Portable concentrator saga: Part __ (I've lost count)

On Wednesday I went from desperation to elation in a matter of hours. I called the O2 company to ask when they would deliver the portable concentrator. First, I learned that it goes up to 5L/minute, not 1L as I had thought. That was great news. But then the rep told me that the portable delivers O2 in pulses and you have to inhale deeply through your nose; it won't deliver O2 on a normal inhale. And it doesn't have a continuous flow option (e.g., for sleeping). So that made it seem like the portable wouldn't be helpful for walking and going on overnight trips. I was crushed. It got worse: when I asked to order more oxygen tanks, I was told that if I have a portable, I can no longer order tanks. Insurance will cover one or the other, not both. I can have 2 tanks as an emergency backup. That's it. In fact, if I decided to return the portable, my pulmonologist would have to write a new prescription for O2 tanks. I called Leland in a panic, unsure what to do. 

When I returned home from my walk, the AdaptHealth delivery guy, Matt, was there with the portable. He confirmed that they're not recommended for sleeping overnight (although I've since learned that they're ok if you don't have really low saturation levels or a condition like apnea). However, the rep was wrong about inhaling: it does deliver O2 when you're breathing normally through your nose. Matt was very helpful in explaining the portables and laying out potential solutions, like having an apparatus that would allow us to re-fill the tanks at home.

The best decision I made was to call my pulmonologist's office. I told a nurse about my situation and, without my asking, she relayed the message to the on-call pulmonologist (Vilensky is out for the week) and set up a virtual appointment. He called, listened to my needs -- wanting to see family for Thanksgiving, attend 1- to 2-day volleyball tournaments, go on overnight trips, do research -- and promised he would find a solution. He called back a bit later and said he spoke with the O2 company regional manager and they are going to lend me a portable with continuous flow that I can use on overnight trips! I felt incredibly relieved. I wish the call had been "recorded for training purposes," because it was a master class in how to listen, respond with empathy (he shared that he had COVID in November 2020 and had to use O2 for 3 months), educate patients about their condition, and advocate for them and find solutions to meet their needs. The O2 manager called and explained that they are going to do this under the radar. I just have to call them about a week before I need the other portable and then pick it up and return it, like a library book. I'm still amazed the pulmonologist found a solution that I didn't know was possible--and did it in less than an hour. 

I went out on a short walk with Leland to try it out and I was able to keep my O2 saturation at a reasonable level. Later when I went to charge it (the battery doesn't last long), I noticed that the cord that plugs into the wall was missing! Of course. Because getting a portable hasn't been complicated enough! I texted Matt and he dropped it off yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon Lily and I walked downtown. The portable worked just fine. I probably could have used a bit more O2 on the uphill, but I took it slow and didn't feel too out of breath. I am hoping this will be the last installment of the portable saga.