Skye

[corsaking]

Here I am 3.30am cannot sleep for thinking about going for my oxygen review. I know I need it but scared all the thoughts going through my mind .Will I be able to do things I cannot do just now? All sorts of things going through my mind .What are the benefits?

Will go back to bed now and hope I sleep

[knitter]

I hope you managed to get some sleep, best of luck for your review.

[diesel12]

Good luck xx

[joyce74]

I have been on it for a month now and have found it helpful especially when shopping when I would have been gasping for breath by the time I got to the checkouts. Just something new to get used to. Sure it will help you if you need it. Joyce

[Scud]

Skye don't be scared I am on oxygen 24/7 and I still do things I enjoy, I go abroad for my holidays , I go shopping with friends walks in the park all the things I could not do before the oxygen. The oxygen is not actually for the breathlessness as such it is the lack of oxygen in your blood that causes you to be tired hence the short of breath. you will have to make adjustments but they will be for the better, we are here for you so good luck let us know how you get on.

Love Sue x

[Wendy_A in reply to Scud]

Hi Sue can I ask you where you buy your travel insurance from please. I've been told by my consultant that I can now go abroad but my insurance is coming up at 742 for 2 weeks to the canaries. Thank you. Wendy X

[Scud in reply to Wendy_A]

Hi Wendy , the last time I went it was to Spain 2 years ago and my insurance was £72 with co-op travel I am hoping to go again in October so I will be making enquirers soon will let you know how I go on.£742 is outrageous hope you find a cheaper one.

Sue x

[vere]

Just focus on what they tell you to do and if you don't understand tell them you don't. They are good people and want to help you manage your condition as well as is possible.

[Wendy_A]

Hi don't be worried or scared about needing oxygen. I'm on it 24/7 and have been for over 3 and a half years now. I'm only 45. The hardest thing about oxygen is getting used to the nasal canulars. At times I feel like a dog always being attached to a long tube walking around my house but it helps so much. I don't get as tired as I used too. Good luck and stay positive X

[romfty]

Don't worry it's a doddle, visitors will trip over the cables and pipes, the dog will try chewing them, you will step on your own tube and end up with ears like a Spaniel, the bottle will run out just when you wanted to go somewhere and the kids will think you've just climbed out of a space ship. Apart from that it's easey peasey .......and it is nice to sit back and relax whilst snorting some good old 02.

[Nanny1086]

Please don't worry ,if you have to have it ,it's for a reason ,and it shouldn't stop you from doing the things you want or need to do ,there are a couple of ladies that go to the gym where I go and still manage to get through their exersises. Good luck ,

[Watfordgirl]

Good luck with the review. It's fear of the unknown, isn't it? But it will make you feel better and you will manage it and even wish you'd had it before. Sue x

[Catnip]

Greetings, once more!

I sympathise with your fears and concerns!! Will you be able to do things you can't do now?? Welllll -- you probably won't ever win a Gold medal in an Olympic marathon, or go trampolining, or climb Mount Everest... and neither can I. They just aren't options.

The benefits of oxygen are many. Your internal organs, especially your brain, will have all the oxygen they need to function properly: lack of oxygen is a very dangerous thing. The oxygen will help your heart to function more normally and stave off "right side heart failure". You will be able to wake up in the morning without having a banging headache (caused by lack of oxygen!) -- unless you've been on the booze. You will feel more awake but the oxygen won't cure shortness of breath. You will be able to walk further (but not faster!), climb stairs, do the household stuff that you love to do You will have to remember that you still need to do things in a more measured manner than before, though. We, the snails, always win out!

The down-side?? carrying a 10 lb cylinder around wherever you go (get a trolley); being attached by a long tube to a concentrator. The tube attracts dogs and cats, who think it's there to be chewed or laid upon (stopping the oxygen supply), it attracts people's feet (for standing on or tripping over), which in turn pulls your ears and nose. You'll learn (quickly) how to wind it in so that you don't trip over it. Unless you have the other person under control, don't let anyone carry your cylinder: my husband did that only once -- then ran after our new puppy who had galloped off to roll in a cow pat. Talk about "being led by the nose"...

It's not easy to find advantages to being an oxygen user; the main one is (for me) that I'm still looking at the green side of the grass and I'm getting out and about on a regular basis and I can still go on holiday.

Cheers

Catnip

[corsaking in reply to Catnip]

Where do you go on holiday at home or abroad.

[Catnip]

Both, actually. We just had two weeks in Cornwall -- my oxygen supplier organised deliveries by Air Liquide for me and there were no problems at all. My supplier is going to deliver for me when I'm away at the seaside in a month's time.

I am in the fortunate situation that I have been able to afford to buy a concentrator of my own (although my respiratory unit also does lend them out) so we've been to Canada, Florida and I'm off on my third cruise very soon.

I go to the gym three times a week, too; the people there are great and if I disappear from sight for more than 5 minutes, they come looking for me. They even design a programme especially for me!

Truly, honestly -- oxygen is a God-send, not a nightmare. My problem is remembering that I'm not a spring chicken any more, and I need to slow down. Before you ask (!), I've got 32% lung function and am classed as having "very severe" emphysema.