Healing from the Inside Out
Rick Rost, 75, of Villard has spent the last two years navigating one of the most challenging health journeys imaginable—prostate cancer, back surgery, Parkinson’s disease, a pacemaker, and most recently a broken shoulder from a fall. Through it all, he and his wife Bobbie have faced every obstacle with remarkable resilience and faith.
One of the most critical pieces of Rick’s recovery happened right here at Alomere Health’s Wound Care Center. After his prostate cancer radiation treatments, Rick developed intestinal bleeding—a serious radiation side effect that required multiple blood transfusions and repeated cauterization procedures. When those treatments weren’t enough, his oncologist referred him to Alomere and Dr. Trista Nelson.
Dr. Nelson prescribed hyperbaric oxygen therapy: a treatment that places patients inside a pressurized chamber filled with 100% pure oxygen, enabling the body to heal damaged tissue from the inside and out. It’s a specialized therapy that, until recently, patients in Central Minnesota had to travel to the Twin Cities to access. Now, it’s available right here.
Rick completed 40 hyperbaric treatments (called dives) five days a week, at Alomere’s Wound Care Center. Each session lasted about an hour and a half. Rick and Bobbie were thankful they had this specialized care close to home to make the daily visits more manageable. And the process, Rick says, was far less intimidating than it sounds. “Once you got into the routine of it, it wasn’t all that bad,” Rick said. “It’s confining, but completely painless. I highly recommend it.”
Rick’s care team—Dr. Nelson, Angie Bradford, CNP, and nurse Theresa—made the long treatment process something he genuinely looked forward to.
When Dr. Nelson couldn’t be there for Rick’s final day of treatment, she called him personally to congratulate him.
“After 40 treatments, the results speak for themselves,” beams Dr. Nelson. “Rick’s cancer is now non-detectable and the intestinal bleeding has stopped.”
Rick and Bobbie feel great that they can put one more of the health issues behind them.
If you or someone you love is managing a wound care need, radiation side effects, or a condition that hasn’t responded to standard treatment, Alomere Health’s Wound Care Center is here—close to home, with the expertise you need. Click to learn more about all of their services.
