Oxygen Tubing - Let's talk about the oxygen tubing connected to your oxygen source. It follows you around everywhere. I would first like to offer a suggestion for safety around the hard to avoid heat source your stove. With either gas cooking or electric cooking you need to keep the tubing away from the heat source. When you put on an apron "ladies", throw your tubing over your shoulder and tie it in your apron strings. This keeps it out of the way and it is still with you. Men if you do not want to wear the apron, throw the tubing over your shoulder and form your tubing into a soft half loop being careful not to crimp the tubing and place it in your back pocket. One other thing please do not put your face down near the stove eye ( gas or electric) to smell that delightful dish. If you feel like smelling it get a spoonful and bring it up to your nose, or pick up the pot and bring it to your nose. Remember that the oxygen is still flowing in your nose and we do not want to burn off our nose. You can always have someone else smell the pot.Walking the Oxygen Tubing - Now let's talk about that oxygen tubing which follows you everywhere. When you are walking around be sure to keep a hold of your tubing in one hand, let it trail behind you and be careful about tangling it in your feet. When your tubing becomes stiff and starts on it's own to tangle or curl call your supplier for a new tubing; it becomes much more of a hazard when it loses its' flexability.

Humidifying With Water - When you want to add humidity to your oxygen or your CPAP or BIPAP you need to use sterile distilled water. The best and cheapest can be found at your grocery store or drug store, sterile distilled water distilled and sterilized by steam. The water can be found in gallon jugs and is usually less than a dollar and should say on the label by steam distillation. You should change the water in your humidifier bottle on your continuous oxygen source every 24 hours. Empty the old water rinse the bottle with a little fresh sterile water and pour it out and add fresh water to the humidifier jar. For CPAP and BIPAP humidifiers fresh water every time before using. Empty all of old water from humidifier, disassemble as per instructions, wash in mild dish detergent, rinse throughly and allow humidifier to air dry add fresh water before each use. This is especially important for heated humidifiers.

Avoiding INFECTION - The single most important practice for avoiding infections is still hand washing. Wash your hands anytime there has been a possibility of soiling or contamination, using soap and water or if not available, a disposable hand wipe cloth. While we are on the subject of washing, let's discuss taking care of your nebulizer set-up the part you use to take your nebulized medicine. You should rinse the medicine cup mouthpiece and T-piece in tap water after each use allow to dry on paper towel until next use. At night after last before bedtime treatment was medicine cup, mouthpiece and T-piece in mild diswashing detergent, rinse throughly and allow to air dry on a paper towel. You should soak the medicine cup, mouthpiece and T-piece in 1 quart water with 1/4 cup cider vinegar mixed in the water every week. You should allow the parts to soak for 20 minutes, remove and rinse throughly and allow to air dry. If you use a metered dose inhaler (MDI) with a spacer or holding chamber. You should wash the spacer every week and allow to air dry. The MDI mouthpiece should be held under hot tap water, with water flowing on the small hole where the medicine spray comes out and then on top of the hole where the mdi canister plugs in this should be done daily.

Electrical - If you have to use a three prong adapter for your Concentrator or Nebulizer be sure that the ground wire or eyelet as some adapters have is attached to the small screw in the center of your outlet plate.

Also if your Concentrator is sitting on the floor and you have thick pile carpet you should sit the Concentrator on a small piece of plywood or clear plastic large enough for all 4 wheels to sit on, to allow for better airflow around the bottom which could prevent overheating.