*BROOK*) FOR THE REST OF
THE MONTH... NEWS 8 WILL BE
HONORING VETERANS AND TAKING A
CLOSER LOOK AT THE ISSUES
IMPACTING THEM. FIRST THIS
WEEK... THERE IS A PROMISING
TREATMENT FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN
INJURIES AND PTSD CALLED
H-B-O-T BUT THE TREATMENT IS
NOT UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED
*MIK*) INDIANA IS THE
ONLY STATE TO FUND AN H-B-O-T
PILOT PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY FOR
VETERANS. NEWS 8'S RICHARD
ESSEX HAS THE STORY.
*RICHARD ESSEX REPORTIN*)
HERE IS CORPORAL CHUCK LEE
WHEN THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN HE
IS PRETTY FRESH OUT OF BASIC
TRAINING AND JUST GETTING HIS
FEET ON THE GROUND WITH THE
82ND AIRBOURNE. LEE SPENT 9
YEARS IN THE ARMY AND IF HE
HAD HIS WAY HE WOULD STILL BE
IN UNIFORM ((/ 06 49 IF YOU
ASKED ME IF I WAS DO IT ALL
OVER AGAIN I WOULD BE THE
FIRST ONE ON THE PLANE THAT'S
HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS COUNTRY
AND THE PEOPLE IN IT I BELIEVE
YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND FIGHT
FOR OUR COUNTRY AND WE HAVE TO
FIGHT FOR THE ONES THAT CAN'T
STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR
THEMSELVES :)) HE FIRST SAW
ACTION IN 1989 IN OPERATION
JUST CAUSE.. TO OVER THROW
PANAMAIAN DICTATOR NORIEGA..
THE 82ND AIRBOURNE GOT CALLED
AGAIN FOR THE GULF WAR AFTER
NINE YEARS OF COMBAT, JUMPING
OUT OF PLANES AND EXPOSURE TO
CHEMICALS...HE CAME BACK TO
INDIANA A MUCH DIFFERENT MAN,
((/ 01 06 04 WHEN I FIRST GOT
BACK I DRANK HEAVY MORE BEER
THAN ANYTHING. BUT YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU ARE LOST, YOU LOSE
YOUR TEAM YOU TRY AND YOU ARE
TRYING TO FIT BACK INTO
SOCIETY : )) HIS SERVICE TO
OUR COUNTRY PRESENTED HIM WITH
ANOTHER FIGHT...THE FIGHT FOR
HIS LIFE. . ((/ 08 39 I HIT
ROCK BOTTOM GOT STUCK IN
BEHIND THE FOUR WALLS
DEPRESSION CREPT IN, THE PTSD
IT JUST EATS YOU UP 01 08 52
LONG PAUSE&THE HARDEST PART
WAS WATCHING MY WIFE AND KIDS
GO THROUGH IT WITH MY. I
DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH THEY
WERE GOING THROUGH I THOUGHT
IT WAS JUST ME ME ME ME ME BUT
IT WASN'T THEY WERE GOING
THROUGH IT JUST AS MUCH AS I
WAS : )) HIS LIVER WAS
FAILING, HIS BRAIN WAS BROKEN
AND HE WAS CONFINED TO WHEEL
CHAIR BY THE PAIN COARSING
THROUGH HIS BODY. DOCTORS
PRESCRIBED EVERY PAIN KILLER
ON THE MARKET BUT THE PAIN
PERSISTED AND HE HAD
ENOUGH...WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO
HEAR...HIS WIFE HAS NEVER
HEARD.. ((/ 01 10 20 ONE
MORNING SHE LEFT FOR WORK AND
I MADE MY WAY TO THE BATHROOM
AND HAD THE GUN TO MY HEAD AND
SHE CAME BACK IN SHE FORGOT
SOMETHING AND WHEN SHE CAME IN
THE DOOR SHE HOLLERED AND I
HIT THE FLOOR AND STARTED
CRYING LIKE A BABY I HIDE THE
WEAPON AND I NEVER SAID
ANYTHING FROM THAT POINT ON I
JUST LET IT GO& SHE NEEDS TO
KNOW& BETWEEN HER AND MY
FAMILY AND GOD THAT HAS BEEN
