Oxygen compressor for pickup in Maryland?

September 14, 2023 3:48 AM

Looong story short, my elderly mother ordered a prescription 5L oxygen compressor when hers stopped working. The company will not be shipping it out until "next week" despite the fact that she ordered by phone last Thursday and was verbally told 3-5 days. She is supposed to use it 12 hours per day, every day, and is really suffering without it. Can anyone suggest an immediate alternative to waiting?

I've been trying to research this but we need it like yesterday and I'm hoping I can benefit from the hive mind's knowledge rather than eating up valuable time desperately trying to find a good solution.

She's already ordered the expensive compressor, that's a done deal. I'm trying to find her something to tide her over until it gets here. One option is renting one, but I'd need to find a place I can PICK IT UP SAME DAY because I am absolutely done dealing with companies who ship medical devices but take their sweet time while a patient suffers.

Another option would be to buy or rent a cheaper non-prescription oxygen generator. I don't believe she's ever used one of these. I seem to be finding a lot of contradictory info online about whether this would be helpful or not.

I suppose we could buy another one, and then fight the original company, Vitality Medical, to take their leisurely-shipped one back.

We live in central Maryland. I'm willing to drive a couple of hours if need be.

If anyone has suggestions, either for an outfit they trust that can provide an oxygen device quickly, or for what type of solution would really work, I would deeply appreciate it.

posted by Flock of Cynthiabirds to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

Best answer: Has she called the office of the provider who prescribes her oxygen? My experience as a physician with companies that provide oxygen supplies is very, very different (in my area they would have come to your mom's house to troubleshoot the broken compressor, for example), so I wonder if the provider's office can help with communicating with the DME company. There may be a misunderstanding about the urgency of the need if your mom truly has no backup supplemental oxygen, which the provider's office may be better able to convey. Alternatively, if this company are routinely behaving like deadbeats, the providers office will probably know about that (and about alternatives), too.
posted by telegraph at 4:51 AM on September 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Really, truly not trying to threadsit, but I need to reiterate what I'm asking here: How to have an oxygen compressor in our hands by the end of the day. Not interested in methods of dealing with Vitality Medical, which is in Utah. They have already shipped the compressor, evidently by stagecoach, and are not interested in what impacts their slowness has on the patient, nor could they even remedy it by the end of the day, even if they wanted to (which again, they Do Not).
posted by Flock of Cynthiabirds at 5:02 AM on September 14, 2023

Response by poster: P.S. the compressor is not fixable, it's just worn out. Theres no one to come fix it or service it, she bought it outright. And she has no supplemental oxygen. I will ask about getting that.
posted by Flock of Cynthiabirds at 5:05 AM on September 14, 2023

Best answer: Call your mom's prescriber - they will know the local DME landscape and/or be able to recommend/prescribe alternatives (supplemental oxygen until the new compressor is delivered, e.g.).

If that doesn't work, I would just start calling every medical equipment company within your couple-of-hours radius.

Hopefully someone will come by with a specific "X Medical Equipment in Frederick rented me an oxygen compressor three months ago" rec, but in the meantime you probably need to get on the phone.
posted by mskyle at 6:13 AM on September 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: If you are willing to self pay a compressor rental for a month, many nearby companies will work with you really quickly you just need to tell them that you are willing to pay. It isn't terribly expensive to rent iirc.

If you can't find something quickly, you can take her to the ER. This isn't an uncommon scenario for an ER to see and these usually someone assigned to problem solve these problems quickly. I know that is not an ideal ssolution and can be an expensive one but it will get her oxygen and the problem will be solved.

Wishing you the best of luck.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:19 AM on September 14, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I've dealt with concentrators and tanks, MIL had COPD.

Is 5L the capacity of the concentrator you're seeking, or is it what your mom actually needs in flow? If she's "miserable" without it but not gasping for air, can you get by with less than 5L/h?

If you can get by with 2-4L, I'd say get some tanks in the house ASAP while you sort this out.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:29 AM on September 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Find your local Buy Nothing group, ask if anyone has something. Call your town; my town has a medical resources room where they recycle crutches and many other supplies.
posted by theora55 at 9:17 AM on September 14, 2023

Best answer: Her doctor will know but this is a routine supply to anyone in Hospice so you could also call your local Hospice for advice.
posted by cda at 9:32 AM on September 14, 2023

Best answer: This may be completely out of left field, but since you're desperate I might try calling your local hydrodynamic testing facility to see if they know who is keeping oxygen cylinders (known as tanks to us regular folks) in stock. This is typically a fire equipment supplier, the specific service is known as DOT hydrostatic testing. O2 tanks are distinctive, I bet they would know.

Maybe also a "technical" scuba shop but they aren't supposed to sell or rent to people who aren't certified divers.

And I know it sounds extreme but if someone is having difficulty breathing, even if it's "temporary", I would call 911. Do you have a way to measure 02 saturation?
posted by wnissen at 5:11 PM on September 14, 2023