Ever used a canned oxygen Inhaler
 

Has anyone ever used any of the Canned Oxygen Inhalers?
A couple of examples,
https://www.amazon.com/Oxygen-Supple...doorlife_os-20

https://www.amazon.com/Boost-Oxygen-...doorlife_os-20

I have an upcoming, probable, trip to altitudes that would be very difficult for me and I am being told that these should be able to get me through the trip without an issue.

What altitudes?

I didn't, but my mother did. It was worthless, but she had a problem that needed medical attention.

ETA - I flew for years in the Air Force and if you're going up to altitudes below 10,000 feet, you should be ok unless you have a medical condition. Above 10,000 feet gets tricky. If you go higher and encounter breathing problems a can like that is unlikely to help for long and unless you can get down below 10,000 feet fairly quickly, it won't be of much use. However, if you're thinking of using it due to medical issues, you definitely should consult a doctor first.

They'll do in a pinch, but they don't last very long. If you're worried about altitude sickness, I wouldn't count on it being a life saver, but it could help a little.

We are going through Canada to Alaska. We will be hitting several that range from 14K to 19K according to the agency.

My dad is 77 but has no breathing or heart issues. I am 50 and have COPD. I don't need oxygen but I have my worries and my doctor told me to get a portable concentrater and to get some of these. This is a bucket list trip for him and Alaska is on my bucket list.

On foot?

Definitely grab a few of them then. Like I said, they do work, but they go pretty fast if you're using them a lot.

If you're going up to 19,000 feet, that is problematic. That is extremely high. It's not just the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes like that. The air pressure is much reduced and the bottoms of your lungs become filled with fluid and therefore inoperable for transferring oxygen to your bloodstream. Your lungs will have a reduced capacity. That works against you along with the lower levels of oxygen. Pilots flying with oxygen masks at high altitude have the oxygen under pressure which helps to alleviate the problem in the lungs, but doesn't eliminate it. Those cans are unlikely to give oxygen under pressure.

If a doctor is telling you that you'll be ok with those cans, his word is far better than mine, but 19,000 feet is extreme.

Are you just going up to those altitudes by car or something, or will you be hiking?

Well some of it will be on foot but we will mostly be taking helicopters to the peaks from the Resorts and especially to the Denali crest.

Also, be sure to drink plenty of water when you are up that high. That's one part of altitude sickness that people don't think about a lot.

If you're on foot above 12-13,000 feet you'll tire quickly. If you're climbing, it will be very hard work. If you're climbing at higher altitudes than that, you better be in very good condition.

Okay.

How often have you been above 14,000 feet without supplemental oxygen, with exertion and not?

I've done some high altitude races that have gone as high as 14,000 (Pikes Peak), and 12,000 is where things suddenly start to get hard for me. Under that level I'm just slow but I'm fine, but above that it's just hard to breathe if you're exerting yourself at all.

It makes me wonder what 19,000 feels like. I'm curious. I've seen a few of those high mountain climbing documentaries, and I think the altitude is massively underappreciated by the casual observer. Those guys are doing hard stuff and they're doing it in a very oxygen-starved state. In my very mild experience, that's the big difference maker.

I've never tried the canned oxygen, but I'd definitely bring something if you've got breathing troubles. I'm fine at 14,000 if I'm doing nothing strenuous (e.g., just walking on a flat surface), but anything beyond that gets hard and I'm in pretty good shape.

A trip up through a mountain pass in a car is one thing but hiking to those elevations will be difficult. Having COPD and exerting yourself in a low oxygen atmosphere if you're not aerobically fit at altitude doesn't sound good.

Altitude sickness can affect people in as little as 5000 feet above sea level. I get mountain misery for about three days as soon as I get a mile above sea level. Then acclimate and am fine but those are extreme altitudes.

It has been a while but several times and I was with my siblings and or friends every time hiking, walking, exploring.

I have camped above treeline and hunted above it. I was always in good shape for those trips but as a flatlander, it was still a bitch. Now treeline can differ allover in Colorado it 10 to 12 thousand feet Wyoming and the Tetons about 6000 feet. Drink a lot of water expect headaches for a bit go easy.

The trip is not for a couple of months. We have already been doing lots of cardio training. Part of the plan is to acclimate, for about 5 or 6 days, over a few stops in Colorado and then to Calgary hitting Three Sisters, Sulphur Mountain, and Mount Whyte. Then we are headed to McArthur Peak and then to Anchorage and to Denali where we will visit the a few places, Peters Dome, North Peak and Foraker. The last part is a fishing trip out of Kodiak Island. This is suppose to all happen over 3 weeks. I think my dad is being very ambitious.
Most of this trip is going to be spent in a turbine helicopter.

