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Does Using A Fireplace Affect Your PH?
We have a fireplace in our home. When my son had PH we would occasionally light it on cold nights. You can’t regulate the temperature from a fireplace the way you can a thermostat so sometimes the heat would overwhelm his breathing. There was always the risk too of smoke escaping into the room and that was never good for his PH.
Since transplant we purchased an electric fireplace and use that instead. I do sometimes miss the traditional but the electric one provides a more regulated warmth and a faux, but pleasant atmosphere.
Do you use a fireplace in your home and if so, does it ever affect your PH?
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27 Replies
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I have a gas fireplace that I really don’t use instead I have an electric dish for warmth. Used to go to my daughters house she had a real wood burning fireplace the draft was bad their would be smoke and a strong smell I didn’t know at the time that I had ph but I would cough and cough couldn’t breath I wood move to a different part of the house and eventually leave. That’s my experience.
Carol
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I don’t have a fireplace at my current townhouse that we moved to. But we did have one at our old place. We never used it because one of my home nurses that came into the house one time said that it’s not good to use the fireplace and I’m actually supposed to be within a certain distance from an outside fire just because of the smoke and inhalation of particles that may get trapped in the lungs when I have a hard time coughing things up, especially things that would be considered irritants to the lungs or throat.
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Brittany, I don’t remember us being told then when my son had PH but through his own observation he realized that the fireplace was not good for him. Post transplant he was told for the reasons you mentioned to stay away from fireplaces, fire pits and they would prefer we don’t even light candles in our home…I’m afraid I’m guilty of doing that occasionally.
The other thing I meant to mention in the post is the obvious concern of using supplemental oxygen near a fireplace. We used great caution in that regard.
The little electrical fireplaces on wheels are nice. We enjoy ours. It even comes with a remote and the option of just having the fire but not the heat.
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Funny you mention that because I actually just saw one of those for the first time over the weekend. I thought it was awesome that it gave the image of the fire but it didn’t give off any heat. It was super peaceful to look at and was actually part of the TV stand and had the option to give off heat if you wanted it to. And this was a concern for me too when I was on oxygen and that’s actually why they mentioned about the fires and the open flames in the first place! Also another thing that I was unaware of as a “hazard” are those burning sticks that give off the nice smells. Not sure what they are called LOL but I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Those are also a NO NO for oxygen users. Which is unfortunate because I do love the smell of them. I am guilty of burning candles in my house though. It doesn’t feel like Fall or Winter time without candles burning
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Great question, Colleen. I actually was going to post about candles. I have issues with certain scents, so I stopped buying Fall candles but use Scentsy warmers. I still have to be careful if the scents are really strong.
We do have a real wood fireplace, I love it, making s’ mores, too, LOL. I was told to be careful with it. We only use ours a few times per year. I am usually not using my oxygen when we use it. I know once the vent was not opened up completely and I was having a tough time breathing and catching my breath. That was my issue as I did not wait for hubby to get home to use it. We have discussed a gas log one, but no gas lines in our subdivision. I think that is crazy. I love watching the fire.
My Mom has one of those that heaters that look like real fire, but is actually like an entertainment center for the tv. It is nice to look at, not much for warmth.
Britt, are you talking about incense sticks that smell? I loved those when I was young. My Granny burned them in her house.
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I don’t have a fireplace but sometimes you do forget about your oxygen… for my niece’s graduation party one year we went to one of those restaurants where they “cook the food in front of you”… well, never thought about it till halfway through and I said “oh, my goodness my oxygen”! Luckily nothing happened and we laughed but it is things you don’t think about when you wear oxygen!
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@margie-novak, I could so easily see myself taking my son to a place like that when he was on oxygen, not thinking about the concern until we were seated. Well, now it makes a good story, right? The oxygen becomes like another appendage and it’s so easy to not think about it sometimes.
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Margie,
I love those style restaurants! It’s so easy to forget sometimes that you are even wearing your oxygen ! It becomes like another part of us that we don’t stop to think “is this safe?” I was going on a ride one time and the person kept ppinting at my oxygen and I was thinking to myself ‘what are they pointing at’and realized they were signaling for me to take it off for the ride haha! Luckily I could take it off because the ride wasn’t exertional! -
OMG, Margie, I, so can relate. I love to go to Hibachi places. I often forget and then the flame starts and they just look at me. Thankfully, I have my fam to remind me usually, LOL
My favorite Christmas Eve activity is the Candlelight service, I was attending one year and it was time to light our candles. The people around me were looking as I was holding my candle and waiting to light up. I forgot that I had my oxygen on, my daughter and hubby just laughed as I took it off, and hid my face, LOL
I am sure the people around me thought I wanted to set the place on fire. It is usually packed so people are really close, LOL
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Jen,
LOL this is actually hilarious !!! I would have been right there along with you lighting the candle and wondering “what the heck is everyone looking at !?” Then I would realize “oops I have the o2 on!” haha! These are definitely things that I didn’t think about when wearing mine. Especially the fact that we are supposed to be a good distance away from an open fire, fire grille, etc. Things I most certainly DIDN’T do while at a cookout or fire. Gotta just roll with it and laugh where we can! -
So true, Brittany, it is tough to remember all those rules. Hehe
At least we can laugh about it later.
I love campfires and bonfires when it gets cooler. I have not enjoyed as many in the last few years, but I am hoping to some this year. Often, just the smoke bothers me even without wearing my air. But, I like to watch the fire and hang out. Is this something y’all do often since you like in RI?
