Wow, let us know how you feel afterwards! 

Awesome! Why do they have one in their home? They are supposed to be good for healing and for healing tissue also. You have been dealing with so much, I hope this helps you. What a great thing to have access too Liza! How did it feel? What was it like? I'm claustrophobic too, that looks mighty small to me! Were you okay in there?   This inquiring mind wants to know everything about it.....so many questions......

@dlkfiretruck

So, here is my experience. My hairdresser and her husband are both in their 70s with health problems. He is one of the wealthiest people in the area we live--he owns a lot of commercial property, so money isn't an issue for them. They bought the contraption, pictured above, to try to heal some of their ailments but have only used it a couple times because they can't get in and out of it. She has shoulder problems and he has hip and knee problems  

So, I get to their house and they are trying to remember how it all hooks up. I almost made a run for it at that point, but they got the rep on the phone and confirmed they were doing it right.  So they gave me a mask with oxygen flowing and I managed to climb in to the thing. The material it is made of is very heavy and had all the air connectors on the top, so getting in was a little tricky, but I got in on my back and put the mask on. Then there were 3 zippers to zip up. One I had to do from the inside and the other two they did on the outside. Then there was a button I pushed on the top of the chamber and then it started inflating. I was a lot less claustrophobic then because the heavy thing wasn't laying on top of me any more.  They were still messing with all the controls on the outside, so I had no idea what was going on.  Fortunately there was a little window above my face, so I could out.  

I did this post and then started to relax a bit. I think I even fell asleep for a few minutes, as it was very relaxing.  Then after about 40 minutes, I started thinking about how was I going to get out of this thing. It was hard enough to get into and I had gravity on my side.  I still use a bed rail to get out of bed, because between my open wound and hernia, my abdominal muscles have not recovered yet.

So then Tamra told me to push another button to stop the pump and deflate the thing. So we get it deflated and I make my attempt to get out.  It was very comical and probably the least graceful I have ever been, but I did manage to work my way out. Once I was out, they told me that something wasn't working quite right with the connections, so I probably didn't get the full effect, but even just an hour of breathing in oxygen, I'm sure had a benefit.  They said they are going to have the rep come out and check it out and service it, so next time it will be working better.

All in all, it was an adventure and a very nice thing they want to do for me.  Oh, and so it doesn't seem so weird, Tamra has been cutting my hair for over 20 years, and is a friend to me. About 5 years ago, she had a bookkeeper who was stealing from her and had her books all messed up, so I helped her out by getting everything cleaned up for her and doing all her bookkeeping on the weekends for a couple months until she found someone else.  So, we have a history, but this is still going above and beyond.  She said that now that she has the means, she really wants to help me.  So, we might make this a regular thing  I just need to coordinate with my hubby to go with me to help me in and out and run the machine, so I don't have to impose on them any more than being in their huge house.  ?

Wow ? It’s like Star Trek meets an ostomy bag! 

@john68

I must admit, a couple times I did think "Beam me the heck out of here, Scotty". ?

Thank you for sharing your experience Liza! That was so very kind of them.

Liza, any time I gave had oxygen in the hospital, I never want to give it up.  It makes me feel so very much better then before I was on it.

Wow, Liza! You are brave!!! I am claustrophobic (unless I have total control of the situation or realize that it's a necessary evil such as an MRI). Good for you!

Stella

PS This is totally unrelated, but after a year and a half on this website,  I finally discovered the  "Like" and "Unlike" buttons. lol

Hey guys!! 

I'm back in the hyperbaric tent thingy. This time there is someone here who knows how to use it, so I believe I am getting the full effect. I can feel the pressure and had to pop my ears several time.  It will be really nice if I can do this often enough for the oxygen to help my wound finally heal. So apparently this contraption costs $6,000 which is actually less than I would have thought. Especially based on how spendy it is to do at the hospital. 

Even if I don't heal from this, I don't think it will hurt. ? And extra oxygen is always nice. 

