Hospital Admission

[skyedogrocks]

Welcome back Boxman.  So sorry to hear about your toe, but glad that you are doing better.  You'll be back to fishing in no time!

[boxman55]

Boxman, while I'm sorry you lost your little toe, I am glad it was not necessary to do more!

What is hyperbaric oxygen, and what does it do? I had not heard of that.

the treatment is where I go into an enclosed tube and get bombarded with oxygen for 90 minutes. The oxygen improves the blood flow around the wound to speed up the healing. My new name should be "bubble boy"...Box

[xtrememoosetrax]

Glad you're back, Boxman. 

[Sluff]

Hey bubble boy glad you are back on-line. 

[Deanne]

Welcome back! Yikes, 90 minutes / day in a hyperbaric chamber? Can you do anything while you're in there or do you have to just lay there and be bored?

[boxman55]

Well Diane the one thing you don't want to do is light up a cigar in there    just kidding around, but I guess it will be just sitting and watching TV for 90 minutes

[kitkatz]

We told you to take the Toe truck to the hospital. Now you are bubbly boy!  Good luck with all of this. I hope you feel better soon!

[thegrammalady]

glad your home, and up and around (even with a walker). i always enjoy your posts, keep 'em coming

[KR Cincy]

Didn't Michael Jackson use a hyperbaric chamber to maintain his youthful good looks???

Seriously, hope the treatments are going well and you are on the mend...great having you back on the board!

[tamara]

I know of Footy Players here in OZ that have used them to speed up their recoveries to injuries.

[Sunny]

I hope you are recovering well. Can't be very easy for you.

[okarol]

Hey Boxman, is this the same kind of chamber you are treated in?


Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a means of providing additional oxygen to the tissues of your body. This increased oxygen delivery furthers your body's ability to kill germs and to increase healing. HBOT is a supplemental therapy to be used in addition to the current medical and surgical therapy you are receiving.

HBOT typically is used to complement treatments of medical problems such as bone infections, complication of radiotherapy, and certain chronic, non-healing wounds. On an emergency basis, the chamber also is used to treat problems such as carbon monoxide poisoning and the decompression sickness.

Description of the chamber -- The hyper/hypobaric triplelock chamber capable of being pressurized to 165 feet below sea level or "flown" to 100,000 feet above sea level.

The chamber accomodates up to 16 patients at one time, eight in the treatment lock and eight in the research lock. Chamber operations are monitored by advanced computer systems, and medical monitoring systems are in place with equipment for managing medical emergencies inside the chamber.

The clinical or treatment lock is equipped with a patient entertainment system, which includes a large-screen TV and an AM/FM/compact-disc/cassette stereo. Patients are provided with individual headsets so that they may choose their mode of entertainment. There is also a telephone inside the chamber for making or receiving calls. Patient comfort is controlled by a heat exchanger, which can either cool or heat the interior of the lock.

The research lock is set up for environmental and altitude research, such as studying the effects of high altitude and low temperature on mountain climbers or skiers. It can be outfitted with various monitoring devices and exercise equipment. A specially designed environmental control system external to the chamber adjusts and maintains the equipment at temperature settings between 0 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

The entry lock is common to both the treatment and research locks, and is equipped with a toilet, sink and shower for long-term projects. The chamber complex is 9 feet in diameter and 40 feet long ( a typical clinical chamber is about 7 feet by 18 feet), and weighs 68,000 pounds.

[boxman55]

Okarol, my experience was not the room you described. If it was I might still be getting the treatment. What I went into was a cigar shaped clear plastic tube no bigger then a casket with metal sub marine like hatches on each end. You had to lay on your back the whole time and only had enough room to turn side to side or raise your head up 10-12 degrees before you touched the top of the tube. For the first 25 minutes you simulated going to 60 feet below sea level. You where constantly swallowing to pop your ears. The air pressure noise was also somewhat loud. Sounded like running water. Once I reached the 60 feet below (simulated) I dosed off for a little bit, but when I woke up I started breathing fast, was very warm, and worst of all I felt trapped. I had this feeling of wanted to get out so bad that I started losing it. I got the tech's attention and begged her to let me out. You had to wait 25 minutes in there while they decompressed you. I thought I was going to die, it was the longest 25 minutes of my life. When I finally got out my BP was 196. I never thought I was claustrophobic but that freaked me out. They wanted me to try again with some relaxation pills but I said "no way" I couldn't go through it again if I had to get out. Normal treatment time is 2 hours from start to finish. Not for me...Boxman

[kitkatz]

Boxman that sounds scary for you. I do not think I could do it either.

