“The best position to sleep in is on your back. This position prevents pressure on the port which may cause pain,” Lyon said. That means you might need to change your normal sleeping position. You might also find you're comfortable sleeping on your side.
Wear a sleep mask: Wearing a sleep mask can help keep your cannula in place and prevent it from slipping or getting tangled. Use tape: You can use medical tape to secure the cannula to your face. However, be sure to use a gentle tape and avoid taping the cannula too tightly, as this can restrict airflow.
Using oxygen therapy at night allows your body to get more oxygen into the bloodstream so that you may get a better night's sleep. Your doctor may recommend you do a sleep study to determine whether supplemental oxygen at night is right for you.
People who sleep on their side can still do so, but they should try to avoid the side of their chest where the port is implanted. Doctors typically insert chemo ports on the right side of the chest.
Ports are directly implanted under the skin and can cause local irritation to the adjacent tissue. Likewise, laying face down can cause direct pressure that can be uncomfortable and prevent the onset of sleep. Anything that a patient can do to take the pressure off their port would help improve sleep.
You may feel sore and swollen around the area where the port was put in for 1 or 2 days after the procedure. The area may also be bruised, which can take longer to go away.
What are the risks of using oxygen therapy? Oxygen therapy is generally safe, but it can cause side effects. They include a dry or bloody nose, tiredness, and morning headaches. Oxygen poses a fire risk, so you should never smoke or use flammable materials when using oxygen.
What Is a Dangerously Low Oxygen Level While Sleeping? Blood oxygen levels at or below 88% are considered dangerously low for most people.
Side Sleeping
It creates optimal blood flow and minimizes the chances of airway obstructions which can reduce the number of apneas that you experience each night. Side sleeping even comes with additional benefits.
Although oxygen saturation values were within the normal range in the five different body positions, post hoc analysis showed that the best oxygenation was in the 'sitting upright' position while the lowest oxygenation was in the supine position.
Use Padding
In addition to using moisturizers to lubricate the places where the equipment touches your skin, you can use foam and fabric padding to soften the sore points. There are a variety of different kinds of soft pads and fabric covers you can get to make oxygen masks and nasal cannulae more comfortable to wear.
Apply a thin amount of a water-based lubricant to the ends of the prongs. You can also use a saline nasal spray daily to keep your nasal passages moist enough for comfort. This is one of the problems that are more likely to happen during the winter when the air is arid.
It could be that your nasal cannula just doesn't fit you correctly. As you move around in your sleep, your oxygen nose piece could be moving around in your nostrils more than it should, and that could explain why it falls out or feels uncomfortable while you sleep.
Hy-Tape—which almost everyone simply calls “pink tape”—uses a zinc oxide-based adhesive. This latex-free adhesive is gentle and even soothing on delicate skin. Pink tape is strong enough to hold a nasal cannula in place, and can hold its own against the busiest of tiny hands.
That depends on the type of cooking. You should never use an oxygen concentrator around open flames, such as gas stoves, bonfires, barbecues and candles. Cold food preparation and using a microwave are safe to do while wearing oxygen.
In the bathroom, you can wear your oxygen in the shower as long as your tank or machine is not close to any heat sources. However, you should never wear your oxygen when using appliances like hair dryers, hair straighteners, and hair curlers.
Most people will die within 10 minutes of total oxygen deprivation. Those in poor health often die much sooner. Some people may suffer other medical catastrophes, such as a heart attack, in response to oxygen deprivation.
Your Oxygen Prescription
An oxygen flow rate of 2 LPM means the patient will have 2 liters of oxygen flowing into their nostrils over a period of 1 minute. Oxygen prescriptions generally run from 1 liter per minute to 10 liters per minute with 70% of those patients being prescribed 2 liters or less.
“The best position to sleep in is on your back. This position prevents pressure on the port which may cause pain,” Lyon said. That means you might need to change your normal sleeping position. You might also find you're comfortable sleeping on your side.
Chemotherapy port pillows are distributed to patients who are going through chemotherapy treatment and have a portacath placed beneath their skin. The pillow attaches to a seat belt to provide cushion between the port and the seat belt, making car rides more comfortable for patients.