My Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Experience at The Brightwell

My name is Charles Edis. I have been a long-term supporter of The Brightwell, I am Company Secretary to the Board and a Trustee.

When  I fractured my fibula (lower leg) in late October, it was a couple of weeks later that Doro, our CEO, suggested Hyperbaric Oxygen  Therapy (HBOT) might help with healing.  After 13 years involved at The Brightwell, and my mother visiting long before me, I should have thought of it,  but I hadn’t!

I was sent forms to complete beforehand, explaining HBOT. Angela, the Centre’s Oxygen Coordinator, then went through everything with me and registered me as a member on my first visit.  (Do allow plenty of extra time for this).

I didn’t give myself enough time before my first visit, so everyone was waiting for me when I arrived.  The recommendation is that you arrive 15 minutes ahead of the session start time. Fortunately, I could limp in with my fracture boot. I was given a suitable mask and instructions on how to put it on and adjust it, which takes a bit of fiddling the first time. Some people prefer their own masks, but I used one provided by the centre.

The chamber is cosy and comfortable once you’re settled in. I was given a footstool to keep my leg elevated and reduce swelling. Once we were securely locked in, following a safety briefing, communications with the operators were checked. The chamber is then pressurised, which can be quite noisy depending on your seat relative to the inlet valve. It takes about 15 minutes to get to 2ata (atmospheres absolute - P4). Earplugs and headphones are not allowed during pressurisation and depressurisation; however you can use headphones when the chamber is at pressure. Having some reading material handy is helpful because while everyone is friendly, conversation becomes difficult with masks on.  Another thing to expect is that the chamber can feel quite warm when pressurised but quickly cold again when de-pressurised.  Therefore, an easily removable extra layer is advisable.  However, a pullover would require removing your mask, which is attached to tubes on either side, so a cardigan or similar might be better.

The other things to be aware of are how to ‘clear’ your ears to prevent discomfort from the pressure,  all part of the advance briefing, which is akin to a plane landing (when the chamber is pressurised) and a plane taking off (when de-pressurising).  After an hour, the operators will announce the impending depressurisation, which takes 10-15 minutes and is also quite noisy.  Afterwards, you might feel cold and sweaty but after getting everyone out of the chamber one at a time, depending on their condition, it does not take very long to re-acclimatise:  This might involve a nice cup of tea and a cake from the onsite Brightwell Café.

In all, I had five HBOT sessions, fairly quick in succession, as this supposedly improves the chances of injured tissues healing quickly. I couldn’t make one appointment due to an incident on the motorway, but it was easy to re-book. I live over an hour away, and was fortunate that my long-suffering wife drove me everywhere for a couple of months.

I certainly believe my broken leg made more than satisfactory progress. However, it’s impossible to measure this precisely without someone else of similar age, gender and stature having exactly the same spiral fracture in the same place at the same time and not receiving HBOT for comparison. I’m still doing physiotherapy several months later on medical advice because that is the standard approach to my particular injury.

I would definitely recommend HBOT at Brightwell to anyone in a similar situation. In fact would probably suggest continuing follow-up appointments over an extended period, but do consult the experts on these matters. Unfortunately, I live too far away for regular follow-up appointments to be very convenient.

Like many, I always enjoy visiting The Brightwell with the positive atmosphere and diverse range of people I meet there.  It’s encouraging to see so many long-standing supporters who regularly attend as well.

I hope this piece has been helpful to anyone considering trying HBOT for the first

time.

If you’re able to help keep the Centre running in these challenging economic and increasingly regulatory times, whether as a volunteer, trustee or donor, or even if you know someone who could benefit from our help and therapies, or if you have any suggestions, please get in touch with any member of our team.

Email: hello@thebrightwell.org.uk Tel: 01454 201 686

Further information about Oxygen Therapy can be found at The Brightwell

www.thebrightwell.org.uk/oxygen-therapy