Stuck I am. [View all]

This weekend my portable oxygen machine went weird. Wouldn't charge, not even with changing the battery. Not good. So, I just got off the phone with customer service. Very nice young man, who tried walking me through removing the cord, checking the connection, changing the battery again, asking if the green light came on (try as I might, I couldn't find any evidence of a light, green or otherwise). Then he had me turn the machine upside down to remove something called "the column"; that door wouldn't budge. I reminded him that I'm an old lady, my eyes aren't that sharp and my hands lack both strength and dexterity. He paused, then said there's clearly a problem that I can't fix, so he's sending a new machine, should be here in a couple of days. Good. But stuck I am until it arrives.

When I first got the portable and the home concentrator, I asked if I could keep a couple of tanks in case of power failure. Answer was NO. That's potentially dangerous for patients who require constant oxygen; not having a backup supply carries built-in hazards. Can't fathom the reasoning on that. It's one of those things where I'd really like to have a conversation with the person(s) who made that decision, I do have questions about their priorities.

Oh, well. Just something else to think about while I'm stuck at home instead of going to my PT appointment. Hmmmmph.


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