Oxygen levels

Can anyone explain why some people with copd have low levels of oxygen when others don't. Thankyou.

[Suzy6]

Interesting question brooke. I hope someone on here will tell us. That is a question I will ask at PR next Tuesday.

[stone-UK]

Hi

The reason i was prescribed oxygen. Is because my sats drop to 83% or lower when under exertion or exercise. Simply my lungs are unable to process the air intake to maintaina suitable oxygen level.

This can also apply to people at rest who will require long term oxygen theraphy, upto 16 hours per day.

As we are all different and there is some 40 plus lung conditions, with simaler effects shortness of breath.

It is a question of will you benefit from supplementary oxygen theraphy.

Which is decided by ABG ( arterial blood gases) test or six minute walking test.

Not all people are suitable for oxygen theraphy.

There is no defined answer.

[Hidden]

Yes,that is a good question Suzy!

Stone gave a good answer,however one thing puzzles me.I hear people saying,the 02 is to protect there other organs,but does not help with breathing.Then others say,how much better they are with it,& have more energy.Sorry for my ignorance,but can't work out,which is the right answer? Would love to be enlightened! xxx

[Suzy6 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Wendells me neither. I get so confused. The only parts I fully understand are the stronger your muscles the less oxygen they need and the need to protect your vital organs. Oh well I will leave it to my Doctors and Nurses and trust their knowledge and judgement. I will ask at Rehab but may have to wait until the person who invites questions and answers them fully and easy to understand is on duty. Stay well xx

[Puffthemagicdragon in reply to Hidden]

I spoke about this to my oxygen nurse. She said it doesn't help with breathing so I said, well, it does a bit, in my opinion. My opinion being that because the blood has enough oxygen with extra O2 then the brain signals the lungs that there is no need to breathe faster, etc, as there is enough oxygen in the blood. So therefore less breathless. She saw my point of view and did agree with me.

[lily26]

When I was given my oxygen my sats was 74 they said it was to make sure their was enough oxygen getting to my brain and not for my breathing but I think it helps my breathing I have got used to it now

[Hidden]

My PR nurse said that oxygen does not help with breathing but is only used to support your organs if your sats are below 84 (I think that's right) on a regular basis. It makes sense that if your organs have more oxygen then you will have more energy and as an indirect result will be able to breathe better. x

[RibvanRey]

A good many folk here with COPD have additional health problems. Their oxygen need may be higher because of these complicating issues. Regards Rib

[Hidden]

Thank you to all who replied to my question.

[Ian123]

Gas transfer rates between lungs and the blood stream are not always dependant on the progression of a lung condition a low FEV1 is not always linked with Alveoli damage or lung capacity we are all individuals. Getting tested if you have problems is the safest way of protecting a bodies vital organs when the need arises.

[yorkie70 in reply to Ian123]

Hi Ian, / brooke 12 you are quite right in my opinion. My FEV1 at last test was 19%. I am not on oxygen, I lead a reasonable active life style. At 70 years young and COPD stage IV I do cope with most things in life. My sats resting are 93 / 95. During exercise drop to 90 sometimes lower but I do not let it drop below 88. Cheers Dave from the LoS.

[rubyred777 in reply to yorkie70]

Hi Yorkie 70, Glad to meet you. I was reading your post from 3 mos. ago. It was on the subject of oxygen. Anyway, you were saying your fev 1 was 19%. That is so low, yet your not on oxygen. ( and lead an active life ) You are indeed an inspiration to us all! How long have you had copd? Do you exercise? What can you tell us to encourage us all?

~ Ruby ~

[yorkie70 in reply to rubyred777]

Hi Ruby, Nice to hear from you. Not been avoiding you but been away for a few days also had my post cataract op check up. Yes my fev 1 was 19 % at last check up. I reckon that I have had COPD most of my life but ignored it and got on with life until about 10 yrs ago when I got up one morning and could barely breath. Scared me and my wife to death. I stopped smoking immediately ( 2/3 packs of B&H per day ) and never wanted one since. I knew what it was of course and convinced my wife to give me 3 months then I would see a Dr. which I did. If I remember my fev 1 was around 33%. I am nothing special nor do I do any special exercise but I do keep active on the move all the time. I have an exercise bike, which I do not use as much as I should, I walk a lot and I have some elastic straps. I could go for a long time but I will not bore you. This is my belief, you must be positive thinking, your mind is the best Dr in the world. I have emphysema but emphysema does not have me. Deep breathing exercise often. Also up to now I have not had to use oxygen during flights. By the way I retired from full time employment at 69 yrs young. Have a great weekend. Breath easy exercise often. You have to stay in control. Dave from the LoS.

[rubyred777 in reply to yorkie70]

Thanks for the reply Dave. You have a really good attitude and dont let copd get you down. I wish I could be more like you! My fev 1 is 62 . Yours is 19 and your not on oxygen? What is your oxygen sat.? Thats pretty amazing. Do you ever do your peak flow? I wish you much luck with your cataract op and hope to hear from you soon

~ RUBY ~

[yorkie70 in reply to rubyred777]

Hi Ruby, As I am sitting here my sats are 94%. I don't do any tests unless i feel that I have to. My last peak flow was 4.69 L/sec. I also do my own 6 MWT, not perfect but good enough for my info. I also have 1 oximeter with software so that I can do an all night record to make sure that my sats are not dropping too low during sleep. Cataract op's both eyes OK. Dave from the LoS.