I've never used canned 02 because I've never gone above ~14,200 on foot, but absolutely take it with you. I live at 6,200 and I feel it above 11,000. Seeing someone go through a bad case of altitude sickness is not fun at all. I never take anyone not from Colorado to 14,000+ without knowing that I can get them back down pretty quickly. I don't even want to think about 19,000 for someone who isn't acclimatized to at least a mile up and not in very good shape.

Best of luck.

I remember being in Leadville for the first time and being blown away that water boiled at a lower temp.

Nah when we get that high it will all be a helicopter ride to the landing spot and then we will get out take pictures and all that stuff that my dad has planned that he will not share with any of us. There are 4 of us going with dad.

Okay good. I'd ask if the helo will be equipped with supplemental oxygen though. I would imagine it will be, and be concerned if it isn't. I think it's required above something like 14,000 for everyone in the aircraft, let alone 19,000

Looked it up, and was wrong:

https://www.faa.gov/pilots/safety/pi...ia/hypoxia.pdf

And:

Most pilots don't think too much about using portable oxygen. Sure, everyone knows that you have to use supplemental oxygen if you fly more than 30 minutes at cabin pressure altitudes of 12,500 feet or higher. And that at cabin altitudes above 14,000 feet pilots must use oxygen at all times. And that above 15,000 feet each occupant of the aircraft must be provided supplemental oxygen. All of this is spelled out in Federal Aviation Regulations Part 91.211.

https://www.aopa.org/training-and-sa...ltitude-flying

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...-sec91-211.pdf

Been there, done that. Not to mention 60-90 minutes of pre-breathing oxygen before takeoff.

Remember that when you start to experience hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) it will feel a lot like being drunk. You should read up on it before going.

nope. just whippets

I tsieh what you did there.

So we get Covid under control enough that travel is a go again. I started talking to my mom and dad about the trip. My mom called me today while I was on the lake and tells me that my father has been extremely tired recently. Well, in the last couple of weeks he started sleeping 14 hours, or more, every day. My mom took him to the Dr. The Doctor is scheduling a cognitive test to determine if it is Alzheimer's. His PCP thinks it is likely when mom pressed for opinions. I did a little research about early-onset dementia symptoms and age-related, etc. It is highly probable that my father has early-onset dementia. He is 80.
I am just not handling all of this stuff very well. I do not live in the same town anymore. My mom and dad are relying on others to take my mom to the stores in order to do the necessary shopping. I have not been around them much with all the Covid and me working at a hospital that is the Covid Unit for my region. I have been reluctant as have they, necessary precautions. So I haven't seen them for much of the last year. Evidently, they have been hiding things from me to let me live my life and not be a burden. My step-siblings have not been telling me or letting me know what is going on with my parents per their request.
I am so hurt, scared, and pissed that I just don't even know how to feel it all at the same time. I now need to start a search to try and find a position back home even though I do not want to live there. They have mentioned that I was the one that they thought would never leave our hometown. I have left there twice to live in other places.

You bought season tickets?

I have bridge to sell.

Damn, that's tough, just went through the same with my parents the last few years but they both passed away last year. Now my wife is down to 50% lung capacity with COPD and I can hardly leave the house. I'm thinking about suing all the cigarrette companies. Why those things aren't illegal I'll never understand. She even had lung cancer last year but they caught it early since she has a chest xray every six months . Five radiation treatments supposedly killed it.
She's not even supposed to drive but had to go to the store to grab more cigs a few weeks ago . She plowed into a parked pickup truck, Totaled our car and his truck. All because she was down to two packs and couldn't wait for me to go the next day to get her more.

Well, if anything happens it sounds like your dad can carry you down. Happy to hear you and him are taking a “Bucket List” trip together.

Do you use an inhaler? I’d probably take a trip to the doctor and get some tips from him before giving O’hare Air a try

https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-01-2017/IQTTy0.gif

Your dad is 80 and you think you are going to do a bunch of hiking over 14,000 feet?

Does he hike several miles every day?

Pretty obvious that several of you didn't read the thread so I will go ahead and state it again that we were not going to do a bunch of "hiking" we were going to be taking helicopter rides as high as possible and then doing some minor climbing, really more picture taking, from there.
I feel as though that is all over at this point. He cannot possibly do this and enjoy it for the amount that it was going to cost the trust. If it is not dementia then it is likely his heart, either way the chances are slim and none.

You should be fine. You are not exerting lots of energy and you are there for a very short time.

Just stay hydrated, have some caffeine in hand as it will help with any headaches.

My wife is very altitude sensitive and she does fine at 12k as long as she takes it easy.

Sorry to hear that. Having your folks get old and experience health problems, really sucks.

Comprehension isn’t a CP strong suit, one of the short comings for a having a bad ass goatee, 12-14 inch hammer and a sweet ass Camaro

ROFL Nailed it! Awesome comment. Not highly rated enough. Wish I could up vote it on my phone.

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