HBOT for bladder radiation cystitis

[Omalley]

Anyone have hyperbaric oxygen for bladder bleeding from radiation, how many sessions and did it work.

[Tall_Allen]

My friend did it in 40 sessions. It exacerbated his cataracts.

[Lyubov]

My husband has just completed 10 sessions -- 30 more to go. We'll have to wait & see if it heals the damaged tissue & stops the bleeding.

[Lrv44221 in reply to Lyubov]

yes keep doing that. After all it’s oxygen and it’s not going to hurt you.💚

[Darryl Partner in reply to Lrv44221]

possible problems

Lung damage.Fluid buildup or bursting (rupture) of the middle ear.Sinus damage.Changes in vision, causing nearsightedness, or myopia.Oxygen poisoning, which can cause lung failure, fluid in the lungs, or seizures.hopkinsmedicine.org › ...Complications of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment | Johns Hopkins Medicine

[Lrv44221 in reply to Darryl]

thanks Daryl for letting me know that the minute I sent it I realized that

[Omalley in reply to Darryl]

All treatments have risks but I have researched this quite a bit and the good seems to far out weigh the bad. I don' want to spend my life needing to be close

an emergency room in case I bleed and plug up. Been there three times in the last two years, willing to take a chance on rare side effects for a better life.

[Omalley in reply to Darryl]

I read the article and it mostly says if done right and done on people without preexisting conditions it is quite safe. I read one study where 33 patients with bleeding so bad they needed transfusions all were better and 87% were cured completely. It's your business but I think you probably should read the articles more closely rather than panicking over rare complications. I have done twenty treatments with ten more to go and I am fine, oh and no more bleeding.

[Darryl Partner in reply to Omalley]

I wish you the best of outcomes.

[ElizabethMedora]

We did research on this, when we thought this is what was causing husband's bleeding--it wasn't after all. But we were ready to go forward. Our insurance would have covered it, with that diagnosis. We found a local, reputable place to do the treatments and there are other benefits too. Good luck with your healing journey!

[leebeth]

My husband had 40 sessions, July-September 2022, with great results! He was so miserable and his symptoms completely resolved in a week. He did continue through the entire 40 sessions, and has had no further symptoms. It can cause some temporary vision changes. For a few months, night driving was problematic but I just drove. Now he is back to his normal vision.

[Revcat]

My radiation-induced cystitis first appeared two years ago, four years after 70.2 Gy to the prostate bed. Not severe or every day, but I passed gross hematuria with clots several times a month with increasing frequency. 60 sessions in hyperbaric chamber seemed to help somewhat although I haven't had a month go by without at least one episode. I have read the reports of high success rates of hyperbaric treatment for radiation-induced cystitis and wonder why I didn't respond better. In three studies, outcomes appeared best when patients were treated earlier in the disease course (i.e., within six months of blood showing up in the urine) so maybe delay was a factor.

On the plus side, I suffered no side effects other than overdosing on Netflix. (To prevent brain rot, I wanted to listen to podcasts but the tech wasn't able to get mp3s on flash drive working as they should have.)

January 2023 was going along fine (almost imagined that my bladder had finally healed!) until the latter part of the month when I had five episodes. I would consider another 20 sessions of hyperbaric if my uro recommends it.

Overall, I think other options are more invasive than breathing pure oxygen at 2.4 atmospheres. Most problems with eyesight are temporary, but, as TA points out, cataracts may result. I already had a cataract in one eye that was bothering me and, last year, I got a new lens put in. My vision is great now. Also, ears can be a concern. A physician who is well-versed in otology should be monitoring how your ear drum is holding up throughout the therapy as some patients may experience problems with the increased pressure. It's like diving or descending in an airplane.

[Teddy28]

I did 20 HBOT treatments in August 2022 after one bad episode of gross hematuria that sent me to the hospital with clot-blocked bladder. It was not enough and I had repeated hospitalizations in October, Nov, Dec and January and now have started another 40 sessions of HBOT. I have had 2 bladder fulgurations (cauterizations) of selected bleeding areas and had a supra pubic tube inserted to allow clots to easily pass out of the bladder. I am hopeful that I can get a (nearly) complete cure. My bleeding has diminished but still present after 20 treatments. I find that I have some pain during bowel movements and that they typically trigger bleeding to varying extents. Sometime just a tint of blood, sometimes the urine is deep pink. Has anyone experienced this bowel movement effect?

March 30 2023 - An update - I just completed a total of 50 HBOT sessions this year. After about 25 treatments I only had minimal bleeding for about 10 - 15 minutes most likely due to the supra pubic tube (catheter) rubbing in the bladder, and even then, they only occurred during BMs. Now the bleeds only occur once per week or so, and are very minor. I am crossing my fingers for a full recovery or at least a long lasting remission. I still need to get back to normal urination, but my urologist wants my bladder to heal another 6 weeks (post HBOT completion) before I attempt plugging the tube and holding urine in the bladder.

[Omalley in reply to Teddy28]

I am almost done with HBOT, two more treatments, I never have had bleeding when I didn't have stents and actually only one time that I ended up in the ER was spontanious bleeding not from surgery or a procedure. The doctor said that he could see bladder damage when he was in the bladder so he had me do the HBOT. They told me after surgery not to strain for a bowl movement so since everything is in the same area maybe it puts pressure on the bladder.