Ok, about 02 saturation levels

Pleased to hear that you are feeling better Nan. Here is a short article from NHS Huddersfield on the use of and interpretation of those oximeters.

https://www.greaterhuddersfieldccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/Meds-management/Pulse_Oximetry_guidelines_181013.pdf

I recall a story some years ago from my wife’s sister. They had driven out to a restaurant with her parents and her mother lost control of and crashed her mobility scooter in the parking lot, breaking her ankle as it turned out. When the ambulance arrived the paramedic put an oximeter on her finger and got no reading at all. (She then tested it was working by putting it on my sister-in-law’s finger).  Among many health problems her mother had COPD so low readings would not have been surprising but it was the first time she had experienced no reading. In the ambulance and also in hospital she was put on oxygen.

The reason for my story is to assure you that an oxygen level of 90% is probably not an emergency so seeing your GP asap is the right course of action.

When my iron levels were so low (an 11 is considered low. I was sitting at a 3.) requiring an iron infusion, my CO2 sats were never that low. I would get extremely winded while walking but I wasn't gasping for breath. My CO2 sats were about 98%.

Nans levels are way more concerning though and should definitely be checked out ASAP.

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Low iron/hemoglobin and low BP can cause false readings though, it just depends on the person and monitor. Mine rarely registers correctly due to my circulation. I feel like 111 probably would have scheduled an out of hours appointment, so hopefully the GP will get Nan in quickly. A friend recently thought he pulled a muscle in his shoulder and it turned out to be pneumonia with similar readings, so best not to leave things too long!

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Pleased to hear that you are feeling better Nan. Here is a short article from NHS Huddersfield on the use of and interpretation of those oximeters.

https://www.greaterhuddersfieldccg.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/Meds-management/Pulse_Oximetry_guidelines_181013.pdf

I recall a story some years ago from my wife’s sister. They had driven out to a restaurant with her parents and her mother lost control of and crashed her mobility scooter in the parking lot, breaking her ankle as it turned out. When the ambulance arrived the paramedic put an oximeter on her finger and got no reading at all. (She then tested it was working by putting it on my sister-in-law’s finger).  Among many health problems her mother had COPD so low readings would not have been surprising but it was the first time she had experienced no reading. In the ambulance and also in hospital she was put on oxygen.

The reason for my story is to assure you that an oxygen level of 90% is probably not an emergency so seeing your GP asap is the right course of action.

Yeah, I'm not too freaked, thanks. I was a bit winded coming home from lunch, had a reading of 82% with a pulse of 116, neither of which are normal for me. After being home sitting and laying down it's back to 87-90%.  BP is running 100/70, which is perfectly normal for me.  I remember the symptoms from the initial attack I had back in 2010, and it's nowhere near that bad. So I'll phone them in the morning and ask to see someone this week. They're usually pretty good about getting us in within a couple of days. Appreciate the link.

Hey Nan, how are you feeling?  It's quite 'warm' so hopefully you're doing okay now.

Oh, I'm doing fine. More or less. Thanks for asking. Still a bit short of breath if I do much, but not enough to stop me from getting on with life. Tesco just brought my shop and I've gotten it all put away and am now resting a bit. 

We took the bus to the zoo yesterday (had been planned for a long time) and... well, it was a nice day out. I had to stop and rest a lot, walking, but enjoyed it. The morning was cloudy and very windy, which was nice. Unfortunately the sun came out at around 2pm and it got too warm to stay, so we took the bus into Edinburgh and went to Starbucks and drank copious quantities of iced tea. I had trouble getting up the stairs at Starbucks, which freaked the Daughter a bit, but was otherwise ok.  I took the oximeter along and it's telling me nothing I don't already know. (Heart rate shoots up on exertion and 02 sats dive.) I'm seeing my GP on Friday morning, and taking it much easier until then. 

Went to bed at 7:30 last night and slept well until 5:30 this morning, although having nightmares about having missed a meeting at a job I haven't worked at in two years! Have been up puttering since then. So I will take life a bit more slowly until I see the doc, and will take the oximeter in with me to calibrate against hers. I do feel quite tired, but I have also been fighting the same cold for almost three weeks now, so it could be that.

NOT looking forward to the heat. It was in the upper 70s (F) in Edinburgh and I thought I was going to melt! (So funny - I grew up where it was almost over 95F every day in July, and now 70s beats me up!)  Maybe we'll be lucky and not get as hot as it's going to get down in London. I have the utmost sympathy for you guys - it's going to roast 24 hours a day down there for a while! Good luck!

So is it worth taking my medical records related to the lung thing to the GP's with me tomorrow? I've heard NHS doesn't really pay attention to non-NHS test results.

So is it worth taking my medical records related to the lung thing to the GP's with me tomorrow? I've heard NHS doesn't really pay attention to non-NHS test results.

I would take them. It wouldn't hurt and the doctor may well be grateful to have them.

I agree with Larrabee.  Take them along so they can reference your past experience.  But do not under any circumstances let them keep your records.  Not even "just for a couple of days to look over".  It will end in tears.

(I did get my records back, in the end.  It wasn't pretty, but I have them.)

So is it worth taking my medical records related to the lung thing to the GP's with me tomorrow? I've heard NHS doesn't really pay attention to non-NHS test results.

I would take a copy of them.  When I was referred to the heart unit at my local hospital I took my test results which were gratefully accepted and not immediately repeated, although they did ask why I had been given a nuclear stress test when the ekg clearly showed atrial fibrillation and that test is not done here for that condition.

A year later they did repeat the 24 hour heart monitor and the echocardiogram prior to doing a cryo ablation in October last year, which has been totally successful so far. 

I made copies of all of my records and gave them to my gp. I was surprised to see that they actually scanned them into my record.

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Hmmm. Ok. I have the pertinent ones as a PDF file from the USA, so I'll just make sure I have that backed up a few places. I printed all 54 pages out and will take them with me. It's the first time I've read through all of them - I was a lot sicker than I was told, apparently.  Hoping this is just something simple like walking pneumonia instead. 

I think the Daughter is a little freaked out by this. 

Good luck Nan, hope all is well

All the best Nan

Thanks.  It can't be that bad - I can still walk to the shops and stuff, and I couldn't do that when I was sick the last time. Actually, I couldn't walk the length of my own hallway, then.

I hope the GP doesn't just fob this off and tell me to come back in a week if I don't feel better. I am going to ask to be sent for pulmonary testing. Which, according to my records, I should have been having done at least annually all along.     So, we'll see. Thankfully it's not ghastly hot outside today, so the walk won't be too bad.

Thanks.  It can't be that bad - I can still walk to the shops and stuff, and I couldn't do that when I was sick the last time. Actually, I couldn't walk the length of my own hallway, then.

I hope the GP doesn't just fob this off and tell me to come back in a week if I don't feel better. I am going to ask to be sent for pulmonary testing. Which, according to my records, I should have been having done at least annually all along.     So, we'll see. Thankfully it's not ghastly hot outside today, so the walk won't be too bad.

You know what you need, so they are usually fairly receptive to that when it's a chronic issue. Good luck!

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