I take care of my dad who is a Veteran with COPD and emphysema and he keeps taking his oxygen off in his sleep. Anyone have any suggestions?

What does the VA hospital./doctor recommend? Certainly they must be able to provide assistance.

The concentrator will plug right into the CPAP machine. VA should probably authorize a sleep study and get him set up. My Dad convinced himself that he couldn't breath with the mask on, so we had a heck of a time. At one point he wanted me to watch him sleep to insure he was breathing. I asked him for how long? No answer.

I hope you can find some answers for your dad. I would think that there are alarms that will alert if certain things happen. That way, he will awake and put it back on. I'm not sure of how using something like a Bi-pap or C-pap might work, if he needs oxygen. I do know that wearing nasal pillows, can be pretty tough on your skin, as I use them and it takes some getting used to.  And still, I can get a very sore nose from the nasal pillow.  I would imagine that a full face mask would be tough too. There are a lot of options though. I'd see if a rep could help you with it.

My husband was on oxygen 24/7, and also used CPAP. However, we didn't know that oxygen can be delivered via the CPAP machine. We had to unclip the oxygen hose from his canula and instead clip the oxygen tube to the intake of the CPAP machine at night. He had the same issues of thin skin, tubing falling off or he might take it off. We also used a very thin brown micropore tape which could be removed slowly without tearing the skin. Are you replacing the tubing every few weeks and cleaning the oxygen machine? We used water and white vinegar. Best wishes.

My dad was a "mouth breather" and had to wear a strap to keep his mouth closed for his C-Pap machine.

Your dad might not be removing the oxygen, it is only behind the ears and when they roll over, it can become dislodged. Tell the company that provides his oxygen - in this case the VA - and they can send someone out to see what can be done. Or, they'll have you bring him in to be fitted for some head-gear.

BTW, oxygen is being prescribed even for people not needing it. Are you monitoring his oxygen levels? My DH was put on oxygen at night but it turned out he needed a pacemaker and not the oxygen. After his being checked while in hospital, we just stopped the oxygen - his level never goes below 95% and the nurse was right - he just didn't need it.

Thanks Cheerio314, I will go look up Adamia Therapeutic Repair Lotion - my DH is 96 and his skin is fragile too. I recently started using Aloe Vesta #1 Cleanse Body Wash & Shampoo which is not the foaming but the cream soap. It "Soothes & Conditions" thin skin. You just add it to his bath water and it's no rinse.

There is a product that will help his thinning skin and it help repair it. I use it on my father who is 87. The name is Adamia Therapeutic Repair Lotion it is a 16 oz bottle and you can purchase on line. I buy it through Amazon.com and the cost is around $18. This has really helped dad a lot and my husband and I both use it.

Is he getting care through the VA? If so contact his primary and describe what is occurring and I am sure that the can provide a mask for him. He may have to go to "re hab or prosthetic's" just to get fitted. (If you can not get him out ask about Home Based Primary Care, with this program they will send everyone to him.) Or there may be a standard mask he could use if it does not need to be tightly sealed to the face.
In any case it is worth a call to his doctor and explain the problem that he is having.

You may consider going to a pharmacy that has a respiratory shop that provides oxygen equipment and oxygen, or a stand-alone oxygen provider, to ask if they have any equipment, know of any practice, or some philosophy that might help you and your dad. If there's not one in your area, perhaps checking with your local hospital's respiratory expert. Seeking advice from the Pros from Dover (M*A*S*H reference) can be invaluable.

You may want to consider getting an oxygen reader like ReliOn (TM) oximeter. It's that little gizmo that clips onto a finger for those times you want to check his oxygen level. They likely cost less than $20. There's been a few times I've grabbed Mom's gizmo to check her when I find her oxygen tube off or if she's struggling to breathe. You may find that the reading helps allay your concerns--or confirms to you this issue needs to be figured out.

Vanessa, you and your dad both sound awesome! Blessings to you.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer!!!! I didn’t even know they had headgear! I’m pretty new at this whole helping my dad thing because he’s still the strongest most amazing man I’ve ever met! I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to be with him and it’s quite the paradigm shift to be the problem solver🙂 as well as many other things......but it feels great to know how much he trusts me and that he knows he can 100% depend on me and I’m here! I was a pretty terrible teenager so it’s the least I can do😁😳 wow I got way sidetracked...haha. Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction! I truly appreciate it!

Has he tried a CPAP machine? Various types of headgear, and nasal type masks. If it's a problem, he can watch TV with it on to get used to it.