Taking a Shower with Supplemental Oxygen

Good morning Kim,

I was just told by phone call that i will be needing to use oxygen at night because my reading dropped below 88 for nine minutes. I was diagnosed in April 2016. So, the info you provide here is some that i will be needing in the future. I really appreciate you posting this info. If you have any advice for a first time night oxygen user, i would love to have it. Take care and thank you....Roger Mills

I put my phone and medical emergency alert device in a ziplock bag and put it on the bench ledge that is at one end of my shower. If I did fall, I could get to them without having to fuss with opening the shower door. I can push the buttons through the bag and the devices are water protected. Thanks for the other ideas.

I have a five foot wide shower with grab bars. I use a chair in the shower that is made for that purpose. I use oxygen while I take my shower. I turn the O2 flow up while I am taking my shower and this works well for me. As time goes by I have modified my shower process as my body has changed. I keep my smart phone close by if a problem occurs. I feel safe and fortunate to have the setup in my home. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

We replaced our shower door with a curtain that allows air to move more freely. Also, don't close bathroom door if you able to maintain privacy.

Kim, thank you for the article. My IPF is progressing now and one of the last areas I don't use O2 is the shower. But of late taking a shower is now turning in to an ordeal. I will have to give this a try. Thank you for tips and video.

I started using my oxygen while showering a few months ago. My shower is now much more relaxing and enjoyable. A person does not always Realize how exerting a shower can be and toweling off afterwards. I also have my phone within reach in case of a fall or emergency.

Good afternoon, Kim. Thanks so much for today's info re showering with my constant companion the ever-present oxygen cannula and connecting hoses. I was told sometime ago by my excellent pulmonologist and best friend (my husband Jack)not to take my oxygen off when taking a shower! I tried but found it so annoying I gave up after only 2 showers accompanied by the green snake that kept sliding the shower door open. Tonight I'll try again and I'm betting I can make it all work. (Plus Jack says he's gonna be in the shower with me!)

Using oxygen in the shower helps the day start better. It was tough to get used to. I have a little hook in the shower for my loofah and I hang my cannula on it while I wash and/or exfoliate my face. Handy and I can reach it quickly. And blow drying hair is much easier if I keep the oxygen flowing. Sometimes it seems as there are too many things we have to learn to cope with but we are still learning to cope and that beats the alternative. Enjoying my morning coffee with my spouse is still a privilege for me.

thank you Kim. So good to have these great suggestions about using the Oxygen in the shower. I have a couple of times now and it makes the shower much more enjoyable and not so tiring. I will hook the hose over the shower curtain rather than around it...less water outside the tub.
It is best to have a hook or two to hang the hose on rather than have it fall to the floor. So far I don't need a bath chair as I'm able to stand to shower, but it may come to that. Nice to have that clean feeling.

Hi Kim...I always look forward to your column. My husband Larry has used his oxygen in the shower for a long time. When he shaves and washes his face he puts the cannula in his mouth to breathe, and then switches it back to his nose as needed. He had a hip replacement five weeks ago so that made showering even more difficult for him, but he used the shower chair and I got in the shower to help him until he could do it on his own again. We have a very large shower so it makes it easy for him, and less claustrophobic as well since the shower surround is clear glass.

I can't shower, even with my O2 at hard exercise levels, the humidity is just too much. I leave the bathroom door open and the fan on full but it still gets too humid in the shower stall. I take baths now and find it much easier.

Thank you.

Need 15 lts plus now for ADLs. Use same system as described by your blog; tubing over top of shower door, keep shower and bathroom doors open and exhaust fan on b/c of steam build up. Use liquid oxygen E tank (and have another one nearby as a backup). Concentrator does not go up to 15 lts. Showering with assistance for upper body b/c raising arms takes too much energy. Shower chair is a must. Someone helps me slip into a terry robe as I step out of shower - using a towel to dry off is too tiring. Then I sit down on a scooter which is a few steps from the shower. Sometimes I need an additional boost of 02 from another E tank, holding that canula up to the other one for a few minutes to bring my 02 level up to a 91-93. I am thankful to be able to shower. Also thankful to have a scooter to navigate around the house.

I use oxygen at night and when needed during the day. I put my oxygen on before I get in the shower and don't take it off until I'm fully dressed and ready for the day.

Thank you Kim. The hints and video are extremely helpful.

I never imagined how difficult, clumsy, and tiring showering with/oxygen would be--another one of those life changing adjustments. I use oxygen 24/7 and raise the level if it's very humid.

I keep the phone, a bottle of water and my rollator nearby for when I get out of the tub. I have a bath chair; I keep it in the tub but fortunately haven't needed to use it the last couple of months--def progress in establishing my "new normal." Additionally, I wear beach shoes to avoid slipping in the tub; they give me a sense of stability while standing and showering.

