Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): General information and discussion of Home Units

Thor said:
I don't quite understand why you switched back to the normal mask. I'm assuming it's the type that has a silicone flap on one of the holes on the side but not on the other side?

With the non-rebreather mask, you inhale all the 65% pure oxygen in the reservoir and once it's empty, you get additional air through the sides of the mask if you're using the same type that Pierre posted earlier in the thread. This type of mask is designed so that as long as there is oxygen in the bag you'll inhale the oxygen but once the bag is empty, you still breathe "regular" chamber air. This way you get 65% oxygen for a portion of the in-breath and 25% oxygen for the rest of the in-breath.

For comparison, the regular masks gives about 30-35% oxygen concentration. The reason why I think you might be better off using the non-rebreather mask is the following:

Assume your in-breath last a duration of 1. With the non-rebreather mask, you spend the first part, x, emptying the bag and the remaining 1- x breathing air from the chamber.

For the two options to give you the same amount of oxygen, you'd need

x*65% + (1-x)*25% = 35%
0,4X = ,10
X = ,25

So this means that if you use the non-rebreather mask and the bag is emptied faster than 1/4 of your in-breath, then you'd get more oxygen per breath using regular mask. However, if the bag is emptied after 1/4 of your in-breath you'd be getting more oxygen using the non-rebreather mask.

Obviously, this is only numbers. If you feel uncomfortable using the non-rebreather mask you might not want to use it. But from a purely oxygen-based perspective, you may very well still be getting more oxygen with non-rebreather mask - even when the bag is emptied part-way through the in-breath.
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To clarify: the oxygen concentration is 95% coming from the oxygen concentrator but the oxygen concentration that you inhale using the non-rebreather mask is only around 65%.

In my post above I erroneously wrote that the the oxygen level in the reservoir was 65%. It is actually 95% but once it gets mixed with the air that seeps into the mask, the concentration in you in-breath is 65%.
 
Thor said:
I don't quite understand why you switched back to the normal mask. I'm assuming it's the type that has a silicone flap on one of the holes on the side but not on the other side?
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I think Stoneboss said that the air in the bag was not enough for a full breath, which means that the oxygen being provided by the concentrator is not enough for him, so he has to use some ambient air to supplement, and he can more easily get this ambient air from the non-bag masks.
 
Thor said:
I don't quite understand why you switched back to the normal mask. I'm assuming it's the type that has a silicone flap on one of the holes on the side but not on the other side?
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The non-rebreather mask has the silicone flap on both of the holes on the side of the mask. If one of the side holes did not have a valve - the silicone flap - then I think that it would defeat the purpose of using the non-reabreather. The concept of the non-rebreather, I think, is that when you breath in, the 'side holes' stay closed because of the silicone flaps to not allow any outside air to enter the mask, and that 'opens' the valve on the reservoir so you only breath in the oxygen from the reservoir - giving you a breath of 95% oxygen. But as you stated above, some outside air can still seep into the mask. So as I explained earlier, by having a beard it allowed a lot of seepage thus reducing the 'suction' on the silicone flap to open fully on the reservoir. So when the mask was basically 'sealed' because of no beard, then I found it difficult to breath again because it takes a little more exertion for the valve on the reservoir to open, and so I tend to take in much deeper breaths which the oxygen flow can't keep up with...
 
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Once we are on this subject of non rebreather masks - is it normal when you exhale that some of the air flows out through the sides of the mask - between mask and the face - i can feel it on my forehead and cheeks going out. And is it normal that some of the exhaled air goes into the bag - the bag does fill nicely with the oxygen when i stop inhaling but never to the point of being totally inflated and on the exhale it gets totally full.
I know my mask is sealed good because if i suck in entire volume of the bag i cant get anymore air. If my breathing is not relaxed this causes mild panic or uncomfortable feeling and it is kind of vicious circle until you relax.
 
worldbridger said:
Ok, done 107 sessions. My plan was to do the 5/2 protocol due to my health problems, go slow and let the body adjust. But since I only got exhausted the first day, and the following days I got instead energised, I continued doing it every day and thought when I feel it is too much I will take a break. Also, since I've been bedridden for 2 years the bodys need for circulation and oxygen is really high.

