From Tena / California (10-7-00):
You guys are incredible. We love ya. We will be back.

From Sherri / California (9-1-00):
Thank you for all your considerations. Denise and the family really appreciated all your efforts.

From Terrie / Washington (8-2000):
Dear Hyperbaric Friends: I hope you will forgive me about typing you this letter but if I don't you may not be able to read itI can't write as quickly as the thoughts come racing in my head. I wanted to follow up with you to let you know of our progress after the hyperbaric treatments and again thank you for your care, concern and support.

First to follow up on DylanHe is doing WONDERFULLY! He still continues to be seizure free, Praise God! We and other people in about eight states have been praying for that for two and a half years. It is so wonderful to see Dylan just go, go, go. His Speech therapist worked with him and noticed an improved attention span, closure of words, lengthier sentences (5-8 words) throughout the session and much more animation. She also said he was much louder, in fact he scared her at one point when he yelled. His P/T noted that his posture was much improved and his ability to get around in general was steadier and Dylan showed so much more independence. He is going up and down our flight of stairs at home daily without assistance. (He hasn't been able to do that since he was 2-1/2 before his stroke.) His gait remains smoother and he has wanted to run holding someone elseís hand. He is just enjoying every bit of fun that life has to offer.

His doctors are also seeing great change. When we got home and my husband could see how alert he was before I gave him his seizure meds. and then how tired and listless he got afterwards he agreed with me that we should only give him 1/2 his dose in the morning and see if it gave him more energy, and it has!!! His liver doctor said that he was amazed, and delighted with Dylan's state of health and even took him off one of his anti-rejection drugs due to consistent, healthy liver performance. His goal is to wean him off Prednisone by December of this year. That would also be a huge prayer answered. He smiled and said, "Well, you're going to want to get him more oxygen then." I told him it was our goal to let his brain rest after surgery in October and try to go again... next summer. (I really can't afford to miss school.) We just had a Neurology appointment yesterday and I'm still smiling about it. His Doctor just kept saying how impressed he was and really took note of the things I stated as progress throughout the treatments. He brought in his Nurse Coordinator and was so excited to show her his progress. Dylan talked very openly with the Doctor and told him about his water table at home and all the toys he had for it. He saw Dylan walking, maneuvering around the small room, climbing up and down on the child-size chair, independent play and controlled muscle tone, especially in his trunk and neck. He kept looking at his old documentation and giggling, saying, "This is not the same kid according to this report, I am impressed. This is the most dramatic change I've seen in a child in this short time span." I was so excited that it seems the HOPE I have in Dylan's ability to keep improving is finally starting to be seen, felt, and expressed by others. He also said then you'll probably want to do more hyperbaric? Again, I told him of our plans and we talked about continuing to reduce one of his seizure drugs slowly. As that is successful we will drop the others down to the most minimal level to help increase Dylan's energy level. (OK, letís go slow on this... Mom is going to need treatments to get used to keeping up with him!) He hasn't yet seen his Ped., and I'm looking forward to that. He has been so supportive and this will thrill him.

This has really stepped our family up in terms of lifestyle. Courtney and Josh are finally realizing that their brother is now capable of doing so much more than ever before. I can actually leave a room and know that he will be safe. We can go outside on our back deck and know that he can manage to get around unaided. He even has been falling asleep and staying in his own bed at least 5 nights a week. (not coming into our bed until 1:00 or 2:00-which is a major hurdle.) The other morning he even got out of his bed, walked into the living room with his bottle and blankie and was watching his Barney video all on his own. I had to cry, it was the most independent thing he has ever done.

Well, I should get going. I just feel that there is more ahead for Dylan and I will continue to believe in that. He starts school September 11th and that will roll around soon enough. For now he can enjoy the sun, his sandbox, his pool and the last remaining days of summer!

From Gino / California (7-21-00):
We enjoyed your office staff and her helpers. I think it really helped my wife in her recovery. We will be back for further treatments later. Thank you.