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I don’t do it as often as I would like to, but my family does have fires every Halloween so I am looking forward to that. We do a lot of bonfires in the Summer months, not as many when it start to get cooler out. Usually just Summer time and the beginning of the Fall and the cooler weather but not too cold. My aunt and uncle have a big house out where there is a lot of land and woods and they have a HUGE fire pit and the flames look awesome. I love staring at the fire and just relaxing by it and talking. It’s seriously the simple things that I really enjoy the most like that and spending time with my family around it.
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Isn’t just looking into the fire so peaceful? I love that too. I can go off to “La-la land” and just be still and enjoy the moment. I have always enjoyed watching fires, even as a kid. My Dad was just talking about that back a few months when I went to visit him.
It certainly is the simple things that are the best. I would love to hang out at your Aunt and Uncle’s house. It sounds so relaxing. I hope this Halloween you have some great times around the fire. Stay safe!
I am hoping that we get a new fire pit this Fall, so soon, LOL
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That is so funny Jen! I can just picture it! I’m sure no one wanted to question you about it but if you could have read their minds…lol! Honestly, it has me wondering if my son had been to one with his oxygen and we never thought about it. Geez, I guess after a while you really do sometimes forget about it, which is good, and obviously sometimes bad.
Fireplaces, fire pits, candles, even room air fresheners are a no-no post transplant. My parents bought us the electric fireplace and we haven’t lit our real one since transplant. My son has enjoyed a fire pit or two but he sits back from it and makes sure he isn’t sitting where the wind is blowing the smoke towards him. I use to be a big candle person but now I only light them for special occasions. Those battery operated candles that look real are great! I love those and you can even get some that are lightly scented.
I’m guilty of still using room fresheners but only gentle scents.
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Colleen,
I could definitely see where all of that may have an impact on breathing
When I was younger and my mom would use those air refreshers around me I would literally gag because it made me choke. Just the smell of it was enough to make me like that. I was probably being over dramatic at time time but I remember feeling the sprays in the back of my throat hours after she would clean the house with it. The electric candles or battery operated lights are great. They sometimes really look like real flames too and the ones that smell nice are even better ! -
LOL @colleensteele, so true, we do tend to just think of our O2 as a part of us. I know, I am sure those next to me thought I was crazy, Hehe
I did not realize that those battery-operated candles come scented. I guess I need to check those out. Great tips.
I love to small a fresh and clean house- Febreeze in the lighter scents is ALL me, hehe
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I use to love burning fireplaces and camp fires, but since I was diagnosed with PAH we replaced our wood burning with propane fireplace. The smoke from wood burning really did a number on me. The propane is great gives off great heat and I can sit on the hearth and pretend!
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Carol, smoke can really do a number on PH, and sometimes there is smoke you don’t realize is filtering through the room. Propane fireplaces are nice too and most important, it will keep you toasty!
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Carol,
My mom’s house has one of those fireplaces and it really does a great job at heating up the whole house. As much as I love the smell of burning wood from a real fire, I know that whatever it emits into the air is not goood for me to be breathing in. It’s hard when the body can’t expel those particles and just sometimes keeps them trapped in the lungs. This is how infections can start and none of us needs the additional stress from an infection in our body.
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Love my fireplace, the glow of the coals, the warmth radiating into the room. Coughing, choking and apologizing
For disrupting everyone else moment of tranquility.With PAH, I have considered mounting my TV in the opening of my fireplace to hide the dark cold hole. I now use an electric fireplace that runs a simulated
Picture of a real fire.I want to wear a sign that says: “I am
Not contagious, I just cough like this from my terminal illiness”. No
Your smoking and loud perfume doesn’t
Bother me. I still enjoy being invited to a gathering of people-
Jimi,
I enjoy being invited to things like this too and I just take proper precautions and sit at more of a distance from the fire. That’s not to say that I don’t break the rules and get up close to it especially if s’mores are involved haha! But when you make that sign “I’m not contagious” then definitely make one for me! I feel like I need a hat that says that or a shirt ! -
Hehe @jimi, we all need that sign! That is so true!
I also enjoy being inviting and getting out and attempting to be “ normal”. LOL
It does not always end up that way, unfortunately.I hope that you are having a good week. Thanks for the laugh!
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We switched over to an electric fireplace. I have a really hard time regulating my body temperature, and I’m already turning the heater/AC up and down, on and off, all the time … so I really enjoy having something I can control more precisely. Being around anything that gives off smoke is a real deal breaker for me now.
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Robin,
It seems like the electric fireplace is a good fit for you and it probably gives off just the right amount of heat to stay comfortable! I also have a really hard time regulating my temperature and going between too hot or too cold. It’s a hard balance but I’m glad your fireplace helps you! Is it one that goes under the TV or is it big enough to be on its own in your house looking more like a typical fireplace? Interested in what it looks like!
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Brittany,
It’s rather large and is a stand-alone unit with the look of an actual fireplace. It sits on a hearth that a pot belly stove used to be on years ago and it’s in front of a bricked wall, so it’s almost like having a double mantle. I really like it. Between the remote control for it and the app on my phone for the whole-house HVAC, I can just sit from my little perch on the couch and control all the air temp surrounding me! (I wish i could show you a photo of it, but if there’s a way to post photos on here I haven’t found it yet. lol!)-
Robin,
The fireplace really sounds great! I like that it looks close to an actual fireplace those are my favorites. My parents use a gas one that looks like an actual fireplace and I really love it. I can’t get too close to it either though, especially when it is first turned on. The smell can really get to me. It does heat up the room super quick though.
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Something to add about my experience with the electric fireplaces is that it does give off a bad burn smell during the first use each winter. It’s caused by dust that settles from sitting a long period of time. For the first use of the year I make sure my son isn’t in the room. After an hour or so it’s usually fine.
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