Bradley Thomas was an athletic man who loved the outdoors, but that all changed when the infantry soldier's tank was struck by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Doctors say the explosion left the 23-year-old semi-comatose, so the Texas man was brought to Tampa's James A. Haley V.A. Hospital for treatment.
Day after day, he is transported to University Community Hospital in Carrollwood where he undergoes hyperbaric chamber treatment. "He's going each day into a pressurized oxygen chamber," said Dr. Ajay Patel. "That pressurized oxygen chamber puts him down to about one-and-a-half atmospheres, and in doing so it increases the amount of oxygen he receives and increases the amount of oxygen that healing tissue needs, such as the brain itself."
There are risks associated with the treatment, Patel noted. The eardrum could be injured, and patients can develop seizures because of the pressure, he said. But he added that Bradley has not had any complications. "The goal for him is try to get him as much function back as possible," said Patel.
Since the start of his treatment, Bradley has shown dramatic improvement, doctors say. He went from being semi-conscious to responding by blinking his eyes.
Bradley's mother, Veronica Thomas, said "it's just another day closer to recovery," adding that even small signs of progress give her hope.
Thomas said her son is responding to verbal commands, "He's smiling, squeezing a hand," she said. "We're seeing more spontaneous [reactions]. He just seems like he's more with us."
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