Oxygen Therapy And Your Life Style

This article is an attempt to share some of our experiences, specially those relating to the emotional and psychological effects of living with supplemental oxygen.

 My interest, and now dedication, to everything related to oxygen therapy and equally important, to portable oxygen machines, began back in 2003 - not because I wanted to, but as my father was prescribed with long term oxygen therapy and this meant learning about oxygen supplements and the effects of this new reality on his life, every day and every night. Things were tough, specially as we had little knowledge and oxygen delivery systems had still to develop into what we see and use today.

This article is an attempt to share some of our experiences, specially those relating to the emotional and psychological effects.

I imagine people who are prescribed with extra oxygen are in the most part, fairly ignorant of the whole therapy, including machines, accessories, as well as having no idea the type of changes this will bring.

The important thing is that you can recover an almost normal and active life. Obviously this will depend on many factors, not least the severity of your illness - but the point I want to highlight, based on our experience, is that you can and should learn to live with a continuous oxygen supply, and you can and should continue to live your life actively.

This was perhaps the toughest lesson as in those days, it was a real problem using portable oxygen machines, let alone traveling. Today there are a number of alternatives, the most life changing being the oxygen concentrators as they provide a much longer oxygen supply.

Socially, professional and in all things to do with family, he is active; maybe not as a youngster, but pretty good for his age.

He works a full day at his office, including extended meetings and visiting clients.

Travel - now that was a problem as both his job and vacations implied traveling. And it was a nightmare and a frustrating one at that. But now as the FAA has authorized certain brands of POC´s (portable oxygen concentrators) on all flights over the US, things are incredibly easier. Maybe for someone who is starting on oxygen therapy it does not sound at all good, but if you had to go through, or just simply had to cancel a trip back a few years, you would be thankful for the difference.

The message is simply acknowledging that depending on supplemental oxygen is not something on anyone´s to do list, but it should not limit your life, or to be more precise, your active life.

Now there are a lot of things that can still be bettered - medically, insurance wise, and so on. But we are on an upward spiral where there is greater recognition and groups that are working hard on this, and getting results.

In The Beginning - Supplemental Oxygen

It is a shock to realize your situation, and knowing that it can stabilize, but not get better. you are confronted with a limitation.

As you begin to pick up the pieces, little by little reality sinks in. And this really only happens as each day arrives and you see the oxygen machine, you feel the tubing and hear the hiss of air. If you have family that is there for you, or perhaps friends or someone to help, things are easier - but do be patient with them and yourself. Seen that, been there.

You will feel frustrated, maybe angry at life or depressed. What we have learned is that in the final count it is up to you to get over it. Perhaps that is not what you want to hear, but there is no way round it. A little pride help, as well as choosing to make the best out of a tough situation.

Soon enough it all fits into a routine, and though it will always be at the back of your mind, without really noticing you will find that other more important things are happening. Life.

An example of how this get easier and become routine is making those machines do their job. Initially you will be very careful and conscious of how to set it up, the flow, the delivery, checking continuously that it is working and if you have a pulse oximeter (and you should) you will monitor your oxygen saturation repetitively. Soon however, this becomes second nature - so much so that you run the risk of taking it too lightly.

One example of this was after about a year, my father was at a lunch, obviously enjoying himself. Between feeding himself (you can´t breathe as you swallow - and he can´t as he chews either) and running most of the conversation (he was in very high spirits, although he insists it wasn´t the wine) he suddenly fainted and gently slipped out of the chair. He gave us all a fright, but a quick check with the oximeter showed his oxygen saturation as very low. He had forgotten he needed to breathe a little more than what he did. Anyway that was sorted out quickly, but it only goes to show.

Day To Day With Supplemental Oxygen

It is now 8 years that he has been on full time oxygen therapy. He takes after himself, monitors his oxygen saturation, occasionally he has problems (colds and flu are problems). He now uses an oxygen mask for sleeping, instead of the nose cannulas, as he unconsciously opens his mouth when sleeping and therefore the oxygen wasn't being absorbed. He has periodical check ups and yes, he depends on a machine to receive the amount of oxygen he needs.

It is not what he, or any oxygen therapy patient, would have chosen, but he has recovered his quality of life, is still productive and enjoying his life - and as important family members are as well.