How good are oxygen generators?.

Chest and lungs
1

My blood oxygen levels can spend half the night at 85% and I feel bad brain fog and dizzyness. The NHS are very rel;reluctant to help so I am having to do things myself.

So I bought one of these Oxygen compressors/ generators that remove nitrogen from the air and claim to deliver 90% pure oxygen via the tube under your nose.

So it arrived today, and I am a touch disappointed in that the use of the machine only raises my blood oxygen  level between 1 and 3 percent.

Does anybody else have one of these machines that can report the difference I should be seeing? It was top of a top ten review.

I do not have COPD and have good lung function tests, my oxygen sats go higher with exercise and I have seen 99%, but I do have heart issues and Autonomic Instability which I believe is responsible for me not breathing hard enough, especially when asleep.

Moderator comment: I have removed the image that was attached as it contained personal information which could identify the user. If users want to post images please ensure you remove or black out personal information like names, DOBs etc

2

You are talking to people with lung disease. You sat at 99% and you bought a concentrator? Have you never watched anyone breathe while sleeping? We all breathe less deeply while sleeping. No American insurance company would covet that concentrator for anyone satting at 99%, so I am not surprised that NHS won't help.

3

Oh, and to answer your question: they work great for people who need them. My ex used one for years while on oxygen 24/7, in order to be able to leave the house for a few hours. Eventually he could no longer use it because he needed an oxygen setting of 6 and higher.

4

Did you read my post and click on the picture of my nights sats?

I know there are people worst, but I have been told American Insurance companies pay out for five minutes under 88%, more importantly, another forum post a fella had better sats than I yet still felt so much better with oxygen therapy.

My point about 99% was to say "I have seen", not, its always at 99% Its usually around 92 which is still ok, its what it does when I am asleep that I am trying to address and hopefully help my fatigue and dizzyness. 

I asked on this forum because I thought the people here would know the answer.  

5

That would be 5 awake moments sitting in a doctor's office.

6

Maybe you are suffering from sleep apnoea?  Have you ever been tested for it?  This can make you stop breathing whilst asleep and your oxygen levels can go quite low.  x

7

You do not have COPD and you are self medicating with oxygen.  

Suggest you contact the lung foundation in the country you reside or indeed approach the company your bought the equipment from.

NHS won't advise anyone who is self medicating on oxygen without any diagnosis.

NHS diagnosis, scans, xrays, bloods etc determine whether a patient needs oxygen, with a diagnosis.  

If you really are newly arrived in UK suggest you register with a GP for the appropriate tests and referral to be carried out. 

Oxygen in UK is prescription drug, literage varies from patient to patient the specialist prescribes the dose.  the oxygen companies advise nhs patients regarding any queries with their equipment.

8

You do not have COPD and you are self medicating with oxygen.  

Suggest you contact the lung foundation in the country you reside or indeed approach the company your bought the equipment from.

NHS won't advise anyone who is self medicating on oxygen without any diagnosis.

NHS diagnosis, scans, xrays, bloods etc determine whether a patient needs oxygen, with a diagnosis.  

If you really are newly arrived in UK suggest you register with a GP for the appropriate tests and referral to be carried out. 

Oxygen in UK is prescription drug, literage varies from patient to patient the specialist prescribes the dose.  the oxygen companies advise nhs patients regarding any queries with their equipment.

 

9

This all started when I was put on Bisoprolol beta blocker for my Ventricular Tachycardia, right away I described feeling as if my lungs were no longer working, I also felt like a drunk zombie.

Turns out I was allergic to them, and taken off a year ago, the symptoms however remain and the drunk zombie feeling has gotten progressively worst.

For a long long time, the NHS refused to acknowledge anything they did could be responsible, so my cardiologists were saying "nothing to do with us, see your GP", and the GP would say, "we are waiting on your cardiologists".

It was whilst I was awake in hospital connected to their expensive machine that was constantly beeping because my blood oxygen was always at 87% whilst awake that sent me down this road. So I bought my own oximeter which showed some night I would average 90%, but others I would spend half the night at 85%, so I saw my GP who referred me to a sleep clinic. As is the way, the night I used their oximeter was the night it averaged 90% so the doctor said they only worry when it is below the 88 line, so I showed him my graphs that some times it does go lower for significant periods of time, he said, "you probably had a sweaty finger" and dismissed me, thus the reason for having to self medicate as the NHS are of no help.

I have been referred to an Autonomic Neurolgist who found I have Autonomic Instability, so maybe she will address the low oxygen issue, but it has been a couple of months and I still have not received a follow up appointment.

The Autonomic Nervous System is disrupted by beta blockers, and it is this system that detects the level of oxygen in your blood and automatically gets your lungs to maintain the correct level, when it is working properly. 

I can report that for the last couple of nights since using this machine, I have had the best and deepest nights sleep since this all started a year ago. And my overnight heartbeat is lower and much more stable.

 

10

Yes there's more to your story than your original post. You are still self-medicating and the longer you're on supplemental oxygen, the greater the likelihood that you'll become dependent upon it. Doctors generally avoid putting folks on supplemental oxygen as long as possible because they understand what happens. And BTW, what setting are you using on the concentrator?

11

The machine I bought had good reviews and claimed both flow rate, and oxygen concentration are adjustable. On purchasing it, I find the oxygen concentration is set at 90% for one litre a minute, and turning up the flow rate simply adds more room air which dilutes that 90%, this was the reason for my original question as I was dissapointed to find my blood oxygen only rise between 1 and 3 percent and wondered what others experienced.

I have decided though, and your comment about becoming dependent has helped, that I will stick with this machine, it has certainly given me deep sleep for three night now, my heart ectopic beats during the day when I am not taking this oxygen, are far less than they were. In fact I feel so much better with just this little amount, (I just leave the flow rate on 1 litre a minute so I hardly feel anything blowing up my nose but still get that same one litre of 90), the drunk and dizzy feeling remain however, but at least I will be able to report this to my neurologist earlier.

 

12

I completely agree with Vee2. In the UK at least, oxygen is a prescription only drug, and it is prescription only for good reason. I'm on oxygen 24/7, and have been for 10 years now, and I had to have extensive tests before I was put on it, plus I've had 6 monthly reviews ever since. The reason for that is that supplemental oxygen can be very dangerous, especially at high flow rates. Apart fro dependency, there are other complications that can be fatal. For a start off you could be a CO2 retainer, and without the tests you won't know. If you go over about 1 litre and you are a CO2 retainer it is potentially fatal, which may be why a machine that you can buy over the counter only goes up to that.

I really, really recommend that you get proper medical advice before using supplemental oxygen