My IV lady is so good that she has never missed my veins --- UNTIL TODAY. She stuck in the needle and my vein blew. The pain didn't bother me, but the wave of emotions came over me and I cried. The second try on the right wrist was good, but it did cause pain. I'll probably wind up with bruises in both spots. One is already bruising and the other may or may not.
We'll see how it goes. I got my IV (2 hours and 45 minutes today) and I did 60 minutes of HBOT. I almost peed on myself in the machine because of all the fluids. Yeah, fun stuff.
P.S. I have a fever. :-(
Showing posts with label HBOT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HBOT. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
HBOT
I have to admit that I really enjoy the HBOT treatments. The first few times it made me nervous, but after I got comfortable with the size of the machine and started watching movies in there instead of listening to music I really began to enjoy my time in the machine.
On my 4th treatment though, what I like to call the "Jennifer Jinx" happened. I got in and about 10 minutes in the oxygen wasn't coming out of the nasal cannula. They couldn't figure out what had happened and the guru wasn't there so they got me out of there and I came back the next week when it was fixed.
Off and on something would happen. Typically whatever the "Jennifer Jinx" was happened at the beginning of the dive (IE the oxygen wasn't coming out) and then a couple of times ago, in the middle of the treatment all the sudden the machine turned off. Well apparently when the maintenance people were changing a light bulb in the lobby, a breaker flipped causing the circuits that were powering the HBOT to shut off. So I got out of the machine while we waited for them to fix that and got to finish my treatment.
Last time I went in and there were no complications.
Then there was today. The Jennifer Jinx was in full force. I got into the machine and laid down. I plugged in my ear plugs, put on my oxygen mask and got ready to relax. The machine was turned on, the oxygen came out streaming and I was good to go. Gave the thumbs up and she left me to enjoy my 90 minutes in peace. Well about 5 minutes into it I began to have a really weird feeling that something wasn't right. The Oxygen was flowing, but something didn't feel right. So I looked around and realized that the machine wasn't inflated all the way. I made a quick phone call to the front office (because I knew I'd be able to explain better on the phone than through the machine window).
She came to check it out. Sure enough, something wasn't right. So I had to wait there while they fixed it. It was something about they changed out a part and there were now two switches to flip instead of just one. The person that put me in didn't realize it so they only flipped one switch. Or something like that. Anyways, they restarted the machine. I got my time in the machine. But still there is something about the Jennifer Jinx. It's almost to the point where I wanna say, "What's going to happen this time?" Good thing I'm not HBOT claustrophobic. For the record, I was safe and had oxygen the entire time.
OH, my blood tests came back. Or at least part of them. I couldn't see them though because my LLMD hasn't signed off on them yet, but --- they told me that it was all normal. and the tests that came back ... included vitamin d. It's been FOREVER since Vitamin D has been normal. I mean I can't remember the last time it wasn't severely deficient. They said it looked great, but of course I didn't see it myself. No telling what the other labs will look like. Hopefully I'll be able to pick them up next week when I go in for my HBOT.
On my 4th treatment though, what I like to call the "Jennifer Jinx" happened. I got in and about 10 minutes in the oxygen wasn't coming out of the nasal cannula. They couldn't figure out what had happened and the guru wasn't there so they got me out of there and I came back the next week when it was fixed.
Off and on something would happen. Typically whatever the "Jennifer Jinx" was happened at the beginning of the dive (IE the oxygen wasn't coming out) and then a couple of times ago, in the middle of the treatment all the sudden the machine turned off. Well apparently when the maintenance people were changing a light bulb in the lobby, a breaker flipped causing the circuits that were powering the HBOT to shut off. So I got out of the machine while we waited for them to fix that and got to finish my treatment.
Last time I went in and there were no complications.
Then there was today. The Jennifer Jinx was in full force. I got into the machine and laid down. I plugged in my ear plugs, put on my oxygen mask and got ready to relax. The machine was turned on, the oxygen came out streaming and I was good to go. Gave the thumbs up and she left me to enjoy my 90 minutes in peace. Well about 5 minutes into it I began to have a really weird feeling that something wasn't right. The Oxygen was flowing, but something didn't feel right. So I looked around and realized that the machine wasn't inflated all the way. I made a quick phone call to the front office (because I knew I'd be able to explain better on the phone than through the machine window).
