Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - Day 1

Yesterday we began Garren's newest therapy: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). We had heard about it a couple of times over the past several of years, and recently we came across it again. Nancy looked into it, and found a place in Matthews that offers this treatment.

HBOT is the use of oxygen under pressure to facilitate healing. You can read more about this amazing treatment here. While the treatment looks promising, there is a cost, as insurance companies do not yet cover these treatment for brain injury recovery. God is good, and through the generous gifts of many, we have raised the funds needed to cover the first round.

After an assessment a couple of weeks ago, Dr. Speight determined that Garren is a good candidate for the treatment. So yesterday we began with the first of 40 treatments. We will go every day, 5 days a week. After the first 40 days the doctor will re-evaluate and determine whether or not more treatment will be beneficial.

Here are a couple of pics from our experience yesterday.

The Hyperbaric Chamber

Ready for liftoff!

Garren wears an oxygen hood while he is under pressure.

We both crawled into the chamber, and got as comfortable as we could. They sealed the door, locking us in. Then they began pressurizing the chamber. As we are "diving" we have to continuously "clear" our ears, as the air pressure is constantly changing. Once we are at our target level, I then put the oxygen hood on Garren. This hood allows Garren to breathe 100% oxygen for the time we are in the chamber.

The reason I ride along is to assist Garren when he has to clear his secretions. As you know, he is not yet able to swallow, and in order to spit we have to remove the hood. During our 1 hour dive yesterday we only had to remove the hood 1 time.

Thanks for your continued prayers for Garren. We are excited and hopeful to see how this new treatment works for Garren. We continue to pray for swallowing, as well as progress in his walking.