Tag Archives: Concentrator

Is Cycling Healthier for a Lung Patient with Right Heart Failure Than Walking?

I am a patient with questions and one of them is:

Is cycling better or healthier for a lung patient with Right Heart Failure than walking.

Based on medical terminology I clearly don’t understand – it APPEARS to say so to this patient…based on the paper I blogged on and the paper I found using the Google search for:  oxyhemoglobin desaturation.

“Oxyhemoglobin desaturation can be quite severe and can even lead to damage to vital organs, particularly the heart, to the point of being life-threatening.3”

Identifying Sleep Disordered Breathing in Neuromuscular Disorder Patients

by Joshua Benditt, MD, and Louis Boitano, MS, RRT

***

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is one thing, add bone on bone left hip and a person has to really fight to move it and I’m doing in the pool what I can’t do ‘on land’ easily – leg up and loosen and build muscle around that hip so I can ride again.  One day the muscling should support it and make it comfortable enough to ride my recumbent trikes again.

I KNOW it will work because when I had physical therapy last year, the personable and talented Anna Marx at Kitsap Physical Therapy in Silverdale put me on a machine I could not only tolerate – a recumbent elliptical – over time I actually loosened up enough where I could and did – close my eyes and built speed and a rhythm on that machine – exactly like riding a recumbent trike, a horse…without the pain of the bone on bone left hip!

I’ve begun working out four days a week with an amazing professional swim instructor and I hope and expect to regain much of the function I lost.  There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. It appears to be working – a ‘study’ in itself.  More later.

That said, what about my question:

Is cycling better or healthier for a lung patient with right heart failure than walking?

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BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exhibit greater oxyhemoglobin desaturation during walking than with cycling. The purpose of this investigation was to investigate differences in ventilatory responses and gas exchange as proposed mechanisms for this observation.

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/2011/02/08/a-new-study-for-copders-mechanism-of-greater-oxygen-desaturation-during-walking-compared-with-cycling-in-copd/

Read more: http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/#ixzz1DTzzcGaW

Read more: http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/#ixzz1DTzg8nOT

“Oxyhemoglobin desaturation can be quite severe and can even lead to damage to vital organs, particularly the heart, to the point of being life-threatening.3”

Identifying Sleep Disordered Breathing in Neuromuscular Disorder Patients

by Joshua Benditt, MD, and Louis Boitano, MS, RRT

Joshua Benditt, MD, is a professor of medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle. He is also director of respiratory care services, Northwest Assisted Breathing Center, University of Washington Medical Center. He can be reached at benditt@u.washington.edu. Louis Boitano, MS, RRT, is codirector of the Northwest Assisted Breathing Center, University of Washington Medical Center. Boitano can be reached at boitano@u.washington.edu.

The symptoms of sleep disordered breathing in patients with neuromuscular disease can be subtle, but once recognized and treated, symptoms can improve.

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/issues/articles/2007-01_03.asp

I don’t know how this all fits together for us – I also have sleep apnea and sleep with a bi-pap and concentrator bleed in to the bi-pap.

More later… Sharon O’Hara

Kitsap’s JELLY ROLL BLUES – Part Two: Smiles, Giggles, Tears at Harrison’s Emergency Preparedness BB Meeting

Kitsap’s  JELLY ROLL BLUES – Part Two:  Smiles, Giggles, Tears at Harrison’s Emergency Preparedness BB Meeting

We live in earthquake country.  We’ve jellied to varying degrees in the past and no doubt will again in the future.  So far we haven’t had a quake over magnitude 7.0 and that was in 1949.

More jelly jiggles and Shake, Rattle and Roll are in store for Kitsap County and surrounds.  What are we doing to prepare to take care of ourselves at least 72 hours?

Another quake or natural disaster – such as the last freeze and two day power outage in Silverdale is coming.  I don’t want to repeat the last one where everything we counted on, failed, including the generator and we lived inside where the temperature dropped to 40 degrees over the two days without heat or bi-pap and concentrator.