She came to check it out. Sure enough, something wasn't right. So I had to wait there while they fixed it. It was something about they changed out a part and there were now two switches to flip instead of just one. The person that put me in didn't realize it so they only flipped one switch. Or something like that. Anyways, they restarted the machine. I got my time in the machine. But still there is something about the Jennifer Jinx. It's almost to the point where I wanna say, "What's going to happen this time?" Good thing I'm not HBOT claustrophobic. For the record, I was safe and had oxygen the entire time.
OH, my blood tests came back. Or at least part of them. I couldn't see them though because my LLMD hasn't signed off on them yet, but --- they told me that it was all normal. and the tests that came back ... included vitamin d. It's been FOREVER since Vitamin D has been normal. I mean I can't remember the last time it wasn't severely deficient. They said it looked great, but of course I didn't see it myself. No telling what the other labs will look like. Hopefully I'll be able to pick them up next week when I go in for my HBOT.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Adventures of the non-working Lymie
Oh my word. The past few days have seriously been filled to the brim. Kind of sad the only way I'll get to sit is by getting an IV and HBOT!
So a couple of months ago I told my husband, "I smell something funny in the car." It would come & go in waves. Sometimes it smelled terrible and sometimes it smelled kind of sweet. We were sure it was anti-freeze. Then the last time he changed my oil, he heard my car making this knocking sound. Sign number 2 something is wrong. He finally put all the puzzle pieces together and inspected my car and decided the water pump is ready to blow. So yesterday, I spent it calling Toyota - making appointment and driving it up there to be worked on today.
Also yesterday I spent the morning on the phone trying to fix another problem. They called to say my husband had an appointment today, well first it was ME that had the appointment today and secondly he doesn't have an appointment until the 27th. I explain this. They say, "no, it's him that has the appointment." Uh no, it's me. Then they say that he doesn't have an appt at all on the 27th. Good thing I have the paperwork shows that he does have an appt on the 27th. ;)
So today my appt is at 10:30. Well because my car is in the shop, Rob gets to drive me there at 8:30. So I get to mosey around the doc's office for 2 hours. good thing they love me! I brought DVD's out the wazoo and food too. Even a game of Uno if there's anyone that feels up to a game. Then afterwards, another Lymie will drive me to my car. Yeah I'll be at my LLMD's today forever. 8 to 4. IV & HBOT.
Maybe I'll get to rest tomorrow. My great friend and former boss from college is retiring tomorrow. I would love to go see her retire, but because of the 10 hour drive both ways I sent a letter instead. They will read it at her party. She will cry I'm sure of it.
Signing out cause I got to get dressed and head out for my really long day!
So a couple of months ago I told my husband, "I smell something funny in the car." It would come & go in waves. Sometimes it smelled terrible and sometimes it smelled kind of sweet. We were sure it was anti-freeze. Then the last time he changed my oil, he heard my car making this knocking sound. Sign number 2 something is wrong. He finally put all the puzzle pieces together and inspected my car and decided the water pump is ready to blow. So yesterday, I spent it calling Toyota - making appointment and driving it up there to be worked on today.
Also yesterday I spent the morning on the phone trying to fix another problem. They called to say my husband had an appointment today, well first it was ME that had the appointment today and secondly he doesn't have an appointment until the 27th. I explain this. They say, "no, it's him that has the appointment." Uh no, it's me. Then they say that he doesn't have an appt at all on the 27th. Good thing I have the paperwork shows that he does have an appt on the 27th. ;)
So today my appt is at 10:30. Well because my car is in the shop, Rob gets to drive me there at 8:30. So I get to mosey around the doc's office for 2 hours. good thing they love me! I brought DVD's out the wazoo and food too. Even a game of Uno if there's anyone that feels up to a game. Then afterwards, another Lymie will drive me to my car. Yeah I'll be at my LLMD's today forever. 8 to 4. IV & HBOT.
Maybe I'll get to rest tomorrow. My great friend and former boss from college is retiring tomorrow. I would love to go see her retire, but because of the 10 hour drive both ways I sent a letter instead. They will read it at her party. She will cry I'm sure of it.
Signing out cause I got to get dressed and head out for my really long day!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
HBOT Update
My Hyperbaric treatments are going really well. The number one symptom that made us believe that the Lyme had returned was headaches. They were terrible. I had migraines that lasted for days, ease off just a little bit and then come back with a vengeance. In total, I've had about 17 hours of treatment in the HBOT. It's been 3 weeks since I've had a headache, even a mild one.
If the rest of the symptoms would go away, I'd be one happy lady. It's already much easier to live without the headaches.
If the rest of the symptoms would go away, I'd be one happy lady. It's already much easier to live without the headaches.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Lyme kills ...
