Stroke and Cortical blindness after surgery

www.hbot4u.com

Dear Susan & Rapid Recovery Staff –

 

In 2001, during a routine surgery, I suffered a traumatic brain injury due to hypoxia/anoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain) with resulted in cortical blindness.  I was in a coma for several months, followed by INTENSE in-patient and out-patient physical therapy, and all the doctors I consulted said that there was nothing else that could be done; my vision and motor skills would not improve.  Initially, I could see only colors and blurs, but it was like looking through a very dense fog. 

 

In 2002, I started HBOT treatments and began noting very small changes, such as more vivid colors and glints from shiny objects.  As treatment continued, I was gradually able to distinguish nuances in color, and I could make out shapes such as billboards or brand name signage, like logos of certain businesses.  As of now, I can make out, with patience, words that are formed with 4" letters, ambulances, radio towers, street signs, and hair on people's arms.  To be sure, these images are stilled blurred, but I no longer see things through a fog, and I believe that my vision is improving, albeit slowly.  My speech and motor skills also appear to be getting better, and I believe that these changes are due in large part to the HBOT treatments I have received.  For a while, I substituted HBOT with acupuncture, but I believe the ancillary treatment worked more as a complement, not a substitute, for oxygen therapy.   It is after I returned to you, in fact, that I was able to make out words. 

 

Thank you for your continued help.  If there are others with cortical blindness who are considering oxygen treatment, I strongly encourage them to give Rapid Recovery Hyperbarics a try.  

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Frances Castruita-Reyes Age 49