[rubyred777 in reply to yorkie70]

Hi yorkie 70,

I'm back again with another question. What are your sats when your sleeping, ? There Is much to be learned from insprirational guy like you! You must be doing something right. How are you doing today?

~ Ruby ~

[yorkie70 in reply to rubyred777]

Hi Ruby, ask as many questions as you like i will answer what I can. My sleep record as follows; for 16/17 Mar 2014 SpO2 Max 95 Min 89 Pulse Max 103 Min 71 & 26/27 Oct 2014 SpO2 Max 95 Min 88 Pulse Max 100 Min 60. If I could attach pdf file I would send you copy of the print out. As we all know we are all different in our condition but as I do believe if we stay in control, keep the mind positive we can overcome much. All is good here in the LoS. Dave.

[rubyred777 in reply to yorkie70]

Thanks thats when your sleeping? How about if you walk for 6 mins fast or up hill?

~ RUBY ~

[yorkie70 in reply to rubyred777]

Hi Ruby, I do not keep records for when I am walking etc. If I am exercising then I will carry an oximeter to keep an eye on things. My sats will drop to 89 if they drop below then I will stop for them to recover then carry on. When I get short of breath if my sats are still OK then I continue. Being short of breath will not kill you. It is not often that I walk uphill as we are a bit short of hills where I live. We were in the UK last year and went to Edinburgh for a few days one day we walked from the rail station up to the castle. I only stopped once for a few minutes. That is a steep climb. By the way you must be up very late or you are not in the UK as it is 11 am here. Dave from the LoS.

[rubyred777 in reply to yorkie70]

I'm a Jersey girl. It is 11:00 p m. Here. So sorry if I woke you. I am wotking, cleaning offices.

[yorkie70 in reply to rubyred777]

I take that as Jersey USA due to the time difference. I left the UK in 1977 worked around the world and settled down in Thailand in 1988. No you didn't wake me I am up at 6 am and it is now 11;11 am. I would like to say that cleaning offices is an excellent way to exercise and you are getting paid for it. Dave from the LoS.

[happyfeet59]

Last summer my sats dropped, at rest, to a persistent 88lpm. Tests indicated I needed 5lpm oxygen to bring my arterial bloods results up to the required numbers yet other people only need 2lpm.

4 months previously my heart went into AF and the consultant explained that this was part of the problem. Because my heart is beating fast, the de-oxygenated blood from the heart is passing through the lungs too quickly and irregularly for effective gas exchanges. So my sats drop.

In my case my breathlessness is in part caused by my heart and not wholly by my lungs, so when I take oxygen it takes the pressure off my heart and I become less breathless.

I guess, if your breathlessness is caused by constriction in your lungs, oxygen won't help but it may still be needed for low sats.

[Hidden in reply to happyfeet59]

That makes such sense to me. You still on oxygen? How many hours? Think that's where I am heading and dread it!

[Puffthemagicdragon in reply to Hidden]

I actually looked forward to having extra oxygen. Anything to keep me healthy. It's no big deal once you get used to it.

[happyfeet59 in reply to Hidden]

I am on oxygen 24/7 and will now be so for life. It has been a difficult journey, coming to terms with this but I am taking a day at a time. I get frustrated, upset and annoyed all the time. I am saddened by the sympathetic looks from old collegues who forget that I was a sparkling wit and raconteur 12 months ago and am still the same person. I am heartened by the offers of help I get from strangers in shops and resturants.

I am strengthened by the knowledge that this has been picked up and dealt with before, I hope, too much damage has been done.

And, finally, I am pleased that I have found new friends online who know and understand what I am going through because they are walking beside me.

Juliekkay, I understand your fears, just try and take one step at a time, and try not to pre-empt decisions. And remember we are here for you. PM me any time if you want a private word.

[Hidden in reply to happyfeet59]

Thanks i will pm. X

[Puffthemagicdragon in reply to happyfeet59]

This is where we are all different. I have very severe emphysema Stage 4 yet I am only on half a litre/min. Sometimes I don't even use it. Oxygen in the air is 21% and 1/2L/min is 22.5%, so not a lot of difference. Apart from the 15 hours daily, I mainly use it if I am doing something strenuous.

[Hidden]

Hi, everyone is different I had a chest infection and SOB and was told oxygen wouldn't help as my Sats were good and I could get over oxygenated ( something like that anyway ) but I also had a chest infection and didn't even know , it was only a routine X-ray that showed it up but I felt pretty good at the time, strange how we can have the same illness but with differences. U have now got me on Google checking it out lol. Xxx

[Offcut]

I would say that we need O2 as being used as a food for the organs. When ever I have been put on O2 I feel better in my whole self not so much the chest?

Be Well

[rmfields]

When I wear my portable oxygen concentrator while shopping, I don't gets as short of breath or tired as fast as I do without it. So in this case the 02 does help prevent shortness of breath.