In March 2015 I came to the Oxygen Therapy Centre for my 1st treatment. I had suffered with Fibromyalgia for 13 years. By the time I came to the Oxygen Therapy Centre, my life had become very restricted. The pain levels were so high and the exhaustion so great that I had to force myself to do even small tasks. Having a shower would leave me feeling like I had climbed a mountain. Going to visit friends or family, (which I love to do) was an effort which took so much out of me, it took me days to recover.
Before Oxygen Therapy the G.P had given me muscle relaxing drugs, which didn’t lower pain levels and left me unable to get out of bed in the morning. Every time I went to see them I was told top up the dose, which I couldn’t do because they made me even more tired. I tried changing my diet and taking supplements but nothing seemed to help.
At first the Oxygen Therapy seemed to make me even more tired, but the testimonies of others in the tank with me, encouraged me to keep going. After 8 to 10 treatments I started to notice the pain levels had dropped. After a few more sessions the periods of prolonged exhaustion stopped. I felt, I had been given my life back.
I now can work for short periods in my garden, impossible before. If I do a lot I still pay for it with raised pain levels, but my recovery time is much shorter. Next morning I will be back to low pain levels, before it took me days of inactivity to be able to do anything again. I can iron again! I always hated ironing, now I am so thankful I can do it!
My husband is delighted, I can go places with him again, we too have been given back a life together. Before Oxygen Therapy I was finding it difficult to even breath in deeply, now I have no problems breathing. I wake in the morning’s early feeling alive. I have been able to come off all drugs. Most days the levels of pain are low enough for me not to have to take pain killers. This has its own benefits for my digestion etc. I have more energy and sleep well.
After Christmas I had bad flu which stopped me having my weekly to up of oxygen for 5 weeks. Pain levels rose again and I had two incidents of complete exhaustion where I was barely able to function. This proved to me the value of maintaining the therapy.
Also it is a pleasure to visit the centre. The staff and volunteers are so welcoming and friendly. The other service users are so positive and encouraging. It is more than somewhere to go for treatment, it is a pleasant social outing. I can not recommend The Oxygen Therapy Centre enough.