So I rarely put pencil to paper anymore. Well yesterday while I was in the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber, I took my notebook and pencil in with me. It's loud in there, but I took it in there to make a phone call. Silly I know, but I knew that I needed to make this phone call. I am taking the brave step in the Lyme world to take a couple of classes at our local community college. I applied in October and on Friday I got my acceptance letter (as I spoke of in my last post about Acceptance). Well, I decided since this week was going to be insanely busy that I would go to the college on Monday to find out what I could do about registration and paying.
Well, I went to Admissions to clarify that my name was in the system correctly as the name on my letter was spelled incorrectly. So the lady at the front office clarified that not only was I in the system, but it was spelled correctly. She told me I needed to go to the CAP (don't' ask what it stands for, I can't remember) office and explained where it was. So I huff it down the hall and am exhausted by the time I get there (and it's really not that far away). She says, "Name? Appointment time?" uh HUH? I need an appointment? Seriously should have known that, but I didn't. Stupid me. Stupid LYME.
She tells me to go over to the computer and log in to see when my classes are offered. Me being a stupid Lyme, I got as far as to the "Web Advisor" screen before my dumb brain locked up on me. She came over and began to multitask beautifully. I even commented on it. She helped the guy next to me, the girl on the phone and me all at the same time! So she tells me exactly what to do and we get the, "NOT IN SYSTEM, SEE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR." She says, "Go back to the admission office and have them straighten this out. we can't do anything until that's fixed." So I huff it back down and explain the problem. The nice CAP lady even printed off the error so they could see it.
So, I get down there and they say that I'd have to come back later because the lady that would be able to help me wouldn't be there until the next day. I almost broke down at this point because I was exhausted, fatigued (and yes those are two different things!) and drained. My legs felt like the flesh was being ripped right off, but I kept my cool. I explained that I was an Early Childhood Educator and that I worked in another county and my hours were insane this week. Coming to campus on another day this week really wasn't an option and because I'm a special student only taking two classes for work that I really needed it figured out asap.
She disappeared into the back and came back about 10 minutes later explaining there was some kind of glitch in my file and she would try her best to figure it out. She went from office to office (taking a good 5 to 10 minutes in each one) with my file. Finally she emerged with a lady who said that it must have been user error. And although I wouldn't put it past me, I was with the CAP lady and she does this on a daily basis. So I did the exact procedure that I did with the CAP lady. Sure enough, same error.
She left again and then came back and said it was something they couldn't' figure out, but I couldn't register until the 9th anyways so as long as they had it figured out by then I would be good. So I left feeling utterly dejected. I couldn't even do something simple like that then how would I be able to take these classes next semester. What did this story have to do with the HBOT and the phone call?
Well, I needed to make the call to the office to see if they had figured it out. However the chamber seemed louder than normal so I decided to wait. After I was in there about 30 minutes, the phone rang. It was a lady named Christy. Now I don't know if this was any of the ladies I worked with on Monday, but she was very kind. Explaining that my student ID should now work and if I could just try with her on the phone. As I'm talking to her explaining that I'm in an Oxygen Chamber and couldn't just get online at that very moment, I realized how odd my life sounded to those not in the know. Who else would she call that in that very moment would be in an Oxygen Chamber? Seriously.
She wasn't even sure how to respond. I told her that I had tried before getting into the chamber to log in and was able to see my "user name," but that when I tried to set my password it said that "No person ID was found in directory." She said she would continue to work on it. I continued to pray about it. Then, I put pen to paper. I wrote and I wrote.
I'll share what I wrote with you tomorrow, but for now let me tell you that Christy worked and worked on my case and by the time I got out of the HBOT ... I was in the system. If it works, I'll be able to register in about an hour. Honestly, it probably won't work, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if it does.
Well, I went to Admissions to clarify that my name was in the system correctly as the name on my letter was spelled incorrectly. So the lady at the front office clarified that not only was I in the system, but it was spelled correctly. She told me I needed to go to the CAP (don't' ask what it stands for, I can't remember) office and explained where it was. So I huff it down the hall and am exhausted by the time I get there (and it's really not that far away). She says, "Name? Appointment time?" uh HUH? I need an appointment? Seriously should have known that, but I didn't. Stupid me. Stupid LYME.
