Guest guest Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 since the diagnosis i fly with a poc -- first year was free, second year they charged when the altitude changes or goes really high , there are changes in the cabin that healthy people don't notice but for us it is significant even with the poc, my SAT dropped when the plane has really high -- in fact i got very sleepy in retrospect, i wonder if my sleepiness on planes in the past was due to the disease before i knew about it next year, shop around for a POC and rent it, it certainly would have been worth every cent to avoid what you went through Pink Joyce (IPF 3/06) IFA 5/09 Pennsylvania Donate Life Listed 1/09 Inactive 4/09 www.transplantfund.org--- Subject: Traveling by AirplaneTo: Breathe-Support Date: Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 5:07 PM I had the worse experience on my flight from my hometown of Richmond, VA to visit my daughter in Arizona two weeks ago. Was on the airplane for about 2 hours when my oxygen saturation dropped down to 81. (I had brought my oximeter). I told my other daughter who was flying with me to get me some help. She called the stewardess over and told her I needed oxygen immediately. The stewardess looked at us and said she could not give me any oxygen as the bottles they had were only for the pilots. By then my fingers were tingling from lack of oxygen. I started crying and begging for oxygen. Again she said she was sorry but the rules could not be changed. My daughter asked her how long before we landed in Arizona and she said another two hours. Then the stewardess said, "Don't worry, if she passes out, we are trained to give CPR." My daughter stood up and said, "Get my mother oxygen NOW or you'll have a dead body on your plane!" The stewardess said she would have to go talk to the pilot. A couple of minutes went by (I thought I was actually dying) when we heard over the loudspeaker, "Is there a doctor on board? Or a nurse? Or an EMT?" And just two rows ahead of me a man stands up and walks over to me and said he was a doctor. He immediately tells the stewardess that I need oxygen NOW!So to make a very long story short, I get my oxygen and am sitting here typing to all of you. I've been on home oxygen nightly for over 3 years. I'd flown the year before and didn't have any problems with breathing. When my daughter in Arizona picked us up she had my oxygen bottles as whenever I travel I always have oxygen delivered in advance. To fly home I had to rent the oxygen concentrator that operates on batteries and fits under the airplane seat. It cost $300.00 for it, big expense for me. Well enough of this story. Anyone else who had an experience like this? Thanks for listening. Ginny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 >Hi Ginny my name is I will be going to Spokane on the 17th.. But I will be useing a oxygen concentrator that I will be getting from the company that I get my oxygen from. It will cost 75.00 a week and 10.00 for the batterie I will be there for two weeks. I am sorry that you had a bad flight but I hope that I would have a batter one. Take care and God Bless pgales@... > I had the worse experience on my flight from my hometown of Richmond, VA to visit my daughter in Arizona two weeks ago. Was on the airplane for about 2 hours when my oxygen saturation dropped down to 81. (I had brought my oximeter). I told my other daughter who was flying with me to get me some help. She called the stewardess over and told her I needed oxygen immediately. The stewardess looked at us and said she could not give me any oxygen as the bottles they had were only for the pilots. By then my fingers were tingling from lack of oxygen. I started crying and begging for oxygen. Again she said she was sorry but the rules could not be changed. My daughter asked her how long before we landed in Arizona and she said another two hours. Then the stewardess said, " Don't worry, if she passes out, we are trained to give CPR. " My daughter stood up and said, " Get my mother oxygen NOW or you'll have a dead body on your plane! " The stewardess said she would have to go talk to the pilot. A couple of minutes went by (I thought I was actually dying) when we heard over the loudspeaker, " Is there a doctor on board? Or a nurse? Or an EMT? " And just two rows ahead of me a man stands up and walks over to me and said he was a doctor. He immediately tells the stewardess that I need oxygen NOW! > > So to make a very long story short, I get my oxygen and am sitting here typing to all of you. I've been on home oxygen nightly for over 3 years. I'd flown the year before and didn't have any problems with breathing. When my daughter in Arizona picked us up she had my oxygen bottles as whenever I travel I always have oxygen delivered in advance. > > To fly home I had to rent the oxygen concentrator that operates on batteries and fits under the airplane seat. It cost $300.00 for it, big expense for me. Well enough of this story. Anyone else who had an experience like this? Thanks for listening. Ginny > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 Hi I travelled by air from India to Sanfrancisco In August 2008 and returned on January 2008. We had made complete plans , taken the doctors permission ,aksed for the o2 since I am on o2 24/7 , we had the fitness cert. , the airlines told us that they would give us the 02 and we could not use the POC which I had(Sequal Eclipse)When i began to use the o2 bottles supplied to me they were at 4litper min and 'on demand' which I was not used to.My sats started dropping to 7os but they still did not allow me to use the POc the effort ot inhale deeply each time were making the sats drop I kept struggling even though the doctor on board was called . I had an 8 hr ride ahead of me upto Shanghai. I was getting drowsier and my husband began to panic. On reaching Shanghai the captain of the flight of the next leg upto SanFrancico heard about my problem and came up to me and immedietely connected my POC to an outlet and changed my seats and I was quite comfortable for the next 11 hrs. It was a small decision but it requred a practical man with a lot of compassion who came to my help. Since then i have travelled back to India and here in In India domestically, , each time small problems crop up !Once my bag containing all the batteries and the charger got checked in the luggage before we could keep it with us as cabin baggage and the battery I was using was nearing exhaution and the plane had still not come!Each tme I have managed to squeak through. On the contrary, this last time our flight had so many vacant seats in the business class that we got upgraded by the crew because of my 'condition' But Like I dont intend to give up ! Be careful and always plan well