Low O2

low O2, please help!!! · Post by **low O2, please help!!!** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:23 am

I have asthma and bad sleep apnea. My O2 keeps going down low during the day and I have heart rhythm problems and can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting tired. What can I do to raise my oxygen and help my heart? Even the medrol and inhalers don't help me and I am still wheezing.
should I take supplemental oxygen for an hour a day?

LSAT · Post by **LSAT** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 7:12 am

I think that is something your Cardiologist should decide....not an internet message board.

Jordy · Post by **Jordy** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:36 am

Hey Sickwithapneal17,

As has been mentioned before, in other threads, you really need to speek with your Doctors about this. If your are thinking you are having heart rhythm problems you should, as LSAT says, see a Cardiologist. With all the problems you keep mentioning, I would think this is something you need to work over with your Doctors.

However, to answer your question below. If you are having those issues, and it's due to low O2 levels.. Just using supplemental O2 for a hour a day is not really going to do anything for you. It's just like using your CPAP for a couple of hours a night only. The problem is the time you are not on CPAP at night or the time your O2 levels drop below 90% during the day. If you use supplemental O2 for a hour, but the rest of your day your are dropping below 90%.. Well that hour on O2 does not cancle out all the harm done during the day.

However, with Asthma there should not be a reason your stats are droping below 90% all the time. And if your Stats are not below 90%, the extra O2 provides no benfit. In fact if you have other issues and are subject to CO2 trapping you could be causing more harm.

These problems you are having needs to be checked out by a Doctor because they sound like a lot more than Asthma and Sleep Apnea.

imsleepynomore · Post by **imsleepynomore** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:51 am

Many times we over think our problems last year I was having fast irregular heart rate and shortness of breath with just walking to the mailbox went to a cardiologist ,failed treadmill test had angiogram heart vessels looked great my biggest problem was my blood pressure medication causing irregular rapid heart rate. changed medications joined a gym with heart docs blessing asthma and O2 levels improved and slowly increased exercise no low O2 now and can walk 40 minutes easy. PS my chest pain which I was also experiencing was hiatial hernia and GERD treatment. Think out of the box you may find the answer a new doc may be the answer

retrodave15 · Post by **retrodave15** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:58 am

Please follow up with a doctor. Low O2 and self treatment is not a prudent course of action. There are to many variables that effect O2 levels in the blood to go it alone.

Having a wife with some cardiac issues; CHF, asthma, hypertension, and OSA to name a few, you can be one de-compensation event away from an ER visit and a prolonged hospital stay.

Mary Z · Post by **Mary Z** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:12 am

low O2, please help!!! wrote:I have asthma and bad sleep apnea. My O2 keeps going down low during the day and I have heart rhythm problems and can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting tired. What can I do to raise my oxygen and help my heart? Even the medrol and inhalers don't help me and I am still wheezing.
should I take supplemental oxygen for an hour a day?

I guess we have to say it a lot of times- see your doctor! You speak of seeing doctors, evidently you are seeeing the wrong type of doc, or aren't telling them your real problems. It's good you are doing pulse oximetry 24/7- who else would have thought of that?
I thought you mentioned in a thread (I'll try and find the post) that you were on O2. What are your levels getting down to during the day? I'm sorry you are so lonely that the best advice we can give you- see the doc- does not suffice. You will get plenty of attention from the doctor's office with all your problems.

Oh wait,
Quote from Jan 4, 2012: "my O2 is low for my age at 94% and I'm having heart rhythm problems, wheezing, exhaustion
I'm on dulera, xopenex, singulair, and went through a month of prednisone but it didn't really help. is there anything else I can try? I'm trying advair 250"

Dec 25, 2011:"I'm still going with 4-5 liters/minute every night and I think I feel much better.
Is there any reason to not breathe this much oxygen every night? this is very different from hyperbaric high pressure oxygen which has more risks"

Kairosgrammy · Post by **Kairosgrammy** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:45 pm

My brother, though not asthmatic, had to use oxygen with his bipap and when he was initially diagnosed, had to use oxygen during the day for quite some time. You may need to also. He had an oxygenator. It may take you awhile to heal particularly because you are asthmatic. I feel for you. I have asthma also but at the current time, it's fairly well under control. I've had periods of my life where I was in icu with severe asthma. Hope things get better soon.

low O2, please help!!! wrote:I have asthma and bad sleep apnea. My O2 keeps going down low during the day and I have heart rhythm problems and can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting tired. What can I do to raise my oxygen and help my heart? Even the medrol and inhalers don't help me and I am still wheezing.
should I take supplemental oxygen for an hour a day?

