Planning a big trip is never a simple task, but it can be especially difficult if you use supplemental oxygen. It can be complicated, stressful, and even feel overwhelming to travel when you have to bring oxygen everywhere you go.
Cruises can be even more daunting than other types of travel, since they are relatively long and remote excursions. They take you far from home and in to foreign places, which requires some extra planning and care.
The stress and hassle of traveling can be a challenge for anyone, but it poses a special challenge for those struggling with chronic diseases like COPD.
Supplemental oxygen therapy is an amazing, enabling, and life-saving tool that many people with COPD use every day. However, while it can significantly improve how you feel and help you live a better quality of life, supplemental oxygen often comes with its own uncomfortable side-effects and inconveniences.
For example, most patients at some point have problems with ear ear pain from the ear loops of their nasal cannula. Many patients also struggle to manage their oxygen therapy when they're out of the house, struggling to tote around their equipment and worrying about running out of oxygen before they get home.
Some other common problems that oxygen patients have include dryness and inflammation, which often happens when the constant stream of air through your oxygen delivery device dries out your throat and nasal passages. Another uncomfortable side-effect is skin irritation, which is common on areas of the the face where equipment and tubing touches the skin.
No matter what way you look at it, living with COPD is a challenge. It makes it difficult to breathe, difficult to stay active, and leads to physical decline that makes it difficult to do all kinds of everyday activities.
Beginning supplemental oxygen therapy is a huge life adjustment and comes with a lot of new concerns and responsibilities. With all the new equipment and guidelines to follow, it can be overwhelming and confusing at first.