In the beginning when we placed the order for the HBOT we didn't really know if I was able to get in and out of the chamber. I did. :)

In general my energy level is much better, I recover from pain/inflammation much faster. Skin is starting to shine actually in certain areas, my hair is getting even more thick. Had to change schampoo and start using a brush! First time ever in my life...

I can now go to the bathroom like a normal person for the first time in 2 years, that is a privilege! Also, I can now take regular showers and do 90% of the things myself, which is also a privilege.

I now know how my apartment looks like since moving in 18 months ago, I can walk to the kitchen get myself some tea/supplements or something to eat. I can get out on the balcony and smell the air and see the trees and see where I actually. I also started to practise walking stairs in the stairwell.

I make improvements everyday, small but I notice them.

I can't describe to you what a blessing it is to just move my own body around instead of just lying in bed 24/7, even though it hurts like hell and is the hardest workout I've ever done. First time in 8 years that I'm improving.

After the first 25 sessions I got brutal headache/brain fog/vertigo. I paused a few days and I did everything I know to reduce it, I helped some but I missed the energy from the Bot. After 4 days I thought that maybe this one of these "push through" moments, so I continued. During 4-5 weeks it slowly disappeared, and is now completely gone. Maybe this was from being up much more, using muscles that been dormant, can't tell.

After around 50 sessions I tried doing doing 2 sessions a day a couple of times, since I always feel better after a session. After one week I decided to continue, and I have since then.

After 80 sessions my pancreas/liver/gallbladder started to hurt a lot. I had some really serious pain after quitting painkillers and prednisone a year ago and it slowly got better after 6 months, and now it has kind of come back.

I remembered Chu had some pancreas problems so I plan to "iodine nuke" it for a week, I've already taken herbs and homeopathic remedies for more than 6 months and it doesn't seem to work, and I'm slowly starting to realise that this is my oldest problem, since birth probably. I'm loading up on Lugol's for 2 weeks until I reach around 100 mg/day. I've done the protocol before and had no problems reaching 150 mg…then. Now I'm up to 70 mg and my face reacted, can't explain how they look like, but they showed up 6-7 months ago with burning skin sensation/niacin flush like all over my body, histamine reaction maybe. Always on the the same places, knuckles, finger joints, elbows, face, knees, chest. I can't find any logical pattern really. Never had that in my whole life.

Besides the Bot, I'm doing a Keto diet adjusted to my problems, I'm also doing Buhners Lyme protocol, and taking supplements.

I feel it is not that interesting anymore to count sessions but improvements. I'm optimistic.

Well, long update, next will probably be around Christmas.
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I am very glad that you are better after everything that happened to you, and from the bottom of my heart I wish you and everyone else on this forum an even better and speedy recovery in the following sessions
 
Z... said:
Once we are on this subject of non rebreather masks - is it normal when you exhale that some of the air flows out through the sides of the mask - between mask and the face - i can feel it on my forehead and cheeks going out. And is it normal that some of the exhaled air goes into the bag - the bag does fill nicely with the oxygen when i stop inhaling but never to the point of being totally inflated and on the exhale it gets totally full.
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That is my experience too and I think that is normal, but others might have different experiences. When I exhale, some of the out-breath also goes into the bag. I continue thinking that though it isn't perfect, the amount of oxygen is still higher than with the normal mask.
 
