Low blood oxygen damage to vital organs.

[Fairdeal]

My mother is 91 and on level 5 on her oxygen machine.

Most morning when I see her I take her oxygen levels and they are around 65 as she has been lying down and not taking the oxygen through her nose sufficiently ( I an told that oxygen is heavier than air and literally runs on to her pillow rather than being fed up her nose.

After 1 hour sitting up she reaches around 87 and will maintain that until the evening. Then the same happens the next morning.

My question is this. What damage is it doing to her vital organs during the night when it's very low and considering her age the consultants say nothing can be done unless she wares a mask. This she refuses to do as it condenses up due to the oxygen passing through water ( like a Hubble bubbly) to reduce the driness in her throat.

Any ideas or recomendations

[noraskye]

Is she on Bipap, where the condensation causes problems? I had that so I now have a hose cover to stop the condensation, available from eBay or make y out own.

[gingermusic]

How about a small amount of surgical tape on each side to hold the cannula in place?

[mskpjb]

Hi Fairdeal your mother's oxygen supplier will provide tapes to hold the cannula in place on her face. Sheila x

[TwinklingStar]

Would she be more comfortable with the top part of the bed elevated or using pillows to keep her more upright. I wake up when my oxygen levels drop but I find if I fall asleep sitting up I sleep a lot longer than normal as my oxygen levels are maintained and so I am not disturbed by falling oxygen levels.

I hope you can help her feel more comfortable.

Love from

Twinkling Star xxx