Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Today was the last day of what could be the only or could be the first round of oxygen therapy! What an amazing gift this therapy has been. Basically, we started the first week in December going to Baylor’s doctor’s office and “diving” in this hard chamber that pressurizes you under the equivalent of 9 feet of water. Then, they hook you up with pure 100% oxygen from the outside of the tank with hoses, and you attach those on the inside that connect to your plastic hood. Yes, a plastic sealed hood over your child’s head while you are locked in a chamber you can’t stand up in and tubes you have to make sure aren’t coming undone while your little bouncer attempts to jump around. You are in there for about an hour and a half each time. Our doctor is the only one in middle Tennessee with a chamber. The next closest one is Memphis. God orchestrated this whole thing for us, I have no doubt. 

Protocol is 40 dives, done as close together as humanly possible. We started the first week in December and only took breaks at Christmas for a day, and a few days during two separate weeks for ear issues. What a trooper Baylor was! We must mention Ainsley, who was amazing going to so many of these when she couldn’t be with Daddy at the office. Ainsley was so sweet and stayed outside the chamber and played with what she brought from home at the desk where I could not see her the entire time we were diving. Not every 5 year old would do this well, I promise. What a great daughter and big sister. She truly is an amazing person. I knew it before, but now she's just showing off. 

The perks of diving are greatest for autism, lyme disease, stroke, and brain trauma. However, they have found it helpful for detox, fibromyalgia, and many more issues. You can Google HBOT if you are so inclined. During this time, she started coming out of the fog most people associate with autism: lack of social interaction, dependency, touch aversions, loose bowels, not answering when you speak, etc.

Baylor’s vocabulary is growing every day, she leaps out of my arms and into her teachers, therapists and her daddy, she imitates your sounds and words, she uses words when they are appropriate, and overall just growing! It makes us so happy to see her work on communicating (which by far is her hardest area), not only with us but with people in general.

Her therapists have told me she is improving EVERY time we bring her. She goes twice a week to speech and occupational therapy. Occupational therapy really helps kids learn how to play and problem solve, as well as giving them all kinds of different sensory input. Speech is communication, both receptive and expressive. She gains each week in this. God is incredible!

So now we scale back our schedule where we don’t have to go every day for oxygen therapy, but man, has it been worth it! Now we watch the new supplements and possibly heavy metal detox and see if she would even need more dives. She may not. The next phase will show a lot. If she becomes stagnant in her progression, we may revisit a series of dives. We express huge thanks to those who have had a very personal hand in her oxygen therapy and those of you who pray for Baylor. You are an invaluable part of this journey!

To God be the glory!