Aeneas said:
That is my experience too and I think that is normal, but others might have different experiences. When I exhale, some of the out-breath also goes into the bag. I continue thinking that though it isn't perfect, the amount of oxygen is still higher than with the normal mask.
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According to most sources like the one I am linking, the bag should not fill with exhaled air at all - but I think this is impossible.
www.webmd.com

What to Know About Non-Rebreather Masks

Find out what you need to know about non-rebreather masks and discover their uses, risks, benefits, and how they may affect health.
www.webmd.com www.webmd.com
 
Z... said:
According to most sources like the one I am linking, the bag should not fill with exhaled air at all - but I think this is impossible.
www.webmd.com

What to Know About Non-Rebreather Masks

Find out what you need to know about non-rebreather masks and discover their uses, risks, benefits, and how they may affect health.
www.webmd.com www.webmd.com
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This was discussed before - what appears to be the bag filling with our exhaled air is actually the bag filling with oxygen from the concentrator. If using a non-rebreather mask, there is a one-way valve that prevents our exhaled back flow from entering the bag. Unless this valve is malfunctioning, all of the exhaled air should flow out of the two vales on either side of the mask.

On that note, I have noticed a few times that these little side valves (white circular flaps near the nose bridge) have popped off when I fire up the chamber. Luckily they're pretty easy to pop back on.

Z... said:
Once we are on this subject of non rebreather masks - is it normal when you exhale that some of the air flows out through the sides of the mask - between mask and the face - i can feel it on my forehead and cheeks going out.
Click to expand...

I noticed that, too - sometimes I can feel the air of my exhale against my cheek. That means the mask may not be sealed as properly as it could, which means there's some ambient chamber air being breathed in as well, which drops our total oxygen intake. I just tighten the band that holds the mask to my head, and also press the mask to my face while inhaling for the first few times. This seems to seal it up pretty good, and I don't feel any exhale on escaping other than through the valves.

Still haven't tried the no-beard technique, though...
 
iamthatis said:
This was discussed before - what appears to be the bag filling with our exhaled air is actually the bag filling with oxygen from the concentrator. If using a non-rebreather mask, there is a one-way valve that prevents our exhaled back flow from entering the bag. Unless this valve is malfunctioning, all of the exhaled air should flow out of the two vales on either side of the mask.
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I know, but I definitely noticed that the mask gets even more full with my exhale. If I stop the breathing I can see it filling with oxygen till certain point, it gets to round shape but never fully inflated and then with my exhale it gets more full. And I am wondering if that is okay...

iamthatis said:
On that note, I have noticed a few times that these little side valves (white circular flaps near the nose bridge) have popped off when I fire up the chamber. Luckily they're pretty easy to pop back on.
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It happened to me once too.
iamthatis said:
I noticed that, too - sometimes I can feel the air of my exhale against my cheek. That means the mask may not be sealed as properly as it could, which means there's some ambient chamber air being breathed in as well, which drops our total oxygen intake. I just tighten the band that holds the mask to my head, and also press the mask to my face while inhaling for the first few times. This seems to seal it up pretty good, and I don't feel any exhale on escaping other than through the valves.

Still haven't tried the no-beard technique, though...
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I think it is not important how the air gets out, if the bag is empty and you cannot breathe that means that the seal is good and the air is not coming in from the outside of mask. I think the valves on the side cannot handle all the amount of the exhale and it is natural for some air to escapes from the side of the mask but due to the shape of mask and kind of vacuum this creates you cannot get the air in this way. Well at least that is my take on it.
 
Since the masks are slightly different, and me breathing in and out with my nose, it might be a combination of more CO2 and therefor less O2. I just feel an unpleasant difference and the need to inhale deeper. My bag did inflate when I exhaled a little harder than normal, did it to test the construction. With the standard mask I can feel a continuous flow of O2 to my nose, except for a second when I exhale.
 
Timótheos said:
All in all I found that descending in an airplane (which takes 30-40 mins) is far worse than the the HBOT chamber because the duration is so much longer, even though both pressure change experiences felt similar to me.
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Having recently flown, I noticed that I experienced very little popping of my eardrums while ascending/descending. Seems like doing HBOT sessions has made it easier to handle that. Another added bonus to doing the sessions!
 
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