STARTED OXYGEN LAST NIGHT

I started oxygen with my cpap last night.....i also used a pulse/ox to record my levels and I turned it on befor I started the cpap and oxygen. I was getting from 96% to 98% and then I turned everything on and went to sleep.....When I woke up this morning, I looked at the meter for a few minutes before I got up....My pulse raised a bit from waking up I suppose, but my oxygen was still at 98% . If it matters, I set it at 2 litres. Am I being fleeced ???

What makes you think you might be getting or were "fleeced"???

Your 02 saturation SHOULD be pretty steady and 96%-98% is good saturation.

Erm.. I might be missing what you mean, but..

Supplemental oxygen is only there to help raise your blood oxygen saturation quicker after a longer respiratory event causes them to drop.

If your sats weren't going down below 90 at some point during sleep you don't really need the extra oxygen.

Reading the meter before and after sleep won't really tell you all that much.
However if it goes below 90 during the time you are awake you really do have something to worry about.

I am not a health professional and not trying to sound like one, but I have a couple questions.........(1) if supplemental oxygen raises your O2 level during and after an event, fine. but if I am on the cpap, doesn't it keep me from having these so-called events? and (2) is there any way I can check the oxygen levels on the oxygen monitor , or do I have to take their word for it? Sorry, but I have a few trust issues when it comes to the medical professionals. My bro in law is an eye surgeon, and I have several rn's in my family as well, (and I do not associate with any of them) but that is another story. My point is they are quite capable of doing right or wrong just like anyone else, and just because they are so-called professionals does not make them immune to making wrong decisions or doing unlawful or immoral things . Just saying...... Not all of them do this of course, but it's kinda like one bad cop makes you not trust cops.....

From what I've read, oxygen seems to be prescribed more for Lung Diseases, and Central Apnea, where your brain doesn't always tell your body to breath.
CPAP does a reasonable job on it's own at controlling Obstructive events.

If you have an oximeter with a usb port (eg, a cheap CMS50D+) you can set it to log overnight and review your stats in the software. You can view your SpO2 as a graph. What matters is how long it and how far it was under 90%.

Your on BIPAP, so you likely have central/mixed apnea. If you don't have a history with lung disease, or weren't having any central events on your sleep study, I'd ask your doctor the reason why you were prescribed bipap with oxygen.

I was diagnosed with OSA , not central.......they said I had a low of 21 during my worst event in my sleep study, but just for a second and my median level was 85-90 but after cpap for about 3 weeks I did a pulse ox and about 3 weeks later I was told that I need oxygen.....I put the monitor on again last night BEFORE I even turned the oxygen and cpap on, and watched it for at least five minutes, and it read between 96 and 98............ I slept with 2liters of O2 all night and woke up and immediately looked at the monitor and it read 98 just like it did before I turned anything on......since I have obstructive apnea, and the cpap keeps my airways open and air flowing into my lungs at 20/15lbs , I am a bit skeptical that oxygen is medically necessary. Again, I am not a health pro, but I know for a fact insurance companies and patients alike get fleeced in our country on a much too regular basis. Anyway, thanks for your comments on the matter.

Mbmonkey, in order to see the effects of oxygen added to your air you need to run some tests.

You will need an oximeter that is capable of recording data while you sleep.

Put your recording oximeter on and go to sleep without your additional oxygen. In the morning download the data you have recorded and review you data. The goal is to keep your oxygen levels above 90%, unless you live at high elevations, then you want to keep your levels above 88%.

The next night wear your recording oximeter again, but this time add your oxygen. In the morning once again you download the data and review it. Now you can compare data with and without the additional oxygen.

mbmonkey1971 wrote:I am not a health professional and not trying to sound like one, but I have a couple questions.........(1) if supplemental oxygen raises your O2 level during and after an event, fine. but if I am on the cpap, doesn't it keep me from having these so-called events?

Some people have other events that cpap can't always handle. While you are sleeping your O2 level needs to stay up above 90%

and (2) is there any way I can check the oxygen levels on the oxygen monitor , or do I have to take their word for it?

A recording Oxymeter where you can see what was happening and compare it to the data from your machine to see what was happening at the time your O2 dropped

.

While many doctors set you to add 2L of O2, they do that without counting on the washout factor of adding it to the mask flow. when i was using mine I upped it to 4L at the XPAP outlet. P.S., I'm still alive!

You need to record all night and use the software to see what's up. Jim

Unless you are using a recording oximeter and looking at the data from the entire night, that spot checking your oximetry when you are awake before and after sleep is providing information that is absolutely useless regarding your sleep time 02 saturation. W/o the recording capabilities AND the software data your oximeter is USELESS for what you are trying to accomplish.