Smiles, Giggles, Tears at Harrison’s Emergency Preparedness BB Meeting

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“Earthquake activity:

Kitsap County-area historical earthquake activity is slightly above Washington state average. It is 235% greater than the overall U.S. average.

 

On 4/13/1949 at 19:55:42, a magnitude 7.0 (7.0 UK, Class: Major, Intensity: VIII – XII) earthquake occurred 26.2 miles away from the county center, causing $80,000,000 total damage

On 2/28/2001 at 18:54:32, a magnitude 6.8 (6.5 MB, 6.6 MS, 6.8 MW, Depth: 32.2 mi, Class: Strong, Intensity: VII – IX) earthquake occurred 36.5 miles away from the county center, causing $2,000,000,000 total damage and $305,000,000 insured losses

On 4/29/1965 at 15:28:43, a magnitude 6.6 (6.6 UK) earthquake occurred 25.1 miles away from the county center, causing $28,000,000 total damage

On 7/3/1999 at 01:43:54, a magnitude 5.8 (5.4 MB, 5.5 MS, 5.8 MW, 5.3 ME, Depth: 25.2 mi, Class: Moderate, Intensity: VI – VII) earthquake occurred 47.5 miles away from Kitsap County center

On 5/3/1996 at 04:04:22, a magnitude 5.5 (5.2 MB, 5.3 MD, 5.5 ML, Depth: 2.5 mi) earthquake occurred 44.2 miles away from the county center

On 2/14/1981 at 06:09:27, a magnitude 5.5 (5.1 MB, 4.8 MS, 5.5 ML) earthquake occurred 84.8 miles away from the county center

Magnitude types: body-wave magnitude (MB), duration magnitude (MD), energy magnitude (ME), local magnitude (ML), surface-wave magnitude (MS), moment magnitude (MW)”

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/county/Kitsap_County-WA.html#ixzz1CFUSNERU

A few key points from the outstanding and powerful program put on by Pamela O’Flynn, RRT, MBA Respiratory Care Department, Harrison Medical Center and the American Lung Association’s, Better Breathers (BB) caught my attention.  For a super reference booklet – get the 12-month Preparedness Calendar for the full story.

Contact your local hotels/motels for their pet policy.  Next time, should the generator fail us again, we’ll pack up the dogs and head for a dog friendly hotel and drag the bi-pap and concentrator along.

We were told to pack what we generally eat for our 72 hour Comfort Kit – the total opposite of what I used to pack and take in the mountains during the old horse packing and hiking years.   Food that was lightweight, easy to cook and nutritious for the weight was key in what I chose for such trips…not necessarily what I ate at home.

The difference will show up in our bodily functions – “Eat what the body is used to…” And the interesting Poo Bags were mentioned.

The go anywhere toilet kit includes:

  • Waste bag pre-loaded with Poo Powder gelling deodorizing agent.
  • Outer zip-close disposal bag.
  • Natural odor control and decay catalyst
  • 1 hand sanitizer
  • 1 toilet paper

I bought mine online at REI, but they are probably sold locally at any of the sports stores.

Our homes should be earthquake proofed including anchoring furniture to the walls. Laura Jull, CEM, CHSP, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Harrison Medical Center, uses Museum Wax to anchor down small items to the shelf.

600 thousand pets were never found or missing after Katrina – no one was prepared for the magnitude of the storm.  A lesson learned there carries over here…and provisions are being made for our pets in case of a disaster.

For those on oxygen, bi-pap, c-pap or concentrators, register to be on a Special Needs list and shelter.  Contact the Fire Department and get on the Power Company list.

Contact your Oxygen Company and ask what provisions they have in place for their clients during a disaster.

