Hello from the Desert Southwest DU friends.
It has been a while since I have posted anything, although I have tried to keep up by logging on every few days. After the disappointing and to me, disastrous election results, I felt I needed to withdraw from my habit of keeping close tabs on the news. I watched MSNBC almost daily until the election. Interestingly, after the election, I found myself watching the cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies, because they always have a nice, positive story, and I needed a respite from the anxiety that thinking about the future of our country with the Felon in Chief in charge produced. It has been like having a mental health vacation.
Unfortunately, it did not last. A few days before Thanksgiving, I had to call 911 when my dear husband, who's also a staunch liberal Democrat, fell as he was trying to get his balance. EMTs determined that he had acute sepsis from pneumonia. He did have the pneumonia vaccine last year and while he did present with a cold (his words), we had no idea he was so sick. He had a temp of 104, although it had decreased to 101 in the ER. The bigger scare was the low blood pressure (70 over 45) that did not increase even with 4liters of fluid. He was in the ICU for 2 days and in the hospital for 5 days until his vital signs stabilized. He had Covid 19 in the summer of 2023, and still was experiencing the brain fog of Covid Long. This Septic event made everything so much worse. He is a Vietnam combat veteran with PTSD which was diagnosed about 20 years ago at the VA. He also has clinical depression and this event, for a man with 2 Master degrees and an Engineering BS, has been devastating.
I have been researching different treatment approaches and came across a new approach that seems to be having remarkable success for veterans with PTSD and with other brain dysfunctions. It is called HBOT, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and there are ongoing studies which indicate its usefulness in treating PTSD and other brain injuries.
I am wondering if anyone here has any experience with this therapy or knows anyone that has used it? We are aggressively pursuing this avenue, even if it means he has to be treated out of state. Intuitively, I feel this approach will result in a positive outcome. Please send good energy our way.
Thank you DU friends. I will update our journey along the way.
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