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Low oxygen levels

I had a low oxygen level of 76 for two hours while sleeping and they say I need to have oxygen now during the night.I'm wondering if I should go ahead with the doctors orders and get the oxygen.Is it something I will have to do the rest of my life?And is it necessary that I go ahead with this?What will happen should I not get the oxygen?
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Avatar universal
I have COPD and resisted going on 02 for years.  A doctor just looked at me and with a soft voice said, "Your inhalers help with your symptoms, 02 will lengthen your life."  It's not just your lungs that need 02, it's all your organs and every part of you.
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Avatar universal
I have been diagnosed with really severe OSA. I am currently on a BiPap with air pressure of 17/22. It was at 19/25 but I couldn't deal with it. When we lowered it to 17/20 test showed no  improvement and my oxygen levels at times would drop to 69. I also have horrid allergies and get two allergy shots a week. But sometimes my nose gets so dried out from the air pressure that it burns just to breathe regularly. I am terrified because if this machine can't fix the problem, what happens to me? I'm told that my air pressure numbers are similar to someone in the hospital on a respirator. I had gotten a job and went into a form of narclepsy where I was falling asleep constantly at work, therefore I lost the job after a week. That was devastating. Was told that was a side affect of the sleep apenea and sleep deprivation.
Helpful - 0
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AZNE, How was your 2 hour desaturation detected? By an in-lab sleep study or just by an overnight oximetry at home?

sstitanic is right on. You should have an in-lab sleep evaluation study at an accredited sleep lab. You may NOT need 02 at night but rather "just" a CPAP and mask (MUCH cheaper than 02!!!!) Your 02 desaturations could quite likely be due to obstructive sleep apnea rather than any true lung function problem.

Do you have daytime breathing problems? If not it is all the more likely that your underlying problem is NOT pulmonary but rather OSA.

Do you happen to have a large tongue or large uvula, receding jaw, short thick neck, chronically enlarged tonsils, excess obesity? These are common anatomical causes of 02 desaturations at night due to narrowing and obstruction of the airway during sleep.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
my son uses oxygen at night.  He was in heart failure before and we didn't know it.  Afterwards, he had much more energy all day  long.  Using a little oxygen is a small price to pay for being a normal active boy.
Helpful - 0
1086884 tn?1328640455
Have they put you through a sleep study? A cpap might help it forces air into the airways to keep you breathing at night. I use one with my oxygen at night and it helps. You could just stop breathing and die as well as the things gipsie said. You may need to do this the rest of your life possibly. You won't know until you see your doctor. Stay calm and positive until then. God Bless
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You need to go ahead and do it your oxygen level is falling way to low, It will probably be something you will do the rest of your life unless they find a underlying problem. If you dont do nothing may happen but your oxygen levels can get low enough you could pass out, you could  have a seizure , I did, or even worse. not trying to scare you but i think you should do it
Helpful - 0
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