She tells me to go over to the computer and log in to see when my classes are offered. Me being a stupid Lyme, I got as far as to the "Web Advisor" screen before my dumb brain locked up on me. She came over and began to multitask beautifully. I even commented on it. She helped the guy next to me, the girl on the phone and me all at the same time! So she tells me exactly what to do and we get the, "NOT IN SYSTEM, SEE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR." She says, "Go back to the admission office and have them straighten this out. we can't do anything until that's fixed." So I huff it back down and explain the problem. The nice CAP lady even printed off the error so they could see it.
So, I get down there and they say that I'd have to come back later because the lady that would be able to help me wouldn't be there until the next day. I almost broke down at this point because I was exhausted, fatigued (and yes those are two different things!) and drained. My legs felt like the flesh was being ripped right off, but I kept my cool. I explained that I was an Early Childhood Educator and that I worked in another county and my hours were insane this week. Coming to campus on another day this week really wasn't an option and because I'm a special student only taking two classes for work that I really needed it figured out asap.
She disappeared into the back and came back about 10 minutes later explaining there was some kind of glitch in my file and she would try her best to figure it out. She went from office to office (taking a good 5 to 10 minutes in each one) with my file. Finally she emerged with a lady who said that it must have been user error. And although I wouldn't put it past me, I was with the CAP lady and she does this on a daily basis. So I did the exact procedure that I did with the CAP lady. Sure enough, same error.
She left again and then came back and said it was something they couldn't' figure out, but I couldn't register until the 9th anyways so as long as they had it figured out by then I would be good. So I left feeling utterly dejected. I couldn't even do something simple like that then how would I be able to take these classes next semester. What did this story have to do with the HBOT and the phone call?
Well, I needed to make the call to the office to see if they had figured it out. However the chamber seemed louder than normal so I decided to wait. After I was in there about 30 minutes, the phone rang. It was a lady named Christy. Now I don't know if this was any of the ladies I worked with on Monday, but she was very kind. Explaining that my student ID should now work and if I could just try with her on the phone. As I'm talking to her explaining that I'm in an Oxygen Chamber and couldn't just get online at that very moment, I realized how odd my life sounded to those not in the know. Who else would she call that in that very moment would be in an Oxygen Chamber? Seriously.
She wasn't even sure how to respond. I told her that I had tried before getting into the chamber to log in and was able to see my "user name," but that when I tried to set my password it said that "No person ID was found in directory." She said she would continue to work on it. I continued to pray about it. Then, I put pen to paper. I wrote and I wrote.
I'll share what I wrote with you tomorrow, but for now let me tell you that Christy worked and worked on my case and by the time I got out of the HBOT ... I was in the system. If it works, I'll be able to register in about an hour. Honestly, it probably won't work, but I'll be pleasantly surprised if it does.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Busy Busy Busy
I've been really busy lately. I've had several HBOTS, gone to the fair, worked hard and gone to a college friend's wedding. He eloped. Sort of. He & his now wife were going to get married on Saturday. Then, they had to postpone it for some legal and medical reasons. Then those things fixed themselves so they decided on a Thursday to go ahead and get married on the Saturday. I was called and I drove there after my HBOT treatment. It was fun . I got to meet his newly loved lady (it was love at first sight for them), her child and his children. I got to hang out with them all over the ceremony. See his folks for the first time since college graduation in 99. So that was fun.
The Fair. Well I have pictures to post, but haven't gotten around to all of them yet. They'll show up eventually.
HBOTs are going well. I actually really enjoy getting in there. It's odd. I thought I'd hate it. I thought I'd dread it. BUT, I actually like getting in there now. It's 60 to 90 minutes where I have some peace and quiet. I get to listen to my favorite music and just be alone and breathe well. It's nice.
I thought about going to the UNC exhibition game this Friday, but I think I've decided against it seeing as how badly I felt after the Late Night with Roy practice.
Anyways, just thought you needed an update since it's been a while.
The Fair. Well I have pictures to post, but haven't gotten around to all of them yet. They'll show up eventually.
HBOTs are going well. I actually really enjoy getting in there. It's odd. I thought I'd hate it. I thought I'd dread it. BUT, I actually like getting in there now. It's 60 to 90 minutes where I have some peace and quiet. I get to listen to my favorite music and just be alone and breathe well. It's nice.
I thought about going to the UNC exhibition game this Friday, but I think I've decided against it seeing as how badly I felt after the Late Night with Roy practice.
Anyways, just thought you needed an update since it's been a while.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Just My Luck
Sometimes I have the worst luck ... today was a case of "Seriously can't believe that happened to Jennifer." So I got to the LLMD. I got into the chamber. I put on the nasal cannula and settled down. They started the chamber. I hear it and see it rising. I'm getting comfortable when all the sudden I realized that the nasal cannula didn't feel right. So I weigh the pros and cons of pushing the button.
