 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Portable Oxygen: A User's PerspectiveMobility for the Oxygen User
Mobility is a big problem for oxygen users. We seem to be always shorter of breath with each step we take. I can walk about 10 yards with my 30-pound stomach and eight pounds of oxygen before I need to rest. I rely on the available technology to increase my mobility. At home I use a power wheel chair. When I am out and about, I use either a power scooter or a wheeled walker. With this equipment, I can go many places I might not otherwise dare to go. But each of these aids provides special challenges to the oxygen user. None are built with the oxygen user in mind so each has its problems when it comes to managing tubing and oxygen equipment. What follows are some tips from an oxygen user on how to take full advantage of mobility technology. Power Wheelchairs At home I have a power wheelchair which gets me through most of the doorways of our one-level home. It is a Pronto™ (image) by Invacare . It is 18 inches wide, so it will easily get through a two-foot doorway, so long as the door opens more than 90 degrees. It turns on a dime so it can enter rooms from narrow hallways. It has a joy stick which you use to instruct the wheelchair about direction and speed. It has a automatic brake which engages when the joy stick is released. It runs on batteries which must be periodically recharged. Mine require a boost every three nights. If you are restricted to short walks around your home, and your saturation level drops below 88 when you do walk around, you are probably Medicare eligible to have a wheelchair. If, in addition, you either do not have the upper body strength or the lung capacity to wheel yourself, you may be eligible for a power wheel chair. Talk first with a local home medical equipment (HME) provider. They have a lot of experience with qualifying users with Medicare and insurance companies and probably will know, before you do, that you are eligible. Pick an HME who will accept the Medicare payment as payment in full. This will save you a copay that could be as much as $1,100. After acquiring a wheelchair, the fun begins, if you enjoy untangling tubing. A wheelchair can easily tangle with 50 foot of tubing. My wife named mine "Tubasaurus" in recognition of the daily tussles with the tubing. It would wrap around an axle and get so stuck in the wheel well that it take a knife to free it. One solution is to remove the fenders so that tangling is reduced to a single loop about an axle. To reduce the incidents of tangling, I installed a T-shaped IV pole against the backrest support. I looped the tubing across the IV support bar so it trailed behind the chair. While this reduced the tangling to about once a week, it introduced a new problem. Unless I drive very carefully, the IV pole bangs against walls and doorways, making marks.. I have since removed the IV pole and now drap the tubing over the back of the seat, which reduces incidents of tangling just as well. Tubasaurus seems to enjoy standing on my tubing when she stops. All 500 pound of her (including her rider) cuts off my airflow. The humidifier's safety valve is kind enough to let me know by its hiss when this happens. I really need to create a friendlier name for "Tubie." Send me your suggestions. In the past I have used 50-foot smooth bore supply tubing (Salter Labs #2550). After acquiring Tubie, I noticed that the incidents of splits in the tubing occur more frequently. Was Tubie crushing the tubing and cracking it? I do not know. I have recently started using the newer three-channel tubing (image) in 50-foot lengths ( #2050). One nice benefit is that the channeling makes the tubing more visible because the channeling gives the tubing a more silvery appearance. I have found that my airflow is cut off less frequently when Tubie sits on the three-channel tubing. I suspect that the channeling keeps the tubing from folding flat, cutting off the air supply and possibly cracking the tubing, when Tubie rides over it. Scooter In the neighborhood and on trips I have a second-hand Amigo scooter (image). This weekend I will join others on a four-hour tour of the Chancellorville [Virginia] battlefield. The scooter operates on batteries that last at least four hours of on again and off again driving. It has a handlebar for steering and an accelerator lever. It has an automatic brake which engages when the acceleratorr is released, when the battery runs dry, and when an incline is just too much for the motor. My Amigo is designed to carry up to 250 lbs. and, with it, travels at about 4 mph on level ground. I have lifts for it both on the back of my RV and in the trunk of my Mercury Marquis. I had the lift in the Marquis installed when I bought the car new. Ford Motor Company paid $1,000 of the $1,200 cost of purchase and installation of that lift, as part of their assistance program for the disabled. Medicare and insurance do not fund mobility devices outside the home. So, either buy the second device, or build what is necessary (ramps or elevator platforms) to move a single device from inside to outside. I found it less expensive to own a second device. Rolling Walker I have a rolling walker (image) which weighs about 9 lbs. It folds and fits across the back seat of most cars. This particular model fits easily in the trunk of a Marquis but not that of a Ford Escort. It has a seat and basket. It has bicycle-type brakes. You can temporarily engage the brakes by squeezing , which is handy when you are going down hill. You can permanently engage them with the flick of a hand, something you should do before you sit down on yours. I use it when I am on walking trips of longer than 10 yards so I can sit and rest along the way. I also use it when I need to transport one or more oxygen tanks. I find I desaturate to a lesser extent because I allow the walker to carry the 8 lb. tank. One liquid oxygen tank fits in the walker's basket and two across the seat, leaving me enough room to sit. Medicare pays for a traditional walker ($89). I gladly paid the difference ($90) for the seat, convenience, and mobility. Used Devices Mobility devices are generally purchased and not rented. Locating a used device that is for sale in your hometown may not be as difficult as you think. First ask your local HME. I was directed to a charitable organization which accepts donations of mobility devices, providing the donor with a tax write-off. This organization then sells them or gives them away, depending on the recipient's ability to pay. Also check with the Salvation Army, Good Will, and other thrift organizations. Have questions? Email me. Let's talk. With your input this article can be more than just a personal experience. © 2003 Copyright
Peter M. Wilson, Ph.D. Founder of PortableOxygen.org You have permission to print this document for your personal use. You also have permission to print, copy, and distribute this document to oxygen users and their caregivers. |
Title and buttons courtesy of Ben Ledet, <benledet@parkermedical.com> Creative Director, Parker Medical, Englewood, CO. 80112