My dad hated his nasal cannula but needed it 24/7. His nose was irritated and the places where the tubing went over his ears. Amazon had some tube covers that helped his ears a lot. For his nose I think we used some lip balm. I wonder if zinc oxide or desitin would help that poor irritated nose. His lips stayed so dry too. He would not keep a face mask on. So difficult.
Thankyou so much for answering! Wonderful idea! Mom doesn't like the mask because it interferes with drinking her ensure (only one useful hand since stroke) but we started doing it intermittently to give her little nose a break! Thank you for input! 😊
97yearoldlMom is right: distilled water is recommended. I bought it by the gallon for use in the concentrator. And the water bottle should be cleaned frequently as well; I think I cleaned it daily, or more often; I really don't remember. The instructions accompanying the bottle should provide this information.
My first thought though was that the cannula is pulled too tightly around the base of her nose. Or that it's old, crusty and hasn't been changed in awhile. Not to put you on the spot, but how often is the cannula changed to a fresh one? What was the recommendation of the oxygen supplier?
I don't know what Ayers is but Vaseline raises some issues I haven't considered since my father died. This was my second thought on the problem:
"The use of petroleum-based products should be avoided when handling patients under oxygen therapy. Whenever a skin moisturizer is needed for lubrication or rehydration of dry nasal passages, the lips or nose when breathing oxygen, consider the use of oil-in water creams or water-based products."
"Fire Safety Tips • Oxygen is not a flammable gas and will not explode. However, oxygen can cause fires to burn things faster and ignite easier. • NEVER use or store oxygen in a confined space such as a cabinet or closet. • DO NOT use petroleum-based ointments or lotions in or around your nose, such as Vaseline, Vicks, Chapstick, etc. Oxygen can react violently with these oily substances and can cause burns."
I think the Vaseline may be aggravating the sensitive skin in your mother's nose. There are some lip balms that we used; I believe Carmex was one of them, if I remember correctly it's oxygen free. But this was a few years ago.
You'd have to check the container. I also had some lip balms made by my organic supplier. They're definitely free of aggravating substances, and contain no petroleum.
Another thing to check is the slack in the cannula; it shouldn't be so tight that it pinches on either the ears (which can also be protected with a little foam wrapper) or the base of the nasal passages.
But please get rid of that Vaseline!
Something else to consider is a room humidifier, especially as the weather turns colder and heat is necessary.
Arre you using distilled water in the humidifier with the oxygen? I’m a novice at this but that was stressed to me when oxygen was brought out for my aunt. You might call your moms doctor and the oxygen company. I know that must really hurt.
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My first thought though was that the cannula is pulled too tightly around the base of her nose. Or that it's old, crusty and hasn't been changed in awhile. Not to put you on the spot, but how often is the cannula changed to a fresh one? What was the recommendation of the oxygen supplier?
I don't know what Ayers is but Vaseline raises some issues I haven't considered since my father died. This was my second thought on the problem:
"The use of petroleum-based products should be avoided when handling patients under oxygen therapy. Whenever a skin moisturizer is needed for lubrication or rehydration of dry nasal passages, the lips or nose when breathing oxygen, consider the use of oil-in water creams or water-based products."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27480983/
And:
"Fire Safety Tips
• Oxygen is not a flammable gas and will not explode. However, oxygen can cause fires to burn things faster and ignite easier.
• NEVER use or store oxygen in a confined space such as a cabinet or closet.
• DO NOT use petroleum-based ointments or lotions in or around your nose, such as Vaseline, Vicks, Chapstick, etc. Oxygen can react violently with these oily substances and can cause burns."
https://ready.wv.gov/news/Pages/Oxeygen.aspx
I think the Vaseline may be aggravating the sensitive skin in your mother's nose. There are some lip balms that we used; I believe Carmex was one of them, if I remember correctly it's oxygen free. But this was a few years ago.
You'd have to check the container. I also had some lip balms made by my organic supplier. They're definitely free of aggravating substances, and contain no petroleum.
Another thing to check is the slack in the cannula; it shouldn't be so tight that it pinches on either the ears (which can also be protected with a little foam wrapper) or the base of the nasal passages.
But please get rid of that Vaseline!
Something else to consider is a room humidifier, especially as the weather turns colder and heat is necessary.
This used a couple of times a day helped.
You might call your moms doctor and the oxygen company.
I know that must really hurt.