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When is oxygen equp not working emergency?

mamamoe
mamamoe
I have been trying hard not to overreact...but....for the past 3 days I've noticed my oxygen concentrator setting was not staying at 2 where it usually has in the past. The first couple of times was when I turned it on. It was at 4 (the setting automaticallly usually just went back up to two.)
I checked it the other night and it was at 1... I use oxygen when I nap and at night.

Well....I've had sleep problems for awhile, waking up at 3 a.m. I woke up at 3 this a.m. and looked at my concentrator that was running and it was at 1.5. I specifically set it at 2 and it was there when I went to sleep....

So it's 3 in the a.m. and I call the local branch of the oxy company and it took three calls before they'd answer. It was a regional guy who was nice enough but said he'd report to the local branch....asked if I just wanted to call back on Mon. I told him I thought this needed to be addressed before Monday and I wouldn't have called at 3:30 a.m. if I didn't think it needed to be addressed. He assured me someone would call me in an hr. Well....it's been almost 2 hrs. I'm not sure what to do. Sometimes it's hard to know what's the proper etiquette...but ya know, I need my oxygen and this company gets a lot of money a month for very little work on their part.....
I'm sorry....I'm just really frustrated. Am I wrong that this shouldn't be addressed immediately?
bjrapp2020
bjrapp2020
No you are not wrong!! My medical supplier has a 24 hour emergency number, all of them should, but even if not, they should know that being able to breath is why you are taking the o2 in the first place, and not being able to get the right amount is scary and not good for you.
I hope by now someone has helped you!!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
The only external problem that will cause that is a restricted O2 hose. Unplugging your hose should make less than a 1/2 LPM difference in the output. If if goes up dramatically, you may have a blocked/restricted hose. I figured it may be worth a look.
On another note, your O2 supplier usually provides a large backup O2 tank in case of concentrator failure..

Hugs,
Dennis
jarca
jarca
i would get "pushy" at getting them out there as your life does depend on it & when we are sleeping it is the most important as that's when the body naturally lowers respiratory rate.
Dennis,
my machine doesn't do that (the guy thought it did until we unplugged the line and the setting didn't change, kinked the line etc.
(this is when i thought my machine wasn't being accurate & they came out to check it)
my O2 company then gave me an "inline ball" checker. i looks kind of like a cross between pen& an old glass thermometer.
it has a little metal ball inside that i hook to my line (it can be hooked like a swivel between 2 lines and left, but i just use it for checking)~~~~the metal ball floats up to register on the lines what amount of O2 liters is coming thru your line.
i found that my machine is consistently 1/2 L less than it says on the floating ball on the machine!!!!
so i always check with this inline tester whenever i think i may not be getting enough (or too much) O2 ; as the guy said that it is more accurate than the machine.
good luck, but like bj, my company has a 24 hour emergency number & i would get them out there whether they think they should come or not!
with my company the little inline testers are free so he gave me 2 so i have one when i travel also.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I totally agree with the other replies. This IS important enough for someone to address immediately! what is that expression?? The squeaky wheel gets the oil (or something like that)I have always been a very passive person, but I am having to learn to be much more assertive. And I'm actually beginning to like being this way! ;)
vicki
Kanadian
Kanadian
Be pushy, shovey etc. I got very frustrated with my supplier. At the time I was covered for the rental of the equipment. They were charging the insurance co. $500 per year for maintenance. I told them to cancel it after one year as I had never heard or saw anyone from the O2 co. When I bought the big concentrator, I continued to rent tanks to have for emergencies and for travel. The rent was $18 @ month and refills were $3. Out of nowhere, I started getting bills for $78 for rent and $15 for refills. It took me calling my member of parliament to step in and get it straightened out. Their first response had been that there had not been an increase for a number of years so they were trying to "catch up."
I'm glad I was able to find a used portable so I don't have to keep running into the city to refill tanks.

Keep an eye on Kijiji for equipment. Especially if you have someone that can check it out for you.
mamamoe
mamamoe
A respiratory therapist from the oxygen company in another branch office in the state called me at 6:30 a.m. Apparently the on-call guy for my branch had his phone turned off so he wasn't able to be reached. At 11 a.m. they brought another concentrator. Apparently the company has received other calls from customers saying the oxygen is dropping and they are attributing it to a bad bunch of tubing. Looking forward to some sleep tonight, hopefully uninterrupted. Thanks for the replies.