Dear Kim, Thanks for caring. I've had pf for 7 years... Recently it has kicked into overdrive; For the last few weeks I've struggled mightily with it's strangulation. I'm on continuous flow 6 constantly. I have to be near a fan, or air-conditioner nearly always now. Also i've found that if i need to evacuate it increases mt heart rate and breathing difficulty. my heart-Dr. that a chemical is released and causes the immediacy.

Diagnosed with IPF and I'm on 24/7 oxygen. I shower with my oxygen now. I require assistance to get in and out of my tub to shower - it is an old fashioned iron tub with claw feet - cool when I was younger but not so much now. Anyway - I am grateful to all of you for sharing your experiences - and solutions. Living with this disease seems to require some creative ingenuity to find safe solutions and achieve or maintain a quality of life.

To that end it appears that many of you, myself included, rely on our cell phones. Having had my battery die and on another occasion the phone was beyond my reach, I sought other solutions and wound up with Amazon's Echo - Alexa. I have them set up throughout my apartment and can instruct it to call anyone that is in my contact list - you can even set up a group and it will send a message to all in the group. It is a one time cost ($40 for the small one and $100 for the larger one), no monthly maintenance fees and easy to set up. Google has one as well so what ever system you are most comfortable with. It is a back up when your phone is out of reach or the battery has up and died - and so much more, but this was the driving factor for me when I was researching costs for 'life alert' type systems as I am alone a lot and have had a few bad falls. It is worth looking into - Thank you!

Does anyone have any suggestions for managing a 100 ft ox tube? With a two story house and the liquid oxygen in the garage, the tubing often gets twisted and tangled. I’m on 4 liters, 24/7. I also have 2 portable tanks which last about 2 hours each. Finally, I have a 40 gallon tank for my car which is great. I use it to breathe and to refill my portables.

I posted this comment already from the home page but do not see it here. I cannot remember where I read this info; may have been on PubMed. Respirology Case reports that a medication named Nintedanib prevented progression and lung cancer growth in IPF. As IPF patients are susceptible to this additional complication I thought this info should be passed on.

Had my first shower this morning using oxygen and the hose over the top of the door. After drying I was still panting, but previously I was down to 84% and couldn't get back to the oxygen quick enough before drying to relieve the utter breathlessness. Thanks for the many good ideas from the above comments.

Thank you so much for the article. I have COPD and the most difficult thing I have to do is taking a shower. Ski glad go know I can use my oxygen while in the shower. This well certainly make my life easier.

THANKYOU for all information about showering with Oxygen on, It was too tiring and was having a real hard time. Will try it tonight. THANKYOU Beverly DeMarco

Hello, on oxygen 24/7!
My problem is trying to negotiate washing and rinsing my long hair in the shower while my cannula is on my face! Everything gets tangled up....
Can I really put the cannula in my mouth during this time? What about mouth bacteria and saliva?
Thanks....in advance....for your input!
Margi

Can you shower using the electric oxygen concentrator or only the oxygen tank?

So basically what everyone is saying is that you can get the cannula wet? The tubing can get wet as well as the cannula which is either in your nose or hanging on a hook somewhere? I've read the comments about putting it in your mouth, hanging out on a hook, but what about just leaving it in your nose and taking your regular shower with washing and rinsing your hair? so someone please just tell me it is safe to get your hose and cannula soaking wet in the shower as long as the concentrator is far away or in a different room. Thank you so much

Hello Kim,

Thanks so much for your videos and blogs! I am in the UK and my hospital clinical nurse specialist emailed me a link to some of your stuff and it’s been invaluable. I actually have cancer and, as a by-product of the cancer, have developed PF and am just beginning with home oxygen. I’m currently only using about 2l but it’s extraordinary - I can’t quite believe it! I was feeling so ill, tired and faint and it’s just amazing to me what a small amount of oxygen can accomplish!

I’m hoping to get a portable concentrator but they’re very expensive and so I’m just waiting to be given one via the NHS. Currently, I’m kind of stuck in doors but at least I can breathe!

Before the oxygen I was waking up with the most hideous headache every morning, a headache you wouldn’t believe, and that’s totally gone now too!

I just wanted to say that someone on the other side of the Atlantic was really grateful to you for all of your blogs and videos (I especially loved the thing about putting new tubing in the tumble dryer briefly so it’s not permanently re-coiling itself!). I have loads of questions but, for now, I just wanted to say thank you and to add that oxygen is a strange thing to accept in a way - I initially thought ‘I don’t need it really’ but now I’ve taken the plunge, I really cannot believe how much better I feel and how much more I can do. I can stay awake all day for example, rather than endlessly falling asleep!

Thanks so much.
Elena.

LOVE THESE COMMENTS

I just got out of hospital after 22 days due to COVID, and was sent home on oxygen. After spending so much time fighting to breathe I was panicked about trying to shower without oxygen. Your tips are super helpful, thank you for sharing.

Just came across this and am so thankful for your tips! IPF has made showering a dreadful thing to have to do at this point. Look forward to an easier experience!

I was told by my o2 supplier, and a brochure provided by the hospital, to never, ever use more than 50ft of tubing with oxygen.