Sharing the Health
Praxair of Danbury, CT, recalled all units of its Grab ’n Go Vantage Portable Oxygen Cylinder manufactured from June 17, 2009–November 16, 2012. According to the FDA, fires within the cylinder unit may occur as a result of physical impact such as dropping or knock- ing it over. Although the fires are self-extinguishing, they may expose oxygen users to burns or deprive them of oxygen. If you are serviced by Praxair, please check your equipment.
If you use TransTracheal oxygen or are thinking about having the procedure done, you may want to join Lyn Cole and the “Moving More” group at http:// tinyurl.com/aetn8n8. It is made up of TransTracheal oxygen users and medical professionals who share tips and advice on a variety of topics about living with lung challenges.
If you have COPD and do not meet present standards to use oxygen, you may be able to participate in a study meant to see if using oxygen earlier than is currently recommended would be beneficial.
For more information (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00692198), visit http://tinyurl.com/awlxzp9.
Be sure never to use a humidifier bottle with your portable oxygen concentrator when it is in the pulse dose mode. The concentrator will not be able to sense your breath. I learned the hard way!
Jeri M., Minnesota
Henry Stern of New York is swimming easier these days after his doctor advised him to stop exercising in a chlorinated pool after his respiratory problems started to increase. Henry found an indoor saltwater pool and his breathing is much improved!
For quite a while I rarely wore any of my necklaces because you couldn’t see them very well due to the tubing from my nasal cannula hanging over them. One day I thought, “I can wear the tubing under my blouse!” I tried it, and it worked perfectly. Now my necklaces do not have to compete with tubing for center stage.
I would also like to put a plug in for the benefits of exercise. In the fall of 2011, I was in the hospital for two-and-a-half months, most of the time on a ventilator. At first I had the strength of a newborn baby, but started to walk, using a walker. I eventually added hand weights and walking on a treadmill.
After a while I was able to go to Pulmonary Rehab, and kept getting stronger. I attended a family reunion last summer in the Colorado mountains at 8,000 feet. For the first time in my life, I rode an alpine slide down to the base. Woohoo!
Marilyn Sundt, Aurora, CO
I have trouble with those smelly aisles at the grocery store with detergents and candles, I start dry coughing. It helps to use my inhaler before I get to those sections. If a cart is available, I drive past really fast! If not, I find that clerks are very willing to get my detergent or whatever else I want. If I stand looking bewildered at the end of the aisle, even other shoppers offer to help!
Rosemary, New York