Friday, August 13, 2010
Last month we talked about travel with COPD and looked at some suggestions for an easy-breathing getaway. But what if you use oxygen?
No doubt about it, life can be more complicated if you require supplemental oxygen (and we say supplemental because we all need oxygen), but that doesn’t mean y...
This is the first trip I have travelled with my own POC.
I have been flying between London and LA all my life, but as a chronic lung disease sufferer I have been requiring supplemental O2 for 4 years. I have always relied on arranging the airline O2, and arranging cylinders whilst on vacation. This trip I am travelling with my POC (Airsep Freestyle) for the 1st time. It has changed my life. I can now visit more places by plane as before I couldn't take a flight without O2 and many of the shorter 1-2 hour type flights within the US don't provide O2.
I will still always need to arrange Airline O2 for the international legs (I need 12 hours of O2 at 3L), but this trip will be taking 2 other plane journeys, using my own POC. What a joy to be able to walk through the airport with it, to plug it in when needed, to not have the hassle of contacting O2 companies out here.
I know these devices are very expensive, but to me, it is like the purchase of an expensive piece of jewellery. It is just as valuable and life changing!
Dear Susannah,
Thank you for sharing this valuable information from your personal experience! It's great to see that this new oxygen system is working as it was intended and even more exciting to see that the end product is that you, the person using supplemental oxygen, is getting out there and enjoying life with much less hassle.
I know that money is tight for a lot of people but you make a very good point. To think of how much more benefit you're getting from this oxygen system than you would from some "bling" hanging around your neck!
Have an easy breathing day!
Jane.
http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com
I've been on supplemental oxygen since March 2006 and have driven from my home in NH to Florida, Mississsippi, TN, OH on three separate occasions and have flown from Boston to San Diego twice.
I used a Sequel Eclipse for 100% of my oxygen needs on all trips except for the last one when a met a friend and we "Shared" her liquid oxygen.
Here are some tips for traveling by car:
Always request an emergency oxygen tank (with several houors worth of oxygen) you can leave in your vehicle in case of a malfunction of your portable unit.
Avoid highway rest areas when possible. They're crowded and also loaded with germs and you usually have a long walk to get to the rest rooms. We prefer to find a restaurant (such as a waffle house) where parking is near the building and easy to get to.
Before flying with your portable oxygen:
Once you have made your fligh reservations, head over to the aairline's website and look under the special needs section to locate the oxygen medical form. Each airline has their own form. Print it out and have your doctor complete the form which will indicate that you are healthy enough to fly and how many liters per minute of oxygen you require. Some doctors will fax the form over to the airline for you and then mail you a copy (You cannot board a plane without this form). A few days before your flight, someone from the airline will contact you to ensure that you have enough batteries with you to last the entire flight (they add more in case of flight delays etc).
At the Airport
Make sure to keep your portable unit plugged into the electrical outlet until boarding the plane. This will conserve your battery life. ONce you;re seated on the plane, if you can sit without needing oxygen leave it turned off until the plane is ready for take-off. It's best to conserve your battery life as much as possible to avoid get stressed in case there is a delay when landing.
I hope this information is helpful to someone.
Your comment about keeping your POC plugged in at the airport is a very good one. But another good tip is to take along a multiple outlet plug (extender). With so many people using the airport gate plugs for their laptops, iPods, u-name-it, outlets can be at a premium. If you have your multiple outlet handy, nobody will refuse sharing an outlet with you. And they're small enough not to take up too much space in your carry-on bag. Be sure to get one that accepts grounded plugs (one prong is bigger).
Hello AerOHead,
What a good idea! You're right. The electrical outlets in the gate areas are being used much more lately.
Thanks for sharing this great tip with us!
Jane.
http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com