Today Peg reached the half-way point with her HBOT! Again she experienced some reaction while in the chamber – this time she felt “cloudy-headed” and the feeling that she was wearing a too-tight swim cap on top of her head. She also said that old injuries began to hurt, one at a time, all over her body. Everything seemed to clear up on the ride home, and she is resting in the back yard, as it is a beautiful day.
We will take the usual weekend break, and then Peg will resume her treatments on Monday (yes, the hyperbaric center is open on holidays).
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
A Different Dive
Today Peg finished HBOT dive #19. She described today’s dive as different from any other. As I noted earlier, she has been feeling better the last few days…still some aches and pains and some nausea, but generally the reactions are lighter than in the past, and she has been able to be a bit more active.
Last night and today, though, Peg was feeling more tired than usual, and while she was waiting for her treatment, she fell asleep for a few minutes. When she went into the chamber, she began to experience some of the Herxheimer reactions during the dive. A band of pressure across the top of her head, and muscle and joint pain. She said it was hard to stay focused and not cry or be overcome. If she were to cry during the dive, then she would need to stop the oxygen and remove her hood until she regained her composure. Yesterday and today were about the only times that Peg felt chilled in the chamber…usually it feels warm as the pressure increases. She made it through the dive OK, but after the dive, she felt sick and very exhausted. Even so, she was still smiling after it all.
I mentioned last time that Peg was having difficulty with her vision. I suggested that was due to Lyme, but Peg noted that she hasn’t had vision problems because of Lyme in the past (though many Lyme patients do). I found out today that the HBOT treatments often have a temporary effect on vision by changing the shape of the cornea a bit, and her vision is probably actually getting slightly better rather than getting worse. Of course, since she wears prescription glasses, improved vision means that things are not quite as well focused through her glasses – thus her difficulty focusing at distances. After the HBOT, her vision should return to normal.
A lot of other things have been conspiring to make life more difficult for our family, so the fact that Peg has made it nearly halfway through the HBOT is a bright spot for us. We still haven’t gathered the funds for the second half of her treatments, so please continue to pray for provision in that area.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4 (NIV)
Last night and today, though, Peg was feeling more tired than usual, and while she was waiting for her treatment, she fell asleep for a few minutes. When she went into the chamber, she began to experience some of the Herxheimer reactions during the dive. A band of pressure across the top of her head, and muscle and joint pain. She said it was hard to stay focused and not cry or be overcome. If she were to cry during the dive, then she would need to stop the oxygen and remove her hood until she regained her composure. Yesterday and today were about the only times that Peg felt chilled in the chamber…usually it feels warm as the pressure increases. She made it through the dive OK, but after the dive, she felt sick and very exhausted. Even so, she was still smiling after it all.
I mentioned last time that Peg was having difficulty with her vision. I suggested that was due to Lyme, but Peg noted that she hasn’t had vision problems because of Lyme in the past (though many Lyme patients do). I found out today that the HBOT treatments often have a temporary effect on vision by changing the shape of the cornea a bit, and her vision is probably actually getting slightly better rather than getting worse. Of course, since she wears prescription glasses, improved vision means that things are not quite as well focused through her glasses – thus her difficulty focusing at distances. After the HBOT, her vision should return to normal.
A lot of other things have been conspiring to make life more difficult for our family, so the fact that Peg has made it nearly halfway through the HBOT is a bright spot for us. We still haven’t gathered the funds for the second half of her treatments, so please continue to pray for provision in that area.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4 (NIV)
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!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
3 Weeks Down...5 More to Go
Yesterday Peg completed her 15th HBOT session! The process continues to be difficult for her, but we do believe that the treatments are working. Each time she goes into the HBOT, she experiences a feeling of dread that she has to fight to overcome. Then, during the treatment, it is difficult once the hood is in place over her head, and she usually feels like she just can’t go on any longer at about the half-way point. For the last few dives, she has taken a short break midway through the dive, where she turns off the oxygen, removes the hood, and just breathes the air in the chamber for a few minutes. She is still at 2.4 atmospheres pressure, but she can wipe her face and adjust her hair, etc., then she replaces the hood and turns on the oxygen again to resume her dive. She doesn’t go off oxygen long enough to reduce the saturation level in her body, and the break really helps her cope with the dive.
