Oxygen was at 83....

[Hypo27]

I’ve been dealing with feeling shortness of breath off and on awhile now. While I was driving I put the pulse ox meter on my finger and it read 83 but then I took it off and did it again and it was 97. I’m really worried now do you guys think that warrants a trip to the er? I’ve been really worried that I have pulmonary hypertension....

[bin tenn]

If your energy were that low you'd have more telling symptoms. That's pretty damn low compared to the norm, I think. Why are you self testing anyhow? That's a bad idea, obviously.

[venusbluejeans]

nope, my guess is that it wasn't reading right the first time and the 2nd was right.

My advice would be to throw it away and not use it as it causes more anxiety than what it solves.

[Hypo27]

If your energy were that low you'd have more telling symptoms. That's pretty damn low compared to the norm, I think. Why are you self testing anyhow? That's a bad idea, obviously.

Because im having shortness of breath off and on. Is it not possible my O2 levels is going real low and going back up like fluctuating? I’m also feeling a little lightheaded too..

[Hypo27]

I had just got done working outside in the heat and was driving home when I checked it. There’s no telling what my O2 levels are when I’m working because my shortness is the worse when I’m active.... I can’t see a pulmonologist until January....

[Dying_Swan]

This is why it's not helpful to use these monitors unless you have a clinical need to. If your oxygen saturation is really 83%, then you need to seek medical attention. However, are you sure it was correctly positioned and picking up a good trace? (especially if it was 97 when you adjusted the position). Unless your doctors have told you to monitor your sats, do yourself a favour and chuck the monitor away.

[ankietyjoe]

You've been tested and told there's nothing wrong with your lungs, and you've asked advice here multiple time about your breathing sensensations by people who have experienced exactly the same thing.

Throw the monitor in the bin.

[Hypo27]

This is why it's not helpful to use these monitors unless you have a clinical need to. If your oxygen saturation is really 83%, then you need to seek medical attention. However, are you sure it was correctly positioned and picking up a good trace? (especially if it was 97 when you adjusted the position). Unless your doctors have told you to monitor your sats, do yourself a favour and chuck the monitor away.

Yes I’m pretty sure it was correctly positioned so I don’t think it was was that. So I guess I need to go get it checked out then even though it’s normal now still could be something wrong..

[Hypo27]

You've been tested and told there's nothing wrong with your lungs, and you've asked advice here multiple time about your breathing sensensations by people who have experienced exactly the same thing.

Throw the monitor in the bin.

I got a pulmonary function test done last year that was normal and I just had an echo a couple months ago and it was normal but they couldn’t estimate my pulmonary pressure on the echo so pulmonary hypertension is still a possibility....

[ankietyjoe]

Ask yourself this.

There are hundreds of threads on this forum alone with people experiencing exactly the same thing as you, word for word. You've been told nothing is wrong with you by professionals and by anecdotal stories here.

You've also been told the best thing to do is to stop checking and focus on something else.

What you need to ask yourself is why you're refusing to take on board what you've been told, and choose to do the exact opposite instead?