I'm slipping into the Christmas season with everyone else lately. Less thinking about "big" things really. It's good. You can only do that so much if you want to stay sane.
Lately I've been thinking about the upcoming winter, and how going away somewhere warm would be super great. We did it last year and loved it, though we didn't go without drama and "adventure" and spent most of our time driving. I've grown less and less fond of planes, and now with my uber-borderline oxygen levels I can honestly say I hate it. Unfortunately everything we want to do pretty much is in, or leaves from Florida.
We last flew on our honeymoon and I asked the docs what they thought about my oxygen status and flight. I was given the A-okay since at rest I was sitting at around 94. I happened to bring along my oximeter on the plane, and when I was feeling anxious I got Mike to look at the number. He wouldn't let me know what it was until we landed, which in retrospect was good but silly because we still had to fly home a week later. It turns out I was very low (85) for much of the flight, and my oximeter tends to be more generous than the ones at the hospital... scary, right? Anyways, I hope I can climb the 80 mL back to my baseline lung function again soon and get another blood gas done and comfortably travel again soon as well. If anyone is still reading this blog, I'd appreciate any travel stories/tips/advice with low lung function.
On another note, being Christmas time I thought I might be selling my little kleenex box sofas like wildfire, but no. Then again, I haven't really advertised too too much so I haven't lost hope. For now we've been focusing on making them as gifts for family etc for this christmas season and other recent events.
My workout/physio schedule is all over the map in intensity. I still don't get why I can't strictly follow it for more than a month at a time. I think its the complete lack of results. Just once I'd like to work hard for a month, and then see even marginal improvement at clinic. To be fair, although my recent lung function was terrible as is the pattern of late, my oxygen saturation was 95/96 at rest which maybe can be credited to the extra exercise... I don't know.
That's about it for now.. Don't forget to check out my sisters weight-loss blog at http://gaininggougeon.blogspot.com
Heya,
ReplyDeleteI'm currently in Barbados... just flew here the other day and it is about a 5.5 hr flight. I have been sating at 95 at clinic (97 on my very generous/optimistic oximetre...) and the lowest I went on the plane was 89! A fact I am very proud of.
I brought my POC along with me just in case. Of the two airlines I have flown in the past year (including jet blue and air canada) neither have made a big deal or cared at all that I took it on board. I have not needed to use it both times, but it is good to have on hand just in case!
When I flew to Florida from Buffalo in April we did not go high enough for me to require oxygen. It is such a short flight, even if you do de-sat it won't be for long.
I won't put it on until I sat below 88. A friend of mine recently used hers on a flight and said she felt more energized after, so that may be something to consider.
You can get POCs that look like purses and are pretty small, so it's not a huge deal to travel with. And I definitely wouldn't let a little thing like that hold you back from traveling and having fun!
If anything, the heat will do more benefit for your lungs--the cold seems to run our poor little lungs down.
You're such a sweetheart!! And I really value your advice especially since we have fairly close profiles.. 5"0, and my latest FEV1 litres was 0.82.... I bet youre doing a bit better there. That's 27% for me.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is so huge for me right now with the winter ahead. I need to learn more about O2 and get another blood gas done so I can officially be given O2 for exercise or travel or whatever. I hate feeling so vulnerable but I guess I better get used to it.
Thanks for posting at all, let alone on your vacation!! Have a great time :)