Nose Irritation when using cannula???

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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