Traci, Im sorry I havent responded to you sooner. Ive been thru everything you had questioned in your original post.

ORN is not fun!!! It can be very painful and involve IV antibiotics along with removing the dead bone or cancer. Yes, cancer can invade bones. I went thru this and ended up having a heck of a difficult time. hopefully your mother's case wont be as involved as mine was and she will get thru it easier then I did.

I have a love/hate relationship with HBO. I love how well it has worked for healing but at the same time I really hate how time involved it is. I have way too many things to do so spending 2+ hours in the HBO chamber, another 1+ hour driving back and forth, changing clothes and being checked twice by the tech and doctor (once a week) makes for one unhappy patient. I would lay in the tank fidgeting and thinking of all the things I should be doing instead of just laying there. Its very difficult for an active person to be confined like that 5 days a week. But on the other hand I cant stop singing the praises of how well HBO healed me numerous times.

Let me know if I can answer more questions about HBO and ORN. Best wishes to your mom.

Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile