Jeffrey
Exactly, you are correct. Multiply the number of puffs/minute by the bolus and you get the total oxygen /minute. It’s rarely even 1 liter.

Natalie, Google Helios Marathon, this will lead you to portable LOX containers. You get a reservoir in your house – you must refill it (exchange it for a full one) say once a month. You then fill the portable from this. Another portable is called “stroller”. I think the maker is Caire

Liquid oxygen. Very simple. I’ve been using it for 7 years.
This subject has been beaten to death on these boards. Please carefully check anything you are told about POCs, the salesmen are not reliable. That is being kind to them.

Yes you are nuts – if your mother really needs 10 LPM. Don’t believe ANYONE who tells you that Inogen will supply 6LPM. You cannot take cylinders on a plane. Google to find companies that rent for flying eg Oxygen to Go. They can give you definitive info on flying. You may get good tips on this board but don’t put your faith in them.

Soon after my original diagnosis of ipf a pulmonologist at National Jewish warned me not to stay on prednisone for “long periods”. I have found that 2 10 tablet 20mg courses annually (not consecutively) when traveling has been OK. Prednisone is definitely a “feel-good” pill for me so I’m careful.

You are definitely correct.

A 100yards and 2 minutes from Walmart, Sam’s Club where I got my 1st 2 shots, refused me a booster.

So don’t give up if you need it.

Got a booster at Walmart Aug 31 after I said we were regularly on Prednisone. It was a full dose of Moderna

Bill

John
I wish I’d thought of that. Though I needed 2L continuous to sleep which is a high load.

Bill

The problem is not just the socket, it’s whether it can supply enough current at 110V. Delta has 110V sockets in Delta One but they will not a run a POC.

Cindy,
Typo – I meant to say you need battery life of 150% the length of the trip eg 13 hour flight, you need 19.5 hours of battery life. The East – West leg is almost always longer because of the prevailing winds.

I have posted many times that you can usually rent batteries. Google “travel oxygen companies”, One is Oxygen to Go -oxygentogo.com. They are not the cheapest but they know all the regulations. Inquire early about rentals. I have flown SLC to Paris and back. The return trip is the longest. I shaded how much O2 I needed and used pulse. 20 hours… Read more

Bill S
Aircraft cabins are usually set to the equivalent of 8000′. I once tested myself on Delta. When I walked to the restroom at cruising height my % O2 level dropped from 91 to 87. At ground level, sitting reading, my O2 level is 96 to 98 depending on how exciting the book is.

Bill

ps 36k’ is higher than Everest. I’m sure I would… Read more

Rand,
You can rent a battery. If you have a stopover you can recharge your batteries. Don’t count on the 110V on the plane to charge your battery.

No-one has ever asked me to see my batteries.

Question for everyone: Has anyone ever asked you to show your batteries or even how many you have?

Bill

Judy,
My advice was not directed at you. To be honest I didn’t even read your post. There are probably 50+ comments on this board about oxygen. I’ll say it again: Do not trust any representations about performance of a POC unless it is in writing. I have had salesmen tell me direct lies and INSIST that it was the truth e.g. that a setting of… Read more

John M,
Please, please, please, do your own research before you buy a POC. If it’s not what you need you just bought a very expensive door stop. A setting of 6 is NOT necessarily higher than a setting of 5 on a different machine. Find the handbooks on line and they should give you the exact size of the bolus at each setting.

There oceans… Read more

here is a sure way to find what is available: Call Medicare or go to their website and you can find the names of all oxygen suppliers in your area. You can download it and print it out. Then call each of them and ask.

best wishes
Bill

John
Does “sats increase by 2pts” mean eg 88% to 90% blood oxygen?

Bill

Important Question: Are you sure that the G5 weight includes a battery? The spec sheet doesn’t say that. This is a single battery too. If you actually have a G5, could you weigh it? I have not seen a battery labelled G4 or 5 but other POC batteries run a couple of pounds. Batteries to get to Europe from the west coast area are a… Read more

What form and where did you get it?
Thanks,
Bill

Harletta,
Are you aware that there are eye-glasses that can be attached to an O supply and are almost undetectable? They are called OXY-View. I wore them before I had my cataracts done but now I don’t need glasses,

Bill

Yes you are not supposed to sell POCs, nevertheless they are common on EBay and even more common on CraigsList. The Lithium-ion batteries are legal to sell and are common on Ebay. They are very expensive new so if you can find batteries for your machine you can save money.
However how the POC has been looked after and run is very… Read more

I found exactly the same. Pulse is no good for sleep. Maybe some people can do it but I sure can’t.

I don’t think that’s true. I know of no POC that doesn’t use Li batteries.

Kate,
I have flown round-trip transatlantic 3 times and coast to coast in the US twice. There is a company at oxygentogo.com that is very helpful on air travel. Some airlines sub contract permission to them. Look at their website. They show all FAA allowed POCs.
The FAA requires you to carry 150% of the batteries needed for a one-way trip.… Read more

Yes, I hadn’t thought of that.  Cutting torches can cause fires even without oxygen so an O rich atmosphere would do the trick.

The biggest danger in a car is if you have gaseous oxygen in metal cylinders and have an accident.  If the cylinder is not secured it could be thrown about the car as a projectile (like any steel cylinder).  Even if it didn’t hit anybody, the closure valve could be knocked off it and the escaping gas could throw it all over the car.  Think… Read more

Wendy,

You should wipe the filler on the reservoir and the flask with a dry cloth before you fill it.  Your “flask” must have a name on it.  Look it up on the net.  If you need 4L/min then LOX is your best solution.  See if you can do with less by turning it to 3L and checking your oximeter.  Etc.,etc.

