COPD - oxygen sats

[puddy68]

Thank you to my COPD friends who have been so patient with me. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you tolerating my raving when my anxiety disorder kicks in, and the constant questions I've been hitting you all with. The more I'm reading from you lovely people, the better I'm beginning to feel [re anxiety]. Knowledge [especially knowledge coming from people who have this disease] really makes all the difference. I do have another couple of questions [once again, I'm so sorry]. The more I learn about this disease [actually, would it be more accurate to call it a condition to be managed?], the more questions seem to raise their head:

- 02 sats [not sure if this is the right term] - I'm at FEV 1 50% [moderate COPD?], and my O2 sat always seem to hover around 93. When I was in hospital with pneumonia, this still seemed to be constant, although if I walked about, it might drop to the high 80's. It came back up to 93ish very quickly though once I sat down again. My question is this - I'm starting my pulmonary rehab program next week and would like to build up my aerobic capacity [mainly by walking at this stage] also. Can this rehab and walking improve:

- my sat levels

- the gas exchanges that go on in my lungs [I think too much CO2 can cause shortness of breath on exertion?]

Thank you all so much again. God Bless.

[R2B_John Moderator]

Rehab...meaning both walking as well as weight resistance training will improve your core strength. This allows your body to more efficiently use the oxygen getting into your bloodstream.Your perfusion (amount of O2 molecules transferring from the alveoli to the bloodstream) may not increase....but again, your body will become more efficient and effective at using it.

Breathe Easy...You are on the right track.

John