Though I was not treated personally at Dr. Harch’s clinic, I owe him a debt of gratitude for his many years of dedicated work in treating traumatic brain injuries (TBI) with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). I developed hydrocephalus [a buildup of fluid inside the skull that leads to brain swelling] and gran mal seizures which lead to an emergency Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunting brain surgery while playing Defensive Tackle DT for the SF 49ers during the 1981 Super Bowl season. Four months after our Super Bowl XVI victory my shunt failed and I survived 2 emergency brain surgeries 10 hours apart and was given last rites. Four years later in 1986, I returned to school to complete my Biology degree. During a 10-month period in 87, I survived 4 additional brain surgeries and several gran mal seizures while enrolled in Chemistry and Physics courses. Due to the surgeries and seizures I developed severe short-term memory deficits and dyslexia, which added additional challenges to completing my degree.
I have now survived 9 emergency VP shunt brain surgeries and currently taking my 6th different anti-seizure medicine since 1982. Three years ago due to my major short-term memory issues and diagnosis of early onset frontal lobe dementia, I was taking 4 dementia medicines at once, Arricept, Namenda, Lexapro and Resperidol, in addition to Lamictil for my seizures. At that time I began hyperbaric oxygen treatments with Omega 3 fish oil supplements. I quit all my dementia medicines over a year ago, recently completed my 206th HBOT treatment, and my micro cognitive memory test scores have improved 14.7%.
I will be forever grateful to Dr. Harch’s unrelenting work in HBOT for the recovery of TBI which helped me regain some of my lost life. Without his work I could easily have ended up where my 49er roommate did (see Terry Tuatolo below).
George Visger
SF 49ers 80 & 81
KRON4 News in San Francisco …http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZpnI6W2 Sg – 114k – Cached – April 18, 2012 … George Visger, author of the ebook “OUT OF MY HEAD: My Life In and Out of Football” (January 2012), was featured in this report on KRON4 …
Channel 13 CBS Sacramento May 2, 2012
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/05/02/oxygen-therapy-helping-former-nfl-linemans-brain-damage/
