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Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 9:37 am
by babydinosnoreless
If you are looking for wild guess. I would like to throw into the mix to ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels . Heart racing, weight game, and tingling and numbness can all be a symptoms of something going wrong with your thyroid.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:07 pm
by synapse
I wake up with numb hands and arms especially if I sleep on my side--ulna nerve and or shoulder impingement most likely. As mentioned before you could get some nerve conduction tests from a NS to rule out impinged nerves. If your mattress is too hard then it could cause some issues if you sleep on your side. I bought a cervical pillow and it has helped my o2 desats a great deal. I went from 20-30 ODI to usually less than 10 now.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:43 am
by WarpedTrekker
Julie wrote: ↑Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:13 am
Have you ever seen a neurosurgeon (not an orthopedic one) who could look at your neck and also check for TOS? Be wary of orthopods who only want to operate no matter what... n-surgeons also operate, but will have a more conservative and more knowledgable take on the overall picture, so if you have e.g. cervical disc or other problems, they could easily explain some of what you're experiencing.
I am going to check with a neurosurgeon. My primary care doctor wants me to do an xray to rule out any skeletal anomalies/extra cervical rib that he says is most likely cause for TOS.
palerider wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:34 pm
WarpedTrekker wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:30 pm
Is it abnormal for your arms and hands to go slightly numb and face warm, when oxygen deprived at around 84% or so?
Yes, it's abnormal. Most people have no symptoms whatsoever at that level.
Here's an entertaining video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfF2MTnqAw
Is it abnormal for HR to go from 60's to 48bpm temporarily and O2 to drop to 85%?
I don't see any apneas of any kind. But this isn't the first time my HR dropped momentarily within a minute, and O2 dropped as well.

- 2019-8-6 O2 drop.JPG (129.13 KiB) Viewed 1939 times

- screenshot-20190806-085454.png (434.35 KiB) Viewed 1939 times

- screenshot-20190806-085855.png (459.69 KiB) Viewed 1939 times
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:09 am
by HoseCrusher
Your O2 drop on 8/6 looks like you rolled over in bed.
The 8/5 data shows the expected results. O2 drops, then pulse rate increases.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:51 pm
by WarpedTrekker
HoseCrusher wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2019 10:09 am
Your O2 drop on 8/6 looks like you rolled over in bed.
The 8/5 data shows the expected results. O2 drops, then pulse rate increases.
FYI...All screenshots are from the same night 8/5. The Contec oximeter , I download in the mornings, so it puts the next day 8/6.
So yes, my O2 dropped, then pulse rate increased, which is expected. as I still was on my side when i woke up. I put a pillow behind me and lay on my side all night. I doubt it's an artifact from the oximeter, because I've had it happen multiple times in the past, and I would wake up with my heart racing. Still curious why my HR just went down to 40's then back up.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:46 am
by Janknitz
Note whether your numbness is the entire hand or just the pinky side.
My arms and hands sometimes go numb when I lie on my back and rest my arms on my torso. This is from compression of the ulnar nerve which lies on the outside of the bony elbow structure. It’s pretty distinct because it’s only the side of my hand where the pinky and ring finger are that goes numb—ulnar nerve innervates that side of the hand. When I had a bedside alarm clock I couldn’t coordinate getting my hand to turn off the alarm it was so numb.
Perhaps lying on your back at your current weight compresses your lungs and your airway and puts strain on your heart. There are things you can do to stay off your back like fill a backpack with rolled up towels and wear it to bed. Might be worth a try.
Finally, you might want to see an orthopedist. Maybe you are experiencing some compression in your neck due to osteoarthritis. It could be impinging on your sympathetic nervous system that controls heart rate and temperature control, too.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:47 am
by HoseCrusher
Got it...
Heart rates bounce around a lot. It has a lot to do with nerve paths and responses. When you are sleeping you may not remember a noise or other external signal that suddenly stimulates your heart to beat faster. It also can come from dropping into a dream.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:50 am
by Midwest_non_sleeper
palerider wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:34 pm
WarpedTrekker wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:30 pm
Is it abnormal for your arms and hands to go slightly numb and face warm, when oxygen deprived at around 84% or so?
Yes, it's abnormal. Most people have no symptoms whatsoever at that level.
Here's an entertaining video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfF2MTnqAw
Wow, that's a sobering video.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:56 am
by WarpedTrekker
Midwest_non_sleeper wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:50 am
palerider wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:34 pm
WarpedTrekker wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:30 pm
Is it abnormal for your arms and hands to go slightly numb and face warm, when oxygen deprived at around 84% or so?
Yes, it's abnormal. Most people have no symptoms whatsoever at that level.
Here's an entertaining video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfF2MTnqAw
Wow, that's a sobering video.
After watching that video, it IS normal to have Hypoxic events even in the 80's%. That guy felt warm and feeling funny. Well it was the same as me when it occurred.
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:00 pm
by palerider
WarpedTrekker wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 8:56 am
Midwest_non_sleeper wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:50 am
palerider wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:34 pm
WarpedTrekker wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 8:30 pm
Is it abnormal for your arms and hands to go slightly numb and face warm, when oxygen deprived at around 84% or so?
Yes, it's abnormal. Most people have no symptoms whatsoever at that level.
Here's an entertaining video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUfF2MTnqAw
Wow, that's a sobering video.
After watching that video, it IS normal to have Hypoxic events even in the 80's%. That guy felt warm and feeling funny. Well it was the same as me when it occurred.
Apparently, some people will just read whatever they want into whatever they see.
"warm and feeling funny" and his SpO2 was in the 60s. Also, never said "warm and feeling funny".
Re: Arms/hands go numb, SpO2 drops, heart races
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2019 1:07 pm
by WarpedTrekker
Julie wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 3:22 pm
I can't remember now if it was you I suggested to look something up a month? ago, but plse Google "Thoracic Outlet Syndrome"
It's not about OAS or equipment, but you might have it...
So I'm forwarding an xray I had taken earlier in the year to my family physician. I asked him about TOS and he wanted an xray to look for an extra cervical rib. I have a feeling though it's negative and he will then not go further in researching my issue. He is a "doc-in-a-box" at a local clinic that sees patients really fast. Not very thourough.
Last night I tried sleeping on my back for awhile. Woke up an hour later with my Contec SpO2 reading 84% and HR elevated. Checked SpO2 on my other hand with an oximeter and it showed same O2 reading of 84 and then went up. No apneas happened during that time. No breathing issues either according to my bilevel.
Usually wearing a cervical collar was helping with these symptoms but it hasn't helped last few times since I've gained weight.
If my doctor doesn't move forward after looking at xray I'm scheduling to see a neurosurgeon or other doctor to get an MRI of my neck or something. Because I've been telling my doctors for years it's been my neck and position at night causing these issues.