Blog draft june 26 26

Oxygen Equipment

We take in a breath of air. We breathe it out. The process repeats until life is no more. That’s what we are used to. We rarely think of it. Until a problem arises.

That became a part of my life when I was three years old. Living in the desert did not make me immune to allergies, even out there with very little flora. When I returned to living in Altadena, my parents thought I had a cold, but the doctor said no, allergies were the culprit. It turned out I had both hay fever and asthma. Shots were the cure for the day back then, lots of them. And scratch tests.

In times of extreme difficulty, the doctor came to the home and gave me a shot of something that opened my lungs almost instantly. Later, strong pills became a way of life, and I had very few asthma attacks.

At 62 I was diagnosed with COPD. Turns out that is hay fever, asthma and breathing difficulties which usually turn into emphysema. I have now reached the point of emphysema, but it is minor and controllable. Still, I sleep with oxygen from a noisy concentrator all night long. During the day I normally don’t need extra oxygen unless elevation is an issue like in Sante Fe, New Mexico! Sometimes my oxygen concentration drops below 90, even the lower 80’s and then I use either a portable concentrator or oxygen tank.

The wonders of the internet these days have identified me as a patient in need of oxygen equipment. I therefore receive internet ads constantly for tanks, breathing tubes, masks and concentrators. Understand that doctors have this figured out and the prescription for such equipment is up to date. All is covered by Medicare and my health insurance. There is a co-pay, but it is affordable. Of course, I can buy extra equipment if I wish, but the cost is very high, $500 to $3000 per item. I avoid that expense. Still the ads persist. Amazing.

I have sleep apnea as well and a CPAP machine is required. At night oxygen flows through the CPAP but I do not travel with it. Instead, I use the travel concentrator. That is the device that failed to function properly on our recent trip and landed me in the hospital.

My sister-in-law recently died from COPD. She had her own travel concentrator, and my brother recently brought it to his son’s home in St. Charles. I will use that as a backup until my own portable concentrator is replaced or repaired. I have been told that will take one to three months. Seems lengthy to me. The oxygen tanks are clumsy and inconvenient to drive with.

I’ll manage through this medical phase. It’s just another sign of aging. But clearly, I do not take oxygen for granted these days! None of us should.

June 26, 2026

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