18 of 40

Good Evening again. Well weve just finished the 18th session. This week had quite a few hurdles. The first one was the progression from 2.4 ATA to 2.5. I must say Shawna and Deb handled it very well, with no complications. Sure enough the thrush is going away on her tongue. What a blessing. When its completely gone hopefully a trip to the dentist to clean the rest of her teeth and throw all the teeth cleaning utensils away and start fresh. The thrush on her tongue could only be a small part as it could be in her blood but when we see it dissappear we know it is being killed off. Shawna's physio-therapist has beeen very excited about her progress and maintains high hopes now for this treatment. His work is very physical and as such he can notice her involvement in the therapy much more than the other therapists. The rehab-therapist came down on thursday night and also left very excited about the gains that Shawna has experienced. The other small incidents we experienced this week were a bit comical. We forgot to put ear plugs into her ears when she went for a shower. A phone call to the ear specialist calmed everyone down about the water in her ear. Right behind that came another incident where Shawna's feeding tube was cut off. That was a panic, although it was quite humourous watching all unfold as the trip to emergency to have the tube replaced by the family doctor. When the doctor arrived, Shawna was staring straight ahead at him and followed his every move. "Wow there IS something different about her", he exclaimed to the nurses and Deb. He was also very excited as he was the one who made the appointment for Shawna to have the tubes put in her ears, and now he was seeing results that he hasn't seen in three years of attending her. That night, thursday night was a fantastic night for her as she moved her head from side to side following a lot of people and laughing and smiling about it in the knowledge she could do it. Friday she was back to her old self but, we've found that sometimes the process doesn't stay and will reappear stronger later as the neurons are being excited and the pathways they create are not yet strong enough to stay intact all the time. Since friday was a holiday, we went to the clinic today for the fifth session for the week. Unfortunately Deb was feeling very sick today and could not go in the tube. Well the duty fell to me. Talk about stuffing the sardines into a can. It was tight enough for Deb and Shawna in the tube but now it was my turn. I didn't dare complain as Deb was such a trooper and resolutely has accompanied Shawna 17 times. The only problems were doing the first dive for me at 2.5 ATA to maintain the level for the fungus killing, and would I fit? Usually the max first time dives are done at 2.4 ATA. This was a first for the clinic. I asked them to bring us to 2.4 and after 5 mins bring us to 2.5. After climbing onto the stretcher amid Deb's concerns about total weight, they easily stuffed Shawna and me into the tube. It was quite cramped but if they couold put a 450lb linebacker in here, I'm sure we could fit as well. The doctor brought us slowly to 1.75 and as I was swallowing furiously to pop my eardrums all went well and we progressed a little quicker to 2.4 and later to 2.5. Whereas it was only 72 degrees F, the air is thick with humidity and it is a bit difficult to breath. Being so cramped it is very hard to move around and after a few minutes my left arm was starting to go to sleep. I managed to move the arm into a position which was more comfortable. Shawna meanwhile really enjoyed this arrangement as she didn't have to look around to find me. I was right there. She was smiling a lot and trying to vocalize a bunch of times. She was very calm and did not become agitated at all. 15 minutes up to pressure, 1 hr at pressure and 15 minutes coming back down, it was sure a stuffy ordeal. I was thankful to be breathing cool fresh air when we were extracted from the tube. You are a bit lightheaded when finished and I had the shakes till I ate something, and had a coffee. Deb and I will probably continue to alternate as the pressure will again be increased to 2.6 or 2.7 next week. We feel that Shawna still cannot be left by herself in the tube, as it takes too long to get back down if there was a problem such as her becoming agitated by herself and grabbing at things such as her feeding tube etc. This way we can take over for each other if one is sick and it won't be quite so much an ordeal.



