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Oxygen Chamber Treatment Changed My Life |
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Retired Cardiff toolmaker Peter Tucker thought his normal life was over
when radiation treatment for prostrate cancer left him with some
debilitating side effects.
His life changed almost overnight when in July 2006 he was referred by his consultant to the Hyperbaric Medical Centre operated by the medical charity the Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) in Plymouth where his treatment included a course of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in chambers which you might usually expect to be only associated with divers suffering from decompression sickness or the bends. However this treatment is very beneficial to many other difficult to heal conditions also.
The 72 year-old from St Fagans in Cardiff said:
"The results of my treatment have been unbelievable. It has made a massive difference to me and my everyday life. I now have more energy and I can get around so much better. I had to give up my allotment previously but now I'm back working at it. I'm not 100% better but probably 95% and ! need to watch my diet. I really don't know what I would have done without DDRC.
They are so professional. I was given a full medical on arrival and they went to great lengths to explain all the procedures very carefully to me from the outset.
I had about 40 therapies altogether and initially I had a few problems with my ears but they soon sorted that out when we found I had a slight infection. Everyone was so kind to me. They were first class and I want to shout their praises from the roof top."
Since Peter's referral to DDRC's Plymouth facility, the charity has opened the new South Wales Hyperbaric Medical Centre based at St. Joseph's Private Hospital in Newport and now deals with many of the patients from the Principality who would normally have had to travel to the Hyperbaric Medical Centre in Plymouth.
Centre Manager Henry Marks said:
"Around 20 per cent of all DDRC referrals emanate from South Wales so a chamber strategically located in Newport will greatly enhance the service that we provide as well as improving the patient experience."
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