Stats query

[Johnsel]

Hi all you lovely people, hope everyone is doing OK. My question is my husband John who has pulmonary fibrosis is doing good at the present, exercising every day, mainly on the treadmill, his stats at rest are nearly always 93-96 but when he exercises on the treadmill it can go as low as 83 even on oxygen, so if 83 is too low what on earth can we do about it, only not doing exercise and we know how important exercise is. Has anybody else have this problem. His stats do come back very quickly when he has finished. Carole

[stone-UK]

Hi

Speak to your husbands oxygen team, it may be he needs a review and increase in oxygen for exercises.

At rest oxygen requirements are often different to Ambulitory oxygen requirements.

[Johnsel in reply to stone-UK]

Thanks Stone we will do that.

[Grace-olive]

Johnsel

I too have pulmonary fibrosis,

Every day is more difficult to be active at all ,to lead a life.

I am 78

It is so had to sit about so that I can breathe !

[Salmo]

Stone is right - your husbands oxygen requirements need to be assessed and increased.

Many people feel that desaturating to such low levels (83) is dangerous. Perhaps tone down the extent of exercising until he has been assessed. Take more rests - slow down speed. Some people suggest going no lower than 88-90 with O2 sats though the science this is based on is not that clear to me.

When he gets the assessment ask if it is safe for him to self adjust O2 use in future. Most people with PF can use as much O2 as they need (within reason) without any safety issues but if your husbands PF is secondary to something like COPD then there is a possibility that using too much O2 can be dangerous due to CO2 retention.

[Johnsel]

Thank you Salmo for your reply we will have to go back to see the consultant which is not always easy. We did in fact put the oxygen up just a little higher and it still read 83 but almost immediately when he came off to went to 97. Thanks again Carole.