Death.  A subject we never discuss and rarely think about.  I'm no expert but I do know a little about the subject.  I  died from a brain bleed but  think I was revived by the local fire department.  I spent the next Five weeks in a coma that I have no memory of.  I have a vivid recollection of the moment of death.  After that moment is darkness, literally, until I emerged from coma Five weeks later.
I've spoken to many who have died and been revived.  All those folks I've spoken to have one thing in common.  None are afraid of death.  Yet most, if not all, had very different experiences afterward.
I have a pal who's late father was a doctor.  His father witnessed death many times and was convinced that there was an afterlife. Many have described out of body experiences.  Others have described, in vivid detail, being greeted by loved ones.
My memory is limited to the moment of death.  
It was pleasant, genuinely the most relaxed I have ever felt.  I also recall being REALLY angry about being brought out of coma.
I am no longer afraid.

​Things come back to me in flashes.  The coma was 3 to 5 weeks.  I had no memory of it for a very long time but now certain things come back.
I have a vague memory of pulling all the tubes out of my body.  A friend told me a story about the aftermath of that incident.  My doctor entered my room in the ICU and started yelling at the nurses for allowing the incident to occur.  I had a trach tube in so speaking would have been impossible.  My friend tells me when the doctor got to my side I gave him the middle finger. "It figures you would defend the nurses against a bully"  my friend told me later.  Apparently the nurses got a big kick out of my action. I have no memory of this event. 

I was told I was capable of great violence and rage.  It's my understanding this isn't unusual with brain injury's.  I don't remember being restrained but I have a scar on my right wrist.  I asked a buddy if he knew how I got it he replied "buckle from the restraints".  Again I have no memory of this.
As I was coming out of the coma there were a lot of strange hallucinations.  I became very fearful, this was new to me as throughout my life I wasn't afraid of much.  I'm not saying I was the bravest cat on the block but not much really scared me.  After I emerged from coma I was frightened of everything.  That has since abated, mostly
Three months after I emerged from the coma I tallied up the bills.  Three Quarters of a Million dollars.
The fun was about to start.

Having been discharged from U of M hospital after my death, six weeks of coma and several weeks in the ICU I ended up staying at my aunt's.
Taking an odd concoction of drugs with complicated dosages, and sleeping 15 to 20 hours a day was the norm.  Every couple of days I had to go to Ann Arbor for blood tests and treatments.  This became increasingly difficult as where I was staying was a good 60 miles from Ann Arbor.  A buddy would come by and load me up for the trip.  Once at the clinic I was loaded in to a wheelchair and pushed around to whatever department was on the list.
At one point I was wheeled in to an office and asked a lot of questions I didn't understand.  After that "meeting" I was wheeled up to a small operating room where my feeding tube was removed.  After the removal a nurse taught me how to self inject myself.  Why?  I had no idea.

The "meeting" was with a social worker who, I was told later, was going to get a drug company to pick up the tab for a new drug they were going to try out.  Several days later I received  a phone call from the hospital that my syringes were ready and the $8000 per shot had been waived.  EIGHT GRAND!!!

My friend Steve went to Ann Arbor to pick up the drugs, and continued to do so for several weeks,  and he told me the lab mixed it right there and told him to be very careful as it was very expensive.

Every afternoon I'd measure the proper drug intake for that day then I'd plunge the needle in to my stomach and inject the drug, as I had been taught.

After several weeks I just stopped the injections.  It was too much and I noticed no change plus my friend Steve, although he never complained, was tired of making the trip.

I'm still here so I guess stopping didn't hurt me.

This is a reboot from a previous post.

The UNRELATED SEGMENTS, a band from Taylor Michigan formed in 1966.  Their first record was STORY OF MY LIFE on the Hanna Barbra label and was a regional hit.  Liberty records released their second single in 1967 titled WHERE YOU GONNA GO another regional hit.
They were one of the finest Detroit bands of the era in my opinion.

