we had hoped, and that Peg is on her way to being Lyme-free. At the end of this week, she will have reached the half-way point in the HBOT (and we will also need to come up with the funds for the rest of the sessions). It has been quite a journey, indeed!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
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.
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.
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