i am a 2 x tongue cancer survivor...beginning to have ongoing dental problems. was told i will need HPOT. How do people pay for these treatments. Iv'e been told they are in the 50.000 thousand dollar range? what do people do?

Deb, I have had 125 HBOT all covered by my health insurance. Most patients will get 30 HBO for dental work or osteoradionecrosis (done death). Usually oral cancer patients who have HBO do whats called Marx Protocol which basically is 20 prior to procedure and 10 after. Check with your insurance company, or some patients negotiate a reduced price directly with the hospital and make payments.

http://www.hyperbaric-oxygen-info.com/necrosis.html

Deb, if you are paying for them out of pocket then definitely negotiate a deal with the hospital. Mine were a $1000/dive and I did 35, so yes it can be quite a bill.

mY INSURANCE PAID FOR THE ONES i HAD AND IT WASN'T REALLY THAT EXPENSIVE. Sorry about the caps. I'll see if I still have my copy of the statement from my Ins.

Hi Deb: I am just beginning hyperbaric oxygen, and hope to have dental implants soon. Insurance still hasn't agreed to pick up the tab, but the Hyperbaric center is sure that they will, and are treating me. I see that you are in California. If you are in Los Angeles, Glendale Adventist Hospital has an amazing hyperbaric center and a wonderful staff. 818 409-8000 - ask for hyperbaric.
Before I got in at Glendale, I made a lot of inquiries - there a quite a few commercial hyperbaric places in Southern Cal, and most of them will give you a price around $150.00 per visit, if you negotiate, and if you guarantee to take at least ten treatments.
Good luck - I know that my facial swelling is finally starting to go down, since I started hyperbaric, and I feel a lot better. Also, according to my hyperbaric doctor, cancer cells have difficulty in surviving in an HBO environment.
I had Stage IV tongue cancer, finished radiation and chemo 7 months ago. My recent PET scan showed no evidence of cancer.

While HBOI does make you feel better, It is NOT proven to help cure cancer. Here is a link from the ACS giving more detailed info about HBO. The price MaryAnne gave is very low, I would be concerned about goign to so small facility. In 2008 when I first had HBO it was $400 per dive and this year at a different facility it was $700 per dive. Both locations were part of a hospital and had technicians with 20+ years experience with HBO. Choose a facility carefully just like choosing your cancer doctors.

http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/Tre...insandMinerals/hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy