Don't know if it's just a coincidence. My 93 year old father has dementia, CHF, AFib, PAD. I swear when he gets these treatments on a daily basis his mental state improvements. Not to the point where he could function and drive again but he is more lucid and more himself.
I'm just curious if others have found this to happen. It makes sense to me. The more oxygen to the brain, the better the brain functions.
Medicare (and probably Medicaid will only pay for oxygen when the oxygen saturation goes below 88% without it which is the reason people are denied.
At home most people use a concentrator that does not deliver pure oxygen as it is pulled from the atmosphere. When using tanks that is indeed pure liquified oxygen and can be very dangerous as it will ignite far more quickly than the concentrator variety.
Most people out side the home will be using the pure tanks so don't sit granny close to the backyard fire pit so she can keep warm for the BBQ.
There are light weight concentrators than are battery powered but try getting one of those out of Medicare as they cost around $2000 and can only deliver 3-5 liters so if you need more than that or to use for many hours you are SIL. there are longer lasting batteries and of course they can be plugged in to recharge but the convenience of them is that they are very lightweight and can be worn as a shoulder bag or back pack.
I am only using mine at night now but that limits traveling. They do supply tanks that only weight five lbs and fit in a back pack but I can't get them on without assistance and it is too heavy for my poor back. Imagine going into Walmart alone (which I can do) and wanting to try on a blouse. I can see all the associates running for the nearest exit and the loud speaker saying. "All Associates report to the break room for an emergency meeting"
these days I only have to wear mine at night for my COPD but do get out of breath at times when out.
Oxygen does help a lot and because it supplies more oxygen to the brain will help keep dementia at bay. Farewell my friends only five days to go.
I thought my dad was the only one. But once he needed oxygen he only lived another month. I know everyone is different, but here I thought it would help him live longer. It still breaks my heart.
My sample is only 3 people, But in all three cases, it seems their bodies quickly became dependant on the added oxygen...then in quick succession required greater and greater concentration. My Dad was only 1 month on oxygen. My Great Aunt lasted 3 months. my grandma was less than a month. All of them struggled with CHF for years...but ended quickly once oxygen was introduced.
Hyperbaric oxygen will definitely oxygenate the brain and the heart as well, very beneficial.
It's all a matter of balance: if your loved one is oxygen deprived for some reason - poor breathing function, poor heart function, poor circulation, that sort of thing - then increasing the amount of oxygen in the air that he breathes will help return his blood oxygen level to *normal*. But you should never just up the oxygen in the vague assumption that the more oxygen he has, the better. If you suspect he might be oxygen-deprived, seek to have that checked. They'll use a finger meter to start with, then if necessary confirm with a quick, minimally uncomfortable blood test.
Hm. What's PAD? Oh - pulmonary artery disease?
Sandy, it makes complete sense that your father's brain functions better when it gets enough oxygen. So would yours! :) Normally, our hearts pump blood efficiently enough to carry the oxygen around. Given your father's many circulation problems - occluded arteries, poor pumping - not enough oxygen gets into his bloodstream from ordinary atmospheric air, and then not enough blood get upstairs, so it's a double whammy. The O2 helps to correct the blood oxygen saturation; I'm not sure what the nebuliser is for but I'm guessing it's to improve his airways?
Pam is of course correct; and I'm sorry - we're in a similar position, though without the A fib - to think that these treatments can only relieve symptoms, not treat the underlying disease; but on the other hand it is some consolation to remember that all of this support makes your father infinitely more comfortable than he would be without it. And that's not always the case - there are a few palliative treatments that do make you wonder if they're not worse than the problem they're supposed to solve.
So, no, no coincidence. Wishing you many more conversations with him to treasure x