Exercising with an oxygen mask... fabulous!

[L'engle]

Hi Athene,

I've only kept the machine at 2 litres per minute. At that level, an hour didn't seem to be enough to keep me from being short of breath, so I went up to 2 hours. 3 hours may be too much. I don't know too much about the side effects, so I'm hoping not to over do it. I haven't been taking any anti oxidants but that's a good idea. Do you think Co-q10 would be helpful?

Roma, swimming may be easier than other exercises because cold or warm water can have a good effect on orthostatic intolerance, by causing vaso-constriction (I think).

I got mine on craigslist for $300, and luckily it only has a few hundred hours on it. A portable one would be ideal, but all of those were upwards of $1000. Bear in mind if you get a used one it may need filters or cleaning, especially if it was used by a smoker. Mine had very little signs of use.

I'll try to update again soon. I'm hoping to be able to do a certain amount of exercise this week, above the limit that I was able to do before the oxygen. If I can do that level, I'll know it is helping with PEM, otherwise I'll have to back off and rest more again. Take care all!

 

[*GG*]

these are two things that i talked my doctor about in my initial appointment, i told him that when i go to the gym i really can't exercise anymore but when i go to the swimming pool and swim for a while i start to feel a lot better he said it's because when you exercise your body releases endorphins and these make some of your pain and inflammation go away, i also told him i wanna try HBOT because it's seems like kids with autism have been having great results with this, they have some HBOT machines that you can rent for about $150 a month and im thinking about getting one..

Have you ever gotten a "runners" high? Do you still get them?

GG

PS @ Athene, I take 2L/min while I sleep. My Dr prescribed it based upon my sleep study results. I have obstructive sleep apnea. FYI

 

[L'engle]

gg, do you get any side effects from taking oxygen? Do you take anti-oxidants? Thanks!

 

[Athene]

Hi gg,
Do you take the 2 litres/minute the whole night? If so, I guess that would mean it is safe for me and L'Engle to take more than we do currently. Or do you think breathing problems mean you actually inhale less than this?

L'Engle,
I take CoQ10 and I had forgotten it is an antioxidant! I take it hoping for energy. I am sure it would help. I think with antioxidants, they all help and you get best results by taking several, or maybe rotating??

BTW don't forget, apart from needing to change filters etc, you also need to replace the breathing tube at least every 3 weeks. And don't forget you must have the window open to refresh the air as it leaves the room severely oxygen depleted. (You can open the window after you finish if it is too cold).

 

[*GG*]

gg, do you get any side effects from taking oxygen? Do you take anti-oxidants? Thanks!

I haven't noticed anything? What are possible side effects? I take 3mg of Vitamin C/day. I take a Multi-vitamin everyday, 3grams of Fish Oil (Prescription), Vitamin B complex, Vitamin D 8,000 IUs. Not sure what else I take that might be an anti-oxidant?

GG

 

[*GG*]

Hi gg,
Do you take the 2 litres/minute the whole night? If so, I guess that would mean it is safe for me and L'Engle to take more than we do currently. Or do you think breathing problems mean you actually inhale less than this?

L'Engle,
I take CoQ10 and I had forgotten it is an antioxidant! I take it hoping for energy. I am sure it would help. I think with antioxidants, they all help and you get best results by taking several, or maybe rotating??

BTW don't forget, apart from needing to change filters etc, you also need to replace the breathing tube at least every 3 weeks. And don't forget you must have the window open to refresh the air as it leaves the room severely oxygen depleted. (You can open the window after you finish if it is too cold).

Yes, I take 2L/min for the whole time I have my VPAP running. I believe my airways are fine when I use the VPAP, that's what the machine is for. I would imagine it is safe for you, but I am not familiar with the specifics of your health issues.

GG

 

[L'engle]

I haven't noticed anything? What are possible side effects? I take 3mg of Vitamin C/day. I take a Multi-vitamin everyday, 3grams of Fish Oil (Prescription), Vitamin B complex, Vitamin D 8,000 IUs. Not sure what else I take that might be an anti-oxidant?

GG

Hi,

I don't know myself what the side effects could be, but I've read various people mention 'oxidative stress'. Good that you are not having side effects.

 

[L'engle]

Hi gg,
Do you take the 2 litres/minute the whole night? If so, I guess that would mean it is safe for me and L'Engle to take more than we do currently. Or do you think breathing problems mean you actually inhale less than this?

L'Engle,
I take CoQ10 and I had forgotten it is an antioxidant! I take it hoping for energy. I am sure it would help. I think with antioxidants, they all help and you get best results by taking several, or maybe rotating??

BTW don't forget, apart from needing to change filters etc, you also need to replace the breathing tube at least every 3 weeks. And don't forget you must have the window open to refresh the air as it leaves the room severely oxygen depleted. (You can open the window after you finish if it is too cold).

Thanks Athene! The machine creates some heat so I usually have the window open the whole time. As well it is probably best to start with air that has as much oxygen as possible. It would be ideal to take a portable unit out into nature and get that oxygen rich air. Maybe some day. Take care!

 

[Tree]

Hi, happy Christmas, everyone! I've been reading this thread with interest. So glad that people have been finding improvements and relief with oxygen, and just wanted to put in my two cents.

I've been using an oxygen concentrator by prescription for about four months, and it has really helped me. An in-home preliminary sleep study showed that my oxygen level was down to 81% at night, although I don't have apnea. An in-lab study would be needed to figure out what is going on, but in the meantime, my doctor put me on 2L/per minute for sleeping. I no longer wake up with headaches and feeling terrible, like I did for many years. I am not bounding with energy, but my waking up is noticeably improved. I only feel run over by a stroller, not a bus!