Thanking you for your prayers. Al, Deb, Shawna Bethlehem and family

1/3 of test sessions

Hello readers Shawna has completed 13 of the proposed 40 HBOT treatments with very promising results. We are managing to increase the pressure successfully without incidents of discomfort or seizures. While everyone at surface level experiences 1.0 ATA (atmospheres), we started the treatments initially at 2.0 ATA and the first session was extremely uneventful..almost boring. This is eqivalent to being 33 ft underwater. We tried to increase the pressure to 2.2 ATA the next time but Shawna experienced a small seizure approximately 1 minute in duration. We turned the pressure down to 1.75 ATA and she completed the session. That Thursday became a fact finding day and we had her tested for a UTI, and eliminated other stresses for the next session. We kept the TV off and Deb did not try to move Shawna's head at all in the tube for her to watch TV. By the 5th session it was determined that Shawna indeed did have a UTI which was promptly started to be treated. The next few sessions were successful at 2.0 ATA and we slowly introduced the TV again for Deb's entertainment while they were being treated for approx 1 1/2 hr duration in the hyperbaric tube. At the 9th treatment we tried to increase the pressure again to 2.2 ATA but Shawna showed some discomfort to which we reduced it to 2.0 ATA again. In the next session we went successfully to 2.1 ATA and the up to 2.2 and by the 12 and 13th were leveled off at 2.4 ATA. Why all the numbers? Well at 2.36 ATA the pure oxygen at pressure kills bacteria during the treatment. So at 2.4 ATA goodbye UTI! When we get above 2.5 ATA it kills fungus. We are hopeful that this will mean the end of the thrush that has plagued Shawna for 3 years. We've tried so many different treatments to get rid of it but it always comes back when Shawna needs antibiotics, and because she eats nothing orally. In the next few weeks we will attempt to bring Shawna(and Deb) to 2.88 ATA where Bone marrow absorbs the oxygen and produces/activates Stem cells. This is the max amount of pressure which has been used for healing. It is a plateau of sorts. Although the chambers are good to 3.0 ATA it is unnecessary to go deeper. These chambers are rigorously tested because at 2.0 ATA there is 10,000 lbs holding the chamber together. At 2.88 ATA the pressure to keep the chamber intact is 29,000 lbs. Wow! This is also the equivalent of being 62 feet underwater! While Shawna has experienced gains from this treatment, so has Deb. Whereas Deb before the treatment had hypertension (high blood pressure) at 135/85 she was randomly tested after scooting around town for supplies and finally getting to doctors office to get papers signed. She was very apprehensive about the outcome but pleasantly surprised that her blood pressure was normal at 122/80. She has not been that low for 5 years or so and hypertension runs in her family(and mine). The hyperbaric doctor explained that the blood under pressure has been "feeding" the organs and taking the load off the heart muscle. It's also supposed to be a tremendous help for Asthma although Deb has that under control and is not ready to test that part of the theory. Shawna meanwhile has experienced gains in movement and awareness. The gains experienced would have taken months or years to get from what we've experienced over the last few years. There is only a little spasticity left in her left side and she has more movements both purposeful and spontaneous. She can readily center her head now. The physio therapist came again for his regular work with her and was very excited about her capabilities. She was able to stand using her muscles whereas she was using the tone to assist before. I had warned him that the tone/spasticity was almost gone and she was very "floppy". She was able to walk assisted by him from the living room to the kitchen 4 times. She was able to extend the gait pattern further than neutral on her right foot. Amazingly she got stronger as the walks progressed and was not tired completely after the 4th walk. Usually she becomes progressively more tired after each walk. This was the opposite and she was so energized when finished. Smiling and laughing she was laid down for a rest till she had to leave for hyperbaric treatments. Shawna no longer shuts down in a crowd and is able to engage herself with people who talk to her and tries to answer with her blinks although I'm sure she thinks she's talking to them because her mouth and tongue move now a lot! Generally she is very happy most times and when she starts laughing has a hard time to stop! Our lives have become very busy with a lot of help from our brothers and sisters. Whereas I'm still able to work 700am to 300pm, Shawna, and Deb start about the same time and morning routine is finished at 1030am followed by a therapy session each day whether physio, occupational, SLP, or rehab therapy. Deb leaves at 230pm to pick me up in Hamilton and we drive together to the Hyperbaric facility in Mississauga for treatment. We manage to make it home by 700 pm . A full day and then some further activities during the nights. We certainly look forward to the Saturday and Sunday! All in all we are so thankfull for the blessings we've been given. We know that all is in God's hands and we look to him for his guidance. Ps 59.16 " But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble" Thanking you for your prayers. Al, Deb, Shawna Bethlehem and family