40 Dives Done
In support of
Torvin's Life Changing Therapy
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Torvin's Life Changing Therapy
This week has been about reconciling expectation with reality — holding disappointment alongside hope.
Kelby and I knew intellectually there was no silver bullet. But of course, part of us imagined this being the treatment — that Torvin would walk out of the office and talk all the way home from New Orleans.
When that isn’t happening, I find myself doubting and questioning the whole thing. I dragged my family across the country and put our businesses and lives on hold… for what?
But walking and talking was never the goal.
The goal has always been to give Torvin the best life possible by optimizing function and minimizing pain. With hyperbaric, the question was simple: would he respond? Could this give him an edge in movement, balance, coordination, and cognition? Would it make him a good candidate for a home tank?
This was a test.
Forty dives is often just the beginning. Many protocols involve repeated cycles, and Dr. Harch has been slowly — very slowly — adding oxygen. This was simply a test to see how he would handle the pressure and oxygen under Dr. Harch’s watchful eye.
The exit interview was anticlimactic. After 40 dives and $15,000, I think part of me hoped for something ceremonial — a dinner-dessert kind of farewell. Instead, it felt like just another Friday afternoon.
So this week, we pack up and head home — as soon as we get our truck fixed. Because directly after our last appointment, the truck broke down. Again. Kelby had to push it across traffic. We are in a holding pattern on that.
In the meantime we are continuing to document Torvin's changes. Last week Torvin grabbed a fuzzy blanket from the living room and dragged it to his bed — initiative, planning, follow-through. The next morning, he helped me make the bed, pulling the sheet corners around the mattress — a challenge I’ve never seen him attempt.
So what’s next?
So what’s next?
We are submitting a claim to insurance. If reimbursed, it would cover the cost of a home tank. Dr. Harch is concerned that the Medicaid representative I spoke with may be misunderstanding the situation. Coverage is rare — especially for a child — but there is precedent, and that gives us something to stand on.
We will submit the claim, and if we are denied, we will appeal.
Because this is a treatment that most assuredly works. We have seen it help, and we believe we can compound those gains by continuing therapy at home. Our next step is clear: securing a tank for Torvin to use at home.
We set out to answer one question: will Torvin respond to hyperbaric?
And now we know.
He does.
Dara Barnhill
about 1 month ago
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