I have a weird question. HBO treatments have been recommended for my husband. He has a consult on Tuesday. He has some exposed bone in his lower mouth following radiation - diagnosis ORN. My question is, if HBO promotes quick healing, and scar tissue equates to healing, is there any chance the HBO will create invading scar tissue in radiated areas, such as esophagus? I don't know what made me think about that, but now that I have, I can't quit worrying about it. Can anyone set me straight about this? Thanks very much.
Michele

Michele,
He's not healing because the radiation damaged the capillaries in his mandible and there is no way for the body to fight the infection - the antibodies (and antibiotics) simply can't get there. HBO, at least temporarily, will regenerate enough capillaries to allow the infection to be controlled and potentially reverse the ORN.

Just guessing, I would think that faster healing would equate to less scar tissue not more. No one has mentioned problems with additional scar tissue due to HBO to the best of my knowledge.

Thanks, Gary. That helps me to understand better. I am still a bit curious about the scar tissue thing, though. I hope you are right in that faster healing would mean less scar tissue.

Michele

Michele, I had 30 "dives" of HBO for dental issues and have no trouble swallowing. One of the temporary side effects is a change in vision. In me, however, it stuck, and three years later I still do not need the reading glasses I got at age 15. As far as I am concerned, HBO is a very positive treatment.

Thanks, Joanna. I am hoping it will be beneficial for my husband. This morning, though, a piece of the exposed bone in his mouth broke off. I don't know if that is cause for alarm or not. We have paged the ENT but haven't gotten called back yet. We'll see.
Michele

Hi Michelle,

I, to date, have done 45 "dives" of HBO and it hasn't caused me any issues with swallowing. What it HAS done is everything the doctors expected it to do, which was to allow me to heal without infection. Hope it works for your husband.
Minnie

Thanks, Minnie. That is comforting to know. I will relay to my husband - he is worried. At least these treatments are easy compared to everything else. Hopefully he will only have to travel about an hour and 15 minutes one way.
Michele

Hello Michelle,
I recently finished 39 HBO treatments, like your husband I had a piece of exposed bone and some severe tooth aches. I just finished my treatment on July 11 and they worked like a charm , the exposed bone fell off and healed, had two teeth pulled without any problems. I do now have Myopia and need reading glasses all the time and may even need something stronger, although they tell me it is only a temporary condition it has been close to a month now. I have asked many drs and professionals who work with HBO almost all of them agree that the benefits of HBO are permanent. good luck michelle, e-mail me if you have any other questions.
lenny

Thank you, Lenny. My husband goes tomorrow for his consult. I assume it will just be a consult and not a treatment, but I don't know for sure. I am not going with him. I don't suppose there are any after effects that would keep him from driving? Jesse wears glasses now, so we will need to wait to see how his vision is affected. How soon does that happen? I am hoping that when he gets through with the treatments, he will be able to get lower dentures - perhaps implants. I am glad to hear you had good luck with your HBO treatments, Lenny. I remember reading your posts that you were in quite a lot of pain. Thanks for your encouragement.
Michele