← Return to Airplane travel with oxygen: O2 levels drop, any suggestions?

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@sistertwo

They went well - all 13 of them! He has obstructive lung disease with a vigorously positive bronchodilator response and CT chest showed centrilobular emphysema and some airway thickening. His meds were switched and will use a nebulizer and Trelegy now, plus he has to get into an exercise program, using O2 during walking until his numbers get better. He is reluctant to move much, which has been part of the problem. Even with having our hotel room quite a distance from the elevator, he started doing better. No wonder he usually does better when we travel (he has to walk a bit more) than when we are at home. He just told me (10 minutes ago) he was going to take it easy today, as his heart went to 118 and oxygen down to 86 after walking around the kitchen a little bit. I feel like a crab, but said that he needed to use his inogen and walk more. It is a balancing act for me and him.
Mayo was very thorough and I am so glad we went. His doctor said the lung damage can't be corrected, but the rest can be reversed with meds and exercise.
I reminded DH that if he doesn't use it, he loses it (meaning the ability to walk). Now I need to learn how much to encourage him while still being supportive.

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Replies to "They went well - all 13 of them! He has obstructive lung disease with a vigorously..."

@sistertwo, I think learning to encourage someone to exchange their less heathly tendancies for healthy habits, like moving more, and at the same time being supportive is something a caregiver constantly has to calibrate. His motivation to move has to come from within. It is so hard to watch and not to nag. I'm not saying that you nag, but that can be how it feels, at least it was for me with my dad. I would invite him to come "walk around the estate" with me. That's what we called our garden even though it is quite small. But I would ask him to come see the front garden. Sometimes he did, many times he declined. So I had to learn to accept his choices. Not easy.

I wonder if @gregoryz or @merpreb might have some tips for you.