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Post by jarca on Apr 29, 2018 21:57:58 GMT -5
Tomorrow I have to go out in the field & 'instruct' my SIL how to set up the irrigation lines. So today I bit the bullet & decided that I'm going to figure out how to work this new oxymizer cannula!! pic of it for those who don't know what i'm talking about. (gail, LPM is that number you set to blow out your 02---each number is how many 'liters' of air that is being released 'per minute' ta -da--- = if you look at the thing you set your 02 you will see it only goes to 6---i need more than 6 SO: I found this chart online on how to set the regulator & how much the cannula actually gives me; Then I got on my computer & cut out all the info that were no use to me & I made a chart of the oxymizer cannula settings that would be pertinent to me & then made fit on a business card I can carry in my pocket when I go out for 'easy' reference while I learn what settings I need to use. I printed up a set of business cards that I have blanks of so I have extras to grab quick when I need . I set up the cannula with my fanny pack & C tank (since i don't have any way to carry a bigger D tank yet) & off I went to test out just how its going to work for me. I found that when sitting on my ATV I could set it to just give me 4LPM (2 LPM continuous flow 'CF) but if I'm walking or doing things I can turn it up to what ever flow keeps my 02 at least 92%-94%. If I walk slow & don't bend over a lot I need 7.5LPM (5LPM CF), but if i get working i seem to need 8.5LPM (6LPM CF) ----- I think i could get by with 7&8LPM, but the CF regulator doesn't have .5 increments so i have to go up to the next whole number. It's going to take some getting used to & some trial & error for me to get the hang of what setting I will need to do what job. It may take awhile (it took me years to get proficient with pulse regulator as my 02 needs change so much) but i'm stubborn so I shall get the hang of it!!! (Now I'm trying to figure out how, when wearing a backpack, a person can 'change' number easily. with my fanny pack it's at my waist with the regulator sticking out so i just reach down & turn setting to whatever I need/want.....not sure how people reach behind their heads to adjust setting when wearing a backpack-----any back pack wearers have any suggestions???) when using continuous flow, i do want to be able to adjust to the lowest possible setting I need as a tank empties FAST on continuous flow!!!!! (i thought the oxymizer cannula would be like pulse regulator & only give me 02 when i inhaled but this runs all the time!) tomorrow will be the 'real test' as I have to go out in the field with it at 2pm----I think i'll call my 02 people & tell them I need something to carry this D tank in!!! I used to love Lincare, but I sure wish I had an 02 company here that had liquid 02 options as i hear that's much better with higher 02 needs....but Lincare should at least have something to carry a D tank in until they 'find me' a back pack. did i ever mention i'm not very good at change (even though i've been in a program for years that teaches me to change) the end (for this session of "saga of jarca & the oxymizer cannula" )
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Post by skate4life on Apr 30, 2018 8:04:08 GMT -5
Could you leave a D tank (compressed 100% oxygen with normal regulator) sitting on the ATV, use 25 or even 50 ft tubing to the flow meter you bought to hang from your neck and then attach the Oxymizer to the port where you would put your usual cannula? That way you could have easy access to changing your flow into the Oxymizer. Remember the numbers/savings given are based on sitting still and normal breathing. Just a thought......good luck.
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Post by gnott on Apr 30, 2018 10:13:28 GMT -5
With this COPD more advanced now, I was running into the same situation - different oxygen needs for different activities. Most of my solutions (including using Grandkids as runners to reset Oxygen levels) just didn't work that well; using either too much Oxygen or being supplied too little with annoying results.
I solved my problem with using different delivery systems. I have a Concentrator, with a long hose, that I can use to move to different locations in the house. If I need to be more active I have several E-tanks strategically placed. If I need to be even more mobile I have a M-7 carrying pack. My provider allows me to have both M-7 and E-tanks, two E-tank carriers, plus several Conservers and regulators. Not everyone can get away with that.
Something else to consider if your provider will allow several Conservers - not all work exactly the same. Continuous and highest/low Plus is reasonability accurate, but everything in between can vary. Perhaps purely superstition, but I have found on "bad days" I like the Pulse 5, "good days" a Bonsai works well. After all ultimately it comes down to YOUR breathing rate and YOUR intake volume.
