As a follow up to my post about ambulatory oxygen options being too heavy, I managed to source a trolley or cart designed for use with the Inogen One G5. While the set up is still quite heavy, it is about 2/3 the weight of the oxygen plus trolley option. The unit's supplied bag has a flap on the back that simply slides onto the trolley handle. The trolley handle can be folded down when not in use and, unlike a rollator, it can be operated with one hand. This is what I wanted and it appears to be the best option available for me.
These trolleys can be obtained from Intermedical Homecare. The advertised price is £135 excl VAT.
Unfortunately the trolley covers the charging port so the unit needs to be removed for charging. However, this does give an opportunity to check if the filters need cleaning.
Being quite short, I am finding the standard 2.1 metre cannula is too long when used with the trolley and pondering how best to shorten it. Also, unlike the oxygen trolley, there is nowhere to hang the cannula when not in use and the unit's bag isn't very helpful with this aspect. There is a rather small pocket or you can just about push the coiled cannula in with the unit.
I find handling the unit a bit of a challenge as it is so smooth and solid, quite big to grasp with small hands. A built in handle to assist with pulling it out of the case would have been such a good design feature.
I hope I don't sound like too much of a 'moaning minnie' as I am aiming to share my experience in case it helps anyone else.
I asked my oxygen nurse why these trolleys are not offered by their service, pointing out that NHS could buy in bulk more cheaply and mentioning that equipment weight is an issue for a number of us. With the Inogen unit costing £2k+, an extra few pounds for the trolley surely would not break the NHS bank. She pointed out that there are several health conditions that involve the use of oxygen treatment and told me it is NHS England who make these decisions.
