Re: Nose Irritation when using cannula???

[Guest guest]

Joan ... I had Apria for quite awhile and I do now have Lincare which I like very much. I thought I would have a stroke I got so angry at the goofs Apria can make at our local office.

I'm very pleased w/Lincare. We took a short trip to Olympia WA area from the general Portland OR area and when I arrived at the Motel everything I needed had been arranged for and delivered by Lincare.

Good luck. One thing, be prepared to be your own best advocate with your O2 needs, or any medical needs as far as that goes. "The squeaky wheel".....

MamaSher, age 70. IPF 3-06, OR. NasturtiumsDon't fret about tomorrow, God is already there!

Nose Irritation when using cannula???

Hi All -

I think I saw something about nose irritation/sores by people who use cannulas with their O2 and/or CPAP. This is something I'm trying to deal with. I've tried dabbing a tiny bit of antibiotic (bacitracin, neomycin, polysporin, etc.) on a Q-tip and then gently rotating it around the inner part of my nostril. That doesn't seem to help much and I was told to be very careful when putting anything that's an oil or gel in my nostrils as it can be aspirated and cause infection and/or pneumonia??? Do many others have this irritation (my nose bleeds from the irritation)?

Also about the provider of O2...I'm presently using Apria, but they don't have a small portable unit (its an M-6 cylinder that must be filled from the concentrator, which takes from 1.5-2 hrs. and weighs about 10 lbs.) I don't know what's involved in changing from one provider to another (I have Medicare and TricCare for Life/Dod ins.). I need someone who is available in NC and CA (so far, I only know Apria and Lincare). Have others had good/bad experiences with your provider and what did you do? This is all new to me.

Any comments/suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks -

JoanM