- hyperbaric oxygen tank.. contemplating doing the 40 sessions - 40 straight days.. 90 min each.. any input would be much appreciated....
Posted by joalo (Member # 12752) on :
Buried on page two.
Posted by Lauralyme (Member # 15021) on :
If you use the search feature there are tons of posts on this topic
It seems the impression I have from reading people's experiences with it is that the good effects are short lived and it's very expensive as well.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
I've done hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
All my dives were in a mono-place chamber at 2.9 ATA for 60min. I did this with IV antibiotics for Lyme and co-infections + oral anti-malarials for babesia. I also took supplements to help with detox and general support.
For my first treatment set I did HBOT twice daily 5 days per week. Thankfully I live near the treatment center so I was able to go home, eat, take long naps in between dives. It is not necessary or beneficial to do the treatments more than 5 days in a row because your blood levels of oxygen will be so high that the additional days do not help. This is what the Lyme HBOTs experts told me.
I tolerated the dives well. Chewing gum in the chamber helped my ears respond to the pressure changes. I did have some herx symptoms (mainly neuro) and I also had some improvements with the first set of 40dives.
After the first set of 40dives you must take a break for 4-6wks to let your body rest. This also allows you time to see if and how much the HBOT helped.
I did another set of 40 dives but this time I herxed hard right away. I physically could not tolerate twice daily treatments. I could only go once daily. I continued to herx for a couple weeks afterwards.
HBOT definitely helped reduce my Lyme load. It also helped to improve some of my neuro lyme symptoms.
Unfortunately once the Lyme load was lowered, my coinfections flared badly. My treatment focus then was to keep lyme in check while hammering away at those Co's. It was a real struggle.
I was advised to do some follow-up HBOT to help keep Lyme in check and maintain. So I did a couple sets of 4 days, twice daily dives. 8wks apart then 16wks apart. I haven't done any more HBOT in about a year. I would like to continue but it is expensive.
Wildcondor was a past member here who really helped me when I was starting my HBOT. She has a website with her story. HBOT helped turn things around for her and now she's doing well.
If you do HBOT I would encourage you to not use it as monotherapy. Continue to treat Lyme and Co with antibiotics or herbs. Continue your support supplements as advised.
Also, make sure that you are getting adequate treatment. You must dive to at least 2.5 ATA to kill Lyme. If you can, go deeper like I did (2.9 is the max), deeper like this will help heal nerve damage. Maximize your treatments.
If you don't dive deep enough you won't have enough pressure to drive the oxygen into all the tissues to kill the Lyme. If oxygen was all you needed you could simply buy an oxygen concentrator for $500 and breathe O2 all day! Be careful and see a knowledgable practitioner. Mild hyperbaric will not treat Lyme.
Good luck!
Posted by WhitneyS (Member # 25666) on :
Ive been looking into this too per my LLMD. He likes to consider it for his tougher neuro type patients-- like me.
We're going to start IV and then two weeks later add in HBOC to help the meds get deeper. For me I just don't have any real herxes on meds so we're conceded they aren't getting thorough deep enough.
Make sure you're in treatment with a good Dr, cause it can hurt you if not done correctly. Also it seems to be a long term commitment to get real results, which can be expensive. Otheriwse it might not be worth it.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
I did HBOT. Do a search using my member number and you should find some posts. They helped. And I had herx reactions. I do believe they were killing something off. But I did not get well. In fact, over time the improvements faded.
I might consider it again...use it in a pulsing kind of fashion.
But it is expensive and time consuming...so take that into consideration if you want to do it.
It did affect my vision (permanently). It made me more near sighted.
Best, Timaca
Posted by jalama (Member # 14600) on :
I did 40 sessions. I did not improve at all. That doesn't mean that it doesn't do something good and if you have the money I would give it a try. I know someone who is a family friend who swears that it completely cured her.
The thing that has helped me the most has been what my doctor calls "Therapeutic Immune" IV drips which are high in all sorts of vitamins and minerals, especially b vitamins, I think. A lot stronger than Myer's cocktails I think.
Unfortunately these infusions are also expensive... I did fifteen of these before I started to feel better from being bedridden. I've probably done about 30 or so by now. And although I am much improved, I am not cured yet. I wonder if being in the place I am now if the HBOT would help.
It seems like different things help at different times and at different stages of our illness. Maybe if possible we should try to use our intuition about what will help us at what point... I have always been in too much of a rush to listen to my intuition, but as soon as I'm done writing this I am going to try to take my own advice Posted by Phoiph (Member # 41238) on :
Hello...
Research now shows that lower pressures are more effective and safer for treating neurological conditions.
I have my life back from an extreme, 8 year long case of neurological Lyme and co-infections, including severe babesia and bartonella, from extended treatments with mild hyperbaric (my own chamber) and supplemental oxygen.
I have posted my story under "success stories".
The key is frequency, consistency, and duration of treatments with mild hyperbaric. You must be totally committed to this treatment, but it WORKS...I'm living proof...
Posted by Phoiph (Member # 41238) on :
Hello, all...
Here's a little more detail...
I had severe neurological Lyme w/Babesia & Bartonella for 8 years...considered an antibiotic failure, and so ill I was homebound for 5 years straight.
My symptoms were extreme and relentless; too many to list here. I was told, even by LLMD's, that I needed a miracle, and there was nothing more they could do for me (I tried many, many protocols with never any improvement, just a continual spiral downward).
I eventually became so toxic and environmentally sensitive that I could do no treatments for 5 years before starting MILD hyperbaric treatment w/supplemental oxygen (I bought my own chamber and self-treated 1 hour daily).
I now have my life back...working again, running (I had been a runner for 17 years, pre-Lyme), traveling, etc. It has been a miraculous recovery, and it is 100% due to mHBOT (along with meticulous diet, and gradual exercise).
I believe success depends on the frequency and consistency of use...many people say they "tried hyperbaric, but it didn't work"...but if you query them, inevitably they didn't do it consistently or frequently enough...or for a long enough duration. You must be committed to this treatment to have success. Also, research is showing that lower pressures are better for treating certain neurological conditions, so may be why some people with neurological Lyme who used higher pressures in the hard chambers didn't progress.
I almost made the fatal mistake of returning my chamber after 40 consecutive "dives", not feeling any improvement at that point. Fortunately, I was talked into continuing treatment, and felt the first "change" (not necessarily "improvement") after about 2 months.
It was a rocky, 2-step-forward, 1-step back road, but after several months, although I was not completely well, I was functional again, and after 1-1/2 years, I was "back"...
Now, 2 years from the beginning of treatment, I am still noticing benefits from the chamber...and truly have my life back...very active again...no medications...no restrictions...
Low (pressure) and slow WORKS...I'm living proof...
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