RTI and blood oxygen levels

[Westie2012]

Yesterday I went to see a gp , since Friday I’ve had an awful productive cough, been needing to use my inhaler to relieve my symptoms, I’m on antibiotics for 10 days as I have a respiratory tract infection . If I’ve felt a bit more unwell I’ve checked my blood oxygen and itt drops to 93 at times but then goes back up to 95/98. Is it worth trying to get though to the drs again to see what they say about my oxygen levels.

[Gareth57]

my oxygen levels are very similar but no one seems worried as long as you feel ok, if you feel poorly with a 92/3 reading ring someone

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Gareth57]

They should be worried though about 92/93 in an asthmatic, or should at least check everything is ok. These levels are ok for COPD and I believe often for COVID, but they're not ok for asthma and I think that gets forgotten.

As Claire has already said I'd contact your GP, Westie (not that I needed to say it now she has, as she's the asthma nurse!) Good luck

[Gareth57 in reply to Lysistrata]

my low scores came while I had covid and I was part of a trial for an app which asked asthmatics to record peak flow pulse and sp02. I regularly recorded 92 sp02 and almost immediately had a call to check how I was and every time I said I felt ok they were happy. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Gareth57]

That might be because you had COVID, even if they were looking at people with asthma who had COVID.

If you'd had no COVID and those sats were from asthma and not false readings then they should be concerned (though you would probably be noticing it more in that case).

I just wanted to flag that because I see too many people, including medics, applying what's ok for other conditions like COPD and COVID to asthma, and I don't want people on an asthma forum to think low 90s sats are generally fine in the context of asthma, minus other considerations.

[Gareth57 in reply to Lysistrata]

sorry if I came across as argumentative, I was just trying to put across why I thought what I thought, I've even had a nurse practitioner dismiss a low spO2 because when she checked it had recovered, for me it tends to be mornings and then picks up

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Gareth57]

Oh no don't worry - and apologies if I did! I get what you were saying but I often want to say things explicitly even if I know someone already agrees with me, just so it's obvious to anyone else reading

[Gareth57 in reply to Lysistrata]

👍

[Claire_ALUK Partner ALUK Asthma Nurse]

Hi Westie2012, yes I would recommend a check over again with your GP - especially with the weekend coming up ☺️