What devices do people use for ambulatory oxygen therapy?

She has Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (Idiopathic=of unknown origin), but possiblly consequential to teenage exposure to TB in her family. Although tested multiple times, she never was found to be infected, so causation remains an open question.

When becoming unable to walk far without exygen support, she was required to attend a local specialist Oxygen clinic, who unfortunately have earned a reputation for poor care, lack of compassion or consideration. However, they did, after the walking O2 tests, arrange for oxygen cylinder supply in January 2015. These were Freedom 600 cylinders, assessed as 4L/min ambulatory. Too heavy for her to carry she found, so I insisted upon the supplier giving her a trolley, which was done with little fuss, although not designed for the purpose. Many people may choose to buy their own pretty little wheeled shopping  trolley.

However, after a relapse, a collapsed lung and a 5-day hospital stay, she began using the cylinder supply for a few hours per day at 1 or 0.5 L/min continuous.

At a further enforced oxygen test, the oxygen supply was proposed to change for a monster 56lb concentrator, plus household tubing, which we refused point blank. The assessors became somewhat obstructive, declaring that no matter that the hospital pulmonary consultant has declared her oxygen supplies are now considered 'palliatory', they themselves 'did not take much notice of the doctors'.

I felt the time had come to be somewhat forceful and threatened them with formal complaint, involvement of MP and so on, whereupon the order was changed to a portable concentrator - an Inogen one G2. Now this is slightly lighter than a single cylinder, is more compact and comes with it's own trolley, although it is also possible to carry on a shoulder strap, this is never done.

She was told to use setting 2 which equates to roughly 2L/min, but is pulsed only. Pulsed supply turns out to be less than ideal, especially as very little oxygen is delivered when she nods off and her mouth opens......however, she uses the concentrator rather more than the cylinders, and overall it is the best possible solution at the moment at least.

She is not going to attend the hospital centre again, and has the full support of her consultant in that we are requiring the assessor to come to her. You should be clear that Fibrosis is incurable and life-limiting, not to be confused with COPD at all. Her medication is Symbicort, Seebri breezhaler, Ventolin and Prednisolone.

We also had to fight hard for a cardiac consultant to see her for clear and obvious heart failure, (high heart rate, badly swollen and freezing cold feet). She now has furosamide and perindopril for that which helps a lot. Another thing that has helped is a remarkably compassionate yet forceful local pharmacy assistant lady, who has taken the fight to the GP's and the NHS in general on her behalf, and for whom we owe much thanks.

As usual, the NHS does not cover itself in glory, but the determined person can generally get enough with persistence.