Originally Posted by Djhasty

10Sep13 Pain levels are still running high after travel with overall ratings of 9 in am. 8 in midday and 8 in the evening. Today I got stuffed into a metal tank with a clear vinyl hood (for oxygen) stuck over my head. I looked a lot like a spacewoman. In my mind the tank could have been a rocket ship. I did take an Ativan for anxiety thinking I would sleep for the hour. I didn't sleep. Susan told me she plans to focus on my feet first, then my brain. Susan gave me an oxygen concentrator to use at night while we are here. It needs some parts to hook up the hoses.

I had considerable leg and hip pain at full depth in the tank. In addition to standard meds breakthrough medications were necessary. Other than the HBOT treatment I stayed in bed all day. There has been no improvement after this first treatment, but I really did not expect it this early. In the back of my mind was a silent hope that I would see some improvement, even if it was insignificant. I just wanted something to hold on to to carry me through the 40 treatments. There is a long way to go. I am feeling anxious about the treatments. HBOT is really expensive. It isn't covered by my insurance because it is considered off-label for CRPS/RSD. What if it doesn't work? Was HBOT the right choice to put all our money on when some other treatment may have worked better? And, if so, the money will be gone.

We decided to stay at the Comfort Suites in Ontario; they gave us a pretty good rate for staying the 6 weeks with them. We were able to move to a different larger accessible 2 bed room with a bigger coffee station with sink. This seems silly but with it being my home for 6 weeks the coffee area will act as my kitchen: a microwave, refrigerator, toaster, sink, extra cabinet and counter space, and a jar of peanut butter. The weather here is beautiful. Today's high was 90 degrees with a nice dry breeze. I received a fruit arrangement from my NPS lady friends. I've also received a few texts from the ladies. Their support means a lot to me.

11Sep13 86 degrees sunny and beautiful, but I felt bad this a.m. My pain level was at 7. My hip and leg ached. Felt like my left leg hip foot was being squeezed so tight that my bones were crumbling. I used the oxygen concentrator for the first time since leaving Nebraska. Today's movie choice was 'Lincoln,' but I missed most of it because I slept. I took pain anti-anxiety and antispasmodic meds before getting in the tank. I wore the oxygen bubble over my head again. Susan gave me a XL pair of men's 100 percent cotton pants to wear because I failed to wear my own. My sinuses started closing up later in the treatment so I couldn't breath through my nose; I was concerned about clearing my ears, but I had no problem at all. I spent 90 minutes in the tank. I felt better in the afternoon, but we couldn't tell if it was the tank plus oxygen or the meds that made a difference. My pain level at bedtime was at 7.

12Sep13 93 degrees today, sunny beautiful. Again, I felt horrible this morning with my pain at 9. I felt bad all over, but the pain was more pronounced in my left leg and hip. It was the deep bone crushing pain again. My appointment was at 1:00 p.m. I forgot to take the Ativan so i was worried about how anxious I would get. I was in the tank for 90 minutes. I wore the bubble head. Movie was ' Pilot.' Afterwards, I slept all afternoon. My pain was better in the afternoon down to a 7. I had trouble sleeping in the evening due to increased pain in the leg/hip to an 8.5. I am wondering if the HBOT has picked out a trouble spot for my condition. I see no improvement in the sores on my legs and arms. The number and ooziness continues. Susan would like to dive deeper but can't due to the baclofen pump. So she would like to keep me in longer tomorrow for as much as 2 hours. Better take my Ativan for sure.