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Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 6:12 am
by herefishy
Great that you had an improvement, now how do you feel?
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:07 am
by wardmiller
Peter C wrote: ↑Tue Mar 20, 2018 11:49 am
I don't suffer from OSA, but Autonomic Instability giving me a low blood oxygen content whilst asleep.
Whilst I wait for the NHS to do something, (only been a year so far), is it worth getting one of these oxygen generators?, how do they work?, do they take air from your room and take the oxygen from it? Is there any danger from upsetting the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide that the Autonomic Nervous System detects and reacts to in the blood?
Anybody else use them?
The symptoms I am trying to eliviate are a constant fatigue, feeling I am drunk and dizziness.
Thanks.
Peter, room air consists of about 78% Nitrogen, about 21% Oxygen, plus some small amounts of other gases. The Oxygen Concentrator passes room air over Zelite crystals, that remove virtually all the Nitrogen, leaving almost pure Oxygen. This Oxygen is then pumped to the user, selectively from, usually, 1 to 5 liters per minute. The home units are rather large, weighing in at 40 lbs or so, while a good portable (rechargeable battery operation) may be 2 or three lbs. Usually, the large unit pumps Oxygen continuously, while the portable senses when the user inhales and then pumps a whiff of Oxygen, thus conserving on battery life. Some units indicate the actual flow of Oxygen, others show just the rate selected. The room air is virtually unchanged by all of this.
Both my wife and I have used Oxygen Concentrators for several years. Much, much better than using bottled Oxygen.
Persons who suffer from low blood/oxygen generally fall into two broad categories. 1) fainting or loss of conscientiousness, 2) or no short-term symptoms. The latter can be very serious because it causes a gradual, long term degradation of major organs, including the brain.
If your %SpO2 (Oxygen in blood) occasionally goes into the 70s and low 80s, I'd recommend seeing a Pulmonologist. On the other hand, your symptoms could be caused by many other problems, including severe OSA. Have you actually been tested for OSA?
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:25 am
by raisedfist
Your oxygen levels look a lot better on that new graph. You barely spent any time below 88%.
You may want to see if your doctor will prescribe you a "better" concentrator down the line. I doubt you would hear or feel in your head the difference between a flow rate of 1 to 2 l/min. You don't want to go overboard with the oxygen though, just enough to maintain an oxygen saturation of 88-90% on the lowest end while sleeping. I am wondering what your oxygen saturation is doing while moving around in the house, and outside.
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 10:22 am
by palerider
Peter C wrote: ↑Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:15 am
So here is a oximeter report from my first might with it, deepest sleep I have had for a long time and as you can see, the basal average of 91.8% for sleeping is fine and the best I have ever seen it since I had an oximeter.
I was thinking I could send it back and pay 3 times as much for one that delivers 90% oxygen at faster rates than 1lt a minute, but on consideration, this 90% I get at 1lt will be as good as 90% at 1lt a minute from a better machine, and as this level is enough of an improvement, would I even use the faster flow as I dont like the feeling of a faster rate of air being blown up my nose anyway.
Most people use 2-3lpm at night.
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:15 pm
by Peter C
herefishy wrote: ↑Sat Mar 24, 2018 6:12 am
Great that you had an improvement, now how do you feel?
I felt better this morning than yesterday, but the brain fog and dizzyness arrived later in the day.
I had Ventricular Tachycardia and have mild mid LAD disease, PVCs but worst is Autonomic Instability, so its hard for me to know what is causing what, I am clutching at straws really, trying to find what is wrong with me and what can improve things. I have to do it myself as the NHS is broken.
What did feel good wqas for the first time in a long time, I had a really good sleep, normally I have to force myself out of bed in the mornings as I wake up so exhausted I just want to go back to sleep. I was also pleased to see my weak heart beating at a somewhat slower rate and certainly not all over the place as it often is when I am asleep.
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:25 pm
by Peter C
wardmiller wrote: ↑Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:07 am
Peter, room air consists of about 78% Nitrogen, about 21% Oxygen, plus some small amounts of other gases. The Oxygen Concentrator passes room air over Zelite crystals, that remove virtually all the Nitrogen, leaving almost pure Oxygen. This Oxygen is then pumped to the user, selectively from, usually, 1 to 5 liters per minute. The home units are rather large, weighing in at 40 lbs or so, while a good portable (rechargeable battery operation) may be 2 or three lbs. Usually, the large unit pumps Oxygen continuously, while the portable senses when the user inhales and then pumps a whiff of Oxygen, thus conserving on battery life. Some units indicate the actual flow of Oxygen, others show just the rate selected. The room air is virtually unchanged by all of this.
Both my wife and I have used Oxygen Concentrators for several years. Much, much better than using bottled Oxygen.
Persons who suffer from low blood/oxygen generally fall into two broad categories. 1) fainting or loss of conscientiousness, 2) or no short-term symptoms. The latter can be very serious because it causes a gradual, long term degradation of major organs, including the brain.
If your %SpO2 (Oxygen in blood) occasionally goes into the 70s and low 80s, I'd recommend seeing a Pulmonologist. On the other hand, your symptoms could be caused by many other problems, including severe OSA. Have you actually been tested for OSA?
The unit I have is fairly small, but it is continuous rather than the pulse ones.
Apart from the actual heart, all my problems started from the very day they put me on beta blockers, I right away said I could no longer feel my lungs working and I seemed to have to remember to breathe.
Turns out I was allergic to them, taken off a year ago, but still suffer all the symptoms. Told I have Autonomic Instability as a result, (after I worked out what was going on and got my cardiologist to refer me to a nuerolgist!), the Autonomic Nervous System has receptors that detect the level of blood oxygen, and if too low, gets your lungs to work harder whilst you are asleep and unaware, when this system is off a tad, you get the low oxygen. If I go for a walk, or general activity, my blood oxygen is generally around 94, though I have seen it go as high as 99. Its when I relax it seems to go low, yet I dont feel breathless then, the oximeter in the hospital was constantly bleeping as awake, but lying in bed, showed my sats as 87.
Re: Are these oxygen concentrator generators any good?
Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:33 pm
by Peter C
raisedfist wrote: ↑Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:25 am
Your oxygen levels look a lot better on that new graph. You barely spent any time below 88%.
You may want to see if your doctor will prescribe you a "better" concentrator down the line. I doubt you would hear or feel in your head the difference between a flow rate of 1 to 2 l/min. You don't want to go overboard with the oxygen though, just enough to maintain an oxygen saturation of 88-90% on the lowest end while sleeping. I am wondering what your oxygen saturation is doing while moving around in the house, and outside.
When moving around, its normally around 94.
It was because the hospital machines alarm was constantly beeping when I was awake in bed as it was staying at 87 that made me pursue this avenue of trying to work out why I feel so ill.
So I bought my own oximeter, some nights it hovers around 90, others a lot of time around 85, so I showed these to my GP who referred me to a sleep apnea clinic, all they did was give me an oxmeter like mine, as is always the way, I had one of my better nights so the doctor said whilst it was low, they only worry when it spends some time around the mid 80s, so I told him that it often does and showed him a few graphs, he said I probably had a sweaty finger and sent me away. My GP on hearing this has arranged another sleep clinic referral elsewhere, but that's June. I am not confident my sats are low enough for the NHS to consider its worth spending money on me, which is why I decided to take things into my own hands. Its been a year now and I lost my job as a result.