Breathe easy: Doctors push for better access to supplemental oxygen
Two years ago, Shelly Bruce suddenly found it harder to breathe.
"I've had asthma all my life," she said. "I'd been complaining to my doctors that I thought my asthma was getting worse - they eventually sent me to a pulmonologist and they discovered I had a lung disease."
Bruce was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable disease that causes scarring in the lungs, making breathing progressively more difficult.
She now requires extra oxygen around the clock.
"When you can't breathe, you're exhausted all the time," she says, "In my day, I have to decide what's important. What I want to do and what needs to be done."
The disease kills around 2,500 Canadians every year.
Most patients eventually require supplemental oxygen, but some doctors say it takes too long for them to get it.
"The trouble is getting access to oxygen and the number of tests required in order to get the oxygen funded," said Dr. Charlene Fell, a Calgary respirologist, "That builds a little bit of delay into patients being able to start oxygen once their physicians say it's recommended for them."
Doctors say oxygen doesn't treat the condition but it makes people suffering from pulmonary fibrosis more comfortable.
In order to qualify for the government-funded therapy, people need to have consistently low levels of oxygen in their bloodstream, which some say isn't fair.
"If you see a patient in the clinic room and their oxygen level is fine, that doesn't necessarily mean they won't benefit because their oxygen levels go down when they exert themselves, " said Fell.
"What we're trying to do here is raise awareness among the public and the politicians and the policy makers - this is a really important issue for our patients."
Around 30,000 Canadians suffer from pulmonary fibrosis and doctors say up to 20 per cent may not be getting the extra oxygen they need.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6968271.1721298812!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Former safety minister wants 'protective zones' for MPs' offices as threats increase
Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino is calling for the creation of 'protective zones' around political constituency offices to shield members of Parliament and their staff from a rising tide of threatening behaviour.
Two deaths in listeriosis outbreak linked to plant-based milk recall
Two people have died after an outbreak of listeriosis triggered a national recall of certain plant-based milks, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday.
John Deere ends support of 'social or cultural awareness' events, distances from inclusion efforts
Farm equipment maker John Deere says it will no longer sponsor 'social or cultural awareness' events, becoming the latest major U.S. company to distance itself from diversity and inclusion measures after being targeted by conservative backlash.
NEW 'No more barriers in CAF' as Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan to be officially named head of military
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will become the first female to lead the Canadian Armed Forces following a ceremony in Ottawa today.
Rare photos reveal uncontacted tribe in Peruvian Amazon as loggers move in
Rare images of the Mashco Piro, an uncontacted Indigenous tribe in the remote Peruvian Amazon, were published on Tuesday by Survival International,
Teens could face charges after homes damaged in 'ding dong ditch' pranks, B.C. RCMP say
Authorities are asking parents to speak with their teenagers following a "frenzy" of recent door-knock pranks in Surrey, B.C., that have escalated into property damage.
JD Vance introduces himself as Trump's running mate and makes direct appeal to his native Rust Belt
Introducing himself to the nation after being tapped as Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance used his Wednesday night address to the Republican National Convention to share the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and make the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans.
Quebec filmmaker denied replacement hand after airplane propeller accident
The War Amps is speaking out after one of its members who lost most of his hand in an airplane propeller accident was denied coverage by Quebec for a mechanical hand.
Video shows B.C. grizzly basking in clawfoot tub
A donated clawfoot bathtub has become the preferred lounging spot for a pair of B.C. grizzly bears, who have been taking turns relaxing and reclining in it – with minimal sibling squabbling – for the past year.