Our daughter Nikki has completed 36 HBO dives now and has 4 more to go. We're all looking forward to returning home next week.
She's been doing one dive a day. They go down to 2.4 atmospheres (+/- 45 feet). They put on an Oxygen helmet and breath pure O2 for about 90 minutes.
She's still infusing Rocephin and taking Ketek, Plaquenil and Mepron orally. In addition, she's taking Arteminisin, Parsley and Burbur.
She is showing remarkable (at least for us it's remarkable) improvements.
As I said before her migraines have just about disappeared (she was having almost non-stop migraines for the past 5 years).
Her overall muscle and joint pain has decreased on scale from about a 9 down to a 5 or 6.
She is extremely fatigued and has no energy, but we're told that should improve over the next 6 to 8 weeks.
It's been a rough couple of months. We're about tapped out financially. My wife and I have used up all of our vacation and sick time at work.
Let me tell you all, it's worth every penny and every minute of it.
I took Nikki to see her LLMD last week and he knew as she walked through his door that she was a different person from the last time he had seen her.
She's not cured by any means, but from a wheelchair to a smile is quite an accomplishment.
We have a great LLMD, an excellent HBO program and, most importantly, God Himself to thank.
For those of you who weren't sure, let me assure you that my daughter is living proof that God does answer prayers.
If anyone would like to correspond concerning the HBO treatments, cost, living arrangements, etc. don't hesitate to contact me via PM.
Sincerely,
LymeDad
Posted by Jill E. (Member # 9121) on :
Great news, Lymedad! You, your wife and Nikki are all inspirations.
I'm keeping HBOT as a possibility for the future, so I'm sure the day will come when I'll have specific questions for you.
One of the issues I've asked other patients (and even an HBOT practitioner) about is the issue of pressure on the eustachian tubes. My ears are always clogged, I can feel/hear it every time I swallow. It's like being on an airplane.
I keep asking whether this would make it too dangerous for me to do HBOT (don't want burst eardrums!).
Anyway, I guess I will need to call to Chico and ask the experts.
One of the patients I spoke to by phone who had done HBOT here in San Diego had results much like Nikki's - literally was out of the wheelchair and her stamina returned. I am so thrilled that Nikki has had remarkable results, too.
I expect her to be an inspiring speaker at a Lyme conference one of these days!!
Jill
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
Lymedad,
What a wonderful report of your daughter's healing progress! God is good!
I hope this is the turning point for your daughter and life can return to normal soon.
Luvs
Posted by Vermont_Lymie (Member # 9780) on :
Lymedad,
Thank you for sharing this good news, and I am so happy to hear that your daughter is solidly on the road to recovery. I know it is a long road, and this is great progress. My best wishes for your family and Nikki's continuing gain in health.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
HI Lymedad~ I am so glad to hear of your daughter's great improvements! I hope that she continues to feel better and better!
After I completed my 40 dives, I took a break for about 2 months. Since then, I've done 3 sets of 2 dives, spaced 2-3 weeks apart. I had a significant herx after each dive, so I know it is continuing to kill off the bacteria.
Just last week I did one dive. I will be interested to see if I get a herx from it or not (my herxs happen on day 10, 11, 12 or 13). I hope one dive is enough to cause a herx so that I can just do one dive every few weeks since the dive chamber is so far from my home. It would be easier for me to do one dive and not 2.
I'm mentioning this, for your daughter may want to continue to do 1-2 dives a month if at all possible.
The closest chamber to me is 2 1/2 hours drive from my home...so it is a chore to get there and back...but I do feel the HBOT is worth my continuing...even just a couple of times per month.
Yeah for your daughter! And yeah for you and your wife!
Yes, God is good! Thanks for the report!
Timaca
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
Hi Lymedad,
Thank you for getting back to us with her progress. I will aggree with Timaca that you should schedule maintance therapies for her at spaced intervals.
I have found that for most of those coming here it works really well at maintaining her gains and gradually continuing the spirochete load...
Jill, I have had the worst cases of plugged ears do well with ear planes. They are similar to ear plugs. This does not mean that you will not need miringotomy tubes. However give them a try first before scheduling surgery.
Also, as the tech to descend you slowly. This is easier if it is done in a monoplace chamber,
Blessings,
Julia
Posted by BOEJR (Member # 1734) on :
oppss
I meant "gradually decreasing her spirochete load"
: )
Posted by IMHisda (Member # 6998) on :
Lymedad:
That is fantastic about your daughter. I was in bad shape with Bartenella and Lyme when I got six weeks of HBOT mainly two dives per day at that amount of ATM. It helped dramatically ( I felt as if I got my pre-Lyme back at work, really fantastic) but I guess I didn't keep up the maintenance correct. Thought I should probably try every six months but I think it's when symptoms start piling up even when it's sooner. What did they recommend for maintenance for your daughter. The last round of HBOT I had (3 weeks) helped too but I think it may not have been enough (just on orals now). It took away most of my neuropathy in my hands and feet, just have a little numbness in feet in AM. Hope your daughter continues to progress. IMHisda
Posted by IMHisda (Member # 6998) on :
Sorry -- I meant pre-Lyme brain back Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Lymedad, congratulations but I recommend maintenance so strongly. I did 30 treatments six months into lyme, and 2 months of treatments 2 years into lyme, at 2.4 ata. Each time I made great gains and each time I slowly lost those gains. In retrospect I would have purchased a mild chamber for immediate followup but I didn't even know about them at the time. The people who I heard did best who I was diving with the second time, did 3-6 months of daily treatments, and one followed up with a year of twice a week treatments. Those folks lived in the town where the chamber was. I didn't...I spent the summer there. Please get her at least a mild chamber to do treatments on a continuing basis Its not as strong as the deep dive chamber but it can do remarkable good and will help keep her systems functioning and spirochete load down. Please listent o me and Timaca and Julia about this. Check ebay for cmild chambers as sometimes folks sell used ones or backchannel me or Julia about how to inquire about mild chambers. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
Glad to hear it and I would agree with the maintenance people- HBO can help a lot but it can be transient- if it is working you need to keep on with it to keep those gains in my experience- my first LLMD got trained in it and thought very highly of it!!!! I am glad to hear she is doing better*)!!!
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