From Ruth / California (2-18-00):
I can't think of anything to add. Your staff and all avenues of care are perfect!

From Kimberly / Washington (12-3-99):
The center staff is caring, helpful... just wonderful! More stroke patients need to know about this therapy.

From Tracy / Illinois (8-6-99):
As with any medical treatment, the staff that works with the patient always has an impact on the patient's total experience. I can't say enough about everyone that worked with Dale. They made a warm, friendly environment where Dale was able to open up and be himself. (Maybe even a little more wild!) He always looked forward to going to the chamber.

From Tracy / Illinois (8-18-99 post at Hemi-Kids Digest):
...I so want to share our trip with you guys, and it's a bit long, I'm sorry. I was just so excited about it, I couldn't stop writing. As for the trip, there is so much to say. We ran into some difficulties along the way, such as the airline losing our baggage, but none of that matters, because in comparison with all the joy I experienced, it was nothing. So I'll just get right down to business and talk about how wonderful HBOT is. We did our treatments out in Chico, California at Chico Hyperbarics. Everyone that worked there was so great to us. They went out of their way to help us and make us comfortable while staying there. They use a six-person multi-place chamber and used hoods to deliver the oxygen. (Dale thought he looked like an astronaut!) It was fairly comfortable in there and they had a TV with VCR to watch while in the chamber to keep the kids entertained. So we were in there with two other children with their mom/grandmother. We all became friends real fast.

After about 20 treatments some of the other parents were starting to see changes in their kids. One little girl's adductors were very tight, her mother told me, which caused scissoring of her legs and then one day they just relaxed. The other little girl would sit in a little ball with her legs tucked in all the time and then, just the same, they relaxed and she stretched her legs out. Her mother was so excited she was climbing the walls of the chamber to get out and call her husband to tell him of the news. We were all so excited, such pure happiness; no one could stay in their seats. Such strong emotions, it felt like electricity going through me. This continued on as we would see other things change, thumbs untucking, eyes focusing, hands reaching out to grab things for the first time. I watched everyone with such excitement, but underneath I was hurting. Dale was showing no signs of improvement and it was the end of our third week. I know they say that most don't see any changes until after 30 treatments, but the other kids had shown such great improvement already. I was starting to become disappointed, but I tried so hard to keep my head up, because I knew I had to believe in this. The final week came and I watched him closely. We went back to the Ronald McDonald House after treatment #34 and I began to do his stretches. We began with weight bearing and then reaching for objects. We played with tiny balloons and I placed them all around him so he could grab them. He reached down and grabbed one with his right hand with a fluid motion, then reached over and released it in my hand. My mouth dropped and began to tremble. He has never been able to release objects before with such ease. He usually just pulls it out of his (right) hand with his left because he wasn't able to open his hand to release it. I asked him to do it again and he did, over and over again. Fear swept over me, it is so hard for me to explain. My guess is that emotionally I have come to terms with Dale's disability, Iíve accepted it, that's just the way it is. But then I see that it just isn't the case anymore, he was improving. It seemed like the original fear that I felt when I had first learned that he had a stroke washed back over me. The fear didn't stay long as it moved over for the ecstatic feeling of happiness I was so excited I wanted to run out and tell everyone what I saw, what had just happened. I called everyone in my family and I couldn't stop talking. I had just witnessed a miracle! And that was only the beginning. In the last six treatments I saw Dale's arm come down from a 90 degree angle to about 130 degrees, he began to get a heel strike while walking and his leg was just about midline instead of the usual swinging it around to the side to then land on his toe. He has little ulnar deviation when he is relaxed and when he is actively using his hand it is still deviated to a lesser degree than before. What was the best thing that happened? Dale came up to me and said, "Look, Mom, my hand is straight!" It brought me to my knees. The twinkling in his eyes stopped my heart as I thanked God for delivering my prayers...

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