Hyperbaric Healing Institute

Traumatic Brain Injury and Anoxic Brain Damage

I wish I had heard about HBOT 5 years ago, because it has changed our lives!  My daughter Elena, now 5, suffered Traumatic Brain Injury and anoxia at birth.  She has low muscle tone and severe dysphasia; she has never been able to swallow or close her lips together.  Elena has worked hard a recovery her whole life.  When we went to Hyperbaric Healing Institute in October of 2003, she could clench her teeth, but she was stuck there.  She just didn’t have the neurological connections to close her lips together, which is necessary for swallowing.  After a week of HBOT she looked at me and closed her lips.  She started eating a tablespoon of pureed food at a time.  It is now March, and she is eating 3-5 cups of pureed food per day.  Her speech pathologist made this statement in a recent evaluation:  “During October 2003, Elena received hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), and the changes were amazing… These changes occurred in one month’s time, when we had been working on them in speech and language therapy for 12-18 months.”

I have also noticed improvements in Elena’s muscle tone, attention span, and energy levels.  While these improvements are harder to quantify, they impact our quality of life in ways I can’t begin to describe.

In addition to HBOT being a miraculous therapy for Elena, Hyperbaric Healing Institute is a wonderful clinic!  The Deisters are warm, caring people who really go the extra mile!  They helped me research hyperbarics and find local practitioners, and they made living away from home a more comfortable experience.

Shannon - age 18, anoxic brain damage at birth.  Letter was written by her father.

Dear Lisa and David:

I first want to thank both of you and your “great” staff for all that you did for Shannon while she completed her treatments with you.  You all made her extended stay very enjoyable.

I am happy to say I saw more improvement with Shannon than I thought I would.  I am now in the process of trying to work with the school district to develop a program that will help us to document the anticipated cognitive improvement.  I will be updating you as we continue going down this road.

I am enclosing a list I prepared for the school district showing the improvements we saw while we were going through the treatments at HHI.  We have seen Shannon improve in several areas (i.e.: physically, facial muscle tone, speech).  We now need to start documenting that Shannon is really making cognitive progress.  Her teacher has already asked me if I would be willing to speak to other parents with special ed kids….

1.                Shannon has always wanted but has never been able to do a handstand in a swimming pool.  After three hyperbaric treatments Shannon is popping hand stands in the hotel pool.

2.                As the first week went on Shannon had greater lung capacity in swimming underwater.

3.                Shannon has lacked the coordination to maintain the process of skipping.  Later in the first week of treatments she is skipping and maintaining the coordination.

4.                Also during the first week she took off running at a higher speed than I have ever seen before.  Energy level is definitely higher.

5.                When Shannon did her adding and subtracting she has always had to do so by using paper, pencil and the point system.  She has never been able to add in her head.  I gave her two digit problems to add and subtract in her head – She was successful with the correct answer 90+% of the time and she was able to process the problem in her head.  Speed was slow but she was able to process through to get an answer.

6.                Shannon’s aunt talks to Shannon on the phone and notices how clear and distinct her speech is getting.

7.                Shannon’s mom is working with Shannon on completing a multiplication table.  (She has never been able to do multiplication tables.)  Once they get to do multiplying by 4’s her mom said it was like someone flipped a switch and Shannon caught on as to how you multiply numbers.  Shannon completed the rest of the numbers through 9.

8.                Shannon’s mom took Shannon to the Zoo in Kansas City and Shannon walked along side or in front of her.  This is significant!  Shannon had always walked behind and took her time or was too tired to keep up.

9.                This past Saturday evening Shannon called and talked to me.  During our conversation I told her I had to stop and compliment her with her speech.  It was clear and distinct with no slurred words.  She spoke to Chris after we were one and Chris was shocked.  His remarks to me were, “Am I going to know her when she comes home?”  Chris said Shannon was saying words to him that he had never heard her say before.  Kim spoke to her next and she also notice how clear she was talking and how Shannon was carrying the conversation.

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Last modified: 01/15/08