Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Hyperbaric update

This is about my 26th day of HBOT. Today things are feeling very edgy. I have noticed an increase in all symptoms. The hyperbaric oxygen must be doing its thing. Either that or it is causing damage, advancing my Parkinsonism. So far, what I have noticed are the following: increased tremor in everything that normally shakes - left foot, toes, right arm, hand, fingers; increased rigidity in right arm; arthritis and enlarged joints in toes on left foot; Bradykinesia - difficulty initiating movement in general, but especially rotating when standing, rising from a chair; weakness in general, especialy noticeable when trying to get out of bed. Turning over in bed is difficult; eyesight has gotten worse. I am myopic to some degree already but have worsened by about 1.25 diopters. This is supposedly due to oxygen swelling the corneas and will revert about 6 weeks after ending hyperbaric treatments. A new symptom in the last week is joint pain in right shoulder and muscle pain in the right arm when lifying or pulling. There is generalized anxiety and depression, which are worse now. Irritability is also worse. Sleep, miraculously, is ok.

There IS a plus side. Occasionally I feel a cessation of tremor, a renewed sense of well being and desire to 'stay and play' rather than feeling that old, nagging 'fight or flight' activation. In other words, the sympathetic nervous system seems to have started to chill out a bit. These brief respites from feeling plugged into an electric outlet have been rare, but I am told they will increase in frequency.

I have started meditating while in the HBOT chamber, instead of watching movies, instructional videos, or listening to lectures. I find this is more relaxing and is probably more healing. I put in foam earplugs and cover my eyes. It's like being in the womb. Luckily, I'm not claustrophic.

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