Dear David and Dr Gupta,

I promised to let you both know how the HBOT helped with my osteonecrosis.

Right now I am walking on cloud 9. I had more healing take place in the last 5 months than I did in the entire first year of Chinese treatment.  Other than my absorption improving as a result of healed villi from a gluten free diet, the only change in treatment was the addition of 30 hyperbaric treatments.

The current status on my bones is as follows:

- shoulders have completely revascularized. There is no necrosis present and bone density and quality has normalized.

- hips - left hip has revascularized. The right hip still has a few necrotic lesions, however, the size and amount of these lesions has diminished. There was missing bone just under the cartilage of the right hip (sorry, can't remember the correct terminology). This area has been completely filled with new bone and the cartilage is no longer in danger of collapsing. The fractures in both femoral heads have healed. The trabeculai have reorganized well and the bone density is approaching normal.

- knees are almost necrosis free. There are a few pinprick size lesions and the bone density and quality is much improved.

- the most startling difference was in the heels. In June this year the films showed the heels as being almost more necrotic bone than live bone. In November there is almost no necrosis left and the appearance of the trabeculae looks normal.

- The ankles are almost healed as well.

When I saw you in August it hurt me to walk without crutches. In about the middle of September I noticed that if I walked without crutches I did not feel immediate pain. Now in November I have been given the go ahead to walk around my home without crutches and do walk for short distances without them. Other than some muscle discomfort because of atrophy, I am experiencing no pain. My gait is also completely normal.

In June Prof Huang told me that based on the rate of healing during the first 12 months that I could expect to be doing his treatment for another 2 years at least.  Five months later, after adding HBOT to the mix, he told me that he thinks that my bones will be necrosis free and strong enough to be given the all clear by May next year. That cuts at least a year off his last estimate. I am convinced that the HBO therapy was what made the difference.

Next week I am going to FL to do another 40 sessions in the hope that when I go back to Beijing in Feb that I will be given a clean bill of health.  No offense, but I couldn't face KC in winter. My southern blood does not do cold well.  Based on this anecdotal evidence, I believe that the Chinese therapy combined with HBO therapy is a very viable treatment for patients with later stage osteonecrosis. I am not convinced that HBOT on its own would have made that much difference to certain of my joints as they were already showing signs of collapse when I started the Chinese therapy.

Thank you for providing the means to speed up my healing.

Regards

S.S.