Update from Tammy
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Taylor has had several appointments since I last updated. Friday, Taylor met with her cardiologist and had another echo performed on her heart. Dr.Hannon felt her heart was still unchanged. She has also seen her pediatrician because of an infection to her G-Tube. We are treating it with silver nitrate and zinc oxide; however it is taking a while to heal.
Today we took Taylor to a neurodevelopment specialist. She was very nice and gave us a few avenues to pursue. One type of treatment she felt would be beneficial and successful for Taylor would be mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy. She said she has seen a lot of success with children with hypoxic brain injuries with this type of treatment. Of course, there are no guarantees but she seemed very hopeful. Taylor had her first treatment today. It lasts one hour and I had to go in there with her. Assuming everything goes well, Taylor will have forty treatments. Around 3 per week...
I'm sure you're asking yourselves, "What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy?" This is an explanation from Dr. Harum's pamphlet...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used successfully to treat many medical disorders, including brain disorders in children. HBOT is approved by the FDA and acts by enhancing tissue levels of oxygen. Normally, oxygen is carried by the red blood cells alone. Under conditions of increased partial pressure of oxygen, as during HBOT therapy, there is a significant increase in the oxygen delivered to all body fluids, including plasma, intracellular fluids, lymphatic fluids and spinal fluid. This boost of oxygen delivery promotes the growth of new blood vessels, and increases metabolic activity of marginally functioning cells, including damaged brain cells. Many traditional clinical applications use pressures over 2.0 atmospheres (ATA) for treatment of decompression sickness (the bends), arterial gas embolism, carbon monoxide poisoning, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and complex regional pain syndrome. At lower pressures (1.3 - 1.5 ATA), however, clinical success has been reported in the treatment of fetal alcohol syndrome, ischemic brain injury and cerebral palsy, and closed head trauma. We call this mild HBOT.
The only negatives are the cost of treatment and driving to Wilmington 3 times a week. Unfortunately, insurance does not cover this type of treatment. However, because of the generosity of our loved ones, we will be able to pay for all 40 treatments in full! So, once again....THANK YOU to everyone for helping us take care of our little princess!!! It's another reminder that God provides!!!
Tomorrow, Taylor will travel to Greenville for 2 doctor appointments. The first one is a check up at the C-5 clinic, followed by an appointment with her Rehab doctor. Looks like another long day, but you do what you gotta do. :->
Please continue to pray for Taylor's healing and our safety as we travel for her appointments. Sending our love!
Tammy
God Bless
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