Newbie 74 year old frustrated

[oldskierguy]

I have been using a bipap machine with 5 liters/min oxygen for the past 3 months. My doctor says all is well with current set up for 5000 feet. We live at 5000 feet and have a home at 9000 feet for which i have not yet been tested. We love to travel and camp. We just returned from sea level and lugged a concentrator with me and study says I need oxygen at lower altitudes. Camping: I can hook my bipap to a battery but not the concentrator. Main question, do I still receive partial benefit without oxygen? thank you

[SleepGeek]

I have been using a bipap machine with 5 liters/min oxygen for the past 3 months. My doctor says all is well with current set up for 5000 feet. We live at 5000 feet and have a home at 9000 feet for which i have not yet been tested. We love to travel and camp. We just returned from sea level and lugged a concentrator with me and study says I need oxygen at lower altitudes. Camping: I can hook my bipap to a battery but not the concentrator. Main question, do I still receive partial benefit without oxygen? thank you

Unless and until you can prove otherwise I'm gonna say NO -
or they wouldn't have prescribed O2 right?.

Talk to your supplier about getting a portable tank to use.

[Rubicon]

BiPAP, major bleed-in and sea level-5000 feet-9000 feet all in the same paragraph?

Without data, I wouldn't even believe that

My doctor says all is well with current set up for 5000 feet.

[colomom]

What led your doc to prescribe 5 liters of O2 on top of the bilevel? What elevation was your sleep study done at and what did the study show? To get the best advice you should consider blacking out all personal/identifying info and posting your sleep study.

You should get overnight oximetry to see if the 5 liter O2 bleed is enough for you when at your home at 9000 feet.

The bilevel opens your airway, but if the doc found it necessary to prescribe an additional 5 liters of O2 on top of that, there must be a good reason. Might be best to limit your camping to sites in campgrounds with electric and lug the O2 concentrator with you both when you travel and camp.

[ChicagoGranny]

5 liters/min oxygen

What's wrong with your lungs/heart?

[oldskierguy]

So sorry to have not responded to those who helped me out. Let me see if I can be more clear. My lungs are fine. I live at 5,000 feet.
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea due to oxygen levels dropping into high 70's low 80's during sleep study.
I am on a Philips bipap machine with 5 liters of oxygen, brings me up over 90 for the night.
We have a place at 9,000 feet where I am able to keep oxygen level above 90 using 10 liters.
I have traveled at sea level and my oxygen level is OK.

I feel no different now than when I started 9 months ago.

I am trying to train myself to breath through my nose.

I guess what's most frustrating is that I lived to be 74 without this equipment. I am still very active skiing, hiking, walking, doing carpentry...My doc says I have a 15% increased risk of dying without treatment. I question whether or not it's worth the hassle.

[colomom]

So sorry to have not responded to those who helped me out. Let me see if I can be more clear. My lungs are fine. I live at 5,000 feet.
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea due to oxygen levels dropping into high 70's low 80's during sleep study.
I am on a Philips bipap machine with 5 liters of oxygen, brings me up over 90 for the night.
We have a place at 9,000 feet where I am able to keep oxygen level above 90 using 10 liters.
I have traveled at sea level and my oxygen level is OK.

I feel no different now than when I started 9 months ago.

I am trying to train myself to breath through my nose.

I guess what's most frustrating is that I lived to be 74 without this equipment. I am still very active skiing, hiking, walking, doing carpentry...My doc says I have a 15% increased risk of dying without treatment. I question whether or not it's worth the hassle.

Your doctor says not using the O2 and bilevel would increase your risk by dying by 15% and you’re seriously asking if it’s worth the hassle? Was the amount of the O2 bleed arrived at based on data analysis by your doc from overnight oximetry at the various elevations you sleep at? That’s a pretty hefty O2 bleed, it wouldn’t be advisable to go without it. I live at 7000 feet and my family has a place at 9500 I’ve had numerous friends and family over the years who’ve been banished to lower elevations because their tickers can no longer take our thin mountain air. If you want to keep hiking, skiing and doing all the things you love take care of your heart by following your doctor’s advice.

What specifically makes the bilevel and O2 so much of a hassle that you would consider playing those odds? Have you considered buying a second concentrator out of pocket to keep at your mountain place? If you shop around online sometimes you can find coupons and get a good deal on one. Both my son and mom have to use an O2 bleed with their cpaps, it was a number of years ago but I was able to pick up a nice brand new O2 concentrator online for under $500 to keep at our mountain place.
Is your mask working for you? Are there any other problems that some of the knowledgeable people on this forum might be able to help you work through?

[ChicagoGranny]

Let me see if I can be more clear.

The three most important things that are needed to start clearing this up are,
Data, Data, Data

Links in my signature.

[ozij]

...My doc says I have a 15% increased risk of dying without treatment. I question whether or not it's worth the hassle.

Well, I don't know about your doc and yourself, but me I'm a 71 year old human being and I have a 100% chance of dying.

The question is what is going to happen to in the years before I die.
How will growing old effect the quality of my life. Will I get a stroke that will keep my from talking clearly? Will a heart attack harm my heart in a way that keeps me from going where I want when I want?

Nobody promises me (or you) that one day soon we'll simply drop dead, change from being "alive and healthy" to "no longer alive".

My last years could turn out to be a terrible hassle. Maybe good sleep through the night, with proper oxygenation will lower the chances of that.

[oldskierguy]

I guess I am a whiny butt. Not sure about the data, but have this statement from sleep study doc, " Oxygen saturation while awake and breathing room air averaged 86%. Mean oxygen saturation during baseline sleep was 87% with event-related desaturation to a low of 82% and 156 minutes at or below 88%. Optimal ASV ultimately maintained saturation at 86-90%." His closing remark was "thank you for presenting me with such an interesting case". The study was done at 5,000 ft.

I have two 5 liter oxygen machines up in the mountains and a single 5 liter at our home. I also have a ring that records oxygen level to an app.

So, I suppose I should be grateful for having survived 6 months in combat in Vietnam and accept whatever it takes to continue staying alive.

The only problem left is camping so I guess that's when I will take my chances.

Thanks for your responses