Roghly at the same time I developes Lyme, i have developed severe asthma. NOt sure if the Asthma is related to the Lyme. But I did notice that when I was given pure oxygen during a test, as a part of anesthesia, my asthma symptoms were completely gone for a full day, it really was a miracle. Then I remembered that Lymies go to HBO chambers, and I am now williing to try oxygen.
How different is being in a chamber from simply breathing oxygen from a mask for an hour?
Is there an HBO facility in CA, and how much do they charge?
Would it make sense for Lymies in CA to form an HBO consortium and get our own HBO chamber? From my (now long gone) skiing days I remember owning your own equipment making lots of sense if using it frequently Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
I don't know about HBOT because I can't afford it. But, I have a liquid O2 tank that I use daily either during or just after exercise. It surely helps. The bugs hate O2. At first I herxed the day after using the tank.
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
Hi Beach,
When you say "it helps", what exactly are you feeling? Is it a temporary relief, or do you get progressively better?
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Breathing oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber is different than breathing oxygen alone because in a chamber you are breathing the oxygen under pressure. For lyme, they "dive" you to 2.4 ATA which amounts to being 45 feet below sea level. The oxygen penetrates the tissues better since it is under pressure.
The HBOT has helped me. It has given me more stamina and a feeling of being more "connected" to my body. I am grateful for it.
However, it is a long term commitment (at least it seems to be for me). I did 40 dives to start, took a two month break, now I'm doing 1-2 dives every 2-3 weeks.
I get a significant herx from these additional dives, so I believe that bacteria are still being killed off.
My husband did two weeks of HBOT last summer before he got the Lyme diagnosis. He has interstitial lung disease from the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis but we think it is lyme/babesia induced.
At the time, we thought we were fighting candida from the high prednisone he had been given. The HBOT induced a horrible flare in his condition. I think the HBOT really stirred up the Babesia. I believe I read somewhere that Babesia likes oxygen whereas Lyme doesn't.
His flare was also complicated by the fact that he decreased his prednisone too fast (he wanted off the devil drug), changed his diet and increased his NAC to a high level. All this was too much at one time.
Some people have suggested that he should have continued and pushed through. I don't see how he could hae.
Reading over other people's posts I see that some people are really helped by HBOT. Some aren't and some are made worse. I think it helps if you have had some treatment for a while to get the Lyme level down. You also need to have something for detox. My husband didn't have any of those.
Dr. Firshein has a book about asthma that might help you. He almost died from his asthma and it sent him on a search for alternative ways to treat asthma.
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
I found small portable HBO chambers online for a few $K (2K on ebay). A full course of HBO at a facility in CA is $7K. Does anyone here have a portable HBO chamber? Are they any good?
I actually am seeing Dr Firshien (I flew to NYC to see him, and I call him for consultations). He thinks that my asthma is Lyme-related.
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Hmmm. I have a portable chamber and it helps a lot, but I don't think a valid portable chamber which feeds oxygen could be had for $2000. Do you have the link? Or maybe you meant $20,000.
Dr. Firshein had lyme twice himself, which he treated with doxycycline once and IV rocephin once. However when I got lyme and suggested I had babesia too (I was seeing him at the time and I felt the doxycycline wasn't working) he did not test me for babesia. And it took me several years to find out I had it when I asked my current holistic doc to test me via Igenex which she willingly did. That is verrrry unfortunate for me. I went years not knowing about it. So I'm not convinced he's that lyme literate unless he's changed a lot.
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
oxygen,
I see Dr Firshein for Asthma, not for the Lyme. I see Dr H for Lyme. Dr Firshein seems to know something about Lyme, but he never claimed that he is LL (which I appreciate).
Here is a link to the portable chamber. I don't know how high in O2 partial pressure it can go, I just started researching this.
Even if it's 20,000 - wouldn't it make sense for 10 Lymies form a not-for-profit consortium, contribute 2K each and buy a chamber? Perhaps a much nicer one that I have found? And charging other Lymies $50 instead of $500 to use it?
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
oxygen -
What chamber model do you have, and what do you think are the operating costs per dive (I assume mostly compressed O2?) Do you think you get as much benefit from it as from a large size one?
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Hi, I looked at that on ebay. It only goes to 3 psi which is not much. The current ones available go to 4.2 psi. Also, they use oxygen with an oxygen concentrator that you breathe through a mask, you don't get as much as in a hardchamber, but probably 60-80% oxygen.
So this would not help lyme much at all.
