21 Months Today

Mitchell is 21 months today and on this day he has begun what is known as HBOT - hyperbaric oxygen treatment. He did 2 sessions today and he'll continue through 38 more sessions over the next 3-4 weeks. What is HBOT? It's a medical treatment which introduces 100% oxygen to a patient, using controlled pressure in excess of the usual pressure in the atmosphere. It is already widely used for non-healing sores, lime disease, damage done by radiation and some other things. It's less accepted yet to "treat" neurological issues, especially in children. However the protocol is safe...but time-consuming. Generally, the practice stimulates growth of new cells. Studies of children with CP, brain injuries or autism cite improvement overall sometimes remarkable, other times showing children reaching milestones quicker than a control group of some similarly-abled. But all will admit, it improves the abilities of some more than others.

We've networked with other parents of kids like Mitchell to get an indication of what we can expect. Mitchell's MRI shows decreased white matter for his age which is consistent with what he can do. No cell damage is evident on his brain, but it is possible that there is damage the MRI cannot detect. So promoting regeneration of cells in his brain is a good thing. He also has sensory integration issues. Sometimes he'll definitely respond to a loud noise, other times you can say his name right in front of him and he won't flinch. Sometimes you can get his eyes to focus on you if you are quiet and hold still to his left. Other times, nada. Parents' stories relate how their children hear or see better after this treatment. Again, a good thing.

We're going into this with the attitude that we'll try whatever we can during Mitchell's early years, while his brain is most plastic, to help him. We're considering it his Christmas gift. It's quite pricey and not covered by insurance. We're setting our expectations low. If all we do is get him to see slightly better, think of how much more he'll be able to participate in the world around him!

We'll keep you posted, but we're not to expect much change in him until at least 20 visits. The brain takes a long time to be restored so it's also possible we'll not see any change until weeks after the first 40 "dives" to increased pressure are complete. Wouldn't it be great if we were one of the remarkable success stories?