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Don't know if it's just a coincidence. My 93 year old father has dementia, CHF, AFib, PAD. I swear when he gets these treatments on a daily basis his mental state improvements. Not to the point where he could function and drive again but he is more lucid and more himself.

I'm just curious if others have found this to happen. It makes sense to me. The more oxygen to the brain, the better the brain functions.

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Am nusig a lady with Dementia and insuline dependant diabetes spends more than 10 hrs wondering, she is supposed to have24 hrs oxygen because of her COPD
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Oxygen toxicity is not normally a problem for adults inless you have COPD. Then less additional O2 is better,, maybe 2 to 4 liters. Nebulizers are normally Albuteral or Atrovent for opening the airways. I think both could help, but not cure.. by making more O2 available to the body and the brain.
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CM I won't be wearing out any backpacks. By hell or high water I intend to get a portable concentrator even if i have to buy it myself!
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Veronica do not frighten people, not even tongue in cheek. And may you wear out many more back packs yet!
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Katiekate should I just re-order my headstone again or just tell you it is co-incidence. I have been on oxygen for 18 months now and have no intention of dying within the next few weeks God willing.
Medicare (and probably Medicaid will only pay for oxygen when the oxygen saturation goes below 88% without it which is the reason people are denied.
At home most people use a concentrator that does not deliver pure oxygen as it is pulled from the atmosphere. When using tanks that is indeed pure liquified oxygen and can be very dangerous as it will ignite far more quickly than the concentrator variety.
Most people out side the home will be using the pure tanks so don't sit granny close to the backyard fire pit so she can keep warm for the BBQ.
There are light weight concentrators than are battery powered but try getting one of those out of Medicare as they cost around $2000 and can only deliver 3-5 liters so if you need more than that or to use for many hours you are SIL. there are longer lasting batteries and of course they can be plugged in to recharge but the convenience of them is that they are very lightweight and can be worn as a shoulder bag or back pack.
I am only using mine at night now but that limits traveling. They do supply tanks that only weight five lbs and fit in a back pack but I can't get them on without assistance and it is too heavy for my poor back. Imagine going into Walmart alone (which I can do) and wanting to try on a blouse. I can see all the associates running for the nearest exit and the loud speaker saying. "All Associates report to the break room for an emergency meeting"
these days I only have to wear mine at night for my COPD but do get out of breath at times when out.
Oxygen does help a lot and because it supplies more oxygen to the brain will help keep dementia at bay. Farewell my friends only five days to go.
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Katiekate,

I thought my dad was the only one. But once he needed oxygen he only lived another month. I know everyone is different, but here I thought it would help him live longer. It still breaks my heart.
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What I have found is that going on oxygen is a sign the end is near.

My sample is only 3 people, But in all three cases, it seems their bodies quickly became dependant on the added oxygen...then in quick succession required greater and greater concentration. My Dad was only 1 month on oxygen. My Great Aunt lasted 3 months. my grandma was less than a month. All of them struggled with CHF for years...but ended quickly once oxygen was introduced.
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My grandma has CHF and pneumonia. I have noticed when she starts wheezing, she starts to talk nonsense more and gets agitated. I pull out her nebulizer and give her a treatment and help her breathing return to normal and even if she fights at first, within seconds of the treatment, she relaxes and is more herself. She will talk about/to the people in the room rather than about dead people or random nonsense topics. Helping her to breathe better is definitely helping her and healing the pneumonia.
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My father was on it then wanted to take a break while we went on a 2 week vacation. First week he was fine, 2nd, cognitively he was not. when we got home he took a fall. it took us a little while to realize that the oxygen he had been on played a big part in this. Dad had CHF and sleep apnea.
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CHF is not chronic heart failure, it's congestive heart failure.
Hyperbaric oxygen will definitely oxygenate the brain and the heart as well, very beneficial.
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Yes. Oxygen in excessively high concentrations is toxic.

