Hi, my name is Audrey. I am the founder of Healing The Hyperbaric Way.
This is my story about my hyperbaric chamber for home use and Lyme Disease.
In 1994, at the age of 18, I kept getting sick and very emotional. It started with more mental health symptoms. First, I was told I had depression, then years later, I was told I had bipolar, but none of the medications ever really worked, and I just kept getting worse. These diagnoses never made sense to me because there were so many things happening with my body. Years went on; I had been in two car accidents and five herniated disks, and then later, I had severe mold in my body from a home I was living in. Once the mold happened, my body just shut down.
Fast forward to 2016, I was existing.
So fatigued I would fall through the door into my bed after work, slept on my lunch break, mix up my words in sentences, limped with one leg, had tons of back and neck pain, hormones were out of control, and short of breath, rage one moment, tears the next and I didn't know how much longer I could keep living like this. I hate saying this, but I didn’t want to live.
I had the weirdest things happen to my body. I felt like I had bugs crawling in my body, thought I was going crazy, and was angry at doctors for never really helping me and making me feel like it was all in my head. I had been through 19 years of endless specialists, neurologists, psychotherapists, infectious disease doctors, gynecologists, endocrinologists, and some of the best hospitals in the US, such as the Mayo Clinic, University of Washington, and ER visits.
Over the years, there were so many paths the doctors went down, which included Addison’s disease, cortisol issues, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, SIBO, parasites, mold in my body, extremely low blood pressure, Multiple Sclerosis, gluten, dairy, sugar, and flour intolerance's, surgery for Endometriosis, hormone problems, anemia and I could keep going. Some of these made sense, but I felt there had to be a reason I had hormone problems, brain fog, and failing adrenal glands, but none of the diagnoses seemed to fit the full puzzle to me.
Then I found a Lyme literate doctor; she evaluated me and gave me a diagnosis of Lyme disease. That made sense to me.
Finally, I could start treating the problem, not the symptoms, but Lyme Disease, ugh! It was bittersweet. I was happy to hear the words positive for Lyme Disease because at least I knew then it was not all in my head, but OMG, I had no idea the mess I had ahead of me.
I tried all kinds of antibiotics, IVs, acupuncture, physical therapy to get my leg working, elimination diets, chiropractic, sauna, ion footbath, and many other treatments. Then, I found a naturopathic doctor in Seattle, WA. She had been treating me for a while with some success. She said to me. "You need a hyperbaric chamber for home. I am seeing all these amazing things happening in my patients, and if you can swing it, you should try it." I trusted her; she had been my honest, no-BS advocate.
I did not want to be that woman who just existed, and I knew I was really missing out on life. My friends were getting married and having kids. I wanted that, but I could not even go hiking anymore; my friends were gone because I was always sick, and any boyfriend I had always saw a sick mess. I did not have the strength to even go to the grocery store. I always had an adventurous spirit, and I had lost hope of ever getting it back.
I desperately wanted my life back. I had traveled the world on my own, loved fitness and health, lifted weights, went halibut fishing in Alaska in the summers, and wanted to find a life partner. I was beyond desperate as I had spent almost all my money to save my health.
Hyperbaric Chamber for Home
So, I took her advice and purchased a portable hyperbaric chamber for home use (1.3 ATA max pressure) and worked my way up 6 days a week. My first hyperbaric chamber for home use was the 1.3 ATA Oxy Health Solace Hyperbaric Chamber. It was small! 21 inches in diameter, and I am a small person at 110 pounds and 5'2. Keep that in mind when you're looking at sizes of Hbots!
I could not do any more than 5 minutes of oxygen therapy to start, as I was just so weak and sick. After a while, my body started to take little turns! It was a commitment of my time and the money I had invested in the Hbot. I had to be in there many, many hours, but a home hyperbaric chamber has been one of the best tools with the least amount of side effects in my recovery process. I still use a home hyperbaric chamber today, as this has been a big part of my healing journey in staying strong. I get so much energy that I cannot go in after 4 pm, or I am up half the night.
I have upgraded from the little Solace Hyperbaric Chamber by Oxy Health, though. I needed more space, and as I got stronger, I wanted to be able to sit up and do other things while I was inside there, such as read, stretch, or work! Pictured below is the Solace Hyperbaric Chamber for home.
My health is not perfect, but I can hike the mountains, spend the day digging in my garden, read books, go to yoga three days a week, I do not cancel on our plans, I have my mental health back, and it was never bipolar! I don’t limp anymore, and I can eat more food than I had in the past. I am still working on the boyfriend/life partner situation😊
My dog Frederick and I are hiking in Alaska, skiing at Mt. Baker, WA, and halibut fishing in Alaska.
Anyway, I am not saying my hyperbaric chamber did all of this, but it was one of the best tools for my journey! I did need medications, herbals, and lots of detoxing my body in conjunction with the hyperbaric chamber. I was not getting the healing until I added the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, though.
Now, I want to give back by helping to inspire and educate you and your family so you can experience the amazing benefits of hyperbaric oxygen. Having a hyperbaric chamber at home is invaluable, as I use it far more than I would go to a clinic for an appointment.
I keep getting more inspired by the diverse array of diseases people report, which helps. I had thought, how is this helping so many people from athletes, burns, brain injury, and autism? But our bodies need oxygen, and when we have that oxygen, we can heal.
I am here to help you with questions about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, buying a hyperbaric chamber, assistance with installation and use, or my story!
I know how hard it is to advocate for yourself and make decisions when you are living in chronic pain and have no hope left in you. I am not a doctor, so I can only speak from my personal experience of over 8 years working with a hyperbaric chamber, but sometimes learning from others who have suffered in the same way can be the next piece that puts you on the right track. It has always been that way for me, and if I can help someone avoid a little of the pain I went through or support you in finding your next step in your journey, then something good has come out of my long, bumpy road to recovery.
A hyperbaric chamber for my home made it easy for me to just lie there, rest, and heal without heading to another medical appointment. This is what I needed to complete my sessions.
I would love to support you. If you'd like to discuss hyperbaric oxygen therapy with me, directly book an appointment below or give me a call.
Audrey Burrell
Diagnoses over the years included: Lyme disease, mold, (SIBO) small intestinal bacteria overgrowth, chronic fatigue syndrome, interstitial cystitis, depression, adrenal fatigue, parasites, leaky gut, sensitivities to flour, alcohol, sugar, dairy, hormone issues, and fibromyalgia.