You see that button right there? It's a doorbell. All I have to do is press it and they come running. Literally. Yesterday I accidentally pressed it. I didn't even realize I pressed it, but I saw one of the employees at the window and she was saying, "Are you okay?" because I was in the chamber jamming! She probably saw something like this when she walked in.
So yeah I was debating ... do I press it and have the troupes a running into the room? I debated for a few minutes and then I pulled out the nasal cannula and put my fingers over the holes. Hmmmm absolutely felt nothing. No Air, No Pressure, No Nothing. I contemplate some more and then pull out my handy dandy cell phone. I make a phone call. I press 107 to "schedule an appointment." And the phone call went something like this,
"Hey there. It's Jennifer. You know, in the chamber Jennifer. I'm okay in here, but the nasal cannula isn't given me oxygen." Nothing like that to get them running! She was in there almost faster than I could hang up. She presses whatever she has to press to get the chamber to stop running. The chamber starts decompressing. Then, I felt the Oxygen shooting up my nose. I put to it and tell her it's working.
So, she starts the machine again. No sooner had the machine started and the Oxygen stopped. We decided that she would just stop the machine and get me out of there so I didn't suffocate (her words, not mine!) in the chamber. The words "suffocate" might freak out the standard patient, me I was in there jamming while the chamber decompressed. Of course the whole time it was decompressing the oxygen was working just fine. So no chance of suffocating today. I got out and was home faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket.
Meanwhile, I love you all!
I was just grateful that I had three other normal experiences because I wouldn't have known something was wrong if it had been my first visit.
All these photos were taken on Tuesday.
You see that button right there? It's a doorbell. All I have to do is press it and they come running. Literally. Yesterday I accidentally pressed it. I didn't even realize I pressed it, but I saw one of the employees at the window and she was saying, "Are you okay?" because I was in the chamber jamming! She probably saw something like this when she walked in.
So yeah I was debating ... do I press it and have the troupes a running into the room? I debated for a few minutes and then I pulled out the nasal cannula and put my fingers over the holes. Hmmmm absolutely felt nothing. No Air, No Pressure, No Nothing. I contemplate some more and then pull out my handy dandy cell phone. I make a phone call. I press 107 to "schedule an appointment." And the phone call went something like this,
"Hey there. It's Jennifer. You know, in the chamber Jennifer. I'm okay in here, but the nasal cannula isn't given me oxygen." Nothing like that to get them running! She was in there almost faster than I could hang up. She presses whatever she has to press to get the chamber to stop running. The chamber starts decompressing. Then, I felt the Oxygen shooting up my nose. I put to it and tell her it's working.
So, she starts the machine again. No sooner had the machine started and the Oxygen stopped. We decided that she would just stop the machine and get me out of there so I didn't suffocate (her words, not mine!) in the chamber. The words "suffocate" might freak out the standard patient, me I was in there jamming while the chamber decompressed. Of course the whole time it was decompressing the oxygen was working just fine. So no chance of suffocating today. I got out and was home faster than you can say Jiminy Cricket.
Meanwhile, I love you all!
I was just grateful that I had three other normal experiences because I wouldn't have known something was wrong if it had been my first visit.
All these photos were taken on Tuesday.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
My Head still hurts, like serious pain. The other thing is that my lip has some weird bumps on it. Don't know if it's bacterial, viral, fungal or what .... but it's weird. What else is new? Weird, Rash, Jennifer ...
Shoulders. My left shoulder hurts so badly that it feels like it was pulled out of socket. I'm sure it wasn't, but still .. ouch.
Knees, they are popping - which means they hurt.
Toes: My toes don't hurt! Yeah!
HBOT. I had my 2nd treatment today. Lasted 90 minutes. I rocked out the whole time ... see.
Shoulders. My left shoulder hurts so badly that it feels like it was pulled out of socket. I'm sure it wasn't, but still .. ouch.
Knees, they are popping - which means they hurt.
Toes: My toes don't hurt! Yeah!
HBOT. I had my 2nd treatment today. Lasted 90 minutes. I rocked out the whole time ... see.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
HBOT
So yesterday, I had my first HBOT dive. I'm going to try to describe it as best as I can.
