HBOT Delivers a 1-2 Punch

Knee replacements are one of the most commonly performed elective, orthopedic operations. For the majority of patients, knee replacement surgery relieves pain and helps them to live fuller, more active lives. But for some, the opposite occurs.

No surgical procedure is without risks and a small percentage of patients undergoing knee replacement may develop an infection following the operation. Joint replacement infections may occur in the wound or deep around the artificial implants. An infection may develop during the hospital stay or after the return home. Joint replacement infections can even occur years after surgery. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to Bill.

Bill had to have joint replacement surgery in 2006 due to a work related injury he had suffered on his left knee back in 1991. Over the years, his knee gradually deteriorated to the point that it finally had to be replaced. Bill’s surgery went according to plan. Following surgery Bill returned home to begin his recovery. Doctors continued to examine his knee annually to ensure that it was still functioning properly. Everything appeared to be going great.

In December 2011 Bill’s left knee began causing him a lot of pain. When he went in to see the doctor an x-ray showed that fluid was building up around his knee, which had to be drained off. His blood work and an MRI indicated the presence of an infection. By February, Bill was forced to stop working due to the excruciating pain in his knee.

Infections can be caused by a variety of bacteria and viruses that are usually kept in check by the immune system. However, because joint replacements are made of metal and plastic, it is difficult for the immune system to attack bacteria or viruses that make it to these implants. If bacteria or viruses gain access to the implants, they may multiply and cause an unrelenting infection. Despite antibiotics and preventative treatments, patients with infected joint replacements often require surgery in order to cure the infection. Because of the level of the infection and the amount of pain it was causing, the doctors decided on a plan to remove Bill’s artificial knee and implant another one.

However, in March, when doctors opened up Bill’s knee during surgery it was discovered that the replaced knee had worked itself loose. The doctor simply pulled it right out of the bone. A medical spacer was installed instead of a new knee replacement until they could clear up the infection. Bill began receiving antibiotics administered via a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC or PIC line) to treat the infection. By the end of June, a filter had to be put in due to a blood clot that had formed in the left leg.

Bill had hoped for his new knee to be put in by July, but his blood work indicated that two new types of bacteria were now present. Because of these new infections, the original medical spacer was removed and a new spacer was put in. Bill received ongoing intravenous antibiotics but his blood work continued to show that the infection levels remained unchanged.

Bill was a 65-year-old man who loved working and staying busy. To his dismay, he was now confined to a wheelchair. When Bill arrived at Sara’s Garden to begin HBOT treatments, he had spent nearly six months without a knee. He was unable to bend his leg or bear any weight and was completely dependent on his wife to meet all of his needs.

Following Bill’s first week of HBOT treatments he returned to his doctors to have new blood work done. He was overjoyed to learn that his infection level had been cut in half. After his second week of treatments his infection level was once again cut in half. By the end of Bill’s third week of treatments, the infection level in his knee was virtually non-existent and his doctors were finally willing to allow him to have his knee replacement scheduled. Because Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, it was able to do in less than a month what a constant supply of IV antibiotics had been unable to affect in months; eliminate Bill’s infection and get him back on the road to recovery.

By the end of September, Bill was able to finally undergo surgery to replace his knee and remove the spacer that he had lived with for almost seven months. After being released from the hospital, Bill continued to receive HBOT treatments to expedite his healing process and help him recover from his physical therapy sessions. Bill was very concerned about this pending recovery process. He knew how hard it had been for him to recover from knee surgery and undergo physical therapy following his first knee surgery. He feared this time was sure to be even more difficult for him due to the amount of time he had just spent confined to a wheelchair, unable to do anything physical in nature.

Bill and his family were thrilled that he experienced the exact opposite this time around. Because of the HBOT treatments Bill continued to receive, the inflammation and swelling in Bill’s knee was reduced more quickly following surgery and physical therapy sessions. He was also able to gain greater flexibility and range of motion more quickly and experienced much less pain than in the past.

HBOT delivered a 1-2 punch for Bill in helping him overcome a debilitating infection and assisting in expediting his recovery process. Thanks to Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at Sara’s Garden, Bill was finally able to escape from his wheelchair and gain his independence back. No matter what you’ve been told, there is hope… for this and many other conditions. HBOT is treatment without drugs… without surgery… without pain.

Help us Create a Playground for All Abilities!

Disabilities challenge how affected individuals and their families go to school, go to work, and even spend time at a playground.

Do you remember what recess was like when you were in school? For most kids, it is their favorite time of the day. Unfortunately, many students do not have the opportunity to experience recess the way their peers do. Have you ever noticed how many playground surfaces are covered with mulch, pebbles or even sand? Can a child in a wheelchair move across that space? Even most playgrounds that have handicap friendly surfaces have little to no equipment that a child in a wheelchair can access.

Play is an essential component in the lives of children. Play directly affects our physical, mental, emotional, and social well being. Through play, we are able to define who we are and who we want to be. We are able to improve our physical fitness, build skills, work on problem solving, practice communication, set goals, share expectations, understand roles, and develop friendships.

Just because a child has a disability, does not mean their need for play is lessened. While play promotes self-awareness, inclusion promotes community-awareness by involving both children with and without disabilities.

