The weather was very nice and the lines were not bad.
We love our little guy!
After the train we went to Ladera Ranch to walk Candy Cane Lane and see the pretty lights.
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Today we started HBOT, or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Here is a link that explain it's use in ways I never could.
http://www.hbotreatment.com/Autism.htm
I know many people would think this is drastic and does not have enough data to prove it's worth, but we have found some great gains with unconventional and alternative medicines. We have friends whose children have benefited greatly from this so we felt we needed to give this a try.
So......today was rough. The chamber is small and we are in for 70 minutes. In addition, Matthew wears a hood that he cannot remove that delivers pure oxygen to him in addition to the pressure from the chamber which is at 1.3 ATA. As the pressure was turned on he creid a lot because his ears hurt. Mine did too. The hood prevented him from rubbing his ears and even wiping away his tears. He did adjust after about 15 minutes or so but did not find it a pleasant experience at all. Needless to say it was a LONG 70 minutes. He was exhausted from crying and and took a nap on the way home. Typically it takes about 20+ dives before any changes are seen so we will see how it goes.
Matthew was all smiles when we got there. He said he was going in the space ship and wearing a helmet like Buzz Lightyear.
You can bring in toys, DVDs and computers. Anything to pass the time but no food or water and the helmet stays on until he exits the chamber.
He was a trooper and it made me so sad that I could not even kiss away his tears. He is such a brave boy and made it through. 1 session down, 39 to go!
His ears were hurting as he had not adjusted to the pressure yet.
Once his ears adjusted he was a little calmer but could not wait to get out!
Mom and Dad are so proud of you Matthew! You did a great job!
5 comments:
What a brave little soldier! Mom and dad, too. Love you guys!
Pat
Good job Matthew! You have the best parents! Syl-how did u stay in that tiny thing?
Kim
Well, Sylvia, as a behavior analyst, you know my thoughts. However, I have to say that you and Mark are equally as courageous to try something different with Matthew. It cannot be easy to make those decisions, so hats off to you. I am sure Matthew will adjust with each session. Sending good thoughts your way!
OMG, that is a small space. Good for you guys for striving to help Matthew reach his potential in every way possible! He is great!
I hope the New Year bring you lot of peace and great progress for Matthew. Love, R-
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