I am currently renting mine from medical supply. Because I have a deductible with my insurance, my monthly amount varies. After meeting my deductible, I think I pay about $18 a month for the oxygen.

I clean the filter weekly, which is never really dirty, and it's not a big deal...it's a tiny mesh rectangle I just rinse with water.

I have the machine in my living room, because as others have mentioned, it gets warm - mine exhausts warm (but not toxic) air, and it would make my bedroom too hot for sleeping, so I just run the tubing a ways into my room at night.

I've not added any anti-oxidants, but have kept taking my regular regimen, which includes A,C,E, co-Q in the form of ubiquinol, and several other supplements.

The one thing I wanted to mention here is that I'm not sure at what level oxygen therapy can begin to cause damage to your lungs. It definitely can do that, however. I have asked my doctor about this a couple of times, and he said that at my low level of 2L/per minute, there isn't a risk of damage, but that higher levels can damage lungs. I'm not sure where that line begins, or if a higher level at a brief period of time for exercising is equivalent to a low level for 8 hours of sleep, or whether any exposure even briefly on a daily basis to the higher levels could cause damage. I'm not wanting to scare anyone off their experiments here, just adding a note to consider. I'm not sure what the damage is in technical terms, but it has to do with the air sacs in the lungs. I hope that people will research the possibility of higher concentrations before using it above 2 liters per minute. Maybe it's fine at higher concentrations for short periods of time,I don't know, but it wouldn't be something I'd want to gamble on myself. Good luck with it, and here's to another hit of fresh air....

 

[L'engle]

The one thing I wanted to mention here is that I'm not sure at what level oxygen therapy can begin to cause damage to your lungs. It definitely can do that, however. I have asked my doctor about this a couple of times, and he said that at my low level of 2L/per minute, there isn't a risk of damage, but that higher levels can damage lungs. I'm not sure where that line begins, or if a higher level at a brief period of time for exercising is equivalent to a low level for 8 hours of sleep, or whether any exposure even briefly on a daily basis to the higher levels could cause damage. I'm not wanting to scare anyone off their experiments here, just adding a note to consider. I'm not sure what the damage is in technical terms, but it has to do with the air sacs in the lungs. I hope that people will research the possibility of higher concentrations before using it above 2 liters per minute. Maybe it's fine at higher concentrations for short periods of time,I don't know, but it wouldn't be something I'd want to gamble on myself. Good luck with it, and here's to another hit of fresh air....

Thanks for setting my mind at ease, Tree. I only use it at 2L/min. Good to know it is not dangerous at that level. The machine I use doesn't have tanks, so the cost was a one-off. I also find it helps with headaches, and I've been able to do exercise more consistently than before the oxygen. Before I would be able to exercise some days, but would have to pay for that with days where I couldn't leave the house at all. I've been able to walk nearly every day for the past three weeks, which is an improvement. I've been taking it about 3 hours a day. Thanks for the info and take care!

 

[L'engle]

I've been able to do the walk that I'm gauging my exercise tolerance on nearly twice as many times as my best record before starting oxygen. At the at time I did the walk 10/14 days and then had pain in the blood vessels of my head and got a migraine and couldn't exercise for at least a week. I've done the walk 18/20 days now and don't feel that I've worsened my condition. I haven't been able to exercise consistently since my condition worsened nearly two years ago, so I don't think this is happening by chance, I think it's the oxygen.

 

[Athene]

Thanks for that warning about lung damage Tree, I didn't know that but I'll be more cautious. That is so interesting about waking up feeling better - the way you described waking up is just what I go through and my mother has it even worse.

L'Engle, I am so happy to hear you are improving like this! That is really wonderful news.

I am going to buy an oxygen saturation monitor as my heart arrhythmia has come back- just 2 years after the heart operation. SOOOO annoying. The condition reduces oxygen delivery to brain and body parts, and I think my oxygen saturation is fluctuating a lot. The doc has measured it twice in the surgery and it was 96 and 97, which is basically normal. So I want to measure it myself at the times I think it is low and find out what is really going on.

 

[Rooney]

Ionizer question

Thanks to all who have posted about oxygen therapy. I want to try it as Dr. Cheney said I responded well to oxygen during his echocardiogram exam. It's not safe for all CFS patients, as one of his even passed out when given it. He did not suggest oxygen therapy as he could not predict the outcome. All this in about 2006.

Athene's clinic used an ionozer attached. Are other oxygen users in this forum using it as well? Any info on it's importance from other clinics?

Many thanks. Wishing you all better health in the new year.

Rooney

 

[L'engle]

Thanks for that warning about lung damage Tree, I didn't know that but I'll be more cautious. That is so interesting about waking up feeling better - the way you described waking up is just what I go through and my mother has it even worse.

L'Engle, I am so happy to hear you are improving like this! That is really wonderful news.

I am going to buy an oxygen saturation monitor as my heart arrhythmia has come back- just 2 years after the heart operation. SOOOO annoying. The condition reduces oxygen delivery to brain and body parts, and I think my oxygen saturation is fluctuating a lot. The doc has measured it twice in the surgery and it was 96 and 97, which is basically normal. So I want to measure it myself at the times I think it is low and find out what is really going on.

Hi Athene,

Sorry to hear you are having heart trouble. I think our hearts get compromised by this, definitely. That sounds like a good idea, monitoring the saturation. I'd be interested to hear how that works out!

I started getting a migraine last night (my own fault, for taking a supplement that done this in the past, licorice root) but I used the oxygen for an hour lying down and the migraine got fainter rather than stronger. Last time it got worse until I was nauseous and couldn't move my head for the pain. Luckily I don't get them very often. I'm pretty sure the oxygen helped it to dissipate. I still had a dull headache in the night, but nothing like the last time.

Taking it easy today and yesterday. Take care everyone!