HI everyone again... I am still confused as to why my finger oulse ox fluctuates so much... My doctors do nOt seem to know why this is, other than when sleeping they SAY THAT O2SAT normally dropS... I have a tendacy to check my o2 sat alot throught the day and night and i still notice that when i am just sitting down watching tv or laying down just resting my o2 goes down alot between 90% and 95% but when i see that its low i take A DEEP BREa THE OR COUGH AND WITHING 30 Seconds OR SO IT GOES BACK TO BETWEEN 96% AND 98%... then goes quickly back down.. i leave it my finger sometime for an hour and glance at it and its usually low like between 90 and 94 but i also am not deep breathing , my ptf test are still in the 80 to 95 range for my fev1 and fvc and fev/ fev1 ratio, yet i constantly cough and clear mucus all day and night... if i take like 4 to 6 quick deep breathe sometimes i can get a 99% reading but most of the time its between 90 and 95 %.... could my lungs be worse than what they are telling me... my chest xray 2 weeks ago was totally clear with mild hyperinflation and my recent ct scan showed that my mild upper lung emphysema has gotten any worse compared to the ct scan i had back in 2016.... My biggest complaint is constant fatigue and exhaustion and night swets and ........WHAT IS GOING ON TO ME THAT DOCTORS ARE FINDING OUT
o2 sats : HI everyone again... I... - Lung Conditions C...
o2 sats
This is fairly normal Dennis with home oxymeters as they are not calibrated daily as are medical ones so go by those. It's also normal for Sat's to fluctuate depending on what you are doing and your levels are fine.
You are only very mild so my advice is to chuck your oxymeter away and stop worrying so much x
I personally with very mild copd such as yours would bin the pulse oximeter,you don't need it and constantly referring to it will only increase your anxiety levels,from what you have said your sats are fine and i would concentrate on the more important aspects that anybody with a lung condition would follow which is a healthy diet and plenty of exercise.Don't let a diagnosed condition control your life,go outside and live it. 
thank you for your input..... my 02 sat gets new batteries and when i dip way below 65% all the time unless i take deep breathes or cough.... im sure when im sleeping its goes below 90% as its usually between 90 and 94 as i am almost asleep... the worse symptoms i have is constant exhaustion and fatigue and constantly having to cough to clear mucus out of my throat..... i cough and it clears out then comes right back within minutes all day and all night
I think maybe Dennis that a chat with your doctor and perhaps a prescription for something to help thin and clear the mucus may be beneficial,please don't think we are beating you up about the pulse oximeter but at this stage in your condition you really don't need to worry about your sats.
I'm the same my 02 goes up and down. Consultant said as long as I stay in the 95+ not to worry. But if star going down then ring the clinic. I usually put my finger pulse on my finger every few days otherwise I would panic if it went down a little bit l. Consultant not to worried said it can fluctuate.
thank you for your input..... my 02 sat gets new batteries and when i dip way below 65% all the time unless i take deep breathes or cough.... im sure when im sleeping its goes below 90% as its usually between 90 and 94 as i am almost asleep... the worse symptoms i have is constant exhaustion and fatigue and constantly having to cough to clear mucus out of my throat..... i cough and it clears out then comes right back within minutes all day and all night
thank you for your input..... my 02 sat gets new batteries and when i dip way below 65% all the time unless i take deep breathes or cough.... im sure when im sleeping its goes below 90% as its usually between 90 and 94 as i am almost asleep... the worse symptoms i have is constant exhaustion and fatigue and constantly having to cough to clear mucus out of my throat..... i cough and it clears out then comes right back within minutes all day and all night
Oh my.... If your FEV1 is in the eighties or nineties I think you are doing amazingly well. Can I ask why you constantly need to check your oxygen levels? It seems like a very stressful thing to do and what at the end of the day what are you striving to accomplish by constantly monitoring? I'm not being impertinent, I'm just not comprehending the logic. Everyone's levels fluctuates. It's perfectly normal. And age has a lot to do with it too, not for mention individuality.
Put the oxymeter in the drawer, take your data when you think there's something up or monitor it twice a day for your peace of mind. Otherwise enjoy being alive.
Life is way too short to be ruled by numbers. If you feel good and are living a full and wholesome life and are happy that REALLY is the bottom line. Believe me, everything is just trifles in the grand scheme of things.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Cas xx 🙋🐶
Personally I would take your pulse oxymeter and lock it in a cupboard. Your oxygen saturations are fine and slight drops up and down are normal. To be honest I think your anxiety is the problem not the saturations. When I was first diagnosed I brought a monitor and became almost obsessed with the readings. After a few months it suddenly hit me that despite the fluctuations I had never been unwell, I had not been short of breath nor had any other symptoms. So the only time it comes out now is if I feel unwell.
We tend to breathe very shallowly from the top of the lungs when we're sitting at rest doing things like watching TV, which is why O2 levels go down in our blood. That's one of the ways singing exercises can help, because they train you to breathe more deeply into your lungs more often, increasing the O2 concentrations in the blood.
Ok, please forgive me but Im going to be blunt. You are exhibiting major health anxiety and the pulse oximeter is contributing to that, not solving it. There are good reasons to have a personal pulse oximeter but quite often we are told by doctors and respiratory nurses not to have one precisely because we will become obsessed with it. I have always found this patronising - I have one and use it for specific purposes and find it invaluable. But reading what you say, I can understand why they warn about this obsession. I totally agree with members here who are saying 'go out and live your life' and lock up your pulse oximeter.
I understand this must be coming from a scared place - that's natural. In your place I would be asking if there are councillors I could see to address your fears. When I was first diagnosed all I could think about was when I was going to die - and here i am 20 years later. You are mild and you are likely to have years and years of good living ahead of you. Please dont waste them. Take care
Hi, my sats drop to low 80s regularly, and I know by how I feel, so I use 02 to up them to 88-89! Yours sound good at their lowest, so don’t fret, you’re doing brilliantly! 🥰
Hi Dennis, I think you are worrying about something that isnt a problem. I check mine when I think things are not right and that is usually my pulse rate, other than that I leave it alone. I suffer with fatigue and put this down to a combination of things and like you I also suffer night sweats, which I read yesterday can last into your eighties, God forbid. I have bronchiectasis and rheumatoid arthritis both which cause fatigue, along with the night sweats all cause a terrible tiredness. I now have a torn tendon in my shoulder which means I get even less sleep, so try to combat with more catnaps and go to bed earlier. As I am not getting as much exercise as I should , I try to walk a bit more, all of this helps x
Your body naturally produces between 1 and 1.5 litres of mucus a day. It makes its way to your throat and generally is swallowed without noticing it but some people are more aware of it than others and at times it can change constituency making it more noticeable.
Wouldn't hurt to hand some samples in with those symptoms.
yeah i am gonna talk to my doctor again about all the mucus
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Sats dropping wgen walking
Back in hospital AGAIN Sat 1t4h August
Sats low during flight + CFTR variant unknown significance
CT Scan vs Spirometry
Feel like my lungs collapse overnight
Mycophenolate instead of Perfinedine or Nintenanib? 
Continuous congestion
50yr old smoker just quit have some questions
New and Saying Hello after COVID
