Wellness

[SeaMaiden]

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@dsw503 wrote:
No, I'm not on oxygen but there's a woman in my yoga class that is. Can't hear her machine at all even when sitting right next to her. She uses a tank that she wheels in to class and it has a longish tube. Neither being attached to the machine or the length of the tube stop her in any way from doing the yoga class! I should also say she's 90 years young!

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@dsw503  Wow! She sounds amazing....puts me to shame 😶

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@alicedee  I know she is going to do what she wants.  I do change the subject and when she goes back to her situation I listen.

Her youngest daughter calls me in a tizzy every other day.  She's 40.  I told her the more you nag her the more she will dig in. I said "have you met your Mother."

She laughed and said I know but she's so stubborn.  Yep, she is.  You aren't going to change her.

[NanaBanana]

My husband uses the Imogen and it is silent maybe you should ask about that for her, he uses it at rest and turns it up a little when he moving, it helps, she would probably like it better and like others have stated it is easy to carry around when you are out and about.

[Pancho]

@CrazyKittyLvr2 

I'm on oxygen 24/7.  I have a permanent concentrator for home use and an Inogen portable machine for going to work everyday and for anything outside of the home (visting family/friends, running errands, going to the grocery store, restaurants, etc.).  Yes, it's a pain in the you-know-what to keep up with the machines, tubing, nasal cannula, etc. but it is vitally important that your body and organs have proper oxygenation.  It has nothing to do with your ability to breathe.  Low oxygen saturation (hypoxemia) can cause damage to your cells, tissues and organs .  It will make you feel tired and have no energy and can cause headaches. She really needs to wear the oxygen!

She's probably acting this way because she's scared and embarrassed (I went through it as well) but after a couple of months she'll realize it is what it is and just go with the flow.  After a few nights wearing the nasal cannula she won't even notice it - I don't anymore.  She doesn't have to have the concentrator in her bedroom, she can put it in another room further away so she doesn't hear it when sleeping.

You might want to get her a pulse oximeter (the little reader you put on your finger tip) so she can check her oxygen saturation level at home.  They cost $12 - $15+ and it would be a good tool for her to use so she can see exactly what her level is at any time. Normal pulse ox readings are between 95 and 100.  Anything below 90 is not good, hence the reason for the oxygen supplementation.

I hope for your sisters health, she gets on board using the oxygen.

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

@Pancho  Her daughter got her a Pulse Ox.  It's a matter if she uses it.  

Between the bleeding, low blood oxygen and not eating it's no wonder she has no energy and her legs are weak and wobbly.  She has been on the couch or in the hospital for weeks.

[Peaches McPhee]

Years ago, my folks put my Dad's unit in a spare bedroom so it was not so noisy.  

The cord is very long, and yes, it is a big tripping hazzard.   In fact, this is why my mom broke both her hips (2 different falls).  I am surprised more people don't trip.  

We have not been able to find a local outfit that can provide a portable unit like is pictured above.

I am a big advocate for letting people make their own health decisions, even if it is a poor one. 

[CelticCrafter]

I think you are going to have to resign yourself to the fact that she's going to do what she wants or doesn't want to do.

If she's not going to listen to the doctors or her nurse daughter then there is nothing you can say that will change her mind.

[chlema]

@Kachina624 Before he passed my husband had to use the large concentrator.  It was noisy and made his bedroom very warm.  He used an oxygen tank when going outside or to the doctors - the long tube one, no noise there but it was cumbersome.  He looked into the small portable ones but they were quite expensive and Medicare did not cover that.

[Still Raining]

An adult of sound mind should be able to make medical decisions without interference.

If I had family members fussing, I would tell them to take a long walk off a short pier and MYOB.  It is not their place.

[RedTop]

My dad was on oxygen 24/7 for years before he passed.   The oxygen concentrator unit in his bedroom was loud, and he lost most of his hearing over the years because of that unit being near his bed.   Mom could not sleep in the same bed with him because of the sound.  

Eventually they moved the unit to the hallway; dad slept much easier, but it was a little too late for his hearing.   The long hose allowed him to go anywhere in the house he needed to go, even out on the front porch.  Dad would sit on the side of his bed in the morning, gather his hose in a safe way, before he ever took his first step.   When he went to the couch for the day, the hose was secured under a throw rug, and I never remember it becoming a hazard to him or to mom.

As for adapting, you do it, or die.   It is very concerning for the 02 level in the blood to drop that low.   The constant strain on the heart results in a diagnosis of CHF, congestive heart failure, and eventually fluid builds up in the lungs because the heart just can’t keep up, and then time runs out.