Additional information and to get your 12-month Preparedness Calendar:

‘Our Better Breathers support group meets quarterly monthly  in the Rose room at Harrison Silverdale. Please call 360-744-6685 for dates and information. ‘   http://www.harrisonmedical.org/home/calendar/4885

Sheriff Boyer is Kitsap County’s emergency coordinator – I hope he/department will see Pam’s Katrina slide presentation and get her viewpoints based on her real life experiences working in a hospital so badly affected during and after Katrina – as were they all badly affected.  Her hard earned insight should prove helpful for that day coming in our future….in my opinion.

I am still unable to get the photos here from this computer … later

More later… Sharon O’Hara

When the Power Goes Out – Is Kitsap County a Cold and Lonely Place For COPDers?

When the Power Goes Out – Is Kitsap County a Cold and Lonely Place For COPDers?

We had one battery charged lantern and I kept the box handy on the counter because I knew the lights would come on any minute and I could quickly put it away again. Two days later, the lights came on and I put it away.  The laptop puddled in place – a good reminder that better power days were ahead…same with the lamp.  The two drawers full of old candles were not lit…I do not want to inhale candle fumes.

The little shortwave radio was meant as a Christmas present but I’ve kept it – the so welcome sound and information was my connection to the world.

I didn’t know it when I shot this photo but less than two hours later, the tireless power wonders will have restored our power.  It was so very cold….and it felt balmy when the temperature inside finally came up to 50 degrees.

No, only for those on life giving machines such as the C-Pap and Bi-Pap machines – they have nowhere to go to plug in their life sustaining machines.   Seniors on a concentrator bleed-in usually can’t carry the heavy machines.

The plus during the last two day power outage was to discover all the people helping others in a tight fix.

My husband, the Old Guy, spent most of the two days out in the cold trying to fix the generator.

The discovery that the tube he thought would fix it, didn’t,  led to more cell calls to the generator tech folks and ultimately to another  Kitsap County Angel –Ward’s Radiator Shop in Chico.

It turned out that all we needed was an expandable plug that Wards said should work temporarily until he can solder it in this summer.  It worked and is still working!  But not until after the wonderful power workers fixed our power and we went on the emergency source heat pump. Thank you, Ward’s Radiator Shop in Chico!

Our inside temperature dropped to 40 degrees and by the second night the Old Guy fixed our old portable Honda generator and asked if I wanted it hooked to a portable heater or use it on my bi-pap and concentrator.

Well.  Having taken the Mountaineering course at Olympic College some 35 years ago and learning some survival skills,  I didn’t see the sense of blowing 41 degree air into the 98 degree body I’d carefully kept warm by layering.  And, once in bed, I stayed warm and didn’t need a heater.

Question:  Was my concern and decision against blowing 41 degree cold air into my airway wrong?

Would the cold air have been warmed enough by a warm core or would my core have begun to cool to reflect the cold air blowing in?

As it was, many of us went without the machines that keep our airway open and (for some) that keep our vital blood/oxygen numbers up.

Funny thing: With good reason, the Old Guy complains, moans, and groans whenever I ask him to get something out of the freezer and puts on heavy gloves to do it – he has Raynaud’s Disease in his fingers.

During the two day power outage, he spent hours in the below freezing weather working on the generator and never said a word…just went to work trying to fix it…and couldn’t wear the thick, warm gloves.  ‘Caregivers’ is an overdue story for another time.

Bainbridge Seniors at the Senior Center have plans to provide a place to go and I hope they coordinate with oxygen companies to assist those on machines to keep their airways open and for those on concentrators and oxygen.

http://pugetsoundblogs.com/copd-and-other-stuff/2011/01/09/cold-in-silverdale-bi-senior-center-rocks/

My bi-pap was ordered after a Sleep Apnea study in 2001and Lincare supplied my Respironics Duet on 3 August 2001, according to Mike DiMatteo of Lincare, and our insurance paid it off in February 2002.

In 2010, my secure sense of well-being went to the bottom of rattlesnake canyon in a hand basket when a home study showed my sats dropped into the basement while asleep, way below good oxygen levels.  I fell through the cracks in our system and I can’t be the only one.

We have stuff – serious stuff that needs fixing and that is another story for another time.

