Ana's Story

Since 1993, the Most Experienced Hyperbaric Centers with the Most Experienced Physicians.

Call toll-free 1-888-691-1482 for a no obligation appointment to tour the nearest center to you. Meet our qualified staff, or make an appointment with our medical director. Then compare our treatment charges with other centers.

We have increased our services and capacity and lowered our prices while still maintaining the highest standards of care.

Special discounts apply through 2010

International Problem. International Cooperation.

The following ordeal of pert Romanian teenager, Ana Ciobanu shows how serious and terrifying Lyme disease can be and demonstrates serious ‘Herxheimer detox can be. Dr. Ken Stoller and RN Gayle Link played their part in giving expert direction to the physicians who were with Ana when her heart stopped.

Ana is now on the road to recovery. Ana and her parents, both physicians, have given her permission to make all medical records available. These will be provided in *.pdf format. Requests should be made to info@hboinfo.com.

Ana’s story:

"In the summer of 2001 I was bitten by something (at the time I didn't know exactly by what, because it was only the bite, the insect was gone) and at the site of the biting I got infected. I took 3 or 4 days of antibiotics and it went away. But, one month later I had a terrible headache. Because I was only six years and a half, I was shocked because it was my first headache and it was terrible; I didn't experience something like that before. Years after I've only experienced some headaches and some aches here and there; my parents, being doctors, had me all kind of check-ups, tests etc. done, but they were all normal. I've even worn glasses without a reason!

But in September 2008 I was scratched by a cat, and, some weeks later, appeared some skin lesions-nobody knew what they were, and, because I had no other symptoms they left it there, on a dead end, only to find out one year and a half later(in December 2009) that I got infected with Bartonella henselae, the cat-scratch disease. In April 2009 I was scratched by an owl, and some days later, I had fever, chills night sweats, muscle aches, and back pain. I was diagnosed with Rickettssia conori, then Babesia, and after I was paralyzed and bed-ridden, they finally diagnosed me with Lyme disease. I was treated with a one-month i.v. Rocephin and Octagam, and I started to walk again. It was like learning to walk again! But the aches and pain weren't gone, especially my terrible headaches. So I went to a LLMD in Budapest who treated me with high-doses of a combined antibiotic treatment for 2 months. But the improvement was slow and the treatment was difficult.

So I decided to do hyperbarics. The improvement was huge, especially in my terrible headaches. I had my ups and downs with herxing. But at the 21'st session, something strange started to happen, and that's when my mother wrote to your San Diego Healing Chambers of America center this e-mail:

"I am pediatric neonatologist and I work in BUCHAREST, Romania, in a 3rd grade maternity (mechanical ventilation, NTPA etc). My daughter(14 years old) was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease(B. afzelii substrain) in July 2009, although fighting the disease for more than 7 years.

She did the treatment of Dr. Bozsik from Budapest (see attachments), and now she is doing HBOT in a multi-place chamber (HAUX STARMED 2200). But she has a big problem with Herxhing, when going down to 2. 8 ATA, and I thought that you have vast experience with this, so I thought that you can HELP me, because it is a really bad problem.

The treatment schedule is as follows:

-compression, than 28 minutes oxygenation, 2 minutes pause, 28 minutes oxygenation, 2 minutes pause, 28 minutes oxygenation, 2 minutes pause, 28 minutes oxygenation than decompression.

My daughter, at the 3rd oxygenation, she has severe pain of the joints, muscles, and headache, tahycardia (pulse rate 140 bmp), than great fatigue and finally faints. When removing the oxygen mask, the heart rate comes back to normal, but she continues to have severe fatigue and sometimes she can't respond when calling her. She is then got out from the hyperbaric chamber in 5 minutes and she recovers fully in 15 minutes. My question is: If she continues breathing 100% O2 at 2. 8 ATA with mechanical ventilation, can she go into a coma because of the severe fatigue, or it is only fatigue that cannot endanger her life? We cannot perform the analysis of the sanguine gases. I mention that, after the pulse normalizes, her SpO2 is 99%, and her blood pressure is slightly elevated 150 with 90 and 90 pulse. When she puts her mask again, her pulse rate is normal. Sometimes, she has moments when she black-outs completely, but the majority part of the time she has an extreme fatigue and she can barely move, but she can hear us.

