HBOT

Today I visited a hyperbaric oxygen therapy center in South Lyon, MI. This is an FDA approved facility that has given treatments to my young friend, Adam Sanderson.

Adam is the son of Steven and Jamie Sanderson of Sault Saint Marie, MI. Adam suffered his anoxic brain injury 12 days before my beloved Brenna. He has struggled in a broken health care system to recover. Adam came to a nursing home almost 5 hours from home, to receive these valuable treatments. Adam is progressing.

I am convinced that HBOT is critical to the recovery of hypoxic-anoxic brain injury. After talking to the owners of this facility, I understand better how important it is for patients, whose injuries are caused by reduced oxygen or a complete shutdown of oxygen, to receive HBOT in the very early days of the injury.

To me, this makes sense. When the brain injury is caused by reduced or lack of oxygen, why do hospitals avoid using HBOT when a patient is first admitted with a hypoxic or anoxic brain injury. Wouldn’t increasing oxygen to the brain be healing?

The owners of this facility have a young daughter who suffered an anoxic brain injury after a viral infection. After being told their 9 year old daughter would die, the mother sought HBOT for her daughter. The family had nothing to lose. They fought to get her into HBOT. They fought to get insurance to pay the $74,000 upfront money needed. They won.

Today the young lady is not only alive. She is dancing again. She just got her driver’s license. She is a success. Let there be more. Let this country take a serious look at HBOT for healing brains.

 

 

 

Detecting Consciousness Levels

Please check out this site. You never know when someone you love may have a brain injury. I KNEW Brenna knew I was with her in the early days. Her BP changed when I talked to her. A nurse told me to stop talking to her. Brenna was responding to mom and it was the only way she had to tell me.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/consciousness-scanner-giving-hope-to-brain-trauma-patients-1.995767

Clearview Hospital-Head Injury Rehabilitation Center

On Monday, October 15th, I stopped at this great little hospital in Juneau, WI.

Now, one might ask HOW I found this hospital in a town of less than 3000 people, a hospital that is on the cutting edge of brain injury rehabilitation in Wisconsin.

It began like this.

Sunday morning I was leaving the KOA north of Madison. I decided to ignore the voice of the Garmin and strike out across country on state and local roads. As I entered a little town called Columbus, WI, the first thing I noticed was a big church. It was 11:30 and I thought about slipping in to the last few minutes of church. But I didn't. There was no place to park this big motorhome. The parking lot was filled and both sides of the road had cars parked bumper to bumper.

I wandered on through town and the pouring rain. I passed a small, home town restaurant, The Apple Tree Family Restaurant. It too looked packed but at least I could park on the street.

When I went in, the only place left to sit was at the counter. Usually, I like to sit at a table. But God had other plans. Just as God sent me to Columbus, he sent me to the counter.

A local woman came and sat down by me. Soon she looked at me and said, "I thought I knew everyone in town. I don't recall seeing you."

There began a conversation on brain injury. Marsha was a retired nurse. She told me about the hospital in Juneau and insisted that I just HAD to go. She said she had almost not come into the restaurant because of the rain. A voice told her she had to come in. Just as God sent me to Columbus, he sent Marsha to sit at my side.

Marsha was right. I spent the night in Watertown visiting with friends, then journyed to Juneau on Monday.

The hospital is one of three sub-acute brain injury certified centers in the state of Wisconsin. I spoke with the director Jackie and her assistant Dawn. I knew that we not only needed places like Madonna Rehabilitation in Lincoln, we desperately need centers like this, especially for our more rural areas.

God didn't send me on a detour on Sunday. God doesn't do detours. He sent me where I needed to be in the fulfillment of his plan for Brenna's life. My job was to be still, listen to his calling, and be open to what he wanted me to do.

Jackie and Dawn were excited about the sign on the motorhome. Had they had a sign for their hospital, I would gladly have put it on the side. They want people in Wisconsin to know these sub-acute brain rehab hospitals exist. I was blessed by their willingness to talk and share with me.

Sunday was God's day to get me to a place I needed to be. Monday was the fulfillment of his direction.

On the Road

I am at a McDonald's in Newton, Iowa. I needed to find somewhere to connect to the Internet. Contrary to the hype of the salesman when I got my new phone, it does NOT connect anywhere in the nation.  I haven't been able to connect, using it as a modem, for over a week. At RV parks, when the office is closed and the modem or router shuts down, no way to connect.

If the phone doesn't get a signal, and it apparently doesn't across most of WY, NE, and IA, I can't collect emails or call out.

I know the lack of connection has caused some to worry about me. I am alright. The motorhome is running great. I am slowly crossing the US, stopping along the way to see the sights.

Sunday, I went to Madison County, IA, to see covered bridges. The first one I saw was where Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep did their movie together. Sadly, someone saw fit to burn down the house she used for her part in the movie. This is also the birthplace of John Wayne. I had no place to park the motorhome so didn't try to get close.

From there, I went to Avita State Park for a beautiful night on the Avita Lake. Deer met us at the entrance. We listened to the leaves fall to the ground. They make a happy sound as they fall, meeting their companions for the lasat hurrah before winter.

It is a beautiful day, no clouds, no wind. I will be heading to Davenport later.

The Taskmaster has promised that soon I'll get into territory where my phone WILL work all the time. I hope he is right. He usually is. I have much to do and need my connections.

Madonna Rehab in Lincoln, NE

Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital

5401 South

Lincoln, Nebraska

 

On Friday I was graciously given a tour of Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. I was treated to two hours of an amazing journey through a rehabilitation dream.

For 16 months I dreamed of a facility like this for Brenna. As I listened to the Director of Rehabilitation explain their philosophy, I knew I had found a hospital that most fulfilled the dreams I dreamed for Brenna.

When I saw the enclosed play/therapy courtyard for the kids, where kids could play and receive therapy without danger of getting hurt, I wished that for every child with a brain injury.  Their class room area was geared to help students relearn the skills they would need when they go back to school. Familiarizing patients to the work force. Robotics for the extremities. So many things that would be a positive for brain injury rehabilitation.

It isn’t enough just to HAVE these things. Madonna has done their best to make all things resemble the environment to which a patient may return some day. Even the cafeteria has been redesigned to resemble places a patient will encounter: a 50’s style area with booths, a bistro section, and an internet café. I was awed and inspired.

This hospital does research on practical therapies to see what works and what doesn’t, what changes to equipment would make the equipment more affordable to other hospitals.

They are doing aroma therapies. From their observations, using mint stimulates and cinnamon relaxes an agitated patient. That was good to know.

I never knew this hospital existed. Had I known this hospital was here, I would have taken Brenna in a heartbeat.  I would have moved heaven and earth to get her to Nebraska.

I have a dream now of a hospital like this for Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana that focuses on brain injury rehabilitation: a hospital that will not turn away a patient with a hypoxic-anoxic brain injury, a hospital that understands that healing the brain is a long process, a hospital that believes family involvement is a critical piece to the puzzle of recovery.

I thank God for leading me to Madonna. It is too late for Brenna, but it is not too late for others who come after her. Brenna would want her mother to do what would be best for others who encounter the same obstacles she did.