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Why I’ve been AFK*

Friends and family,

For those that haven’t heard yet, it has been over a month since some severe post concussion symptoms resurfaced (link: concussion last year) — first headaches, then extreme fatigue soon after.  It got so severe I was only awake less than 5 hours a day — I simply couldn’t stay awake.  So even after three weeks of doctors visits, blood tests, neurologist consultation, and MRI scan, there was still no known remedy and I continued to be sleeping beauty.  But thanks to my brother in law, I’m currently undergoing a potential treatment called hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) which is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure.  I don’t know too much about HBOT, but it has among other things, been proven to stimulate the healing of wounds.  One effect of higher ATM allows increased oxygen transport capacity of the blood, so I guess the hope is that if there is anything damaged in the head it will be able to heal up!  I’m prescribed to go into a chamber at 1.5ATM for 1 hour 5 days/week for 8 weeks.

I am now a week into the treatment, and I have been getting noticeably better.  Who knows, maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve been sick for 6 weeks?  o.O  In any case I am truly thankful to God for being merciful on me, and also a big shout out to all friends and family for being so supportive.

hyperbaric

Oh yeah, here’s me loaded into a HBOT chamber.  When the door is locked, the pressure is raised and pure oxygen starts flowing.  Like on a plane, my ears start popping, and I have to blow it out to equalize my internal pressure.  So what do I do in a pressurized chamber for one hour?  I’ve been watching Planet Earth on the LCD through the glass door…good stuff!  Oh, forgot to mention there are speakers inside the chamber so I can communicate with the outside world and to hear the DVD!  =)

Any good DVDs I should watch while in the chamber?

*AFK : “Away from keyboard”, Internet slang indicating that one is not at the computer