Partner of someone with COPD and would like to know if anybody has had oxygen while abroad and how they went about getting it organised.

[seona]

Would like to go to Majorca this year with partner who has Copd but as he is on long term oxygen therapy i dont know where to start... Can anyone help..

[Mulie]

Hi Seona

If you call the BLF helpline they will tell you how to go about it. I am on LTOT 16/24 and go to the Balearics every year. It does require a bit of forward planning but is feasible.

Will your partner require 02 on the plane? If so, you need to book that first as most companies will only allow one 02 passenger per flight, if you are going on a "package" a travel agent should be able to do this for you. Most companies will charge for 02 on the plane, except BA and Thompsons.

There is a company that supplies 02 to hotels and apartments for free so the helpline will give you that number as I have used them for many years now. All you need to supply is your HOOF, passport and EHIC details. Their email address is [e-mail] They like you to order about a month before you travel so that all your details are up to date. They supply the concentrator and large canister in case of electricity failure and also something for ambulatory needs. This latter can be restrictive as where I go they don't use liquid 02 any more only a small POS which lasts about an hour!! Luckily I managed to buy my own when I retired and has been worth it's weight in gold for me to get out an about especially on holiday.

See how you get on anyway. As I say it is not insurmountable just needs a bit of forward planning!!

Good luck

M

[seona in reply to Mulie]

Hi Mulie, thank you for this info but could you tell me what HOOF is.

[Mulie in reply to seona]

Seona

HOOF is Home Oxygen Order Form a copy of which is faxed to your continental supplier so that they can deliver what you need for LTOT and ambulatory purposes whilst on holiday. Your GP/Respiratory nurse/ whoever orders your partners oxygen can fax it for you or you can email it to them.

There is no need in Spain for you to pay for oxygen at all. There is a reciprocal service but you need to use a State service - your EHIC "pays" for it. It is a shame that the Consulate in Madrid were not aware of this latter and I found that out from another supplier who charges about £200 a week!!

I bought a XPO2 as a Personal Oxygen concentrator - bit heavy to carry but I use a rollator - as I needed 4 lpm for ambulatory. Depends on what lpm is needed which machine to go for. I used this company oxygenconcentrators.co.uk as their service is exemplary as is their after sales and wont sell you something that is not essential to your needs. You are not pressured to buy either nor do they constantly follow up with phone calls.

It is worth asking for an assessment to see if your partner actually needs oxygen to fly, and airlines like to have a "fit ti fly" letter about a month prior to departure if they are supplying 02.

Hope this helps?

M

[seona in reply to Mulie]

Thank you very much Mulie. Hopefully we will try and get something sorted depending on cost of insurance.. S..

[Hidden]

Mulies

Can you tell me what you bought for your ambulatory needs. We have not had a holiday since my husband has been on oxygen, up until now he has not been well enough to go anywhere but he is stable at the moment so am interested in product you bought.

Regards D

[Mulie in reply to Hidden]

D

Have replied to Seona and the same thing applies. However if you want to trial run in the UK you can order 02 from your supplier to be ready for use when you get to your hotel/relatives etc. Useful to let the hotel know you are ordering it - there shouldn't be a problem but as far as I am concerned it is courteous to do so. On occasions it is delivered the day before your arrival and they need to be able to store it somewhere!!!

Your supplier may also be able to rent you something to use for ambulatory if you are looking for a POC otherwise they will supply what you normally have for ambulatory.

Good luck and enjoy - you do not need to stay at home!!

M

[Mulie in reply to Hidden]

Worthy

I bought an Invacare XPO2. I need 4 lpm for ambulatory/exertion and 2 lpm for resting. There are any number on the market from a hand held 2 lpm throgh to a 6 lpm model that can be used both on demand or pulse and also continuous. I tend to use the "demand" mode for when I am out and about as the battery lasts longer, but not everyone can use it apparently and you may need to tetsted to make sure. The respiratory nurse should be able to do that for you.

Does this help at all?

M

[Hidden in reply to Mulie]

Thanks

My husband can't use the pulse for some reason. Fortunately he is on some extra medication which was given to him for suspected angina but has made his breathing a lot easier, he has had heart tests and does not have angina but the gp is keeping him on this med because of the benefits to breathing. He can manage walking on the flat without oxygen at the moment but has been up to 6ltr which means the liquid oxygen does not last very long. He is on 2 at night. Thanks again for your reply.

[Jo_BLFHelpline British Lung Foundation]

Hi Seaona

As mulie say's we can help you with the planning of your holiday - travel insurance contacts and how to arrange your oxygen.

It can take a bit more planning and organisation but lots of people do go on holiday and have a fantastic time.

Spain including Majorca tensd to be one of the easiest places to obtain oxygen - this is eirther free or at a reduced cost providing you go through the procedure for this, private agreements are not free.

We can go through all of this so please do give us a call - 03000 030 555.

Cheers

Jo

[Hidden in reply to Jo_BLFHelpline]

Thanks for this, my big problem also is insurance, I was quoted £2,000 for a Mediteranean cruise last autumn and that was a broker who I have used in the past and who had tried many companies to get the best deal. You say that Spain is easiest for reciprocal oxygen but when looking at insurance again they say if you can avoid Spain it will be cheaper, but all cruises pass through Spain.

[Hidden]

A cheaper and easier alternative is to buy your own portable oxygen concentrator. I use at 2 lpm and manage fine with an Airsep Freestyle (1 - 3 lpm) with an extra battery. Not cheap, but cheaper than some of the alternatives. Try here

oxygenconcentrators.co.uk/p...

They are a good company (a few on here have bought from them) and you can contact them for advice. There is no hard sell and a good aftersales/back up team. I go abroad every year and have had no problems with mine.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

P.S. You can also rent from them.

[Lolly2]

We had a long weekend in Barcelona, driving from here (Carcassonne) in France. My supplier gave me a POC - Sequal Eclipse 3 for the time we were away. I used it in the car on the way down and used it at night.

We had 5 days in UK with the same model POC and all was fine...the flight, the car and overnight.

You just need to check what type of POC you need before booking it. We are driving to UK in April and staying for a month, We will be taking our large Concentrator in the car, but using a POC for the journey and ambulatory use while there. Some POC types only give pulsed O2, which I cannot use.