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Post by jarca on May 11, 2018 19:34:59 GMT -5
Lincare showed up unannounced & had found a fanny pack 'that looked bigger than most"----it fits my D-tank perfectly!!!!!====so now i can carry the D tank with oxymyzer cannula without having my shoulders & neck in severe pain that back pack would have caused. I'm very excited. it's turned COLD though & rain/ snow predicted so think i will stay indoors & off my knee that i did something to (again) I'm really excited when pushing hard enough how people do seem to find things that will help me......now if i need more than the D tank will provide I will resort to strapping E-tanks & long lines on the ATV.
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Post by gnott on May 11, 2018 20:09:49 GMT -5
Huh Oh! There is another Oops!
It is absolutely impossible to mention ANYTHING without some Jerk coming back with a "Yeah, but ...".
** Putting O2 Tanks on a gasoline powered ATV? Oh My! ** ** Plastic tubing near hot exhaust pipes? OH MY! **
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Post by jarca on May 12, 2018 23:57:53 GMT -5
aw c'mon gnott, i've been wearing my 02 in my fanny pack on atv for years with 'extra tanks' in a milk crate bungie corded on the front rack (15 gallon sprayer takes up back rack) only time i though maybe i should be more careful was when we went out shooting, our family fun day. After I shot off many rounds holding different rifles up to my face i kinda wondered if maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to do with a cannula running 02 into my nose next to it.....maybe i need a 'do's & don'ts of wearing 02? anyone else cook over gas heat with cannula on? i remember asking those things years ago, but now methinks i've gotten rather 'slack' about what i should & shouldn't do as i have to wear the 02 24/7
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Post by gnott on May 13, 2018 8:25:02 GMT -5
Ha. Hope you know I was being a tad "tongue in cheek", but ... (there's that Jerk again. smile).
I have found myself doing questionable things - last time was couching down in front of the fireplace, stroking and blowing on a few dying embers to bring a fire back to life. Of course when it 'caught' there was a dramatic Swoosh and burst of flames, and I fell back. It was only then, sitting on my butt I realized the stupidity of the situation, and visualized the headline (or my Grandkids Facebook post) - crazy old man explodes while tending an open fire wearing an Oxygen tank.
That's the trouble with being on something 24 hours a day, you become so casual about it.
I got into an argument a while back with someone on another now defunct-forum about O2 Safety. His stand was that most of the "rules" and "cautions" we are told are utter nonsense. I found I could not necessarily disagree with him. He had good points - How many people have actually died using an electric shaver? Or clicking the setting on their electric blanket/hotpad? Or frying bacon? Or static electricity from PJs/Sheets? Or ... any of the two hundred and thirty-seven others ways to die with Oxygen? (I made up the number. Grin)
The problem was the word "utter" - implying complete or total, because while it is very true the odds are extremely low that anything is ever going to happen, IF it does happen ... the results are always spectacular, and newsworthy, and always fatal! (Although worse not necessarily immediately - you may linger a bit.)
Pound for pound, even if in tiny amounts, Oxygen is the most potent accelerant available. There is a reason they use it in rockets. A single small spark in your tubing or near your nose and your skin can burn - one breath of flame and it is goodbye.
The odds of an accident if one uses simple common sense is probably way below even winning the lottery. So to borrow the old line - "Do you feel lucky today?" Smile.
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Post by jarca on May 31, 2018 21:06:14 GMT -5
good points gnott i still wonder why i was told i couldn't use chap stick or anything 'petroleum based' near my face???
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Post by gnott on Jun 2, 2018 8:12:02 GMT -5
That’s because of a double-whammy. First One: As Oxygen is a great accelerant, petroleum is a great fuel. Ignition is easier at lower temperatures. Keep in mind what runs your ATV – air, fuel, and heat (spark). Smile.
Second, There is a rare disease, Lipid Pneumonia, an inflammation caused by inhaling fat-based substances (lipoids) over a long period of time. This is not good for any lungs, but especially bad if the lungs are already damaged by COPD, and like all diseases it seems the elderly are a higher risk. Worse the disease will often show few symptoms other than shortness of breath. While “easily” detected by a chest X-ray, CT scan, or Bronchoscopy, it can often be miss diagnosis if they are not looking for it. (To be clear – for an otherwise ‘healthy’ person – it sticks out like a red flag. For someone with emphysema it can be over-looked.) And it gets worse (Smile), there is no ready “fix” other than stop using the petroleum-based product.
The moral of the story – DON’T USE those products. Ayr Saline Nasal Gel is a useful substitute. The only issue with a Saline product is they are less effective around or below freezing. Not an issue for most of us, but certainly for anyone silly enough to live in Utah. (Grin) So use your petroleum products sparingly.
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