Horse Sense &
Medical Oxygen
In August and September of 2022, I took a
6,000-mile, five-week road trip from North Carolina to the Northwest
and back. I spent two
weeks with family and the rest of the time camping, and visiting
national and state parks, museums, and other places of interest.
A great road trip like this would have been impossible for me
without Liquid Oxygen(LO).
Four years earlier, I drove from Burns, Oregon, to a wedding in
Parkfield, California, a round trip of 1,600 miles.
I was in a motel every night, so I could refill my oxygen
tanks with a Respironics UltraFill System.
I needed to wake up and change out the tanks several times
during the night. My
blood oxygen level was often in the eighties, and I was tired most
of the time.
It seems backward that I struggled on the 2018
trip, and the 2022 trip was great.
COPD does not improve with time!
But the answer is simple.
It is all about getting the oxygen needed to stay active and
healthy.
I had an Eclipse 5 and a liquid oxygen system in 2022 to supplement
the Respironics UltraFill.
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Regular physical activity
reduces hospital admission and mortality in chronic
obstructive pulmonary
disease: a population based cohort study
Study Conclusions:
… regular physical activity should be considered in
future COPD guidelines, since it is likely to
result in a relevant public health benefit.
From
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2117100/
---------------------------------
I have used supplemental oxygen for the last
eight years, with few Doctor appointments, and no hospitalizations.
Over the last year, I have been able to use 3 LPM at rest, 3
to 5 LPM when active in the house, and
6 to 10 LPM when physically active.
My blood oxygen level is up, my blood pressure and heart rate
are down, and the swelling in my lower legs is gone.
For the last six months of 2022, I have had a consistent
supply of liquid oxygen and lost 40+ lbs.
I play pickleball, am physically active, or walk almost every
day. Getting the needed
oxygen is necessary to be active!
---------------------------------
Pulmonary rehabilitation can help you gain
strength, reduce symptoms of anxiety or depression, and make it
easier to manage routine activities, work, and outings or social
activities that you enjoy.
From
Pulmonary Rehabilitation - Pulmonary Rehabilitation | NHLBI, NIH
---------------------------------
Long-term studies (4 to 5 years) are needed to
see if 5+ LPM of oxygen will enhance Pulmonary rehabilitation and
motivate individuals to stay active as it has me.
Pocs won’t deliver the equivalent of 5+ LPM.
Tanks are too bulky. Liquid
oxygen is needed.
---------------------------------
An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical
Practice Guideline, “A conditional recommendation for ambulatory
liquid-oxygen use in patients who are mobile outside the home and
require >3 L/min of continuous-flow oxygen during exertion.”
From
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33185464/
---------------------------------
Medical liquid oxygen in the United States has
basically been eliminated by Medicare and Congress to save money.
Making liquid oxygen available will promote relevant public
health benefits!
If I had been given up to 6 + LPM of liquid
oxygen when I began supplemental oxygen eight years ago, I believe I
would still be working and receiving a paycheck, not Social Security
Disability Income.
Changes are
Needed!!!
For the needed oxygen to be available changes
are needed:
·
Get rid of the 5-year Medicare
contract for DME oxygen delivery systems.
·
The FDA needs to regulate poc
settings to be equivalent to LPMs.
·
Ambulatory Liquid oxygen is needed
for those needing over 3 LPM of oxygen for physical activity.
·
Research on the benefits of blood
oxygen levels under 88% and over 92% are needed.
·
Education on blood oxygen levels and
using oximeters is needed.
---------------------------------
By sharing my experiences and thoughts
I hope to somehow- somewhere make a difference in the lives of
people with COPD and other respiratory problems.
______________
These are my thoughts and experiences,
not medical advice.