So I arrived at the office and was taken back to the HBOT room. Then, I was asked to take off my shoes and my shirt. I had on two shirts and was told that the capsule got kind of hot. So I took off my work shirt and left on my long sleeve shirt. They took my temp, pulse ox, blood pressure and weight. Then, I stepped into this machine. I put my hand on "M's" shoulder and stepped up. This was quite difficult, but I grabbed the bar on the wall and pulled myself in. I stood up and slowly sat down. (kind of like this:)
http://www.rimlandcenter.com/photos/thumbs/k.jpg
Now, I'm not quite sure how I thought that Oxygen would be delivered, but color me surprised when I saw the oxygen nasal cannula, the FLARED nasal cannula.
So, "M" asked me to put the plugs up my nose and the tubing around my ears. So I did it as best as I could seeing as how their was already Oxygen blowing out of the cannula. The only thing that got me through this step was thinking of a few friends that I know deal with these things on a daily basis.
I laid down and positioned my head so I could see out of the clear opening. M handed me a door bell and said that if I needed her that I could press the button and she would be right there, decompress the chamber and let me out.
I put in my ear phones with MP3 player and pressed play. M zipped up the chamber and I was good. I was surprisingly good. I thought, oh this isn't that bad. Then I I started feeling something. My ears. I could feel them and hear the pressure through my music. It was uncomfortable. I started getting nervous. This was the 2nd minute in. I started giving myself a pep talk. It was one of those, "Oh you so got this. Get over the fear woman. You are spider woman. You can do this. You did the needle in your legs test ... this is nothing ... Come on Jennifer, get it together. Don't press that button Jennifer. GET IT TOGETHER." Well it went something like that for about 10 minutes and then I settled down.
I listened to some of my favorite songs and sang ... loudly. Well I guess it was loud, I couldn't hear it through the noise of the machine and my ear phones. I toggled between Kate Voegele's Lift Me Up and Sweet Silver Lining. Also enjoyed listening to a little Marty Casey & Lovehammers. It worked. I managed to stay in for the entire planned 60 minutes and the 10 minute decompression time.
As soon as the 60 minutes were up, M came back and scared the boogers out of me. I had my eyes closed and was singing. I opened my eyes momentarily and saw her standing at the opening. She told me (her words were very muffled) that she was going to start depressurizing the chamber. Then I heard it hissing. After it was finished, she unzipped the chamber and helped me out.
It was by far the weirdest thing I've done. I'm not sure if it was the chamber or the IVs or the Borrelia series or what, but this morning I woke up clear headed and without a headache for the first time in a couple of weeks.
Yah! I go back on Tuesday.
So I arrived at the office and was taken back to the HBOT room. Then, I was asked to take off my shoes and my shirt. I had on two shirts and was told that the capsule got kind of hot. So I took off my work shirt and left on my long sleeve shirt. They took my temp, pulse ox, blood pressure and weight. Then, I stepped into this machine. I put my hand on "M's" shoulder and stepped up. This was quite difficult, but I grabbed the bar on the wall and pulled myself in. I stood up and slowly sat down. (kind of like this:)
http://www.rimlandcenter.com/photos/thumbs/k.jpg
Now, I'm not quite sure how I thought that Oxygen would be delivered, but color me surprised when I saw the oxygen nasal cannula, the FLARED nasal cannula.
So, "M" asked me to put the plugs up my nose and the tubing around my ears. So I did it as best as I could seeing as how their was already Oxygen blowing out of the cannula. The only thing that got me through this step was thinking of a few friends that I know deal with these things on a daily basis.
I laid down and positioned my head so I could see out of the clear opening. M handed me a door bell and said that if I needed her that I could press the button and she would be right there, decompress the chamber and let me out.
I put in my ear phones with MP3 player and pressed play. M zipped up the chamber and I was good. I was surprisingly good. I thought, oh this isn't that bad. Then I I started feeling something. My ears. I could feel them and hear the pressure through my music. It was uncomfortable. I started getting nervous. This was the 2nd minute in. I started giving myself a pep talk. It was one of those, "Oh you so got this. Get over the fear woman. You are spider woman. You can do this. You did the needle in your legs test ... this is nothing ... Come on Jennifer, get it together. Don't press that button Jennifer. GET IT TOGETHER." Well it went something like that for about 10 minutes and then I settled down.
I listened to some of my favorite songs and sang ... loudly. Well I guess it was loud, I couldn't hear it through the noise of the machine and my ear phones. I toggled between Kate Voegele's Lift Me Up and Sweet Silver Lining. Also enjoyed listening to a little Marty Casey & Lovehammers. It worked. I managed to stay in for the entire planned 60 minutes and the 10 minute decompression time.