I finished up the 40 dives this week of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.
I started this process to help my focus problems that started Eight years ago with a brain bleed.  As I've stated before I would read 3 to 4 books a week until the bleed.  I haven't read a book since due to focus problems.  This is in addition to severe balance and sensory difficulties.
     My initial hope was to bring back my reading skills.  Any other progress with my balance or sensory challenges would be viewed as a bonus.
Two weeks previous, after the Oxygen pressure had been increased,  I noticed that my vision was markedly better.  I mentioned this to the tech and he nodded knowingly and said "it's due to the increased pressure and it's temporary".  He was right.  The improvement in vision lasted only several day's.
A day before my 39th session a woman from the main office asked me to show up early for an exit interview.
During the interview I was asked weather I had seen any improvement in my focus or balance.  I had to tell her no.
Having completed 40 "dives' would I recommend HBOT?
I do know it works in certain situations,  in my mind not enough research has been done to give a cogent answer.  I have friends who have MS and have heard too many good things not to.  A lot depends on if you think you can afford it.  The cost is high, dependent upon where you live, expect $180-$200 per hour.  I got lucky and had benefactors,  thank you, but it ain't cheap.
Am I glad I did it, yes.  I would have driven myself crazy wondering if it would help.
In my exit interview it was mentioned that positive results could occur later on.
I'll post later if that's the case.

This started off as an attempt at getting my focus back that I lost due to a brain bleed,  I lost my balance and had sensory problems as well as other challenges.  
Beginning this past week the air pressure was increased in the chamber to, hopefully, promote healing.  On a piratical level this does not mean more time in the chamber.  The sessions continue to be an hour and 10 minutes.  The time it takes the chamber to decrease in pressure has increased taking between 20 to 30 minutes.
So has this increased pressure helped?  I did notice a slight energy increase at the beginning of the week but this dissipated quickly.  Overall I don't believe the increased pressure has had any affect.  Next week I will have 12 sessions left.  
   I haven't mentioned the staff at the clinic.  They are friendly and helpful
I continue to have hope for a positive outcome but I have to confess that it is starting dwindle.

23 sessions down, 17 to go.  The tech mentioned they were reviewing my case and decided to increase the pressure in the chamber.  I filled out more paper work and turned it in.  I was told that after reviewing the paper work that the "protocol" would be changed.  I take this to mean the pressure inside the tube will be increased for future visits.  I look forward to these visits.

The process has become routine. About Thirty five minutes into my 17th dive,  I was watching the documentary "The Royal House of Windsor" when I  looked to my right at the tube next to me.
In that tube was a young woman with a toddler on her chest.  The woman was dressed in scrubs and the child, I'm guessing One year old, was in a sweater and pants. 
On their screen was a children's program.
Before I started this process I checked with medical professionals I knew about HBOT.
One of them told me about a patient who's grandchild, who is autistic, was going through the treatment and having some success.
I have no idea what this child's problem is or if indeed the toddler is sick but I wish the mom and her child well.  
​I sometimes suffer from claustrophobia due to frequent MRI's, but never when I'm in the tube as it's totally clear.  I've yet to see any progress in response the tech said he would check to see if they could increase the air pressure in response to my lack of progress.  Like the old coach I remain pessimistically optimistic.  18 down 22 to go.

I have started my second week of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBOT.

Entering the "clinic" you're greeted by a receptionist and directed to a dressing room.  There is a rack of scrubs against one wall in different sizes.  They consist of top's and pants.  Against another wall lockers, one with my name on it.  All of this is located in an ante room next to men's and women's dressing rooms.  The dressing room is small an has a bench.  After changing into scrubs you take your cloths and phone and deposit them in the locker.  Walking out of the dressing rooms you cross the hall and enter a large darkened room.  In the room are Three gurneys and Three large glass tubes or "dive chambers".  A tech helps you on to the gurney.  He asks you if you need a blanket or a bottle of water.  You take the blanket.  He asks what you want to watch Netflix or films they have available.  You tell him Netflix the Queen season two.  There is a screen
attached to the top of each tube angled for viewing.  He wheels you into the tube and closes the door.

As the tube fills with pressurized oxygen it feels like you're in the cabin of a ascending jet with all that implies.  Ultimately your ears pop and you lie there, watching the Queen for an hour and fifteen minutes.  The tech comes by and gives a thumbs up every so often up looking for the same response.  The tech  lets you know your done by pointing his finger up, and hitting a switch to depressurize the tube.  after the pressure has subsided, it takes about five minutes,  he opens the tube and wheels you out.  You head back to the dressing room and change back into your street cloths.  The whole process soon becomes routine.  Thus far I've seen no improvement but it's still early days.