HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
My youngest brother Billy is a chiropractor and was very interested in Jasmine's progress. He gave us information on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and said that there had been good results with children with cerebral palsy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. There were only a handful of places where you could go for treatment, one being in Pennsylvania, and others out west and in Florida. The term hyperbaric comes from the Greek word for pressure. What is administered in a hyperbaric chamber is oxygen. The idea is to reactivate idling, dormant brain cells and to produce a more desirable environment for the growth of neuronal cells.We did alot of research on the subject, and looked at and called many treatment centers. I had decided on a place in Canada, which would be for two weeks where I would live at the facility with Jasmine. I was not looking forward to being away that long, but we went ahead and made the deposit for the "Abilities Camp." Jasmine had just turned five and we really wanted to to try as many things as possible to help her meet her full potential. Jasmine relied solely on her feeding tube for most of her life. The speech therapist at school and I both tried trial testing of pureed foods, with Jasmine gagging most of the time when the spoon neared her mouth. Slowly but surely with alot of exercises around her face, she was getting a little less sensitive to things being near her mouth. The amount of pureed food she would eat was very minimal. If she took a couple of spoonfuls at one time, we were thrilled. So the thought of Jasmine having the hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help her further along was very exciting. While I was mentally preparing for my trip to Canada, Jack found a facility forty five minutes away that did mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy.This was still 100 percent oxygen, but a milder pressure. We made an appointment and took Jasmine and Jill for a session. Jasmine could not go in by herself because if she started choking or gagging, the chamber would have to be depressurized before we could get her out. Jill offered to go in with her and I figured we would be getting two for the price of one! We went and talked to the doctor, and they went in for the treatment. We had to bring ear plugs with us that you would wear on a plane for take off and landing, so it wouldn't hurt their ears. Jill and Jasmine got in, the technician pressurized the chamber which took around twelve or fifteen minutes,(you have to do it slowly) and they stayed in for around forty five minutes. Jasmine was as happy as could be, not scared or bothered by any of it. Now we knew that she would go in a smaller chamber. The chamber that she would go in at the abilities camp would be a walk in one that seats maybe six people. We talked about what we should do, and we decided that instead of spending alot of money for a one shot deal, that we would spend four times more and purchase a chamber for home. Jack borrowed from his retirement fund and we got a prescription from the doctor and ordered the chamber. When it was delivered, the same technician that introduced Jill and Jasmine to it the first time, came over and set it up for us. We were on our way. Well, kind of on our way. I went to climb in the chamber, and went into complete panic mode when Jack started to zip it up. I jumped out so fast, knowing I would not go back in again. I think Jack thought I was kidding, but I wasn't. Just the thought of it now makes me panic. The technician tried to make me feel bad because he said you would be surprised the fears parents overcome to help their kids. Sorry, but this was one fear I have yet to overcome. So, this became an hour for father and daughter. I was the technician, pressurizing the chamber, and timing how long they would stay in for. Jasmine had her DVD player to watch inside along with her chewy toy, and Jack had his cell phone. We were a team, and luckily I was not the inside part of that team! The more treatments Jasmine had, the more alert she became. She seemed to see better, eat better, and started saying some words. No one was going to tell me that it wasn't because of her hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Her teacher and therapists noticed the changes in her as well, and I couldn't have been happier. I am very glad that my brother took the time to give me probably the best advice I have ever gotten for Jasmine.
My youngest brother Billy is a chiropractor and was very interested in Jasmine's progress. He gave us information on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and said that there had been good results with children with cerebral palsy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. There were only a handful of places where you could go for treatment, one being in Pennsylvania, and others out west and in Florida. The term hyperbaric comes from the Greek word for pressure. What is administered in a hyperbaric chamber is oxygen. The idea is to reactivate idling, dormant brain cells and to produce a more desirable environment for the growth of neuronal cells.We did alot of research on the subject, and looked at and called many treatment centers. I had decided on a place in Canada, which would be for two weeks where I would live at the facility with Jasmine. I was not looking forward to being away that long, but we went ahead and made the deposit for the "Abilities Camp." Jasmine had just turned five and we really wanted to to try as many things as possible to help her meet her full potential. Jasmine relied solely on her feeding tube for most of her life. The speech therapist at school and I both tried trial testing of pureed foods, with Jasmine gagging most of the time when the spoon neared her mouth. Slowly but surely with alot of exercises around her face, she was getting a little less sensitive to things being near her mouth. The amount of pureed food she would eat was very minimal. If she took a couple of spoonfuls at one time, we were thrilled. So the thought of Jasmine having the hyperbaric oxygen therapy to help her further along was very exciting. While I was mentally preparing for my trip to Canada, Jack found a facility forty five minutes away that did mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy.This was still 100 percent oxygen, but a milder pressure. We made an appointment and took Jasmine and Jill for a session. Jasmine could not go in by herself because if she started choking or gagging, the chamber would have to be depressurized before we could get her out. Jill offered to go in with her and I figured we would be getting two for the price of one! We went and talked to the doctor, and they went in for the treatment. We had to bring ear plugs with us that you would wear on a plane for take off and landing, so it wouldn't hurt their ears. Jill and Jasmine got in, the technician pressurized the chamber which took around twelve or fifteen minutes,(you have to do it slowly) and they stayed in for around forty five minutes. Jasmine was as happy as could be, not scared or bothered by any of it. Now we knew that she would go in a smaller chamber. The chamber that she would go in at the abilities camp would be a walk in one that seats maybe six people. We talked about what we should do, and we decided that instead of spending alot of money for a one shot deal, that we would spend four times more and purchase a chamber for home. Jack borrowed from his retirement fund and we got a prescription from the doctor and ordered the chamber. When it was delivered, the same technician that introduced Jill and Jasmine to it the first time, came over and set it up for us. We were on our way. Well, kind of on our way. I went to climb in the chamber, and went into complete panic mode when Jack started to zip it up. I jumped out so fast, knowing I would not go back in again. I think Jack thought I was kidding, but I wasn't. Just the thought of it now makes me panic. The technician tried to make me feel bad because he said you would be surprised the fears parents overcome to help their kids. Sorry, but this was one fear I have yet to overcome. So, this became an hour for father and daughter. I was the technician, pressurizing the chamber, and timing how long they would stay in for. Jasmine had her DVD player to watch inside along with her chewy toy, and Jack had his cell phone. We were a team, and luckily I was not the inside part of that team! The more treatments Jasmine had, the more alert she became. She seemed to see better, eat better, and started saying some words. No one was going to tell me that it wasn't because of her hyperbaric oxygen treatments. Her teacher and therapists noticed the changes in her as well, and I couldn't have been happier. I am very glad that my brother took the time to give me probably the best advice I have ever gotten for Jasmine.
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