Taking a shower with oxygen on
Does anyone have any suggestions to take a shower while using oxygen? I find it to be very difficult and I’m afraid the water is going to get in the tubing. Thanking you in advance
Hi
, many in our community have the same difficulties when it comes to showering. We have many articles on the topic and I have included a few here that I hope are helpful to you:
https://copd.net/answers/expert-answers-showering
https://copd.net/living/community-feedback-tips-for-showering
https://copd.net/forums/showering-tips
They do mention that it IS safe to use your oxygen while in the shower and they all offer some really helpful tips to make showering as easy as possible. All the best, Sam S. (Team Member).
I do this. It was a bit awkward at first, but I adapted easily enough. I have a shower chair and the shower stall has a sliding glass door. I just have to be careful not to shut the door on the hose. I could run it over, but it's easier to just leave a crack in the sliding door, which also gives a little bit of a cool breeze. It takes me a while longer than it used to, but the only real difficulty I have is raising my hands over my head to wash my hair, just because it is a bit tiring. But it is also good exercise and I feel much refreshed afterwards. I had to change to liquid body wash with a pump on the bottle instead of bar soap, with my shaky hands, and I also have a pump on my shampoo. Those things combine to make it all quite doable. It all took a little getting used to but a bit of practice and it's working okay now. I hope any of this helps. Oh, the water won't get in the tube. It is air and water tight, and has positive pressure coming out of the cannula, so water will not get in there. I love running the hot water over my hair, feels good!
thank you for your post about the shower. I sit on stool in shower, do most everything from there. I don't take my line in the shower. I'm afraid if it got water in the hose and knowing me, I would. I appreciate your post on what you do. I'm working on my fears that I'm suddenly going to stop breathing. It's hard but I hang in there. Another Sandie! Cool! Okay - Water cannot get into your oxygen hose. It is not possible as long as it is connected to a flow of oxygen. The concentrator (or tank) is pushing O2 from the source towards the cannula, so it has what is called positive pressure in it,. which means the atmospheric pressure inside the line is greater than it is outside it. So, even underwater, water cannot enter the hose because the air is always pushing outwards. You can test and prove this to yourself (to your own eyes) using the sink with some water in it. Just dunk the cannula in for a minute (with O2 flowing through it), under the water, then pull it out and you can see there will be no water in it. I can stand under the shower head with hot water running over my head, breathing just fine through the cannula in my nose, because the water cannot get in there. Once you understand this, you can relax and enjoy how good the shower feels! I promise! It's great! Throughout my day, there is nothing I can possibly do that makes me feel better than standing in that shower under the hot water with a little cool air coming in past the shower door. It's heavenly!
I also have a long-handled back brush and extra large wash cloths (I use a hand towel for this) to make it all easier. Works great!
Sandie, I wear the oxygen in the shower, the water doesn't get in the tubing. I wash my hair in the bathroom sink and leave the tubing in, no water gets in the tubing. Thank you.
