Low Oxygen Levels

[sj75]

This has been noticed a number of times in me since about 2006. I had to have an exercise stress test abandoned due to my o2 sats dropping to 80%. Also when ive been admitted to hospital it has been noted that after walking my oxygen levels drop. I was curious as to what my o2 levels were doing on the days when i feel really bad so invested in an o2 monitor that has a 72 hour memory and the software to analyse the data. The results have been a real eye opener and so i discussed them with my gp who felt they needed further investigating and wrote to my hospital (cardiology) to ask them to see me sooner then planned. Anyway they wrote back saying they dont think its a pots thing and so wont see me earlier then planned and that i need referring to respiratory people to see wether the results are genuine?? ( i was a bit upset at what they were suggesting but gp reassures me that they probably meant wether there was equiptment error or issues with circulation to my fingers)

The gp asked wether in knew if there was a link to low o2 sats and pots. I dont know of a definite link but common sense wouild tell me there is?

Anyone else experience this or know if there is a link?

[Chaos]

I don't think this is a common finding with POTS, although from prior discussions it seems there are a few people on here who've had low O2 sats recorded at times. I have had low O2 sats on occasion during major POTS flares, but the nurse/doctor blew them off as being inaccurate. If you are anemic or have cold fingers the O2 monitors don't always read accurately. That's true of even the hospital grade monitors.

It would probably be good to follow up with Pulmonology to make sure there's not something else going on in addition to POTS.

[PotsMom]

I'm sorry, but I can't resist a comment here. It's convenient to blow off anything that they do not otherwise understand! This is such a common occurrence in all of this. Certainly there is always the possibility of an equipment malfunction, but this attitude is such a common theme, and it never ceases to amaze me! If they can't explain it, the "it can't be!" I always remember how back in the very beginning when my daughter began such disabling symptoms and we were going from physician to physician. I remember so well the moment that while we were discussing things with the physician the nurse was in the other room taking daughter's vitals, etc. She (the nurse) then came in to tell the doctor that she was getting some weird blood pressures, that the numbers were too close together. When she showed him the numbers, he immediately said, "oh something's wrong, that can't be!" and he implied that the nurse was doing something wrong when taking the BP. Later when I learned about POTS on the Internet and read about narrow pulse pressures often associated with that, I immediately remembered that day in the doctor's office and thought, yes, it can be - that's exactly what was going on with her that day!

I don't know about the oxygen, but I have always been curious about oxygen levels and have thought it would be interesting to have the ability to measure that over several days like you have done. Very interesting. It's not to say it's like that for everyone and not to say you shouldn't check it out further as possibly unrelated to dysautonomia, as we always need to do as well, but I find it very interesting indeed. I would run several tests like that and then take all of the data in when you see someone. Doesn't mean they will pay any attention to it, but it's worth a try!

[juliegee]

I've been through this as well. My rheumatologist hooked me up to the finger pulse oximeter and had me do the 7 minute walk test. My sats started at 99 and dropped below 79 at which time the rheumatologist abandoned the test and referred me to a pulmonologist. He put me through a battery of tests, took X-rays, etc and determined that my fingers simply vasospasm when I walk probably because of low blood volume and Reynauds. Apparently, our limited blood supply gets shunted to more vital organs... So, this is one connection between low sats and POTS.

How did you feel at the time your sats supposedly dropped? Were you experiencing severe air hunger, pain in your chest? I felt OK when my sats dropped. What confused the issue for me is that I DO have times when I experience air hunger, SOB, pain upon inhaling but NOT during my 7 minute walk test. My pulmonologist kept trying finger after finger when my sats dropped until he finally found some blood and got a 99%.

You have to go with your gut on this one. If you felt OK and were surprised by the low sats, you probably experienced vasospasms in your fingers. I have since acquired a pulse oximeter & have checked my levels when I feel bad. They are always good when I'm seated or lying down and all over the place when I stand. I have noticed that my HR is high and quite variable on days I feel bad.

I have MCAD and asthma-type symptoms and need daily singulair to keep my lungs and chest clear.

Sorry you are dealing with this. Scary, confusing, and most docs don't have a clue how POTS affects sat levels. Find someone who will work with you to get to the truth.

Julie

[sj75]

thanks for the replies, its strange as sometimes when it happens i feel terrible, other times im fine? i agree pots mum , i did feel that my concerns were being dismissed and it annoyed me that the first reaction was that they are false readings- it seems to be the story of our lives. Whats the point of having all this technology if the minute they pick up anything out of the ordinary its dismissed as inaccurate?

I do wonder if i get constriction of the peripheral veins when walking. Will be interesting to see what the chest people say.x