Learning a Lesson The Hard Way... - Lung Conditions C...

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Learning a Lesson The Hard Way...

9 Replies

There was I lying peacefully asleep when my oxygen alarm sounded...Himself was muttering wasthematter...the dogs were still snoring and the kittens oblivious.

The big emergency tank is in the barn so Himself went get it...came back lugging the thing, which must weigh half a ton at least... for us to discover that neither of us had the faintest idea of how to switch it on.

The instruction lettering is small and cramped and half-way down said tank...which was covered in cobwebs...all we had were two inadequate torches to try to read them by.

Meanwhile I'd decided I needed a cup of tea...so back into the barn goes Himself to switch the gas on for the cooker so as to boil some water up.

While he's doing that, I find a lecky bill and 'phone the emergency breakdown number...then dial in the MPRN number which I could hardly see. A robot answered to say it was a major fault and the power wasn't expected to be back on for another five hours...

I panic and decide not only do I want a cup of tea now this minute, but can't breathe properly which is just silly because I could and there's the ambulant oxygen to keep me going anyway...

So I sit very still to conserve the little air still lurking in my lungs and sip hot tea...Himself opens the 'fridge door to put the milk away and the interior light comes on...the oxygen machine starts up... all its lights flashing away merrily...

The electricity was off for twenty-five minutes.

Himself saw Jonny this morning...his electricity didn't come back on until five am...

So I do think it actually works...I registered as a 'vulnerable' person using life-saving electrical equipment when I first had the oxygen...was assured we'd get priority in event of a power failure but I only half-believed it.

And it's taught us a lesson...

Become familiar with spare emergency tanks of oxygen in broad daylight, rather than wait until the power goes off in the middle of the night.

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9 Replies
grannyjan profile image
grannyjan

Lesson for us all there Vashti..... be prepared :-) x

DozyDormouse profile image
DozyDormouse

Tea takes the panic out of everything. Well done

Dozy ☺ 🐀 xx

redted profile image
redted

What a scare,defo a lesson for all no matter what the circumstances, be prepared.

Toci profile image
Toci

Glad you were not off for long. My large emergency cylinder is checked and replaced at regular intervals by my engineer. Is it not the same in Ireland?

hufferpuffer profile image
hufferpuffer

Good not to go into full panic mode Vashti , once the momentum of it then not so easy to control. We recently had to go from 9 till 5 without the electric while they connected up a new build..shed conversion across the field, and it's a drag because my water pumps electric so I have to fill containers with water...

You've just reminded me to ask the nurses when I go for my check up in 3 weeks about the emergency back up here for the winter...we've been snowed in a few times.

I'm glad you weren't off for too long 😃 huff x

Lynda1952 profile image
Lynda1952

Scary. Glad it was all sorted pretty quickly xx

Nikkers profile image
Nikkers

We had a power cut here starting on 22 December in 2013. It never came back on for 5 days! What a lovely Christmas that was - not! Freezing cold, no hot water, no cooker etc., Stayed in bed to keep warm trying to read by candle light. They gave us £120. about 6 months later - little compensation for the misery it caused.

in reply to Nikkers

That would have been very romantic. I bet there was a blip upwards in the birth rate 9 months later.

Snodgrass profile image
Snodgrass

Oh Nikkers had a similar problem, one of our neighbours covered house in lights one Christmas and 11.30 Christmas morning all power went to our side of the street. About 5.00 o'clock they turned up with 2 of the most enormous generators and dropped them in my garden as the bloke who caused it all refused to have them, they didn't give me a choice! They were so noisy we didn't get any sleep for 4 days and crushed plants.

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