Choosing a POC for You!
By Fran Fox, President Main Clinic Supply
We are very thankful to the many oxygen users we have served and continue to support. We have been selling portable oxygen concentrators since they were invented and became available. We have learned a lot along the way and want to share that knowledge to genuinely find the POC that fits you and your needs!
First, it is very important that you have a good sense of your oxygen needs from your doctor. Working with the doctor and their staff, learn as much as you can about your pulmonary condition. Also, stay in touch with your doctor often so, together, you can best manage your overall health, including your pulmonary condition.
You will want to have your doctor tell you what level of oxygen in your blood should you work to maintain. This is known as your “Oxygen Saturation” or “O2 Sats”. The very best tool to monitor your O2 Sats is a “Pulse Oximeter”. Here at Main Clinic Supply, we will provide this very important tool, at no charge, when you buy one of our POCs. No one should use a POC without one!
After you complete the above, follow these steps:
- FIRST - find a POC that fits the pulmonary condition as your doctor has explained it to you
- Look at the amount of oxygen the machine produces and the available settings for that specific machine
- Look at the battery life for the machine and available battery sizes to conveniently give you the hours you need
- Look at the size/weight and how you will carry-it or roll-it
- Look at the POC manufacturers track record in the field of POCs
- Buy from a company that cares that the machine you buy will work for you! Here at Main Clinic Supply, we offer free exchanges in the first month if the first machine you purchase does not meet your needs.
After You Buy a POC
You will want to start by reading the user’s manual well. Then, sitting comfortably, fire up your new machine so you both can get use to each other! I always suggest watching a movie the first time you use your new POC and have your trusty pulse oximeter handy to find the “lowest setting” of oxygen that keeps you oxygenated while you are relaxed and not exerting yourself. Then, move around the house, perhaps doing your normal housekeeping and chores, while testing often with your pulse oximeter to once again find the “lowest setting” of oxygen that keeps you oxygenated, while now exerting yourself a bit. Then, once you are ready move on to exercise, consider taking a walk or riding your bike. And once again! Make sure to use your pulse oximeter to find the “lowest setting” of oxygen that keeps you oxygenated while exercising!
Go Out and Really Enjoy Life Again!
Thousands of people have written to us thanking us for helping them to regain their freedom! This is what awaits you once you find the right POC, at the right setting, to truly live life to its fullest! Consider taking a Cruise with the Pulmonary Paper’s Founder and Managing Editor, Celeste Belyea! You will have a great time while learning from the very best pulmonary healthcare experts about your new POC and how to best use it! Celeste Belyea and Holly Marocchi are registered respiratory therapists who founded the Sea Puffer Cruises back in 2003. Believe me, it is well worth it to “Get Up & GO₂”
Check out Sea Puffer Cruises Here: http://www.seapuffers.com
See the 2021 Portable Oxygen Concentrator Comparison, pages 9-20.