As soon as the 60 minutes were up, M came back and scared the boogers out of me. I had my eyes closed and was singing. I opened my eyes momentarily and saw her standing at the opening. She told me (her words were very muffled) that she was going to start depressurizing the chamber. Then I heard it hissing. After it was finished, she unzipped the chamber and helped me out.
It was by far the weirdest thing I've done. I'm not sure if it was the chamber or the IVs or the Borrelia series or what, but this morning I woke up clear headed and without a headache for the first time in a couple of weeks.
Yah! I go back on Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
I had my first HBOT treatment today. I really wasn't quite sure what to expect except that I'd be getting into this small space for at least an hour. I want to do the "story" justice so I will wait until tomorrow when I have more time to post about it. However, the tease:
I had my HBOT.
I freaked out.
I fussed at myself for freaking out.
Then, I sang, LOUDLY for about an hour.
Going back next week for a 90 minute "dive."
Tomorrow you'll get more details. I'd post a photo, but I didn't have a camera in there with me!
Maybe on Tuesday I'll take my phone in there and take a photo. I assure you, it's kind of funny.
I had my HBOT.
I freaked out.
I fussed at myself for freaking out.
Then, I sang, LOUDLY for about an hour.
Going back next week for a 90 minute "dive."
Tomorrow you'll get more details. I'd post a photo, but I didn't have a camera in there with me!
Maybe on Tuesday I'll take my phone in there and take a photo. I assure you, it's kind of funny.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The Lymie Slide
So in August I started really taking notes on how I was feeling. I had noticed back at the end of July that I really wasn't feeling as well as I had been. So I took somewhat detailed notes. The other day I was putting them all together to bring to my appointment Saturday and realized something terrible. I had done the Lymie Slide.
One day of fatigue during a month is one thing, but during week one of August I had three days of fatigue. In week two, there were no fatigue days. However, I did have two days of headaches. In week three of August, I had two straight days of fatigue and one day of headaches. In the month of August: I had 6 days of headaches and 5 days of fatigue and those two things didn't fall on the same day. So out of 31 days, 11 of them I either had severe fatigue or severe headaches. I also had allergy symptoms including sore throat, sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, etc. There were four or five other symptoms that I hadn't had in a while either.
Then September hit. I also had 6 headache days and 6 fatigue days. (so in 61 days, I had 12 headache days and 11 fatigue days). Four of those fatigue days were in a row and one of them was so bad that in the middle of the day I fell asleep for 3 straight hours. That hasn't happened in I don't know how long. Then to top it off, this past week I have experienced ankle, hip and hand pain. So I was very happy to be able to talk with my LLMD about them today.
Between my symptoms and blood work, we decided it was most likely that my immune system is depressed again. Therefore, we need to boost it. We've been trying to boost it with LDN, but it obviously either isn't working or I'm not taking enough of it to be beneficial. To top it off, I've been having those headaches. We aren't sure if it is Lyme or if it is LDN so I am to stop it for about two weeks to see if I notice a difference in the frequency of headaches. I'm to restart either Beta Glucan or another supplement that I have that is supposed to boost immune support.
My treatment plan for the next few weeks isn't really all that complicated. I'm to continue everything I've been doing, but increase my oral vitamin C and exchange the LDN for the other stuff. Then I'm too add this stuff called Borrelia Series. I really am not quite sure what it does, but in 2007 I did the one called Bartonella Series. I may Herx on this. I may not. Basically if I herx, it means that my immune system is depressed enough that the borrelia bacteria has come back out to play. If it IS back for fun & games, I have to do a little killing action by continuing the series for 4 boxes.
In addition to these series of vials, I will be doing 2 or 3 IVs. I've done these IVs before and if I herx on them, I will also know if the borrelia is back to play. I had them when the Lyme wasn't in action at all and basically felt no bad effects from the IV. I was supposed to get one today, but wasn't hydrated well enough for them to get an IV stick. So on Tuesday I go to get a treatment.
In addition to these, my doctor wants me to get HBOT. I have heard this term many times and for those of you that don't know what it is, it is the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Chamber. I get into a small thing that gives me lots of Oxygen? Honestly I really don't know what it does, but it's supposed to help. I'm supposed to do 4 days in a row at 90 minutes each "dive." So all in all:
2 to 3 IV's of Vitamin C
4 HBOT treatments
10 vials (up to 40 vials) of Borrelia Series
Mixing it up for two weeks other supplement instead of the LDN Cream.
Increasing Oral Vitamin C.