would be my advice Geeta -- In Breathe-Support , " ginnymurphy93 " wrote: > > I had the worse experience on my flight from my hometown of Richmond, VA to visit my daughter in Arizona two weeks ago. Was on the airplane for about 2 hours when my oxygen saturation dropped down to 81. (I had brought my oximeter). I told my other daughter who was flying with me to get me some help. She called the stewardess over and told her I needed oxygen immediately. The stewardess looked at us and said she could not give me any oxygen as the bottles they had were only for the pilots. By then my fingers were tingling from lack of oxygen. I started crying and begging for oxygen. Again she said she was sorry but the rules could not be changed. My daughter asked her how long before we landed in Arizona and she said another two hours. Then the stewardess said, " Don't worry, if she passes out, we are trained to give CPR. " My daughter stood up and said, " Get my mother oxygen NOW or you'll have a dead body on your plane! " The stewardess said she would have to go talk to the pilot. A couple of minutes went by (I thought I was actually dying) when we heard over the loudspeaker, " Is there a doctor on board? Or a nurse? Or an EMT? " And just two rows ahead of me a man stands up and walks over to me and said he was a doctor. He immediately tells the stewardess that I need oxygen NOW! > > So to make a very long story short, I get my oxygen and am sitting here typing to all of you. I've been on home oxygen nightly for over 3 years. I'd flown the year before and didn't have any problems with breathing. When my daughter in Arizona picked us up she had my oxygen bottles as whenever I travel I always have oxygen delivered in advance. > > To fly home I had to rent the oxygen concentrator that operates on batteries and fits under the airplane seat. It cost $300.00 for it, big expense for me. Well enough of this story. Anyone else who had an experience like this? Thanks for listening. Ginny > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 the worst O2 travel experience that i had was with the defective battery on the Inogen. One battery was good, and one didn't take the full charge. i am glad you traveled with someone to help you my 2 flights with o2 were by myself, they worked out ok i did have to find an outlet at the airport to recharge the battery on the inogen i planned for enough batteries for the flight, but did not plan for the batteries while in the airport, getting to the gate before take off, getting to baggage after landing when i started planning a trip to visit my daughter this year, i really started getting stressed out because of the oxygen -- also, i use more lpms when walking now than i did last year the inogen doesn't meet my activity needs, the Sequel Eclispe might at any rate i was going to go in June, but in may the temp down there was already 96 degrees, no thank you, on hot & humid days like today, i wish i were in alaska lol Pink Joyce (IPF 3/06) IFA 5/09 Pennsylvania Donate Life Listed 1/09 Inactive 4/09 www.transplantfund.org--- Subject: Re: Traveling by AirplaneTo: Breathe-Support Date: Friday, June 12, 2009, 5:38 PM We usually drive and fill up the back of our Jeep with my liquid oxygen tanks and lots of the green tanks too. We know ahead of time where other branches of my oxygen company are and make it part of the trip to go by the offices and re-fill the containers or change out the empty green tanks. Of course even at that, we have to schedule with those offices to ensure someone is there that can fill my liquid oxygen tanks.When we do fly, (I am on six-seven liters of O2), a month ahead we contact the airline, who sends their forms to my Pulmonologist and gets his/her orders faxed to them. Then they call and confirm all my oxygen needs on flight. It is always $100 per leg of the flight, which is crazy to me. Even if someone is only on O2 at night, please get your doctor and airline together so you will have oxygen available to you. The air is thinner and you will need it during the flight. Always take your pulse oximeter with you too so you know the real story! I am able to borrow an Inogen, which most airlines allow now on board (portable concentrator) , however it only goes up to five liters so it isn't enough for me anymore. That may be an answer to some also...You know we each learn by doing, or in our case, we can learn by asking everyone on this Board for their experiences/ opinions too :)Thank goodness there was a doctor on this one flight and you are ok....that was an awful experience for you to go through and frightening to say the least:( I haven't had a trip yet where there wasn't some hiccup along the way, that's why we can't plan too much when it comes to our oxygen needs! Jan O.> >> > I had the worse experience on my flight from my hometown of Richmond, VA to visit my daughter in Arizona two weeks ago. Was on the airplane for about 2 hours when my oxygen saturation dropped down to 81. (I had brought my oximeter). I told my other daughter who was flying with me to get me some help. She called the stewardess over and told her I needed oxygen immediately. The stewardess looked at us and said she could not give me any oxygen as the bottles they had were only for the pilots. By then my fingers were tingling from lack of oxygen. I started crying and begging for oxygen. Again she said she was sorry but the rules could not be changed. My daughter asked her how long before we landed in Arizona and she said another two hours. Then the stewardess said, "Don't worry, if she passes out, we are trained to give CPR." My daughter stood up and said, "Get my mother oxygen NOW or you'll have a dead body on your plane!" The stewardess said she would have to go talk to the pilot. A couple of minutes went by (I thought I was actually dying) when we heard over the loudspeaker, "Is there a doctor on board? Or a nurse? Or an EMT?" And just two rows ahead of me a man stands up and walks over to me and said he was a doctor. He immediately tells the stewardess that I need oxygen NOW!> > > > So to make a very long story short, I get my oxygen and am sitting here typing to all of you. I've been on home oxygen nightly for over 3 years. I'd flown the year before and didn't have any problems with breathing. When my daughter in Arizona picked us up she had my oxygen bottles as whenever I travel I always have oxygen delivered in advance. > > > > To fly home I had to rent the oxygen concentrator that operates on batteries and fits under the airplane seat. It cost $300.00 for it, big expense for me. Well enough of this story. Anyone else who had an experience like this? Thanks for listening. Ginny> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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