Drake first of all enjoys going into the pressurized oxygen chamber so much. We go to a place in San Rafael called Advanced hyperbaric Recovery www.improvehealing.com. They have a chamber big enough for both of us. Drake has been doing HBO therapy off and on since he was 5 years old. When he does a series of treatments we routinely notice in the following weeks that he goes longer between seizure episodes, smiles more and when he does have a seizure he recovers faster.

Drake usually crawls into the chamber on his own and then wiggles and smiles with anticipation. With our cotton pajamas on we watch his favorite movies thru the chamber window. You are allowed to have a cup of water but not much else. As much as Drake is obsessed with his books and toys I think he likes not having lots of them while in the chamber. He is always calm and for lack of a better word snuggly. When we are in the chamber it feels like a one-hour vacation from all life’s problems. Drake likes this 1:1 time with me. We have grown to really like the staff. They are professional and really helpful, but most of all I feel safe. The staff helped me get over my fear of small places. It is easy now, but in the beginning it was an uneasy experience. As his mom it brings me joy to see him happy, but more importantly this is a treatment that reduces the impact of his seizures.

As some of you know Drake received a stem cell infusion in February 2009. Since that time we have taken a break from hyperbarics. The theory is that cells in a state of stress send out inflammation signals, which in theory will attract the stem cells. Hyperbarics is contraindicated because it reduces inflammation in the body. No one really knows yet because stem cell therapy is in its infancy but it makes sense to wait 3-6 months pre and post transfusion. Any way he recently had 3 consecutive treatments at 1.6 ata. Drake being nonverbal can not tell me how he feels after hyperbarics. Well at the higher pressure let me tell you how good it feels. It was like that feeling you get with a new pair of sunglasses where every thing just looks brighter. After the 3rd treatment I too felt fantastic no wonder Drake smiles more.

This entry was posted on Sat, 01/09/2010 - 07:29 and is filed under .

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