HBOT for Hemorrhagic Cystitis, Bleeding Bladders
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a proven, natural treatment to heal radiation damage to the bladder, pelvis, intestines and lower abdomen in 96% of patients.
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a proven, natural treatment to heal radiation damage to the bladder, pelvis, intestines and lower abdomen in 96% of patients.
Are you a Physician? View Provider version of this page
How Hyperbarics Helps
Reduces pain and swelling
Builds new blood vessels and blood supply to tissues and bones
Builds new collagen, skin and tissues
Heals infections and supercharges antibiotics
Multiplies and mobilizes stem cells
It is safe, comfortable, easy and pain free
Regrows healthy bone and gums by stimulating new bone, and tissue cells to grow
Softens fibrous connective tissue, which tightens and inhibits functionality and sometimes range of motion
And radiation Induced Injuries to the Pelvis, Vagina, Intestines and Rectum
Radiation treatment can destroy cancer and save a patient’s life, but it also can induce secondary injuries such as burning, infections, and in rare cases severely damage the lymphatic system or even lead to paralysis. This kind of damage is known as Hemorrhagic Cystitis or bleeding bladder, and includes conditions like pelvic wounds, vaginal fissures, rectal fissures, urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence, and bleeding. Traditional medical solutions to treat this condition, such as blood transfusions or surgery, are often painful; worst of all, experts still do not have a reliable method of predicting who and when a patient will expire these symptoms, with some patients experiencing severe symptoms decades after their radiation therapy was administered.
The good news is that hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a proven (study link Riberio de Oliveira et al 2015, Shilo et al 2013 and Cardinal et al 2018), natural treatment for radiation damage. At BAH we see many people with collateral radiation damage, sometimes 20 years after their radiation treatments, and have used hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat the side effects. Oxygen therapy halts the degradation and prevents worsening of the symptoms and damage such as bone loss, infections, wounds, bleeding and pain. It also heals by stimulating bone cells to reproduce rapidly, grows new tiny blood vessels which feed healthy new cells, and causes new stem cells to grow and migrate to damaged areas. Along with growing the new tiny blood vessels and lymph system it also regenerates nerve cells including those in the brain.
We encourage people with radiation damage to seek out HBOT quickly because the greater the radiation damage the harder it is to treat - sometimes the damage can be so great that it’s even impossible to treat. With that said, we are very proud to mention that Fiona St. John, the mother of the owner of Bay Area Hyperbarics (BAH), Lisa St. John, was treated successfully for radiation damage with hyperbaric oxygen decades after her radiation exposure, and you can read more of her story below (link)
Can HBOT Stimulate Cancer? Some people worry that if HBOT stimulates cell reproduction could it also do that with cancer cells too? It is a thoughtful concern so there have been many researchers and published studies by oncologists and others that show HBOT does not affect cancer cells or tumors. That means that HBOT will not stimulate cancer recurrence or growth. They wrote “the conclusion in both reviews was that HBO did not promote cancer growth, and that the use of HBO in patients with malignancies was considered safe.” Target Oncol. 2012 Dec; 7(4): 233–242.
There are some studies that show when treating head and neck radiation injuries with HBOT there can be a reduction in cancer recurrence. The hypothesis is that HBOT repairs the damaged mitochondria in some precancerous and damaged cells. This has not been studied enough for us to know if this is true.
Pre and Post Surgical Use of HBOT for Radiation Injuries HBOT is also used to strengthen the tissues and bones prior to surgery to insure that healing occurs successfully and without complications. With radiation damaged in areas such as the head and neck, 20 treatments of hyperbaric oxygen are often prescribed before surgery to regrow tissues, bones and stabilize the jaw. Then after surgery, they are prescribed 10 treatments to complete the healing and prevent complications.
At Bay Area Hyperbarics, we have treated patients for over 25 years. HBOT has helped our patients return to normal lives. They tell us it also seems to heal their fatigue from “chemo brain” and radiation so they get their energy back.
Studies on healing hemorrahgic cystitis with HBOT show a 76%- 96% partial or complete resolution of the radiation therapy side effects. (Riberio de Oliveira et al 2015, Shilo et al 2013 and Cardinal et al 2018)
Patient Experiences
Listen to what real patients have to say about their experiences.
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Yanna, 66
Healed from a prior to radiation damage of her vulva.
Yanna is an prior to radiation damage of her vulva was an avid horsewoman. Short with bouncing short hair at the end of her treatments she told us that she now could ride her horse everyday and then laughed and said her husband was happy too because their sexual relations had resumed. She had had two different surgeons try to close the hole that had appeared beside her nipple. The skin was fragile and would not regrow. She had 40 hyperbaric treatments, which regrew the skin and layers of breast tissue underneath
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John, 73
Healed from bleeding bladder which even two transfusions couldn’t heal.
John, who is a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy, came in after having multiple other treatments, some very painful, to stop his bladder from bleeding. Unfortunately, none of the previous treatments helped. Most patients who come to us to try hyperbaric oxygen therapy for a damaged bladder have already tried other conservative measures, which sadly have resulted in failure. In John’s case, he even had two transfusions. He also passed painful clots from time to time that resulted in his having to make several trips to the ER. He got up frequently at night to urinate and limited his social life as a result. Hyperbarics healed John’s bladder, and the bleeding stopped. He left feeling much more enthusiastic about life.
