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Joined: Jan 2006
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"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
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"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Jan 2006
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There certainly doesn't seem to be one simple or consistent answer. Today I spoke with the HBO tech in the Wound Care Center at one local hospital. He has been in this group since at least 2008, and I had my last round of HBOT at this facility in 2013.

He discussed my case with the doctor who heads the department, and this doctor said I would only need 10 dives after I have the procedure done. Since I already had at least 20 dives, this causes a permanent change and I would not need to repeat the 20 dives before the procedure. I will be going for a consult with this doctor next week, and I asked Bob (the tech) if he and the doctor could gather some information on this topic that I could take and share.

I also stopped by the oral surgeons office to pick up the referral. This doctor reiterated his position that I should have the 20/10 protocol as recommended by the radiation oncology department where I had my RT in 2006. The tooth that I am having a problem with was in the radiation field, but it was at the edge of the field and I don't believe it received as much as some other parts of my jaw. I would rather err on the side of caution and do the 20/10 HBOT rather than be faced with ORN.

Thanks Paul and Christine! I'm anxious to learn what Dr. Marx has to say on this topic. If there are studies or recommendations and guidelines perhaps these can be added to OCF main pages.


Susan

SCC R-Lateral tongue, T1N0M0
Age 47 at Dx, non-smoker, casual drinker, HPV-
Surgery: June 2005
RT: Feb-Apr 2006
HBOT: 45 in 2008; 30 in 2013; 30 in 2022 -> Total 105!
Recurrence/Surgeries: Jan & Apr 2010
Biopsy 2/2011: Moderate dysplasia
Surgery 4/2011: Mild dysplasia
Dental issues: 2013-2022 (ORN)
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 756
Likes: 1
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
OP Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 756
Likes: 1
I've been told that radiation causes compromised blood flow in the radiation field, and the compromised blood flow does not allow as much oxygen to that area which is one of the reason healing is so difficult. Prior to going through HBOT the first time, my RO put me on a treatment of Trental (pentoxifylline) 400 mg + vitamin E. My understanding is that this treatment reshaped the red blood cells to allow them through the damaged and narrowed capillaries thus delivering more oxygenated blood to that area and helping with healing. I did see some improvement with this treatment, which I was on for nearly 2 years, but it wasn't until I did the HBOT that I saw the greatest change.

One question I have is there a way to measure the blood flow or the oxygen levels in the blood. I'm not a medical professional, but it seems this would be very helpful to know this to determine if HBOT is really necessary. If you have good blood flow that is already rich in oxygen, then it would seem that HBOT wouldn't have that much of an impact.

The other question would be what medical speciality would be the most knowledgeable of this? In my case, one oral surgeon contacted the raditaton oncology department at a large local hospital. Second opinion was by the doctor in charge of the wound healing department at a different local hospital. I also had a discussion with a different oral surgeon a few months ago regarding an extraction and he didn't think I would need any more HBOT if an extraction was necessary.

To be honest, I would value the expert opinion of the doctors at the large, teaching cancer centers over the local hospitals and doctors.


Susan

SCC R-Lateral tongue, T1N0M0
Age 47 at Dx, non-smoker, casual drinker, HPV-
Surgery: June 2005
RT: Feb-Apr 2006
HBOT: 45 in 2008; 30 in 2013; 30 in 2022 -> Total 105!
Recurrence/Surgeries: Jan & Apr 2010
Biopsy 2/2011: Moderate dysplasia
Surgery 4/2011: Mild dysplasia
Dental issues: 2013-2022 (ORN)
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