My Double Lung Transplant

Friday, June 13, 2008

Friday the 13th

*enter music here*

Today is Friday the 13th, which means that motorcycle people from all over North America ride their bikes to Port Dover, Ontario (or cross the border into Ontario and up to Port Dover) and i guess they just hang out...or something. On my way to rehab today, I saw about 1000 motorcycle people headed to Port Dover as they always do....and I always seem to forget that this is what they do whenever there is a Friday the 13th.

I almost slept in for rehab today. Had my sister not called the house on her way to work at 7:45am to tell my mum she'd forgotten her belt, I probably never would have woken from my slumber. But i did...with rehab starting at 8:30, and today I got everything done at rehab even though it was only open from 8:30-10am! WEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am exhausted today...not feeling well, and have eaten all too many gummy bears. I had soup for supper, came home from Chantels, and had some more gummy bears. I'm probably rotting.

The last 2 days i've been wearing my O2 a lot more during the day when I'm alone. I feel slightly better with in on, with less dizzy spells and less random jolts of pain to the chest as I often experience. I also came to the realization I need to say "bye bye" to my tiny portable O2 and get a bigger liquid O2 and a cart...b/c the tiny one is Pulse Ox (will explain in a few sentences) and the bigger ones are continuous flow. When i got to rehab today and took my resting sats (oxygen saturations in the blood after resting), they were 82% - ON PULSE OX! TERRIBLE! (normal is between 98-100%; low is considered anything under 98%...and I lie between the high 80's and low 90's...so a reading of 82% WITH O2 is terrible)

Continuous oxygen is similar to having a concentrator (the big Monster you use at night...which takes surrounding air and turns it into O2 and sends it to you via cannula). With portable O2, you can have it in gas forms..which comes in tank, or liquid form, which you can fill yourself repeatedly. Liquid O2 lasts longer and is more efficient. Continuous flow means that oxygen is always coming out of the cannula...it doesn't stop unless it is turned off or runs out.

PulseOx is used to conserve oxygen. Like the name, the oxygen is delivered through the cannula when the person inhales - hence the term 'pulse'.) This is fine and dandy if you're sitting down and you don't need the continuous flow of O2...but when you're walking around, and your lungs are getting shitty like mine and your body's demand for O2 is sky high, PulseOx becomes a bad idea...So needless to say I will have to call the oxygen company on Monday to see if they can deliver regular portable liquid O2 to me. I feel almost bad having to do it, since it took them so long to find me the tiny one...but if i feel like i'm suffocating when i wear it, that's pretty bad.

Before they take it away from me I will get a picture for you lot, but you must know that I am incredibly lazy so it could take a while.

In a sense, I'm almost sad to see it go.:(

2 comments:

Alice Vogt said...

Off of O2 my sats used to be 50%, and when I 'exercised' it dropped to early 40's, which is not a bad drop considering how low they are. This was at an altitude though.. does that matter?? Anyway, hope the better O2 helps, and also the wearing it 24/7 at home!!

Matt Todd said...

There is a slightly larger liquid portable made by Helios called the marathon. I have one of these as well as the smaller one. The Marathon has the ability to do both continuous and pulse. This one has worked well for me when i am going to be more active or out of the house for an extended period of time. I think it is supposed to last something like 10 hours on pulse. i also have a carrying case that can be worn like a backpack or with a shoulder strap. I've been pretty happy with it.

Alice, yes altitude does matter. The air is thinner at higher altitudes and there is less oxygen. So obviously folks with lung issues are going to have a hard time. Even healthy people do. Last time i was in Colorado we were at elevations of around 10000 feet and i had all kinds of problems. I was extremely short of breath, got headaches, bad fatigue, and I'd feel like i was going to pass out if i got out of the car and walked around much. I think i threw up once too. I didn't have supplemental oxygen at the time, and i definitely should have for that. We were at the top of a mountain at a chalet thing and i got out of the car to use the bathroom and i had to stop two or three times on the way because i thought i was going to pass out. I was seriously thinking about seeking medical attention but i never did.