Actually it is July 4th! Happy 4th of July, Independence Day! I hope you either enjoyed some fireworks last night or will enjoy some tonight! At least the kind up in the sky and not the other kind.
We were going to go out to see some last night but I was pretty wiped out from my treatment yesterday morning, my fourth day, so I had to beg off. All of you patients out there know what it is like to have to tell your loved ones that, despite how much you want to go somewhere, you simply can't go. You know what it is like seeing that look on their face. The one that says "I figured as much. I knew it was coming and probably shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for going."
Despite the smile and kind words you know it gets old after a while, even from the most understanding SO, and I have a very understanding and supportive SO. It breaks my heart sometimes to cancel our plans knowing how much she wanted to do something. Sometimes, like many of you, I go anyway and just deal with the additional pain, stress, or exhaustion. It is a trade-off and like any relationship, that is what you do :)
Sometimes though, like last night, I am just too exhausted and have no choice. I was told that HBOT would make me very tired and very hungry. They were right! I cam home and ate, then slept for about three hours. Then had dinner and after the Red Sox beat the Yankees I went to bed and slept really well from about 11 pm until 5. That is a very, very long time for me. I only woke up about three times and not for long. I am always up by 5 or 5:30 anyway. There seem to be two types of CRPS patients when it comes to mornings, those who can't get up until noon and those who can't sleep past 6 am. It does make scheduling meetings difficult :)
Ok, so what do I have to share today? I have some interesting stuff plus in a couple of days I will have a good answer to the question a few people have written asking me "What is the big difference between the home HBO units that are soft-sided and the hard-sided units that are used at clinics and hospitals?" There is a big difference and deserves a thorough answer and we have one coming up!
Today though I wanted to share some Case studies involving CRPS/RSD and HBOT that are listed on Doctor Spiegel's website .
Check them out, I think you will find them interesting. Especially interesting to note is the cost comparison between the HBOT and other treatment modalities.
Dr Spiegel states "HBOT has proven itself to be a very viable option to treat RSD. Numerous articles in the medical literature have shown the reduction in pain and swelling associated with RSD and return of function using hyperbaric oxygen. Best of all for RSD patients, this is accomplished with the need for painful injections., narcotics, or surgical implants for pain management. Most RSD suffers find that following the first few treatments they are able to achieve a full nights sleep for the first time in years. Then they notice the decreased need for narcotics, improved thinking, with a diminished depression. The swelling of the affected arm or leg associated with RSD diminishes and they are able to start physical therapy with marked improvement in muscle strength. Many people afflicted with RSD have then been able to return to a happier and more productive life, frequently returning to their prior occupation."
I will continue this a little later guys. Need to lie down for a while :)
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