ems · Post by **ems** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 9:59 pm

Hello again... I hope you will take the advice you've been given on this forum and go to a doctor(s). No one can answer your questions. We aren't doctors and could easily suggest the wrong thing to do. You seem to have many issues, and I don't understand why you would take the opinions of lay people instead of seeking out physicians in your area. Please do yourself a huge favor and go to the doctor. That is where you will get the advice you seek.

sickwithapnea17 · Post by **sickwithapnea17** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:25 pm

can acupuncture or any supplements help? I've tried vit C/D.

well I've seen many doctors and I don't think they give me enough medication. this last infection I had left me wheezing even on steroids and I'm still having really bad apnea episodes since i can't keep the mask on. I woke up and feel like I was run over and have the flu

sickwithapnea17 · Post by **sickwithapnea17** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:27 pm

how low does your peak flow or FEV1 have to be before it becomes dangerous?
I switched to Advair 250 from dulera and it seems worse. I also use xopenex/combivent. I guess I'm stuck on oxygen for life at night. my last hope is that tonsil surgery will improve things some.
my doctors can't really fix my wheezing. when I exhale with any effort I wheeze and have this blockage.
is it good for breathing to get your adenoids removed?

ems · Post by **ems** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:16 pm

Think about this for a minute... you've been to doctors and you say that they haven't been able to help you. Why do you think any one of us on this forum can?

Maybe having your adenoids removed might help; but maybe it wouldn't. We have no way of knowing since we aren't doctors and don't know you. Have you thought about going to other doctors?

I believe you also mentioned in another thread that you were overweight. If that is the case, my guess would be that eating healthfully and exercising would help more than having your adenoids removed. Again, I don't know you and I'm not a doctor - that's just my guess.

Many people report having difficulty keeping their masks on. The people that really want this therapy to work for them seem to find ways to keep in on. I don't wear a FF mask so can't help you in that department. However, do a search here and I know you will get many ideas on how to keep the mask on and get this therapy to work for you. You have to want to keep it on, then you'll find ways to be successful.

I think people are tired of suggesting the same things over and over to you, and then you don't seem to make even the slightest change. I do hope you'll do something to help yourself. Your issues won't ever go away if you don't.

sickwithapnea17 · Post by **sickwithapnea17** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 5:10 am

I find it useful to post on this forum

Kairosgrammy · Post by **Kairosgrammy** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:37 am

I'm inclined to agree with everyone else. Go to the doctor. You are expecting us to give you medical advice that could affect you in a life & death kind of way. We aren't medical people, just people who have similar problems and some of us have been doing it longer than others. All of us can make suggestions but none of us can give you expert advice. At the very least, you should be seen by a pulmonologist who can pull together asthma and sleep apnea issues much more affectively than sleep doc , family doc or even a cardiologist. He deals with nothing but breathing. If you are going to one and he's not helping you, go to another.
Really, you are playing around with your life. Asthma can be fatal and it, along with your sleep apnea can have a significant affect on your overall health. So please, go to the doc and then come back to us for help on adjusting to cpap. We want to help but we aren't qualified.

sickwithapnea17 wrote:how low does your peak flow or FEV1 have to be before it becomes dangerous?
I switched to Advair 250 from dulera and it seems worse. I also use xopenex/combivent. I guess I'm stuck on oxygen for life at night. my last hope is that tonsil surgery will improve things some.
my doctors can't really fix my wheezing. when I exhale with any effort I wheeze and have this blockage.
is it good for breathing to get your adenoids removed?

retrodave15 · Post by **retrodave15** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:52 am

Wheezing on exhalation is a classic hallmark of COPD. Your medication levels are not right or something else is going on here. You need to bee seen by a pulmonologist and have a work up including chest X-rays and pulmonary function test. Don't mess around trying to treat your self or adjust your medication levels. Something is not right here. We cannot diagnose these issues over the internet. See your doctor, if you do not get the results you want or still feel like crap, see another doctor.

Put yourself in the drivers seat and become your own advocate.

Kairosgrammy · Post by **Kairosgrammy** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 8:45 am

Well said.

retrodave15 wrote:Wheezing on exhalation is a classic hallmark of COPD. Your medication levels are not right or something else is going on here. You need to bee seen by a pulmonologist and have a work up including chest X-rays and pulmonary function test. Don't mess around trying to treat your self or adjust your medication levels. Something is not right here. We cannot diagnose these issues over the internet. See your doctor, if you do not get the results you want or still feel like crap, see another doctor.

Put yourself in the drivers seat and become your own advocate.

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