As I see it, oxygen companies are caught in the bind of Medicare, Medicaid and patients and one flaw has been lack of communication between patient, physician and Oxygen Company.

Patients talk to your doctor – its vital your sats stay up while awake and how much leeway do we have if they drop when we’re asleep?  We need oxygen to our organs and the brain is a vital organ.

While I had the friendly and helpful Mike DiMatteo on the phone, I asked him about offering help with the Bainbridge Senior Center seniors planning a safe haven when the power goes out.  Mike said he would be glad to offer whatever help/advice they needed.  I’m sure most of Kitsap’s oxygen companies who supply these machines will help too.

Someday the rest of Kitsap County will follow the Bainbridge Senior Center seniors lead and provide assistance for those who need help when the power goes out. For some seniors, just a viable power plug can make the difference between life and death.

A super plus is the great event next Wednesday at Harrison Silverdale speaking to this very subject of emergency assistance for those of us on oxygen, concentrators, BiPap and C-Pap – all respiratory folks.

COPDers and caregivers – Mark Wednesday, 19 January on your calendar – Full details tomorrow.

More later… Sharon O’Hara

Cold in Silverdale… BI Senior Center Rocks

We gotta love the Bainbridge Island folks – again!  Here they go…this time their seniors are looking out after the folks caught out in the cold during emergencies…and prompt the question:  what happens to folks on oxygen or c-pap or bi-pap machines when the power goes out?  (corrected)

Some folks have a concentrator hooked up to bleed into the bi-pap machine and supply oxygen to the machine that keeps the airway open.

What happens to well prepared, emergency trained folks when their power goes out?  Some prepared folks have a generator they skipped a lot of evenings out to buy.

Our generator is geared to kick on five (thirty) seconds after the power dies…and it did.  Trouble is, it stopped after ten minutes or so.

Without the generator, it didn’t matter that the heat pump didn’t work.  We stopped caring that the technician scheduled to fix our heat pump hours earlier was stuck on BI and couldn’t get here.

It also didn’t matter that the propane company scheduled to deliver propane for our two tanks couldn’t negotiate the snowy, icy hills to get here…making the fact our propane fireplace insert didn’t work immaterial…we didn’t have enough propane to make it run.

For the first time I understood the saying, “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”

The first night of a declining temperature, my husband, the Old Guy, worked out in the cold, freezing temperatures to fix the generator but first, he drove down to Sears in the big 4-wheel drive suv gas guzzler to get the part he needed.

He found Sears closed up early, then drove past the open Silverdale Firestone and lucked out.  What were the odds Firestone would have the exact size tubing he needed?  The clerk didn’t know but the owner not only found it, he gave it to him – no charge!  THANK YOU, FIRESTONE!

The Old Guy worked on the generator until 1300 (1:00AM) the next morning without luck.  At any time, we expected/hoped the power would return.  With cable phone, it didn’t work either.

Between a Nordstrom wool hat and REI, LL Bean layered clothing we were okay for a while.  I hoped to get the bi-pap and concentrator working before sleeping a second night without it.

The value of a down blanket cannot be underestimated.  I went to bed cold but woke up warm.  Getting out of that warm bed and dressed was a speedy process…both nights.

The temperature inside steadily dropped to a low 41 degrees and we began thinking of leaving with the dogs and the machines that helped supply a quality life – the  bi-pap and concentrator.

I thought about the homeless.  I wondered how other people right here in Kitsap County, who needed machines to live, managed without electricity?

What do we do for them?

Not everyone can get a generator.

Bainbridge Island Senior Center Folks – you rock!

“A group of Bainbridge seniors has urged the city to develop an overnight emergency shelter for years.

The Nov. 22, 2010, snowstorm served as a reminder of the need, but the seniors aren’t waiting around for the city this time.”

http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jan/08/bainbridge-senior-center-members-stepping-to/

More later…. Sharon O’Hara

Happy 70th, Kentucky Girl!