Any tips for dealing with water infiltrating your cannula tube?

[Stephanie Mitchell]

Hi Sherri. The most obvious question is your water bottle overfilled? If not, then it could be that your room temperature is too cold, allowing the humidified oxygen to condense in your tubing.

You can blow out your cannula and tubing with compressed air, if you have it. Don’t worry about bacteria or such in your cannula and tubing from rainout. If you want to be extra careful, pour some alcohol or vinegar through your cannula and tubing and connect it to your concentrator and let the oxygen dry out the tubing and cannula.

Your DME should have you on a resupply schedule for replacement cannulas and tubing as they are disposable items.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @whitesandsgirl, Stephanie has some excellent tips for you. As she said, you should have several sets of extra tubing and cannulas from your oxygen company. Did they offer that?

Also, this is from a DME company on this issue. “This is very common and easy to fix. To dry out your tubing, disconnect the tubing from your humidifier bottle and attach it directly to your concentrator. This will dry out the tubing very well.”

I would also suggest changing the humidifier bottle and seeing if that helps. Sometimes the connection and tubing to the humidifier bottle is the issue. I’ve had to replace my bottles at times when the moisture started to build up in my tubing.

But I’m surprised that they had no answers for you on this problem.

[Sherri]

Thanks for great tips. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to use the machine to dry the tube. I do have multiple sets of tubes, which the oxygen supply company offers up with no questions. However they seem a bit short on technical advice. When I told them about the issue they just told me I could get tubes whenever I needed them.

[Cathy Brown]

Do you have a water trap? It’s a little cylinder that goes between your green tubing and the cannula tubing and traps water. The oxygen company gave me one.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @catbrown, another great tip that will be helpful to others. Thanks for sharing that; I forgot about that water trap part. Isn’t it amazing how we pick up where others may forget?

I hope you’re doing well this week.

[Janet Barry]

Thank you to everyone who responded to Sherri.  And, thank you Sherri for asking.  I’ve had issues with my canula filling with condensation also.  The first time my DME helped by explaining that I had to be very careful about filling the canister too much.  After that I was very careful and things went well for quite awhile.  Then suddenly the issue reappeared.  I contacted the DME again and was helped with a water trap.  It worked well, but I have trouble emptying it when water builds up inside.  I can’t open it.  So I stopped using it, and have been dealing without, which is difficult.  It never occured to me that my room may be too cool.  I’m going to go back to using the water bottle again thanks to all of your wonderful suggestions.  Thank you all again.  Stay safe.  Live well and Blessings.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @jbarry28, it’s nice to see your post. How have you been doing?

[Sherri]

I appreciate all the tips. I did not know about too cool of a room, which could be part of my issue. I have issues with flushing several times during the night that leave me feeling overheated, so my room is cool. And yes, I do have a trap. I used it and still had water issues. My husband replaced the trap with a bottle identical to the one that we fill with distilled water. So, the water has to go from the first bottle through a tube, into a second bottle (which I keep upright in a drawer in my bedside table) then thru the second tube that has the cannula attached. It sounds like a hot mess, but we have less issues with water than we did in the past. Usually I can hear the water in the tube before I drown. LOL. Thanks to everyone for their advice. It is nice to converse with others who find themselves in similar circumstances.

[jen-cueva]

I’m grateful that the tips and this topic have been helpful for you both, @whitesandsgirl and @jbarry28. It’s always nice to converse with others who may be going through the same or have already been through similar situations.

This is why I love being a part of this PHamily.

[Janet Barry]

Hi, Jen.

Thanks for asking.  Things have finally leveled off a bit.  My kidney numbers have improved to the point the Dr. has reduced the number of visits per year.  The cardiologist also has reduced the visits, but still is involved with the pulmonologist with arranging for echocardiograms.  When the pulmonologist first requested him to arrange for my echoes I had the impression he was put out, but he now seems more agreeable to arranging them since they take place at his offices.  He of course was involved in my having my triple bypass back in 2020.  I’m still having trouble with my back but the orthopedist helps with cortisone shots when I need them.  I’ve weaned off that a bit too.  I think the visits to chiropractor are helping.  Sorry for going on and on.

Blessings to all and stay well.

[jen-cueva]

Hi @jbarry28, from your update, it sounds like things are improving in many areas of your health. That;’s a blessing, certainly!

You’ve had a full plate; how have you been managing all of this at once? Hopefully, working with an excellent medical team is helping you.

Aww, I had a few cortisone shots years ago for my back, which didn’t last long for me. But happy to hear that your chiropractic appointments are benefiting you.

Keep on doing what you’re doing; it is working for you. Thanks for the update, and keep us posted.

[Debbie Moore]

Be careful where you step when using the water tube.  My slippered foot rolled one way then the other and then I was down.  Definitely a hazard to watch out for.