Reliant on oxygen concentrator - what next
Hi my dad is 77 next month and has "extensive" COPD (phrase the drs keep using). Unfortunately he is still smoking which is a huge concern.
He is'nt great at looking after himself and wont really take advice.
His diet is very poor (energy drinks and sugar mostly, only eating tiny amounts) and he is losing weight. Up to about 2 weeks ago he was smoking 20 cigs a day but he is down to about 10 a day at the moment because he is so breathless.
He is on Trixeo inhaler, diuretic tablet and preventative anti biotics (3 days a week) but he doesn't always take his meds.
He was given an oxygen concentrator and he has gone from hardly ever using it a month ago to being on it almost 24/7 now. He goes through a lot of ventolin inhalers also (about 3 a month).
In the last few months he has gone from being up early and out and about in the car visiting friends to sleeping until mid afternoon and no interest in anything.
He does get more energy in the evening times and appears much better then!
He is also on a lot of painkillers (panadol extra, solpadeine and tylex) and its hard to know what are side effects of the pain killers (eg drowsiness) or symptoms of the COPD.
He said yesterday that he is sorry he ever started using the oxygen concentrator as he is reliant on it now - I dont know if this is possible.
He smokes with the concentrator in use so I am very worried about this and him moving onto an oxygen tank as I dont trust he wont smoke with it in use.
I feel he is going downhill quite fast but it is hard to support him as he wont do the things that would help him, eg breathing exercises, nutritional drinks, reduce codeine painkillers, etc.
I am worried about the reliance on the oxygen concentrator, he doesn't seem to be able to manage the breathlessness without it. He wont go anywhere without it now.
Any advice would be very welcome.
Hi
. My heart goes out to you. It's such a helpless feeling when someone you love won't help himself. Do you think he is depressed or maybe overwhelmed by all that's necessary to care for himself? If he is depressed or overwhelmed, a frank and compassionate conversation might get him to open up and accept the help he needs. Would a live-in caretaker help or is it even financially possible? His pain meds might be making him worse, but cutting back on painkillers can be phyically and emotionally difficult for people with chronic pain. Sometimes, they feel the benefits of the medications are worse the risks. What does his doctor say about his other medications?
Smoking is an incrediblity strong addiction. Rarely does someone with COPD want to continue. The inability to quit can feel like failure and that can lead to both depression and defensive indifference (a why-bother attitude). The fact that your father has cut down to 10 cigarettes a day is progress. The best you can do is support him with positive feedback and maybe offer to research methods of quitting with him if he is interested. The decision to quit has to be his own if he wants to find the stamina to succeed. His doctor can help as well by talking over methods of quitting with him.
Can you persuade him to take even the smallest of walks with you in the evenings or maybe even do some chair exercises in the house? Any exercise at all can help improve the efficiency of his cardiovascular system and might, in return, give him more energy.
I hope others chime in with advice or tips. Know that we are here for you whenever you need us. Hugs! - Lori (Team Member)I am in Stage 4 COPD and for the last year I have also been battling a microbacterial lung infection that has almost immobilized me. I am 71, on tons of medicine and oxygen 24/7. Taking a shower is like hiking up a mountain. I don't want to give up yet. It's hard to be positive, but what helps me the most is when my family, friends and even my doctors tell me how proud they are of me, and that they see how hard I am working at this!!! Give your dad some positive feedback even if you are frustrated with him. I stopped smoking 11 years ago, and it's hard to quit, but it's not impossible. Don't focus on that right now, though. Focus on praise and pride. Willpower may come soon after.
I am actually battling a chest infection as we speak and now my mom has come down with it and she has COPD. Having a good support system, though, is definitely key. It helps physically, but mentally especially. Congrats on quitting smoking as well! No easy feat! Above all just remember you are not alone! (Seems like you do already know that though 😊) Keep on keepin' on, DPM