After each dive, Peg’s reaction is somewhat unpredictable. Sometimes she is immediately drained and has a hard time even walking to the car. Other times she has more energy and appears to have little negative reaction. She will usually feel nauseated and weak for a while, and then she will feel better later in the afternoon, and then be extremely tired in the evening. When weekends come, it is a good respite for her, as she can recover from the daily ups and downs somewhat. It is too soon to tell if the Herx reactions are peaking or if they are still increasing. We do expect them to peak at some point, and then begin to diminish somewhere midway through the HBOT sessions.
So far, Peg's blood pressure has been under control. They take her blood pressure before each HBOT session, and she still experiences "white coat" syndrome a bit, but she has been able to get her BP down enough to begin each session. Once she goes into the chamber, she does not appear to have any BP issues.
Please continue to pray for daily strength and endurance to complete her HBOT sessions to the end. This includes financial endurance, as we have paid only for the first 21 sessions, so we need to come up with more funds to finish the full treatment.
After each dive, Peg’s reaction is somewhat unpredictable. Sometimes she is immediately drained and has a hard time even walking to the car. Other times she has more energy and appears to have little negative reaction. She will usually feel nauseated and weak for a while, and then she will feel better later in the afternoon, and then be extremely tired in the evening. When weekends come, it is a good respite for her, as she can recover from the daily ups and downs somewhat. It is too soon to tell if the Herx reactions are peaking or if they are still increasing. We do expect them to peak at some point, and then begin to diminish somewhere midway through the HBOT sessions.
So far, Peg's blood pressure has been under control. They take her blood pressure before each HBOT session, and she still experiences "white coat" syndrome a bit, but she has been able to get her BP down enough to begin each session. Once she goes into the chamber, she does not appear to have any BP issues.
Please continue to pray for daily strength and endurance to complete her HBOT sessions to the end. This includes financial endurance, as we have paid only for the first 21 sessions, so we need to come up with more funds to finish the full treatment.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Steady On!
After a break over the weekend, Peg resumed her HBOT sessions on Monday. As you know, last week’s treatments were difficult, but her two treatments this week have been much easier. The Herx reactions have been quite a bit more manageable. Today, for example, Peg felt a little tired, but she reported no severe Herx reactions (so far), and she said she felt pretty good during and after the HBOT. She said that it was reassuring to know that she was making headway against her Lyme disease.
Just a quick review about the HBOT process (in layman’s terms)…under increased pressure (2.4 atmospheres, in Peg’s case), the blood absorbs much more of the gasses you breathe than at normal pressure. For divers breathing air, this can lead to problems when too much nitrogen is absorbed and then decompression comes too quickly (the “Bends”, or decompression sickness). This process and the reason why the gasses are absorbed is described in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decompression_sickness . In the case of HBOT, however, the patient is breathing pure oxygen rather than air, so that it is oxygen that is getting absorbed into the blood and tissues. With oxygen, there is no danger of decompression sickness, as oxygen is beneficial and harmless to the body.
Oxygen is not harmless to Lyme disease, though. Studies suggest that the organisms responsible for Lyme are sensitive to high concentrations of oxygen at the cellular level. In other words, the Lyme bacteria don’t do well in the high-oxygen environment created in the body during HBOT. The result is that the bacteria die off, wherever they are in the body. The dead bacteria are toxic and need to be removed by the body’s normal clean-up process. Unfortunately, when more bacteria die off than the body’s normal process can deal with, there are some negative physical reactions (the Herxheimer reactions we have talked about). This is a mixed blessing…the Herx’s are sometimes difficult to deal with, but they are a sign that Lyme bacteria are dying off in large quantities.
So, in Peg’s case, we’re hoping that there are some Herx’s (to show that the HBOT is working), but that they are not too severe. She’s resting well, despite some mild flu-like symptoms.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
- Ps 107: 19-21
Just a quick review about the HBOT process (in layman’s terms)…under increased pressure (2.4 atmospheres, in Peg’s case), the blood absorbs much more of the gasses you breathe than at normal pressure. For divers breathing air, this can lead to problems when too much nitrogen is absorbed and then decompression comes too quickly (the “Bends”, or decompression sickness). This process and the reason why the gasses are absorbed is described in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decompression_sickness . In the case of HBOT, however, the patient is breathing pure oxygen rather than air, so that it is oxygen that is getting absorbed into the blood and tissues. With oxygen, there is no danger of decompression sickness, as oxygen is beneficial and harmless to the body.