MY BIGGEST SUPPORT :)) HE
TURNED TO ALTERNATIVE
MEDICINE..AND DISCOVERED
HYPERBARIC OXYGEN TREATMENT
COMMONLY CALLED HBOT. ((/ 02
43 YEAH THAT WAS MY FIRST
SESSION OF HBOT WAS DOWN IN
NORTH CAROLINA I DID FORTY
DIVES DOWN THERE, TWO WEEKS
DIDN'T REALLY NOTICE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE FIRST WEEK
GOING THROUGH IT BUT I STARTED
NOTICING A DIFFERENCE THE
SECOND WEEK AND I STARTED
NOTICING A LITTLE BIT THE,
ACTUALLY I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
WHAT IT WAS BECAUSE I HADN'T
FELT IT IN SO LONG, I HAD THE
ENERGY THE OVERALL SENSE OF
WELL BEING :)) DURING HBOT
THERAPY THE PATIENT BREATHES
PURE OXYGEN IN A PRESSURIZED
ROOM OR TUBE, THE AIR PRESSURE
IS INCREASED TO THREE TIMES
HIGHER THAN NORMAL AIR
PRESSURE. UNDER THESE
CONDITIONS, YOUR LUNGS CAN
GATHER MORE OXYGEN THAN
NORMAL...FOR LEE THE TREATMENTS
WERE NOTHING SHORT OF A
MIRACLE.. ((/ 01 16 38 FELT
LIKE I WAS BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL
AGAIN AS THE TREATMENT STARTED
GOING THE PROGRESSION OF MY
SYMPTOMS KIND OF STARTED DYING
DOWN, DIMINISHING I MEAN THE
INFLAMMATION TO UH THE MUSCLE
TREMORS AND SPASMS EVEN MY
BLOOD PRESSURE AND HIGH
CHOLESTEROL LIVER ENZYMES IT
STARTED CHANGING THE EFFECTS
OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO MY
BODY OVER THERE AND IT WAS ALL
POSITIVE :)) IN 2017 THE VA
BEGAN OFFERING HBOT TO A SMALL
GROUP OF VETERANS SUFFERING
FROM TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES.
THE TREATMENT IS CONSIDERED "
OFF- LABEL" AND NOT WIDELY
SUPPORTED IN THE VA. BUT THERE
IS HOPE FOR INDIANA VETERANS,
TWO YEARS AGO INDIANA
LAWMAKERS APPROVED AN HBOT
PILOT PROGRAM. PURDUE'S WELDON
SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL
ENGINEERING AND CLARK MEMORIAL
HOSPITAL IN JEFFERSONVILLE
WILL USE HBOT TREATMENTS ON 15
VETERANS WITH MILD TO MODERATE
TRAUMAIC BRAIN INJURIES..ART
TERLEP OF THE PURDUE
NEUROTRAUMA GROUP AND A FORMER
CAPT USAF IS HELPING
ADMINISTER THE PILOT PROGRAM.
((/ 06 13 WELL THERE IS A LOT
OF ANTIDOTAL EVIDENCE AND IT
IS NOT JUST ANTIDOTAL THERE IS
ALSO A LOT OF SURVEY DATA THAT
KIND OF BACKS UP WHAT IS GOING
ON.. OUR JOB AT PURDUE IS TO
ESTABLISH THE EFFICACY FROM A
PHYSICAL MRI STANDPOINT AND WE
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
HAVE, WE KIND OF OF IDENTIFY
THE PHYSICAL MECHANISM THAT
ARE AT PLAY WITHIN THE BRAIN
THAT ARE ACTUALLY CHANGING AS
THE HBOT IS GOING ON SO IF
THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE FOUND
HERE WE ARE GONNA FIND IT : ))
THE CHOOSEN VETS WILL UNDERGO
40 HBOT TREATMENTS AND A
SERIES OF MRI'S BEFORE DURING
AND AFTER THE TREATMENTS. THE
PILOT PROGRAM WILL TAKE A
YEAR. IN INDIANAPOLIS RICHARD
ESSEX WISH TV NEWS 8
*MIK*) PURDUE IS ACTIVELY
RECRUITING VETERANS FOR THIS
PROGRAM....TO BE CONSIDERED
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
GUILDELINES...VETS WITH
SHARPNEL OR METAL IMPLANTS