Using O2 is a lot better than dying! I've used it for well over 8 years and until Covid hit, I was traveling by air at least twice a month and sometimes three times. That's a long way from moving into some sort of home for the disabled. I use it so that I don't run the risk of right heart failure and brain damage. Using O2 isn't the end of the world.......believe me!

The clinical definition of an exacerbation is when your ordinary, day to day symptoms of COPD suddenly get significantly worse and require some medical intervention (additional treatments, more of your regular meds or new meds like prednisone and antibiotics) to get rid of. It's not something that goes away the same day. A bad breathing day may be from anxiety, change in the weather, humidity, smoke in the air from fires or something we can't always identify. You have a harder time breathing than normal. A bad breathing day is just one day. An exacerbation can last for a week or longer. I hope this helps.

I use oxygen 24/7. I have house oxygen concentrator and a portable oxygen concentrator that I travel with. The portable machine gives me up to 3 liters continuous flow. I don’t feel restricted in the least. I go on trips just like everyone else except I have rubber hose in my nose. So no using oxygen is not the end but the beginning. Take care. Chuck

I have not been prescribed 02... and I usually mainain 94-95% saturation even when exercising... so far the inhalers do their jobs... (knock on wood)... the heat and humidity are a challenge so I stay indoors as much as possible and when I go to the store, I have AC in the car and I have a “handicapped” plackard for parking close to the door... the thought of dragging an oxygen tank around with me terrifies me... it’s like the next step toward death and that I’d have to move into some sort of a home for the disabled...The progressive nature of COPD is a good motivator for staying in the present moment with gratitude for each day that isn’t worse than the one before..
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If you need to use the O2 to keep your saturation levels up, please do so! That's why you have been prescribed O2 in the first place. If your sat levels are good, then O2 won't help, but use your oximeter to make that determination! No question anxiety makes a difference, but use the O2 if you need it!