Need help in Portable Oxygen unit

[Charlene Marshall]

Hello Sai,

Thanks so much for joining our forums and for connecting on behalf of your Dad. What a wonderful opportunity you’re giving him, by preparing for his oxygen needs ahead of time and hopefully making his trip a little bit easier. Kudos to you!

Especially with the heat and humidity during the month of June in different parts of the US, I think it is wise to get your Dad a portable oxygen concentrator (POC). They all have different battery lengths, and flows though so these would be important considerations for your Dad’s needs. As an example, does he require continuous oxygen flows or can he tolerate pulse flows (sensitive to when your Dad inhales, then delivers a pulse of oxygen at the same time)? If he needs continuous flow, you should find out what litres per minute (LPM) he uses at home and see how long the POC battery can last on the LPM he needs. Many POC batteries can be charged in the car or a regular outlet, so if it won’t last as long as you’d like, you can be strategic around when you are in the car or stopping for lunch where you could use those opportunities to plug the POC in. Not sure if this helps?

Then you would want to consider the weight of the POC if your Dad is going to be pulling or carrying it around, and something else to ensure is that it comes with a little trolley. The POC I have is called the Respironics “Simply Go” machine and I love it, although it is heavy for me to carry on my shoulder. I do need to have it on the little trolley and pulling it around as opposed to carrying it.

Not sure if this gives you some steps to consider Sai? The most important thing is knowing your Dad’s oxygen needs and getting a device that can be tailored to that while you’re out and about.

Please be in touch with any other questions, and maybe someone else will be able to chime in here as well re: what device(s) they use.

Sincerely,
Charlene.

[Richard McKeever]

First thing is does he a prescription for a POC? Without that he or you cannot obtain one. They are durable medical equipment that are by law cannot be rented or purchased with out a doctors prescription.

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Richard,

Thanks so much for contributing to this thread – you’re absolutely right about the prescription! I forgot to ask this, as I assumed that Sai’s Dad would have one, but you certainly raise a good point: not only will you not be able to get a POC without a prescription, but it is also dangerous to his lungs to be given supplemental oxygen when it isn’t warranted. Thanks for reminding us of this 🙂

Charlene.

[Carla Rook]

my husband (George) is in the VA so we have to get what they say
he uses a oxygen cylinder to carry while shopping and a large unit if
camping or gone a long time,,,then he has a large unit we plug in at home

he sill gets out and does little things an back in the house on oxygen
its just a new way for us to get use to ,,,best of luck to you Carla

[Charlene Marshall]

Hi Carla,

Welcome to you and George to our Pulmonary Fibrosis Forums. Thanks for joining us 🙂

So sorry to hear of George’s diagnosis and his need for supplemental oxygen. I know as an 02 user that getting used to it and everything that is required to use it safely can be daunting. Glad he seems to have made use of the cylinder or large unit for home. Do you have a portable oxygen concentrator? I use the Respironics SimplyGo machine and find it very helpful when I am out, it also lasts longer than the cylinders for me.

Please feel free to connect any time, you’re among friends here and those who understand the challenges of this disease.

Kind regards,
Charlene.