Oxygen is not harmless to Lyme disease, though. Studies suggest that the organisms responsible for Lyme are sensitive to high concentrations of oxygen at the cellular level. In other words, the Lyme bacteria don’t do well in the high-oxygen environment created in the body during HBOT. The result is that the bacteria die off, wherever they are in the body. The dead bacteria are toxic and need to be removed by the body’s normal clean-up process. Unfortunately, when more bacteria die off than the body’s normal process can deal with, there are some negative physical reactions (the Herxheimer reactions we have talked about). This is a mixed blessing…the Herx’s are sometimes difficult to deal with, but they are a sign that Lyme bacteria are dying off in large quantities.
So, in Peg’s case, we’re hoping that there are some Herx’s (to show that the HBOT is working), but that they are not too severe. She’s resting well, despite some mild flu-like symptoms.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men.
- Ps 107: 19-21
Friday, August 15, 2008
One quarter of the way through!
Well, today Peg completed her 10th dive in the HBOT. All this week she has been at 2.4 atmospheres. Monday thru Wednesday were pretty uneventful…just more of the same: some discomfort and pretty mild reactions that come and go in the afternoon and evening.
Thursday, however, was different from all of the other dives. Towards the end of her dive, Peg began to feel worse. She became warm inside the hood, and she seemed to “zone out”. When her hood fogged up, Molly, the technician monitoring the HBOT process, tried to get Peg’s attention to make sure she was OK. Peg felt slow in everything she did, and had trouble understanding Molly over the phone. She also felt a tingling in her arms. At Molly’s instructions, Peg turned off the oxygen and removed her hood, whereupon she did feel better. Peg “sat out” the rest of the dive, but she was not herself when she left the chamber.
Outside the chamber, Peg rested on the couch, but her head felt like nothing she has ever experienced. It wasn’t really pain, and it wasn’t pressure – it was more like writhing, stress, or being out of control, but it was focused in the top of her head. She was emotional and cried quite a bit, and then it passed. She described it as feeling like she was coming apart, and she began to feel more “connected” with the real world as I stroked her head.
Eventually we walked to the car and headed home. About half-way home, Peg began to feel more normal. She had a few more episodes in her head and neck, and then she had a long nap at home. Later, she had that same strange feeling in her shoulders (also accompanied with crying), and still later she had more of the feelings down her arms and wrists, and also down her legs.
When there are symptoms like this in the chamber, there is always a question of whether or not oxygen toxicity is a factor (each patient’s threshold is different), but since the symptoms continued after Peg exited the chamber, it seems like these are just more intense Herx reactions. My personal theory is that the Lyme bacteria are dying off because of the oxygen levels, but once dead, they are just toxic “dross” that the body must then deal with. Another possibility is that the spiral-shaped Lyme bacteria are “boring in” deeper to try to escape the hostile oxygen-laden environment. Either way, the Lyme’s days are numbered, as it can’t survive in the environment that the HBOT creates.
B. burgdorferi, a spiral bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, seen through a microscope
At the end of the evening, Peg felt much better. We stood in the backyard for about 45 minutes and watch the lightening storm as it worked its way across the sky. It was awesome, and it was awesome that Peg was feeling better.
----------------------------------------------
This morning (Friday), Peg felt exhausted and foggy-headed, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Overall, though, she has been feeling better…swelling is down, here moles and scars are smoother, and she feels more flexible. She decided to go into the HBOT again today. She arranged for a 10-minute break in the middle of the dive, and that seemed to help. Even so, Peg felt overcome and emotional, and had to really fight to cope with feeling sick. Afterwards, Peg had some of the same symptoms as yesterday, but they were less intense. She experiences random pains, and her legs and feet hurt more today, but the head “symptoms” were milder.
So, at this “one-quarter of the way” milestone, Peg can still use your prayers to be able to cope with the reactions and effects of the treatments as the Lyme disease is being defeated. In the mean time, I am proud of Peg’s hard work and her pressing on toward her goal.