I attach You the diagnosis and the treatment she has done with antibiotics. "

This thing continued to happen until they decided to keep me in the chamber 'till the end of the session, and, instead of getting me out they kept me in. But they couldn't do this more than twice, because, after, the second time, after I was got out of the chamber, at 30 minutes, I presented a strong chest pain that felt like I was packed with ice, that started on the left side, extended on the right side and on the arms. I barely remember anything, so here is the description of the doctors from the hyperbaric center:

"We are writing to you from Hyperbaric and Diving Medicine Centre from Constantza, Romania because we know that the patient Ana Ciobanu (Dr. Ciobanu) has already spoken to you few days ago. On Friday night, at 20. 30 (Romanian hour), after the HBO treatment the patient Ciobanu presented a cardio circulatory collapse (undetected blood pressure), lipothymy, chest pain, cough, short loose of sight and consciousness, and seizures. Only after subcutaneous adrenaline administration we could measure the blood pressure with 60/30 mmHg value. Her state was the same all night with vascular collapse resistant at adrenaline, dopamine,dobutamine in high doses, and also volume replacement. During her hospitalization she received heparin because doctors thought of a pulmonary thrombembolism. Craniocerebral and pulmonary tomography were normal.

Laboratory tests showed: policitemy (Hb 17,6 gr/dl, Ht 52%), leukocytosis with granulocytosis, D-dimers initially absent, then present (fibrin monomers). Only after 26 hours, 5 adrenalin and 25 dopamine we could stabilize the blood pressure. The patient Ana Ciobanu was transferred to Bucharest for supplemental investigations. We would be very glad if you could relate us similar examples from your clinical observation or if another of your patients have had such reactions. We also mention that our patient Ana Ciobanu was on treatment with Plaquenil. "

My father, who is a cardiologist with echo-doppler competence (echocardiography and vascular echography) made me a vascular doppler, and was shocked to see that I had vasculitis. The question was how? You recommended me Curcumin, and I started feeling better. Than, I found out that Curcumin is a very strong anti-inflammator. In measured cytokine levels after taking Curcumin and after my blood vessels started to come back to normal, and we were shocked to see that they were at the limit (especially TNF-alpha).

We all know that Lyme is an inflammatory disease. More explanations about Lyme vasculitis and the interaction between the inflammatory cascade and Lyme we found here: http://cait.cpmc.columbia.edu:88/dept/pi/nyspi/LymeDisease/documents/Fallon_Inflammation-and-central-nervous-system-Lyme-disease_2009.pdf

I went back to hyperbarics last Saturday and had a session on 2,4 ATA and it all went well, Thank God! On 12th of February I will return to hyperbarics to re-start the treatment and this time finish it properly!

Also, as You can see in the attached files, after hyperbarics I got rid of Borrelia afzelii and I've got left only B.b.sensu stricto.

I attach the Borrelia tests, the movies and the tests done on the night of the shock.

With respect and MANY thanks,

Ana

P. S.Lately, I've read Dr. Burrascano's guidelines and measured hormone levels, and found out that I also have a subclinical hypothyroidism(TSH levels elevated, T3, T4, FT3, FT4 levels normal).

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is routinely used internationally as an ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT or COMPLIMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICAL (CAM) medical response to the following ailments and trauma:. Lymes Disease, Complimentary alternative medicine, Chronic illness, stroke, autism, pain, chronic pain, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy may help cure , control or stabilize problems associated with . . . Stroke, Crush Injury, Macular Degeneration Vascular Dementia, Autism, Thermal Burns, Laser Skin Resurfacing, Chronic Fatigue, Surgical Trauma, Swelling, Inflammation, Edema, Vascular Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Fast Plastic Surgery Healing, Silicon Poisoning, Severe Anemia, Bone Disease, Healing Bones, Osteoporosis, Migraines, Epilepsy, Pediatric Seizure Disorders, Gulf War Syndrome, Lyme Disease, Diabetic Wounds, Diabetic Maintenance, Infectious Disease, Complimentary Alternative Medicine, Rapid Sports Healing, Toxic Mold Infections, Head Injuries, Spinal Injuries, Breast Surgery, Tummy Tuck Surgery, Chronic Ill Health, Chemical Sensitivity, Smoke Inhalation, Delayed Smoke Poisoning, Chronic Back Pain, Chronic joint inflammation, Off-Label Use of Hyperbaric Oxygen by Physicians, Renauds, Disease, Near Drowning, Asphyxia, Heavy Metal Poisoning, Industrial Poisoning, Cerebral Edema, non-specific lung problems, Obstructive Jaundice, Liver Disease, Heart Problems, Facial Actinomycosis, General Surgey Infections, Problem Wounds, Malignant Neoplasms, Sking Grafta Spinal Cord Neuropathy, Management of Problems of Aging, Bells Palsy, Post-Operative Brain Tumor, Myelitis, Post-Operative Cosmetic Surgery, Acoustic Deafness, Optic Atrophy Periodontal Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Chron’s Disease, Shingles, Hepatic Problems. Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cerebral Palsy, Shingles, Peptic Ulcer.

This page was last updated on 09/28/10.

Hit Counter