Bringing Peggy Back Smiling again! In March 2013, we met a lovely lady at our Woodbury office, her name is Peggy. Peggy had been diagnosed with dementia a few years ago and she had never had any serious illness before. She has raised two children and worked full time after completing her college degree. Since her diagnosis, she has been treated with several medications, both prescription and non-prescription, but with little success. Her doctors told her family there was nothing else they could do. However, her daughter Mary continued to find a way to help. She called the Hyperbaric Medical Solultions’ Woodbury office seeing a segment about hyperbaric oxygen therapy on television. She was hopeful that hyperbaric oxygen therapy would bring back some of the “old” Peggy.
As she states: “In February of 2013, my mother, Peggy, had high blood pressure every day. She had lost her ability to speak and had no interest in getting out of bed. Her dementia/aphasia was getting the better of her. She never knew if she had to go to the bathroom or not, so she had to wear disposable undergarments. Her personality had faded and she did not sleep through the night.” Mary added that her mom seemed sad, and that she and her family “missed” the old Peggy… the one who would tease them, or tell them stories, or watched old movies with them.
When Peggy began hyperbaric oxygen therapy, it took a little time to get her used to the feeling inside the tube, but she was never uncomfortable. After the first few treatments we began to see changes in her speech and her behavior. She began by saying a sentence or two each day. Then she slowly began to reawaken. She started to plan for the day and choose a movie to watch during her treatment. She wanted to see people and do things. She even asked to go to Disney World!
The changes in Peggy have been significant: her speech is clearer, her sense of humor has returned, she sleeps through the night, and her blood pressure is much lower.
Now when we see Peggy, she says hello, hops up on the stretcher and looks forward to her movie time. She tells her family about all the goings on at her day program, including the gossip (that sense of humor again). She even noticed when one of our staff members got a new hair style! Peggy is much more alert and involved in her family’s day to day life. By no means is Peggy “cured” of her dementia, but her most troublesome symptoms have improved dramatically and her family is glad to have her back. We are glad to have helped bring her back.
-Mary