All hard work brings a profit…
- Prov. 14:23a (NIV)
Thursday, however, was different from all of the other dives. Towards the end of her dive, Peg began to feel worse. She became warm inside the hood, and she seemed to “zone out”. When her hood fogged up, Molly, the technician monitoring the HBOT process, tried to get Peg’s attention to make sure she was OK. Peg felt slow in everything she did, and had trouble understanding Molly over the phone. She also felt a tingling in her arms. At Molly’s instructions, Peg turned off the oxygen and removed her hood, whereupon she did feel better. Peg “sat out” the rest of the dive, but she was not herself when she left the chamber.
Outside the chamber, Peg rested on the couch, but her head felt like nothing she has ever experienced. It wasn’t really pain, and it wasn’t pressure – it was more like writhing, stress, or being out of control, but it was focused in the top of her head. She was emotional and cried quite a bit, and then it passed. She described it as feeling like she was coming apart, and she began to feel more “connected” with the real world as I stroked her head.
Eventually we walked to the car and headed home. About half-way home, Peg began to feel more normal. She had a few more episodes in her head and neck, and then she had a long nap at home. Later, she had that same strange feeling in her shoulders (also accompanied with crying), and still later she had more of the feelings down her arms and wrists, and also down her legs.
When there are symptoms like this in the chamber, there is always a question of whether or not oxygen toxicity is a factor (each patient’s threshold is different), but since the symptoms continued after Peg exited the chamber, it seems like these are just more intense Herx reactions. My personal theory is that the Lyme bacteria are dying off because of the oxygen levels, but once dead, they are just toxic “dross” that the body must then deal with. Another possibility is that the spiral-shaped Lyme bacteria are “boring in” deeper to try to escape the hostile oxygen-laden environment. Either way, the Lyme’s days are numbered, as it can’t survive in the environment that the HBOT creates.
B. burgdorferi, a spiral bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, seen through a microscope
At the end of the evening, Peg felt much better. We stood in the backyard for about 45 minutes and watch the lightening storm as it worked its way across the sky. It was awesome, and it was awesome that Peg was feeling better.
----------------------------------------------
This morning (Friday), Peg felt exhausted and foggy-headed, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Overall, though, she has been feeling better…swelling is down, here moles and scars are smoother, and she feels more flexible. She decided to go into the HBOT again today. She arranged for a 10-minute break in the middle of the dive, and that seemed to help. Even so, Peg felt overcome and emotional, and had to really fight to cope with feeling sick. Afterwards, Peg had some of the same symptoms as yesterday, but they were less intense. She experiences random pains, and her legs and feet hurt more today, but the head “symptoms” were milder.
So, at this “one-quarter of the way” milestone, Peg can still use your prayers to be able to cope with the reactions and effects of the treatments as the Lyme disease is being defeated. In the mean time, I am proud of Peg’s hard work and her pressing on toward her goal.
All hard work brings a profit…
- Prov. 14:23a (NIV)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Now at 2.4 atmospheres
Today Peg began week 2 of HBOT! This dive was at the goal "depth" of 2.4 atmospheres, and we expect future dives to be at this pressure. Peg began feeling sick about mid-way through the dive, and she was very tired when the dive was complete.
So far, her Herx reactions have been consistent, but not overwhelming. Peg's symptoms have been exhaustion, nausea, headaches, emotional upset, soreness in her hips, legs and heels, and some brain fog. Fortunately, the symptoms come for a while and then go away, so she feels almost OK much of the time. She's being really strong, so sometimes it's hard to know that she's in pain or struggling.
We don't really know how long the reactions will continue, but we pray they won't get much worse. We that know soon, there will be a time for dancing:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...
- Eccl. 3:1-4 (NIV)
So far, her Herx reactions have been consistent, but not overwhelming. Peg's symptoms have been exhaustion, nausea, headaches, emotional upset, soreness in her hips, legs and heels, and some brain fog. Fortunately, the symptoms come for a while and then go away, so she feels almost OK much of the time. She's being really strong, so sometimes it's hard to know that she's in pain or struggling.
We don't really know how long the reactions will continue, but we pray they won't get much worse. We that know soon, there will be a time for dancing:
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance...
- Eccl. 3:1-4 (NIV)
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