I'm going to start Hyperbaric O2 treatments next week for radiation damage. I'm excited and hopeful. It's at a local medical clinic and I will be in the tube for 2 hours. The tubes are completely clear, plexiglass I assume, so maybe the claustrophobia won't be an issue. The down side is, because of flammability risk, I can't take anything in with me. They do have a movie screen with each tube so I can pick out a movie to watch. I will have treatments 5 days a week for a minimum of 9 weeks.

Marci

Marci,

I thought it was pretty relaxing and I feel pretty good now that I am done. I had my phone with me so that is how I killed the time. A movie would be good though. I would probably fall asleep if I tried to watch a movie. I stayed in for 90 minutes today and they said I can come back every day if I want. 

I'm glad you have this opportunity. I have heard many good things about HO2 treatments. Unfortunately I can't take anything in the tube so a movie-or a long nap is my only option.

Liza, how wonderful for you.  A chance to lay still and rest while getting the benefit of extra healing coming your way.  I truly hope this works well for you. 

I am back in the hyperbaric chamber. I have done it several times in the last week. I can't tell if it is helping with the wound or not but I feel good in general. I have an appt Thursday with my surgeon's assistant to check the wound and change my seton ring (ouch!!) so hopefully when he measures the wound and the tunnels, we see an improvement. They should have the official scope results too.  ?

Posted by: @madrikh52

I'm going to start Hyperbaric O2 treatments next week for radiation damage. I'm excited and hopeful. It's at a local medical clinic and I will be in the tube for 2 hours. The tubes are completely clear, plexiglass I assume, so maybe the claustrophobia won't be an issue. The down side is, because of flammability risk, I can't take anything in with me. They do have a movie screen with each tube so I can pick out a movie to watch. I will have treatments 5 days a week for a minimum of 9 weeks.

Marci

 

Hi Marci, 

How did your first week of hyperbaric treatments go??  Do you feel good?  What movies did you watch?  ?

@squeakyandliza

I had treatment on Tuesday but they were not able to bring me to 100% oxygen because my left ear was really hurting. (I have a Meneire's like condition, so already had a tube in my right ear) They looked at my ears after the treatment and told me that I would need to get a tube put in the left ear before continuing. I had been prepared beforehand that this might need to happen so I wasn't surprised. Anyway, for my first treatment I was at about 80% O2 for the 2 hour session. I got a tube placed in my left ear on Friday and will begin HBO2 again this coming Tuesday, since Monday is a holiday. Thanks for asking and I will try to post updates as I go.

Oh, I watched most of As Good As It Gets- funny and sad.

Marci

Marci, thank you for the update. I am so interested in how this goes for you two ladies. Sorry about the ear thing, but I am glad they can do something that help.  Meniere's is a tough thing to deal with and something like it would be bad enough.  I  hope you both have great results from this treatment. So good of you to share your healing journeys. Thank you both.

a Zero cost alternative:  what about simple vigorous exercise? depending on your resting heart rate and max safe exercising rate,  you may be able to double heart rate .  a simple estimation would be doubling oxygen intake,  also doubling blood flow to wound areas, doubling white blood cells to wound areas(one thing O2 tent won't do).  an O2 tent is probably good for a burn victim,  but a small wound is probably not that effective.  with exercise you also get calorie burn and muscle toning, not so much laying in a O2 tent.  also easy to do everyday. I think its important to get your heat rate up high, not a simple stroll around the neighborhood.

years ago I came across an article talking about how "vigorous" exercise improved breast cancer patients.   I figured if it was good for them, probably good for me as well. 

I didn't read all your posts, but according to mayo clinic, non healing wounds can require 20-40 hyperbaric treatments.  

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy/about/pac-20394380

Fortunately for me, my hyperbaric treatments are also a zero cost alternative, as my friend has generously opened her house to us whenever we want to have a treatment. 

Unfortunately, my wound is not as small as you might think. It has gotten a little smaller, but the tunneling under the wound has stayed consistent. 

I wish I was capable of vigorous exercise right now. I’m taking pride in the fact that I am able to do mile or two around my hilly neighborhood. It may not be the traditional definition of vigorous, but it gets my heart pumping.