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Fiona, 62
Healed from radiation damage and subsequent infection in her bones and tissues of her soft palate. Cured bone infection, regrew her bones and gums and regained energy
Fiona, a lively and proud mother of five grown children and an avid gardener, had received radiation many years prior that damaged her bone. Her damage It caused a severe infection in the bones in the roof of her mouth. She was concerned about her low energy level. HBOT, with antibiotics, cured the bone infection in her mouth, healed and regrew her bones and gums. She said she also got back some of her energy to garden. It is also wonderful that we were able to heal her too in our clinic as she is also the mother of our founder, Lisa St. John. If you are interested in finding out more about yours specific diagnosis, give us a call. We can also discuss with you what your insurance covers and discuss your financial options. By the time we saw her, the skin had worn away, leaving a weeping patch of underlying tissue. The area was the size of her hand. She kept covered it with gauze and tape. It didn’t hurt but the dripping was annoying and it could get infected which was dangerous not only for her but her patients as well. Also, the patch was continuing to grow bigger as the skin cells continued to die. This was a side effect of the radiation. The skin grew back with 40 treatments. Mary was happily able continue her nursing career.
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John, 64
Recovered from occasional painful clots due to bladder cancer.
John is a quiet guy with a nice smile who had bladder cancer and radiation therapy 12 years prior to coming in to see us. He had blood in his urine, passed occasional painful clots and had urinary frequency which kept him getting up often at night. After HBOT, the bleeding and passing clots stopped and his frequency resolved.
Patients: Start with Hyperbarics
It's easy to start with Hyperbarics. Just follow these simple steps
1
Give Us A Call
Did a physician refer you? If so, they can download and fax us back a patient referral form. If not, our medical staff will discuss whether hyperbaric suits you.
2
We Talk With Your Insurance
Our medical staff contacts Medicare or private insurance to receive authorization and create a plan with you.
3
You Get On the Road to Recovery
We do a medical intake, explain everything you need to know, and get started on your hyperbaric oxygen anti-aging therapy sessions.
Related Articles
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Still looking for answers?
We're here to help. Contact us today to learn more about how hyperbaric oxygen therapy can help you.
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What is Hyperbaric Medicine?
Hyperbaric medicine, also called hyperbaric oxygen therapy or HBOT, is a medical treatment where a patient sits or lies in pressurized chamber and breathes 100% oxygen. In HBOT, oxygen dissolves into the blood, thus raising the oxygen concentration to very high levels.This increased oxygen is a primary building block for tissues, muscle, and bone repair. Among other benefits, it kicks off cell reproduction, heals injuries and infection more rapidly, and decreases inflammation.
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Does HBOT kill cancer cells?
Current research indicates that hyperbaric oxygen does not kill cancer cells. However, there has been a small amount of research indicating that hyperbaric oxygen might reduce the size of certain tumors. Also, there has been a study on mice using hyperbaric oxygen, along with a ketogenic diet, to reduce tumors. Hyperbaric oxygen causes many different healing modalities to kick into gear. Could its effect on strengthening the immune system inhibit the growth of cancer cells? Nobody knows. There are numerous studies conclusively showing that hyperbaric oxygen does not encourage cancer cells or tumors to grow. Some patients claim the hyperbaric oxygen makes them feel a lot more comfortable and functional after chemotherapy and also during healing. Note that some chemotherapy drugs are not to be used with hyperbaric oxygen, as the chemotherapy drugs can be enhanced and thus become toxic. A good hyperbaric oxygen facility (such as Bay Area Hyperbarics) will always call the chemotherapy manufacturer to ensure that hyperbaric oxygen therapy will be helpful and not damaging to the patient.
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What is the CPT code for HBOT?
The CPT code for HBOT is G0277.
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Does Medicare cover HBOT?
Medicare covers Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for approved conditions, and many insurance companies also cover approved conditions. If your condition is not approved by your insurance, we can discuss our special rates. Give us a call at (408) 356–7438. We are happy to discuss your options with you.
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Can HBOT help Neuropathy?
Hyperbaric treatments help heal neuropathy by regrowing small blood vessels and nerves that have died from disease, injuries from radiation and aging. Patients often experience numbness and or pain when they start treatment. Hyperbaric treatments most often bring back sensation and make, for example, walking easier and more enjoyable.
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Why would a physician consider HBOT?
A physician would consider using hyperbaric chamber therapy under a variety of situations. Physicians most typically refer patients to hyperbarics when the patient is not healing with traditional medical interventions and hyperbaric chamber therapy is approved by Medicare for this condition. Some patients experience significant unresolved pain and unremitting disease states that the mechanisms of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a hyperbaric chamber are known to affect, such as the down regulation of inflamatory genes. For an example, some patients have experienced severe, unremitting hives with itching, which did not improve with any specialists interventions. Some physicians will consider hyperbaric chamber therapy if the patient has no other good avenues for improving their failing health, and they know the hyperbaric chamber therapy is safe and will not harm the patient.
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What is Hypebaric Oxygen Therapy?
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HB0T) is a medical treatment where you inhale 100% oxygen in a chamber with increased atmospheric pressure. HBOT injects 400x the oxygen into your tissues and bones and mobilizes stem cells. It regrows healthy tissues in the brain, blood vessels, skin and bones. It also reduces pain and swelling, and speeds recovery. It is simple, effective and painless.