Many people with Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) use supplemental oxygen at home. Unfortunately, it can cause dryness in the throat, nose, or mouth. It can also cause irritated skin and nose bleeds. When people in our online community and support group share their story and personal journey with PF, they often ask for more information on using supplemental oxygen more comfortably.
Here are some ways to manage these challenges:
- Use a humidifier or a nasal spray to avoid nose bleeds and to minimize injury to the inside of your nose; a humidifier bottle can also be attached to your oxygen concentrator to help add moisture into the oxygen
- Apply a thin coating of a moisturizing balm, sesame seed oil, or coconut oil to the inside of your nostrils with the tip of a cotton swab or a clean finger (moisturizing balms specifically made for dry nasal passages due to oxygen therapy are available in the market)
- Drink warm lemon tea with honey to help with dry mouth
In addition to these tips, there are also simple ways to increase oxygen levels in the air of your home. If you live in a warm climate or your house gets warm, you can visit this link to discover ideas for managing the heat.
To learn more about using supplemental oxygen, please visit these blogs:
- Night-time Supplemental Oxygen Use and Pulmonary Fibrosis
- Supplemental Oxygen Safety Tips
- Supplemental Oxygen: Tanks vs Concentrators
To connect with people who can relate, join our online community forum and attend our virtual support groups on Zoom.
4 comments
Jennifer Ramirez
Posted on September 3, 2022 at 4:22 amHi, my name’s Jennifer & my mom’s on constant O2. She has such bad sores in her nose that she’s barely getting any O2. She can’t get them out & they’re irritating her! She says she’s tried Vaseline Vaseline Vaseline Vaseline Vaseline but that just makes it worse. How do we remove them? 😳 Any help is appreciated… Please & thank u!!!
Peggy
Posted on December 15, 2022 at 3:00 pmCopd 24/7 oxygen! Weight down to 109 lbs . Please help me .
PF NOW
Posted on December 19, 2022 at 7:06 pmHi Peggy, thank you for reaching out to our nonprofit. We specialize in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) but have information about supplemental oxygen that may still be of help. Please visit https://pulmonaryfibrosisnow.org/tag/oxygen/ for articles related to supplemental oxygen. For information on COPD and exercises to discuss with your doctor, please see the top articles on this page: https://pulmonaryfibrosisnow.org/?s=copd. You’re welcome to post in our community forum for tips from others too (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1198991686930106). Please keep us posted on how you’re feeling!
Eve Mitchell
Posted on March 16, 2023 at 9:28 pmI loved your idea about using a humidifier to prevent nosebleeds when using oxygen tubes. I need to get some new oxygen tubes because mine are starting to get a bit old. It’s not super comfortable yet, so I’ll have to learn how to take better care of the tubes.