Marty Hipp isn’t one who gives up easily.
The 54-year-old survived breast cancer thanks to early diagnosis through a mammogram followed by a mastectomy. Determined to move forward, she had a breast reconstruction.
But as common as breast reconstructions are after cancer treatments, the skin used to cover the implant struggled to heal from the reconstructive procedure.
“After almost a year, I was so discouraged,” Hipp says. “I thought it would never heal. But my medical team was great. They didn’t give up.”
And neither did Hipp. Referred to Dr. George Wilkinson at Tidelands Health, Hipp learned about hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT, a treatment that can help heal some types of wounds caused by a lack of oxygen to the tissue.
“Dr. Wilkinson talked me through every step of the treatment,” she said. “He answered my questions and reassured me.”
In January 2024, Hipp began 11 weeks of hyperbaric oxygen therapy at Tidelands Wound Care and Infusion Center.
During each two-hour treatment, patients lie on a bed inside a large, clear, acrylic shell and breathe pure oxygen.
Normal room air contains 21 percent oxygen. The air inside the hyperbaric chamber is under two to three times higher-than-normal air pressure.
“HBOT is very effective in treating difficult-to-heal wounds associated with a lack of oxygen to the tissues,” says Dr. Wilkinson, an emergency department physician with special training in hyperbaric oxygen therapy. “High pressure, 100 percent oxygen environment inside the hyperbaric chamber helps blood carry oxygen to damaged tissues and helps these areas heal.”
In a hyperbaric oxygen setting, oxygen can travel much farther away from the capillaries than normal, allowing tissues suffering from oxygen deprivation to recover and heal.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can also help the body grow new blood vessels into areas that have been damaged by radiation and renew areas that have been chronically deprived of the oxygen and energy that these tissues need for healing.
The therapy can be used to treat diabetic ulcers, radiation therapy skin damage, persistent skin infections, pressure ulcers and other wounds that resist healing for more than 30 days.
Hipp had treatments five days a week.
“After two or three weeks of HBOT, I started to see the healing, and I knew it was working,” Hipp says. “The team was so fantastic and so positive.”
Patients are closely monitored during the treatments.
Hipp formed a special bond with her care team members during the lengthy treatment sessions, especially Kristina Gardner, a hyperbaric oxygen technician at Tidelands Health. Gardner stayed by Hipp in the treatment room to monitor progress, provide breaks in treatment and help her stay comfortable.
“We have medicines to help people with anxiety in tight spaces, and the team is trained in non-medical interventions as well, to help keep patients calm and comfortable,” Dr. Wilkinson says.
Hipp remembers feeling exhausted after her treatments but was motivated by the healing she started experiencing.
“Kristina told me that, with the 100 percent oxygen environment, it was like the inside of my body was running a marathon the whole time,” Hipp says.
More than a year after receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments, Hipp eagerly shares her successful experience to help others find hope and healing.
“Never lose hope. We are stronger than we think we are, so keep your faith and fight every day,” Hipp says. “I tell my story because if I can inspire one person, I need to do it. I’m stronger for it.”
