PORTABLE CONCENTRATORS
Last updated: August 2022
So I was diagnosed with COPD about 10 years ago. I started without 02 and have progressed now to 02 24/7.
Portable Oxygen
I have a POC (portable oxygen concentrator) that goes up to 5L which I was thrilled to get, because at home on my big concentrator I am on 3L. What people forget is that your home concentrator is continuous 02, POC are pulse. Someone explained it to me like this: Picture a garden hose with no nozzle on the end, the water flows thick and continuous like your home 02. If you put a nozzle on the end, it only sprays water when you pull the trigger. Using a POC only give you a tiny puff of 02 when you take a breath. Consequentially, you become short of breath easily because you're walking when you use it. I put my setting on 5L when I use it and am still short of breath whenever I'm moving. Also, when set on 5L, the battery will only last about 45 minutes. So I carry around a bag with the plug in it and have to plug in where ever I go. Most MD offices have outlets in the waiting area so it's not a problem. Some restaurants can also accommodate you by a plug also.
Planning ahead
It's just something that you need to plan ahead for. I've learned through experience to have a small tote bag with a snap in the center and position the plugs with one hanging out one side and the other out the other side, so I don't need to remove the whole plug from the bag. The middle snap keeps them in place. Hope this helps people to understand and gets more people out of the house. I know how hard it is to leave the safety of your home, I'm still working on that problem myself.
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