24/7 oxygen - how to continue travel and enjoying life?

Posted by curiouskitty @curiouskitty, 3 days ago

Hello friends! After being diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer with mets to bone, I have experienced a collapsed and trapped lung which has created a requirement for 24/7 oxygen supplementation at 2LPM.
I have a ROVE6 that I can wear in a backpack and it is very helpful.
My concerns seem to mainly revolve around being afraid I will put myself in a situation that I won’t be able to handle!
Can anyone with experience in this situation share if you have traveled, say by train, car or air with a home oxygen concentrator? Or if you have solely depended on a portable, or brought along air tanks?
Many thanks in advance! Good luck, hugs, and prayers to all who are affected by this dastardly disease!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Cancer: Managing Symptoms Support Group.

muscolor | @muscolor | 9 hours ago

I see that you haven’t had any responses yet, so I thought I would share my father’s experience. He passed away many years ago now and suffered with COPD. When not at home, he used portable oxygen tanks, at the time he wheel it behind him on a luggage type cart, then later in a backpack. Extra tanks in the car trunk. He took many road trips and enjoyed a lot of travel with our families. He did fly on a couple of times, but at that time the portable system was very cumbersome. Advanced arrangements with the airline were necessary. He would take advantage of any accessible features at resorts, hotels or national parks. He didn’t usually use a wheelchair, but at amusement parks with his grandchildren he was the star of the show when he got them to the front of the line.! Importantly they all had a great time, and lasting memories. I would encourage you to do what you can start locally and expand your horizons and take your time doing it. Enjoy life as much as you can.

curiouskitty | @curiouskitty | 4 hours ago

Thank you for replying and sharing your father’s experiences. He sounds like a man who knew how to live and enjoy life! I know you and your family enjoy those memories. I need to get busy making my own! “Don’t worry, be happy!”🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶😊

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | 46 minutes ago

In reply to @curiouskitty "Thank you for replying and sharing your father’s experiences. He sounds like a man who knew..." + (show)

@curiouskitty, I added your question to the Lung Cancer and the Lung Health support groups as well.

As more tips come in, you may also appreciate the helpful advice shared in this older related discussion:
- Traveling and flying with oxygen https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/flying-with-oxygen/