The Big Green Miracle (We Hope)

This is Zack's new O2/CO2 tank. He is to do 12 inhalations per day working up to 40 seconds each. Why, you ask?



Evidently, the area of his brain that is injured also effects his breathing. You wil notice that many brain injured children are "mouth breathers" and their mouths are always slightly open if not really open in the most severe cases.



Interestingly, it was revealed that Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer, was severely learning disabled as a child and that is why his mother put him in swimming. LD is a type of brain imjury. Have you ever noticed when you see him how his mouth is always slightly open?



Anyway, Zack's biggest problem in life is that he cannot communicate easily by talking. He just doesn't have enough air. That is because when a child is confronted with the choice of either to breathe or talk, he will choose to breathe and live - DUH! Now at the last visit to the Institutes, we discovered that Zack is trying to talk his fool head off but we just can't hear him. His voice is so soft and his pronunciation so poor, we just can't make out what he is saying. Therefore, we are teaching his brain how to breathe more deeply.




Evidently, CO2 and not O2 is what controls your breathing. When there is more CO2 in your blood gases, a signal goes to the brain to breath more deeply thereby increasing the oxygen and decreasing the level of CO2. By having Zack breathe a mixture of 80% O2 and 20% CO2, it triggers this breathing reflex to breath more deeply. This teaches his brain how it feels to breathe deeply. By doing this multiple times per day, we are in effect re-wiring his brain. Over time, this should help him to always breath more deeply and hopefully improve the quality of his speech.




We pray that it will. This little green miracle cost a pretty penny - $800 to start and then $84 for each tank refill - and as usual, insurance doesn't cover anything. Thank you Southern Health. I love giving you over $300 out of every paycheck and then you don't want to pay for anything.


My brother and his wife have gotten this same tank for their son who is also brain injured. They swear it works miracles and by golly their son talks! Of course they got their tank a few years ago and it only cost them about $300. Funny thing about medical supply companies: as soon as they figure out that desperate parents will give their right arm to make their kids better, they jack up the prices on everthing. Nice right - special place in "&*@!" for these folks, I always say.