Where Has MineralMan Been?

[madamesilverspurs]

43. So you have a new and shiny COPD Club card. Welcome!

My club card is a bit dog-eared, given that it's 25 years old. The good news is that they keep learning more and passing that info along to us. A couple years into this journey my body gifted me with a paralyzed diaphragm to keep the COPD and sleep apnea company. Along with oxygen, meds, and a few rounds of pulmonary rehab, I'm still here. I graduated from Cpap to Bi-pap just before a new illness started plaguing mostly old folks; they didn't know yet what it was, but I spent about a month relying on the Bi-pap 24/7. Once they put a name on it and testing became available, blood tests confirmed that I'd had covid; my pulmonologist kept a close eye on me, and gave me a direct access phone number to his staff (which I never needed, thank God). I'm still on oxygen, that won't change; but that's a small inconvenience compared to what the outcome might have been. The silver lining was the Bi-pap, without which I'd likely not be here, so there's that.

It was an adjustment being tethered to an oxygen supply, but it really didn't take long to get used to it. Out and about, my portable concentrator does the job (although I have to carefully time my outings as the POC doesn't last that long). My only quibble is with insurance that won't pay for any emergency reserve tanks as backup in case of power outage.

Travel is interesting. It's been a while since I've gone anywhere, but each airline used to have their own rules for bringing POCs along, needed a signed note from my doctor. And going through TSA -- let's just say it wasn't fun when I was required to hand over the machine for them to examine while I went through the Xray. Back in '16 I got stuck overnight at the Denver airport due to a blizzard; had to find someplace to plug in the machine to recharge it and keep me breathing, and with all chairs and most floor space occupied the only available outlet was just outside the men's restroom, where I dozed upright in an airline provided wheelchair. Yippee.

Anyway, you ain't alone in this, as I'm sure you've gathered by now. Please don't hesitate to ask or comment, we're a big club. Glad you got the care you needed!


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