Broken Promises

Chapter 13 - Florida, Part 1

January 2001

Being told there was nothing that could be done for you was not an acceptable response. There had to be something that could, at least, give you an edge. I am not sure how I first learned about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but it was a topic that very much intrigued me. What happened to you was simple but devastating. When your heart stopped, you were deprived of oxygen. After a few minutes, brain cells died. The way the neurologist explained it, these injuries are like a bomb going off. There are cells that are dead and gone from the "explosion." Then there are those that die later from lack of oxygen. There are also cells that survived. Some cells that survived had access to pathways that allowed them to fully function while others were stunted due to impaired circulation. If you cannot get a supply of oxygen to them through the normal pathways, they remain dormant or perish.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a tool that had been used to improve insufficient circulation. It is able to deliver oxygen into tissues that are not otherwise being properly oxygenated. A person is placed inside a device and pressurized pure oxygen is pumped in. This pushes oxygen into all the tissues, think carbon dioxide being pushed into water to make carbonated water but not at that level.

Doctors use hyperbaric oxygen therapy successfully for difficult wound care with good success. Pressure sores caused by diabetes or other conditions often persisted due to inadequate blood flow, and by extension, poor oxygenation. The pressurized oxygen can alleviate this. In time, many wounds heal much faster than they would normally. You would see the tissues begin to pink-up as blood supplies grew and began nourishing the tissue.

In Florida, there was a physician who used hyperbaric oxygen therapy for this as well as for treating brain issues. The theory was the same. Push oxygen into the struggling cells and observe what is recovered in time. There were several case studies of drowning patients who went from what seemed like devastating neurological trauma where they were unaware or nonresponsive to recovery. It could have been a gamble, but one with minimal concerns of harm. I consulted with all of your physicians. They were all of the same opinion. They did not know enough to give a recommendation for or against, but each felt it would not be harmful.

February 2001

Your mom and I made plans to spend a month in Florida for hyperbaric oxygen treatments and would be staying at a local hotel. It was scary taking you that far from home, but you were stable. The van ended up being super full of all your equipment and supplies. I am not sure how we even fit you inside it. Then we were off on our nine-hour trip.

While on the trip, I would be finishing my Master's thesis. My school had made it clear that I would be stopping at the Masters. I would not be allowed to get the doctorate due to the missed test that kept me below the score to continue in the doctoral program. It was a sad change in circumstances, but I had expected it.

I kept an online journal of what happened on the trip and shared it with the people who were actively praying for you. As much as possible, I have kept the original wording as it was written each day. You had a lot of people praying for you back home and following your progress.

February 4, 2001, Day Zero - We Arrive

We arrived after a grueling trek and got settled in at the hotel. The hotel seemed a little sketchy at first, but it was clean and quiet and best of all, it was minutes from the hyperbaric center. It ended up being a great place to stay with wonderful staff.

February 5, 2001, Day One - SPECT scan

The first day was pretty simple. You went in for a SPECT scan at 10 am. This was a very interesting diagnostic that is used to investigate brain activity. Imagine a heat map from black or blue meaning little activity to bright red for a lot of activity. You can compare these to scans of a normal brain. You can also compare a before-and-after scan to see if the hyperbaric treatments led to measurable outcomes. The scan consisted of an injection of a radioactive tracer followed by imaging the brain. Children who are not able to remain still are sedated. You were a good girl and stayed still. The test took about thirty minutes. This was all for the day. We would meet with the physician the next morning.