Liquid Oxygen
Everyone, and I mean everyone told me, “You
can’t get Liquid Oxygen (LO or LOX)!”
They were wrong.
It took over six years for me to figure that out and buy a liquid
oxygen reservoir from eBay.
A year later I knew LO was what I needed and bought a second
reservoir that worked properly and held more LO.
For the next six months I had a steady supply of LO.
I knew where to buy it in the Northwest, found a source in
Nebraska and Oklahoma but when I got to the Southeast It took over
six months to find a place to fill my Liquid oxygen reservoir.
After I got my companion liquid oxygen
reservoir, I could fill a Companion 1000T with the equivalent of
1,000 liters of oxygen in less than five minutes.
With two Companion 1000Ts I could play three plus hours of
pickleball(went from tennis to pickleball), come home and fill the
1000Ts and spend the afternoon out and about.
I can go camping because liquid oxygen reservoirs don’t need
electricity. I can visit
my family where I grew up and actually and be active for more than a
few hours at elevations above 4,500 ft.
Liquid oxygen is a game changer.
My world expanded!
For the three years I used an Inogen One G3 to
provide portable oxygen. My blood oxygen levels could drop to the
70s and I had a few readings in the high 60s.
I preferred staying above 86 when active but if I wanted to
be active, I would drop lower.
The G3 did not supply the oxygen I needed.
In 2018 I started using an Respironics
UltraFill self-fill system with tanks that could be filled to 3,000
psi. It became easier to
keep my blood oxygen levels out of the 70s and was spending more
time in the mid-80s and above.
My at rest blood oxygen levels started creeping up from 90%
to 93% over the next two years.
I was able to be more active.
Still not getting the oxygen I needed.
After several years of having liquid oxygen, my
blood oxygen levels are higher across the board.
My blood pressure is lower and the swelling in my lower legs
is gone. I am getting
the oxygen I need. My
health has improved because the liquid oxygen provides my body the
oxygen needed to remain active, exercise and heal.
To take advantage of liquid
oxygen you need to put in the effort in to remain active and
exercise.
Liquid oxygen has made my life easier and
increased my quality of life.
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By sharing my
experiences and thoughts I hope to somehow- somewhere make a
difference in the lives of people with COPD and other respiratory
problems.
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These are my thoughts and experiences, not medical advice.