Are You Showing Signs of Hypoxia? Here Are the Signs and Your Next Steps  

This post originally appeared on blog.COPDstore.com you can view the original article here.

Tax time is upon us again. It seems that tax burden is going up every year and refunds area getting smaller and smaller. But, according to the IRS, a large percentage of allowable deductions go unclaimed every year. If you feel like a little light reading before bed time you can review the 2015 US tax code to make sure you’re getting everything you are entitled to. It’s only 74,608 pages! IRS Section 502 which pertains to medical deductions is only 27 pages but we’ve hit some of the highlights here for you so you can ask your tax professional about them. These numbers change over time but generally speaking you should be able to write off 20% of medical expenses over $2120 if your taxable income is $84,000 or less.

According to the World Health Organization COPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide, behind heart disease and stroke.  It currently kills more women than breast cancer and diabetes combined.  Over 3 million people die each year of COPD related causes.  Despite being such a prolific killer COPD is probably the least recognized and most underdiagnosed disease.  It is estimated that approximately 14.2 million people have been diagnosed with COPD but as many as 13 million have COPD and have yet to be diagnosed.

Back in December we met Larry Peel.  Larry was diagnosed with COPD about 11 years ago and has been on supplemental oxygen for the past 7 years.  We got in touch with Larry because one of our owners saw a news report about him.  He had received an oxygen concentrator from his insurance company, Kaiser but now they were wanting the unit back because they said that he had received it in error.  Larry explained that he needed the portable during his long shifts as a 911 operator but the insurance company still called his lifeline to oxygen, "non-essential".  Peel sometimes resorted to going without oxygen and trying to remain as still and calm as possible to avoid getting winded and triggering a coughing spell.  As you can imagine, in the life of a 911 dispatcher this was not always possible.  It's estimated that patients who do not use their required oxygen increase their chances of heart failure or stroke by up to 50%.  With Larry's dosage he would need up to 5 or 6 heavy tanks to last him through a 10 or 12 hour shift.  He feared that he would have to quit work, leaving this single dad unable to support himself and his son.

Power outages can be a more than a common thing depending on where you are located, and if you suffer from a chronic lung disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) power outages can cause big problems. This is especially true for patients that use stationary oxygen concentrators, which require a steady flow of power to run the concentrator. On the other hand,  if you have a portable oxygen concentrator you can rely on a lithium ion battery until the power is restored, but it is always smart and proactive to be prepared for the worst. Do you know how to fully prepare for an unexpected power outage? We will be discussing some preventative measures you can take that will prepare you for the unexpected.

Whether you have suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for years or you have just recently been diagnosed, you should know that your lungs are damaged and can no longer deliver the necessary amount of oxygen throughout your body. This is why your doctor may have written you a prescription for a stationary oxygen concentrator. Now some stationary oxygen concentrators have different features, the overall operation is the same across the board. Today we will be discussing what an oxygen concentrator is, as well as how to properly operate them.

Oxygen therapy has countless beneficial factors, but one of the only and biggest downfalls for patients when contemplating purchasing a portable oxygen concentrator, is the simple fact of worrying their electricity bill will increase drastically. So today we will be discussing a few ways of combating the increase in cost, as well as a formula that you can use to determine the exact increase the use of oxygen therapy will add to your energy bill each month.

For oxygen therapy patients, there was a time when many faced using bulky, cumbersome, and inconvenient oxygen tanks, bottles, and liquid oxygen. These items needed to be refilled regularly. As a result, the patient's ability to be out and about was limited.

Portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) have brought these patients a wide range of benefits, improving their quality of life and increasing their ability to enjoy new activities that they might not have otherwise experienced.