The more expensive chamber: you would want to use it frequently, so you'd want it in your own home. Perhaps two could share it but then one has to always travel to the other's home.
My ideal suggestion is to do 3 months of hardchamber sessions, buy a mild chamber and then do that 2-3x weekly at home. You can get used mild chambers for about 5-7K on ebay sometimes. New they are 10-20K.
You don't get as much benefit as from a hardchamber but they are really useful. They do kill some lyme--I hadn't done a session in 11 days and I just did an hour and every muscle and tendon in my body was stiff and aching when I got out. (Its gross to think of all those little buggers populating me). Also a mild chamber is fine for lots of good stuff like hypoxia, and organ stress, and other problems with chronic lyme.
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
I just did an hour and every muscle and tendon in my body was stiff and aching when I got out. (Its gross to think of all those little buggers populating me)
...I wonder how a Lyme-free person would feel after the chamber. Sometimes the "you are feeling worse b/c you are feeling better" argument really bothers me.
oxygen, which model do you have? What are the expenses of running it (in addition to the $10K price tag).
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Hi all,
Oxygen can help you if you are free from heavy metal burden and high viral loads.
It is my opinion that you should address these before you put your money into a chamber. I would also suggest that you try it before you consider a purchase.
I believe in the therapy. It is most effective if you add it to your antibiotic regimen, However it does not work for everyone.
Feel free to contact me if you would like I can help you find a provider in your area.
Blessings,
Julia
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
quote:Originally posted by BOEJR: Hi all,
It is my opinion that you should address these before you put your money into a chamber. I would also suggest that you try it before you consider a purchase.
Jilia, if a "try" means spending $7K, I would rather buy it for $10K, use it, and sell it if it does not work, or let other people use it for a low cost if it works.
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
I have a vitaeris (the large model from oxyhealth). This is large enough for 2 people, large enough to sit up in and read. I don't do well lying down. I get very claustrophobic in a smaller chamber or a steel and glass monochamber. Many people don't mind at all, however.
I don't usually wait 11 days btw sessions...thus more of a herx.
I agree with Julia about trying it, even just once or twice. Just so you know what the experience is like.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
HBO can really help people- but it is $ and can be temporary gains- there's a great family story about this I'll post on another thread-
re HBo in CA- YES!!! there is an HBO place in Chico- there is one around Palo Alto as well- and I am sure the LA area has at least one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best wishes, Sarah
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Liquid O2 (not HBOT) is helpful because it gives me energy, which helps me more and more each day. But, I had to commit to using it while exercising at a certain intensity level. I wear a HR monitor and I work up a sweat.
Short of an HBOT chamber ($$$$ for me), the next best way to get oxygen into my blood cells and muscles is via exercise. I can really pump that up by supplementing with liquid O2. I have a rather large tank that gets refilled every 2 weeks. It is not portable.
I am sure it is not as effective as HBOT but, I do get the benefit of exercise. And, I do herx from it. I too have asthma so, it helps that as well.
Bc
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
My LLMD told me today that he knows about a group of Lymies in Washington who purchased an HBOT chamber together. That is, my idea of forming an HBOT consortium is not that farfetched.
Since we have two HBOT facilities in CA, the demand is obviously there. I can not afford 7K for a full HBOT course (or, perhaps, I am not feeling that desperate yet to go into an even deeper debt). But I could contribute 2-3K to join a group of Lymies and buy a 20K chamber and use it on a regular basis.
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Did they buy a softchamber or hardchamber?
You just have to take into account that you will be travelling to someone else's home to use it. You will have to make arrangements, so that they are home, and so that nobody else wants to use it at that time. The more people who share (10 people for one chamber as you are suggesting) the more complicated the arrangements become, and the host (the person who houses the chamber) will have a lot of responsibility on their hands. What if everybody wants to use it several times a week? I'm not saying its not feasible, but it is more complicated than you might be realizing. Good luck either way.
Posted by runcyclexcski (Member # 10749) on :
I donnow what the washington group has. Perhaps they can come forward on this group?
I understand that it's not simple, but hey, what is simple in a Lymie's life? We could make a schedule and make it free for whoever houses the chamber.
I would do the housing, but I rent.
Posted by noodlydoo (Member # 3273) on :
I have used a mild chamber for years. Hasn't cured me, but with diet and heat, has been a critical part of keeping me at a point where I can work and have a life. For various reasons, there have been weeks when I have gone without it, and many lyme symptoms that remain supressed come back with a vengance. The mild chambers did not work overnight, and I would say it was a solid year of cumulitive effects that have helped me. I will never not have one again.
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