New to inogen five oxygen concentrator

[Loveroftwist]

Just had my inogen five oxygen concentrator delivered today after assessment with nurse last week , little worried as they didn’t show us how to remove the battery pack and it says in notes you can’t leave it with batteries in when not using, also never had oxygen before and with nurse she said to set oxygen between 3/5 and when with her my level stayed 95 even 97 on oxymeter on extertion but at home so far put it as high as 5 but my oxygen was still going as low as 84 on oxymeter . Operative who set it up said it was all set correctly but worried oxygen not coming out right as level still going right down with oxymeter

[Injecter1]

hi there…. I had that concentrater at first and never removed battery when not using it, but your not supposed to leave it plugged in when it’s fully charged. Mine was set on 6 which is maximum I think, I had 3 machines as they kept cutting out on me. I wasn’t impressed with it at all and went onto portable cylinders, which are so much better. Be careful of the tubing kinking where it’s attached to the machine that maybe an issue if sats are dropping?…. Good luck

[Loveroftwist in reply to Injecter1]

machine’s been ok so far , think a lot of it was getting used to it as this is the first time on oxygen and I’ll only be using it for exercise etc, also didn’t realise you are meant to close your mouth when using it

[Injecter1 in reply to Loveroftwist]

Yeah mouth breathing does effect it, I have to concentrate on my breathing. Looking at your bio you appear to have similar lung problem to me and are on the same medication. I don’t know if you’ve done a pulmonary rehabilitation course, but it’s so worth doing. Keeping active is really important with this illness.

[Loveroftwist in reply to Injecter1]

yeah so far been referred for pulmonary rehabilitation but not been given appointment yet , it definitely gets harder to keep active hopefully the machine will help a bit very easy to do less especially in cold weather

[bazcranleigh in reply to Injecter1]

Agreed - the tubing kinks very easily in hot/warm weather near the outlet nozzle. I overcame the problem by slitting a piece of thicker tubing along its length and taping it around that area. It works well. Good luck with using it.

[Loveroftwist in reply to bazcranleigh]

thanks! Think a lot is down to getting used to it

[Fircone]

Hi Loveroftwist, have you checked your oximeter? Try a different finger and/ or change the battery. If you still have low readings when your Inogen is on it might be best to call your oxygen nurse. Good luck.xxx

[Fircone]

The only time I removed the battery was if I knocked the concentrator or dropped it and then it would cut out. Removing and slotting it back in place always got it working again.

[Loveroftwist in reply to Fircone]

I tried it again later and seemed much better, think a lot of it is getting used to it

[Fircone]

It certainly is. I was scared to death and very anxious when I first started with oxygen therapy. The Inogen seemed like something totally alien. I don’t think twice now but I do prefer the small cylinders when I’m out and about. Good luck with it. You’ll soon get used to it.

[Kate124]

I don't understand the inogen is only for use outdoors really as it's pulsed. I have 2 home concentrators and use the inogen only when going out. My sats run really low on it as its not enough. I'm on 15 litres at home.

[Rattled]

Hello Loveroftwist. Sorry to be late to your post, have been out of circulation for a few days. I've recently started using the Inogen One G5 Concentrator and agree with what's already been said here.

I've found that if I don't keep rigidly to nose breathing the Inogen hates it. When my lungs are being pushed I always try to do the 'in through the nose out through the mouth' routine I was taught in Pulmonary Rehab. Blowing out through my mouth too forcefully or quickly after the intake of breath can make the Inogen pulse cut out.

As the others have said, it's very easy for the oxygen tube to kink where it's plugged into the Inogen outlet. When the tube kinks the oxygen supply is restricted. As Bazcranleigh has, I've sleeved mine at the joint with a larger piece of tube just a few inches long which stops it from kinking and protects it.

I think oxygen cylinders are probably a bit more robust than the concentrator but I love the fact that I can wear the Inogen in a backpack rather than just over one shoulder and that I can recharge the Inogen in the car.

Good luck!

Heather

[FewThereBe]

My wife has used Inogens since 2013. She now has the G5.

She uses it only for going out of the house, away from her floor concentrator.

She is on 3 liters on the floor concentrator and 2-4 liters on the Inogen depending upon what she is doing (2 if on her mobility scooter, 3-4 when walking).

She uses the Inogen G5 2-4x per week in the fall/winter, and more than that in the spring/summer.

We never take the battery out. We charge it after every use and unplug it from the charging cord when it becomes fully charged.

The vertical oxygen outlet for the cannula hose is different than the horizontal outlet that was on the G3.

We found this disconcerting at first because it seemed to be more apt to kink, coming straight UP like it did.

We solved this by looping it around through the flap in the case. Hard to explain in words, but the image below shows the looping through the closed flap. The flap is held down with velcro. EDIT: the cannula tubing also goes through a clasp in the case's strap. If you blow up the image and look carefully you can see it threaded through the clasp.

We also added (just recently) a clever little device found on Etsy.com (we are in the US).

This one:

etsy.com/listing/919309238/...

Still testing it out, but seems really good so far. And very inexpensive.

See image below. Hope this helps.

Oxygen Hose/Tubing Strain Reliefs on Nebulizer and Inogen G5 - from Etsy.com

[Gulmarglover]

I was told to keep mine on 6. I haven’t taken batteries out. Does it really mean every time? If so, I wasn’t told that. I can’t stop mine beeping which is annoying. You certainly wouldn’t go to a concert with it. But I think it does help.