It's all a matter of balance: if your loved one is oxygen deprived for some reason - poor breathing function, poor heart function, poor circulation, that sort of thing - then increasing the amount of oxygen in the air that he breathes will help return his blood oxygen level to *normal*. But you should never just up the oxygen in the vague assumption that the more oxygen he has, the better. If you suspect he might be oxygen-deprived, seek to have that checked. They'll use a finger meter to start with, then if necessary confirm with a quick, minimally uncomfortable blood test.
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can over oxygenation have any negative side effects?
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Home nebulizer tx are normally run on air, not oxygen. But breathing better makes everything better! So says the respiratory therapist!!
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A neubillzer treatment is for the fluid in your lungs and bronchial tubes. It helps to clear those passage ways for better breathing.
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Sure! More oxygen, more cellular expansion, but it is a temporary effect. Keep it up if it helps. First, do no harm.
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Interesting because my Mother has COPD and her oxygen level is in the 90's and is considered fine.
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My MIL had an oxygen machine, but would obsess over the tubing and wouldn't leave it on. Since her OS level was in the high 90's without it the Hospice nurse said to not bother to use it unless she got agitated then the oxygen would help calm her down (if she would leave it on).
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My husband's neurologist said if he did only one thing he suggested for him to do to help his memory it was to wear his CPAC to bed every night. Lack of oxygen will make his brain cells die. He does wear it every night and I do think it is slowing down the process of memory loss. If your loved one snores or his legs jump at night or doesn't feel rested in the morning consider getting a sleep test done. The nebulizer someone referred to might be to moisten the air they breath thru the mask or nose piece. The dry air can give them a sore throat. Our machine is relatively new and has a chamber for distilled water that moistens the air that helps open this throat . His is not attached to oxygen it just opens his airway with a gentle pressure.
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My Mom doesn't use either, but I have noticed a very significant change when she drops weight! My Mom took a turn for the worst a year ago lost 20 lbs during that time she couldn't stand, eat, talk or even hold her head up straight. I pretty much force-feed her anything I could get down her! Dr. even notice the improvement she came in on a wheelchair when bad and next time with weight gain was standing using her walker and talking! They even wrote her off at hospital said she had Adult failure to thrive. A month later after feed her ALOT her PCP said "What did you do?" She's was doing nearly a 360 turn around!
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Very frustrating, GMB; but don't forget that pure oxygen can have toxic effects, I believe? As long as they're monitoring his levels and keeping the balance as good as possible.
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My husband (he has Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinsonism) was hospitalized all summer and was on oxygen, first 24 hours and then at night. I noticed a big improvement in cognition. He's now back at assisted living, and they won't continue the oxygen at night because his saturation level is above 90. Very frustrating when you observe something that helps and can't get it.
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Chronic heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Hm. What's PAD? Oh - pulmonary artery disease?

Sandy, it makes complete sense that your father's brain functions better when it gets enough oxygen. So would yours! :) Normally, our hearts pump blood efficiently enough to carry the oxygen around. Given your father's many circulation problems - occluded arteries, poor pumping - not enough oxygen gets into his bloodstream from ordinary atmospheric air, and then not enough blood get upstairs, so it's a double whammy. The O2 helps to correct the blood oxygen saturation; I'm not sure what the nebuliser is for but I'm guessing it's to improve his airways?

Pam is of course correct; and I'm sorry - we're in a similar position, though without the A fib - to think that these treatments can only relieve symptoms, not treat the underlying disease; but on the other hand it is some consolation to remember that all of this support makes your father infinitely more comfortable than he would be without it. And that's not always the case - there are a few palliative treatments that do make you wonder if they're not worse than the problem they're supposed to solve.

So, no, no coincidence. Wishing you many more conversations with him to treasure x
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This interests me, I hadn't thought of oxygen as therapy . Sorry to be green but can you elaborate on what CHF and Afib are ??
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O2 will definitely help his train of thought, but with CHF and A-fib, the train could derail at any time. A-fib is a deadly clot-maker.
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