Through inclusion we are able to develop greater understanding of one another, our similarities, our differences, our likes, our dislikes. We are able to develop a sense of value for each individual as we grow the skills and attitudes needed to live in a culturally diverse, enriched community. Inclusive play facilitates a non-threatening environment that enables us to develop, grow and learn from one another at various paces. While one child may not be able to climb or swing as high as another, an inclusive, accessible play area will still enable both children to communicate and learn about one another and from one another. The point where the play area stops being accessible, is also the point where their ability to continue learning from one another stops. This also becomes the point where misperceptions have greater ability to grow.

Sara’s Garden and New Horizons Academy is looking to raise funds to create an inclusive playground for everyone… one that addresses the needs of typically developing children as well as children with neurological, intellectual and physical disabilities. Our goal is to design and create an inclusive playground that accommodates all children and challenges each of them at their own developmental levels.

There is a huge difference between a playground that is simply ADA compliant and one that is truly inclusive. Just because the equipment on a playground may be considered ADA compliant doesn’t necessarily enable a child with a disability to actually use or interact with any of it.

A truly inclusive playground goes far beyond ADA compliance in that it is designed to encourage children of all abilities to play with one another. It is a playground that has better surfacing, enabling a child using a wheelchair to maneuver through the playground easier. It is a playground that has activities to challenge children and is rich in sensory activities, social experiences and physical play. Most importantly, it is a playground that enables a child using a wheelchair to experience movement, play and independence along with their typically developing peers.

If you are interested in learning more about this project or would like to help us make this dream become a reality please feel free to contact Matt Rychener at 419.335.7272 or via email at [email protected].

Chamber Renovations

After steadfastly and flawlessly performing nearly 5,000 treatments with countless numbers of clients, our original chamber’s exterior façade is beginning to show the wear and tear of nearly ten years of service. With the construction of a new addition to the clinic and renovations to the existing facility¹, Sara’s Garden’s Board of Directors were in agreement that our chamber deserved a facelift and makeover.

On January 3rd, 2014, after being stripped of all of her gaskets, windows, wires and piping, Chamber 1 was hoisted by Wyse Crane Service onto a transport supplied by Dave’s Sand & Stone and chauffeured by Jack Rychener to Auto Images for her beautification and restoration. Upon her return home to Sara’s Garden, Fitzenrider, Inc. and Gulf Coast Hyperbarics will apply the finishing touches to her transformation.

She will be revitalized to serve those in need for another ten years. As long as there are those seeking her services, there is little doubt that she continue to provide hope, help and healing to families from across the country for many years to come.

¹Renovations to the existing clinic include an addition for offices and conference space, an expanded and modernized family waiting room with a kitchenette and handicap accessible restroom, a fresh setting for our original chamber, and an enlarged and remodeled client assessment space.

NHA Students Enjoy Academic & Social Growth

As we approach the end of the first semester at New Horizons Academy at Sara’s Garden, we continue to be amazed by the academic and social growth of children, who in the world’s poor perception were not able to succeed or develop into independent learners.

Many of the students have met and exceeded the academic IEP (Individual Educational Plan) and/or behavioral goals, which had been set prior to attending New Horizons Academy. As we contemplate how and why these academic and behavioral improvements have occurred, we think about what is important to children as they grow into independent adults.

It is important for children to be truly loved and to feel safe in their environment. Because of the small classroom population, the intervention specialists at NHA are able to provide that special learning climate which creates a culture of safety and caring. Students who need those unique minutes for special hugs or words of encouragement find them in these settings. The small group settings also provide time and attention for effective problem solving in positive and stress-free surroundings.
All children desire success. Once children have experienced success, they strive to experience it again. Success builds upon success, which once again builds a positive learning climate. Many of those who now attend NHA had previously not experienced success. Success is now prevalent and an exciting daily occurrence.
Children not only want to be safe, loved and successful but also need to give to others who they are and what they have. To assist the children in accomplishing these goals of giving, the staff at New Horizons Academy has developed several special programs, which enhance the values of giving and caring and also create opportunities to express and demonstrate such values.
- The students at New Horizons helped to prepare a Thanksgiving feast. Academic goals were incorporated into the preparation of this meal. In other words, academic and hands-on experiences took place during this event. It was exciting to observe students encouraging each other while working together to complete this project. The most excitement transpired in witnessing the older children serving the meal to the younger students. The thankfulness from the smaller children, who would not have been able to accomplish this meal alone, to the older children was truly rewarding.
- During the Christmas season, the staff established a motivational reward system, which included the collection of reward points or coins for successes within each classroom. The children chose other students to whom they would give gifts purchased with their reward points or coins. The reward points and coins were used by the students to purchase donated gifts which were then given to “Adriel Foster Children.” Another class mixed, cut-out, baked and frosted cookies which were donated to “Heartland Rehabilitation Center.” These same students then caroled their way through Sara’s Garden Hyperbaric Center, cheerfully entertaining the grateful clients.

All of these projects, not only served academic purposes but, helped to develop an environment of caring, sharing and success which all children need to eventually become independent learners.

In approaching the next semester, NHA is excited to welcome eleven new students and three additional teachers. This increases our enrollment to thirty-six (36) full-time students and three (3) part-time students. The fifth through ninth graders will be attending classes in the new addition to the hyperbaric facility due to expanding growth in enrollment. The Board of Directors and NHA administration will continue to operate with the same philosophy that has supported the electrifying academic and social growth of our students kindled in the first semester.

As always, do not hesitate to make contact should questions or concerns arise.