Keeping on the other supplements I'm already on.
OOOOO and do this saliva test. Yeah I have to spit into four vials. Weird huh? Almost as weird as the time I had pee in my fridge!
And while I know they don't read the blog: I have to give a shout out to a few people that made today go a little smoother.
1. Dr. P. You are my hero. I would not be alive without you.
2. Jennifer (IV lady). Thanks for not sticking me more than once after you realized I wasn't hydrated enough.
3. Rob. to my best husband (and my only husband!), you listen even when I think you're not listening. You know what I need even before I do. You rock!
4.John - to my best friend, you make me snort when I laugh even when I am ready to cry. You give the best hugs especially when I need them.
5. Alisa, Whitney and Melisa, you three girls gave me the Lyme support I needed today. I don't tell you enough how much you three mean to me. I'm blessed to have the best Lyme friends there are.
One day of fatigue during a month is one thing, but during week one of August I had three days of fatigue. In week two, there were no fatigue days. However, I did have two days of headaches. In week three of August, I had two straight days of fatigue and one day of headaches. In the month of August: I had 6 days of headaches and 5 days of fatigue and those two things didn't fall on the same day. So out of 31 days, 11 of them I either had severe fatigue or severe headaches. I also had allergy symptoms including sore throat, sneezing, coughing, stuffy nose, etc. There were four or five other symptoms that I hadn't had in a while either.
Then September hit. I also had 6 headache days and 6 fatigue days. (so in 61 days, I had 12 headache days and 11 fatigue days). Four of those fatigue days were in a row and one of them was so bad that in the middle of the day I fell asleep for 3 straight hours. That hasn't happened in I don't know how long. Then to top it off, this past week I have experienced ankle, hip and hand pain. So I was very happy to be able to talk with my LLMD about them today.
Between my symptoms and blood work, we decided it was most likely that my immune system is depressed again. Therefore, we need to boost it. We've been trying to boost it with LDN, but it obviously either isn't working or I'm not taking enough of it to be beneficial. To top it off, I've been having those headaches. We aren't sure if it is Lyme or if it is LDN so I am to stop it for about two weeks to see if I notice a difference in the frequency of headaches. I'm to restart either Beta Glucan or another supplement that I have that is supposed to boost immune support.
My treatment plan for the next few weeks isn't really all that complicated. I'm to continue everything I've been doing, but increase my oral vitamin C and exchange the LDN for the other stuff. Then I'm too add this stuff called Borrelia Series. I really am not quite sure what it does, but in 2007 I did the one called Bartonella Series. I may Herx on this. I may not. Basically if I herx, it means that my immune system is depressed enough that the borrelia bacteria has come back out to play. If it IS back for fun & games, I have to do a little killing action by continuing the series for 4 boxes.
In addition to these series of vials, I will be doing 2 or 3 IVs. I've done these IVs before and if I herx on them, I will also know if the borrelia is back to play. I had them when the Lyme wasn't in action at all and basically felt no bad effects from the IV. I was supposed to get one today, but wasn't hydrated well enough for them to get an IV stick. So on Tuesday I go to get a treatment.
In addition to these, my doctor wants me to get HBOT. I have heard this term many times and for those of you that don't know what it is, it is the Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Chamber. I get into a small thing that gives me lots of Oxygen? Honestly I really don't know what it does, but it's supposed to help. I'm supposed to do 4 days in a row at 90 minutes each "dive." So all in all:
2 to 3 IV's of Vitamin C
4 HBOT treatments
10 vials (up to 40 vials) of Borrelia Series
Mixing it up for two weeks other supplement instead of the LDN Cream.
Increasing Oral Vitamin C.
Keeping on the other supplements I'm already on.
OOOOO and do this saliva test. Yeah I have to spit into four vials. Weird huh? Almost as weird as the time I had pee in my fridge!
And while I know they don't read the blog: I have to give a shout out to a few people that made today go a little smoother.
1. Dr. P. You are my hero. I would not be alive without you.
2. Jennifer (IV lady). Thanks for not sticking me more than once after you realized I wasn't hydrated enough.
3. Rob. to my best husband (and my only husband!), you listen even when I think you're not listening. You know what I need even before I do. You rock!
4.John - to my best friend, you make me snort when I laugh even when I am ready to cry. You give the best hugs especially when I need them.
5. Alisa, Whitney and Melisa, you three girls gave me the Lyme support I needed today. I don't tell you enough how much you three mean to me. I'm blessed to have the best Lyme friends there are.
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