I have found that with ipf, God helps… Read more

Amazingly, Medicare can be helpful. Give them a try. Have the details of your “supplier” ready. They once telephoned a reluctant supplier for me with me on the line.

Bill

Some – not all- O suppliers give you what they think they can get away with. You can find every Medicare supplier in your area by going to the Medicare site. Then call them and ask them if they supply what you are looking for. I suspect the base problem is Medicare not allowing an economic fee. It’s worse since they went to… Read more

Bob
I assume you mean continuous flow when you say you need 3L/Min for exercise? With POCs it is a case of buyer beware. Many of the salesmen will tell you anything to make a sale. There is an enormous profit in these and in the batteries. The 6 settings on the G5 don’t mean a thing unless you know what they refer to. Will a G5 even run… Read more

Hey Marianne
Did they tell you how long you have to say you are satisfied or not? It used to be 3 months. Then it’s difficult to change. Usually it’s the POC that’s the problem. Take your O2 level while you are active and make sure you are getting enough. You can buy an oximeter on Amazon and check it for accuracy against your… Read more

Hey Wendy,
Which “flask” are you using? Have you tried topping up your portable before it’s empty. I’ve been doing that for years with a Marathon 850 but I don’t use as much O2 as you.

Best wishes,
Bill

Pete
You never said a truer word. The health District here, had an appointment booking web site that a 13 year old kid would be ashamed of building. I have never seen anything as bad. This was for use by the section of the public least able to navigate it – 75 year olds.
All they had to do was go to the existing websites of the… Read more

Susan
that is a decision that everyone must make for themselves. I know more than a dozen people who have had the Pfizer vaccine (all over 70) – though millions have had it in the US. I have never heard personally of a bad reaction. My wife and I had the Moderna and after the 2nd shot, we decided that it could well have been saline or… Read more

Here’s a link https://www.caireinc.com/clinicians/product-portfolio/liquid-o2/liquid-o2-portables/

Bill

I urge you to move heaven and earth to get liquid oxygen (LOX). Ideally you should have a stationary concentrator for sleeping and around the house if you need it. Use LOX for activities. I get 1 delivery a month. The container looks a little like a Dalek. I then fill a portable container (In my case Helios 850 Marathon) but there are… Read more

Yes John, this happens when your hands are cold. Rubbing your hands together fast and hard will usually warm them up enough to get a reading,

Bill

Bob,
How much O are you using. The “bottles” that deliver the O differ greatly. Helios 850 and 300 need a special canula that senses your inhalation through one nostril and delivers the O through the other. This is a problem if you have a blockage in either nostril eg a deviated septum. There is another special canula that works in… Read more

Bobbie
They all have a filter but it’s very course. It would stop a fly but not a virus. An oxygen cylinder, either gas or liquid is much better. On a plane it’s Hobson’s choice, you can only use a POC. I read that the filters on an airliner will filter out viruses but the airports remain dangerous.

Bill

Susan
I assure you that money is not my problem with ipf.

I thought you all might be interested in this. I just signed up for my next 5 years oxygen supply and I noted the 1st Medicare payment to the supplier for Liquid oxygen. How about $74.18/month? Of which I’m responsible for 20%, though my gap insurance pays it. Do you wonder why DME suppliers are loath to supply it. A plumber charges $60… Read more

I do not look at prioritization as a sociological problem but a scientific one. In the US and most of the world, 80% of all deaths are people over 65. If you want to get the death rate down you vaccinate old people, as Florida and Texas are doing. This also cuts the hospitalization rate hugely. The existing patients will get better treatment… Read more

NV is almost unbelievable: Below is the actual plan available on the net but not publicized in any way. To save you the trouble the earliest anyone here will be vaccinated is 30th group, after 12 in tier 1, 15 in Tier 2 and released prisoners and homeless in Tier 3.

Disgusting is the word that comes to mind. It is entirely political.… Read more

Anybody live in FL? Heard the governor is prioritizing 70+ for vaccinations.

Hi Charlotte
At 1st sight this makes sense but then I think “Wait a minute.” If you are a 30 year old teacher in good health you are very likely to have the mildest of symptoms, or none. I’m hearing the so-called experts (Including the CDC) telling us that the way to deal with this pandemic is to, first, protect the vulnerable. This is not… Read more

To those who thought I might be joking, the following is from today’s Las Vegas R_Journal:

“When can I get the vaccine?

It depends on your job and your risk for severe illness.

According to a tiered systems in Nevada, vaccine is being made available first to frontline health care workers at acute-care hospitals who are at high risk… Read more

If you are unfortunate enough to live (like I do) in Nevada, the governor has spoken. Over 65s and people with health issues are lower in priority than incarcerated felons and well behind 30 year old teachers. (Their union, after all, makes large contributions to his party) I can’t see getting it before April and that’s optimistic.

If you are… Read more

Anne,

That is really useful information and it shows how important your doctor’s instructions are.

Bill

Probably.  The article tells the story but I think your doctor must prescribe a POC – not the model – that’s up to the supplier but your doctor can say what dose you must have.  It is very difficult to change after, I think, 3 months.  However if your condition changes the article says your doctor can change it.  One thing I have not mentioned… Read more

I think the key is your doctor.  If he prescribes a portable, Medicare will pay for it.  The link I posted above to “Living with O2” covers all this.  You will be better armed to get the best if you read what the experts at the PF Foundation say.  You are dealing with a bureaucracy in both Medicare and your supplier.  What you do at the start of… Read more