Oxygen refill in Joco?

Does anyone know of a place in Joco to refill oxygen tanks. Right now my Mexican family is going to Guad everyday to fill up tanks because the places in Chapala and Riberas are charging WAY more than in Guad. And the rent on the tanks is about 5000 pesos a week. Highway robbery. Any help is appreciated!!

I don't know if this is a temporary or permanent situation with the patient's health. Is the patient permanently bedridden? Have the family looked into renting (or buying) an oxygen concentrator? They come in various sizes depending on the needs of the patient. They can also be noisy BUT, if you can get an extra long tube for the canula, the unit itself can be put behind a closed door to make sleeping easier. I rented one from Lidia at the medical supply place just as you're leaving Ajijic proper. It was nowhere near 5,000 pesos a week. However you do need electricity to run it which may be a drawback for some Mexican famililes.

If they’re using a tank a day then they are using more oxygen than what a concentrator can put out.

Yes, that's why they don't have a concentrator. He is using 11 liters a minute. Any less than that and his O2 level drops below 90.

Are they using a non-rebreathing mask? These give you a higher concentration of oxygen. They have valves on the sides and a bag at the bottom.
https://coastbiomed.com/product/nrb-high-concentration-mask/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwo2PieC98gIVlDY4Ch0xfwH5EAQYAiABEgLTS_D_BwE

Thanks for the additional information Gamina. It does make a difference.
I was reading that 100% oxygen can also cause problems including increased respiration. Oxygen concentrators produce 90 to 95% oxygen.
I also hope that the patient's oxygen levels are being constantly monitored with an oximeter.
My only experience was when my husband needed one for three weeks in 2012. I believe Jreboll was an Inhalation Therapist (or am I mixing you up with someone else?) and is better qualified to answer this thread.

Jreboll wrote:Are they using a non-rebreathing mask?  These give you a higher concentration of oxygen.  They have valves on the sides and a bag at the bottom.
https://coastbiomed.com/product/nrb-high-concentration-mask/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwo2PieC98gIVlDY4Ch0xfwH5EAQYAiABEgLTS_D_BwE

Thanks so much for this info. I found that Lidia has a concentrator that has the capacity for 10 lpm

Generally, too much O2 can cause more problems. They are monitoring his O2 level with an oximeter. Less than 11 lpm and his O2 drops to 89 or less--sometimes to the mid 70s. Even with that much O2 he is maintaining 91. His daughter-in-law is looking for a non-rebreather mask now.

Do not use nasal cannulas at flows greater than 4-5 lpm.
Regular oxygen masks have holes on the sides that allow room air to go in. Non-rebreather masks have valves on the sides so that the patient breathes in only oxygen. You adjust the oxygen flow by looking at the bag go up and down. A non-rebreathing mask will give you a higher concentration at a lower oxygen flow.

You can get oxygen toxicity with too much oxygen but you have to weight that against the damage caused by lack of oxygen. For more info google oxygen toxicity.

He probably should be in the hospital but he can't afford it. The family is doing the best they can. It's a problem with elderly Mexicans like him who have ISST??? insurance but it doesn't pay for O2 at home or much for a hospital stay. NO safety nets in Mexico.

My sister talked to the Dr. and he had told the part of the family that is taking care of the old man what kind of mask to get but they are so F---- ignorant they didn't bother to get one; only the regular one, thank God not a cannula. My sister is going to get one this afternoon. Undoubtly this will decrease his need for 11 lpm. Come to find out the family is afraid to send him to the hospital because "they will put a tube down his throat and hook him up to a machine that he will never come off of". AARRGGHH stupid people.

I was in Michoacan when my father-in-law died of lung cancer. I learned it was better to just stay out of the way.

I'm only involved from the far-away sidelines.

Any update on this?

They got hm a non-rebreather mask and he still needed more O2 than a newly bought concentrator could provide. At the emergency room they were giving him 40 LPM, as opposed to 11 LPM at home. They didn't even get a chance to intubate him. He died about 2 hours after getting to the hospital.

Sorry to hear that.

So am I. RIP.

Thanks BTW--Joco has no O2 to sell nor do any of the other suppliers Lakeside, as of last week.