my spo2 level decrease dramatically when I raise my arm

Even when I have my oxymeter at 98 when I am laying down and raise my arm it drops rapidly to 85 even lower, does it mean I have bad circulation? Is it normal??
As soon as I lower my arm the spo2 level goes back to normal 96/98 readings. I am not on a CPAP machine.

I forgot to mention that it drops only in the arm that is lifted the other arm apo2 level stays the same

gemsergio wrote:Even when I have my oxymeter at 98 when I am laying down and raise my arm it drops rapidly to 85 even lower, does it mean I have bad circulation? Is it normal??
As soon as I lower my arm the spo2 level goes back to normal 96/98 readings. I am not on a CPAP machine.

I don't believe that's normal, but I'll have to check with my oximeter when I get it back from the person I loaned it out to.
I can't answer what that means, though your idea sounds reasonable.

I would be curious myself whether it could indicate a condition to look into.

I just tried it and my SpO2 reading made no significant change. I did have trouble typing with it on but I think that might be normal.

I tried it with mine, and no difference with either hand, up or down, all the same.
Are you at risk for lymphedema?

I would take the pulse ox to the doctor's office and have them check the spo2 with their machine and arm raised and lowered and at the same time compare it to what my pulse ox showed doing the same thing.

It doesn't sound normal to me and if it happens at the doctors office with their equipment then you will be right there to talk to the doctor about it.

Assuming the meter works, try it on someone else, then get to your doctor asap and get a referral to a cardiologist.
This kind of thing happens to heart patients and it is why they are not allowed to lift their arms over their heads.

BlackSpinner wrote:This kind of thing happens to heart patients and it is why they are not allowed to lift their arms over their heads.

CHF patient... I asked once why while in the hospital they didn't want me putting my arm over my head and it was because it could mess up the readings on the sensor, not because it was bad for my heart or circulation. More for monitoring reasons than for health reasons.

While it might also be an example of a possible medical condition that needs to be looked at, it by itself should not cause a medical issue.

I think its mainly that there is not enough oxygen pumped to the extremities, I have no sign of lymphedema, the oxymeter seems to work since the other hand stays at 97 while the other one goes down to 87 for example.I noticed a couple of points difference as well with my wife but nothing major and as fast as me.

When you raise your arm up the pulse signal in your finger is reduced. This throws the oximeter readings off as it struggles to increase amplification to regain the weaker pulse signal. This is usually a step process and can take several minutes to normalize.

If you raise your arm up and hold it there for something like 10 minutes you should see the SpO2 readings come in close to what they were with your arm laying next to you. It may be a couple of points lower but should be close.

The main variables that govern how fast the oximeter returns to normal readings include blood pressure, resting pulse rate, and the aggressiveness of the algorithm in trying to recover from the reduced pulse signal.

If you hold your arm up, how long does it take for it to go numb? Going numb is a good sign of reduced blood flow.

borgready wrote:If you hold your arm up, how long does it take for it to go numb? Going numb is a good sign of reduced blood flow.

citation please... because the typical cause of going "numb" is a NERVE issue.

now, if OP's hand starts appearing cyanotic, that would be a blood issue.

palerider wrote:

borgready wrote:If you hold your arm up, how long does it take for it to go numb? Going numb is a good sign of reduced blood flow.

citation please... because the typical cause of going "numb" is a NERVE issue.

now, if OP's hand starts appearing cyanotic, that would be a blood issue.

Numbness from nerve issues are more permanent and numbness from low or no blood flow issues are temporary as long as blood flow is restored. Cheap oximeters don't read low blood flow very well. My pulse oximeter goes out all the time when my finger or hand goes numb. The readings will drop off. My citation comes from the LIFE"S EXPERIENCE JOURNAL.

PALERIDER have you been thinking about which of my theories pisses you off the most. Its up for discussion.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghea ... 513662.htm

The "nurse" who was telling me to lower my arms didn't know why other than it was "bad for my heart" when I asked why. I then asked my cardiologist when he showed up later that day, he laughed said it had nothing to do with the heart, more with what it did with monitoring the O2 levels. BTW, I only had one arm raised it wasn't the one with the sensor on it.

I like playing with the O2 sensor reading when in the hospital and have nothing else to do. I can concentrate and make the readings go up and down. At 88%, the alarm goes off and the nurse comes running. BUT if the alarm goes off on the CPAP nobody shows up. funny.

The "obvious" solution is that when your CPAP alarm goes off, raise your arm...