Headache's

[Jeanielee1]

Hi I've recently been waking in the mornings with headache and feeling sick ,does anyone know if this could be caused by low oxygen levels during the night ?

[LadyoRockee]

Yes, it could be. When my O2 slips off at night, I wake up with a headache and very tired. You should get that checked out,

Bonita

[Jeanielee1 in reply to LadyoRockee]

I've just ordered a finger pulse oximeter , I'm hoping this might throw some light on the situation

[dall05]

Hi Jeanie, strangely enough having the oxygen on to high can cause similar symptoms.

I experienced this myself. If you have a home oxymeter, check your sats when you wake and see if there high or low.

Then by making small relevant adjustments each night you can find what suits you.

I found that lowering mine from 2 liters to 1.5 stopped the headaches. X

[Jeanielee1 in reply to dall05]

Hi Tony i'm not on oxygen I was told i had copd after a sprirometry test at my GPs.I have never seen a consultant or had a scan so i dont know if i have emphysema or bronchetasis or at what stage im at. As you know ive moved to Spain and have been to the docs a couple of times with excarerbations he checked my chest with a stethescope and gave me antibiotics and steroids.

[Mandy6513]

Waking with headaches can be a sign that your C02 levels are high. (( carbon dioxide))...when we sleep some of us dont release enough C02 and it builds up in our system and its known as retaining.....Symptoms are ...waking with severe headache that can last most of the day but slowly eases as the day goes on, nausea, confusion and feeling drowsy

I am a CO2 retainer and when mine is high its very very unpleasant and i have been admitted to hospital due to it so mention it to your team , an earlobe blood test or ABG will show if its high it will not show on an oxymeter reading

Of course it could be something completely different but hope this helps

[Jeanielee1 in reply to Mandy6513]

Thanks for your post, i dont have a team or a consultant but will mention it to my GP

[Jeanielee1 in reply to Mandy6513]

Sorry Mandy what is an ABG

[jackdup in reply to Jeanielee1]

I believe it is arterial blood gas

[Mandy6513 in reply to Jeanielee1]

Hi

Its a blood test they do to check your oxygen but its taken from the artery in your wrist

Before i got to see my consultant my gp was my sole care provider and for a year he just gave me antibiotic after antibiotic and i ended up in hospital to find i needed transplant.

Im not suggesting for one minute that you may be as ill as me but make sure your sats are ok because my doctor never even checked mine when i saw him and if he had he would have seen they were very low...The day i was sent into hospital they were 76 and i had only seen my doc a few days before then x x

[O2Trees]

Mandy has said what i was going to suggest as a possibility JeannieLee. Hope you get this sorted asap, not pleasant.

[dall05]

I agree with Mandy, it might be worth asking for a blood gas test. They take blood from the ear or for a better test they'll take it from the artery in the wrist ( oucha yes a little uncomfortable sometimes)

Its possible you are retaining carbon dioxide so worth getting it checked out. Maybe you need to come back to England where we get much better weather X.

[sallyannsheridan]

If you are waking with a headache and nausea I suggest you mention this to your doctor. I say this because they can be symptoms of excessive carbon dioxide retention. I retain excess carbon dioxide and use a BiPap machine to help draw off the excess. The machine is fabulous and quite literally, a life saver. It could be that your symptoms are indicators of something else entirely, but the test to determine your CO2 levels are straightforward and virtually painless so there really is no good reason to put off having them. I wish you well.

Love

Sallyann Sheridan

[Jeanielee1 in reply to sallyannsheridan]

Thankyou Sallyann will request a test at GPS x

[sallyannsheridan in reply to Jeanielee1]

Not sure GP equipped to carry out test as it's done at hospital usually.

Good luck with it all.

Love

Sallyann Sheridan

[Jeanielee1]

Thankyou all for your help and replies xxx