[xtrememoosetrax]

Ugh, that sounds awful. And two hours, I don't think so! I'm with you, Boxman, no way!  Can you use a Wound-Vac (or something else) instead?

[Sluff]

I don't blame you.. hang tough Buddy.

[petey]

Oh, my goodness, Box!  That sounds like pure torture.  I couldn't have done it the first time -- for any amount of time.

What are you going to do now to help the foot heal?  Wound vacs are not as bad as they sound, and they help the incision heal pretty quickly.

I'm glad you're back on the boards.  Missed you and your thoughts (the fish also said to tell you that Sluff is not a good substitute for you...they laughed their gills off at Sluff the Fisherman  )

[Sunny]

I wouldn't be able to handle that either. Too claustrophobic for me. Are things getting better anyway?

[paris]

Boxman, what a horrible experience. I would have been freaking out, too.  I hope you are healing and doing better. We missed you while you were gone. 

[boxman55]

Hey thanks all, I will discuss the wound vac with my Doc. not sure what that is. With hardly any feeling in the feet it is a struggle to get things to heal. I am trying to stay off it as much as possible and just hope and pray it doesn't get worse only better.. Thanks again, you guys are all great...Boxman

[Joe Paul]

I got to hand it to you Box, I couldn't have done that either. I hope and pray your feet heal 

[Wattle]

   Oh Boxman that really does sound like torture. I have only heard of the larger rooms that you can move around in, such as Okarol described.

I would not have lasted five minutes. Someone would be on the receiving end of this...   

I hope they can find a better solution and it continues to heal. You have enough to deal with!!    

[willieandwinnie]

God, Boxman, I couldn't do it. Do they any other options for you. Take care and keep us posted.

[okarol]

It seems like you should be able to find a different place for treatment. Looks like you're a little early for this:

Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center is building a $7 million hyperbaric chamber, which when finished will be the largest rectangular hyperbaric chamber in the nation.

The project will allow the Milwaukee hospital to increase its treatment capacity for hyperbaric oxygen therapy from the current eight patients at a time to 24.

The chamber will be operable in May 2008.

http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2007/09/24/story7.html

Here are some other centers, perhaps they could suggest a better solution for you:


Center for Comprehensive Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric and Wound Care Associates
2901 West Kinnickinnic River Parkway
Suite 311
Milwaukee, WI 53215
PHONE (414)385-8723
FAX (414)385-8721
EMAIL: mverhage@hwca-inc.com

St. Luke's Medical Center (multiplace)
2900 West Oklahoma Avenue
Milwaukee, WI  53215
PHONE (414) 649-6577
FAX (414) 649-5940

St. Luke's South Shore
5900 West Ramsy Drive
Cudahy, WI 53110
PHONE (414)489-4058
FAX (414)489-4710

West Allis Memorial Hospital
8901 West Lincoln Avenue
West Allis, WI 53227
PHONE (414)328-8404
FAX (414)328-8452

Aurora Medical Center - Hartford
1032 East Sumner Street
Hartford, WI 53027
PHONE (262)670-7213
FAX (262)670-7269

Aurora Medical Center - Kenosha
10400 75th Street
Kenosha, WI
PHONE (262)948-6834
FAX (262)948-7329


this info from http://www.hyperbaricwoundcare.com/index.cfm?categoryID=319F8647-C09F-1D6F-F9CEC95ED64F86B3

[boxman55]

thanks, againn Okarol, I feel I might be able to do it if it was more of a room setting and not a single person tube. I will discuss with my Doctors....Box