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The back of my lungs ache,is it possible to retain oxygen and still have COPD. If so why do I get really short of breathe, doing hardly anything?? I am on oxygen 24/7
Mike_T says:
I know exactly how you feel, I was in a very similar situation. I remember that I was so nervous at that time and I took it out on everyone around me. I didnt know what could I do until, thanks god, I found Smoke Deter. Now I can look back and laugh on myself and in the same time I remember how helpless I was. I hope that I'll never be in the same situation again
LoJac… I believe that you are talking about Carbon Monoxide!! That is what carbon monoxide poisoning does and not Carbon Dioxide.
To answer your question… How long were you without O2? If you were not off of it for a long enough time, then you did not receive a true Room air sat. Another reason that your sat was 97 could be because O2 levels fluctuate greatly in Copders. I can place a pulse ox on some of my COPD patients and their sat can go from 88% to 97% to 93% to 90% etc….. It fluctuates so much. If you are taking good care of your COPD, then that could be another reason. There are so many reasons why it was at that level…. but for whatever reason it was… that is a good Sat for being off of O2.
COPDer’s like your case run relatively high carbon dioxide levels in their blood due to the impaired gas exchange. So in other words the concentration of oxygen in the blood remains higher because the CO2 takes up a larger portion of the hemoglobin molecules. It’s almost like a false reading, the more accurate measure of your blood gases would be an arterial blood gas report.
I confess I’m lost to part of question about "retaining oxygen and still have COPD! But concerning being short of breath this is the primary symptom of COPD patients, especially when disease is progressing.
Regarding back of lungs ache (or hurting), a pulmonologist told at a hospital couple years back the lungs can’t hurt.; They simply don’t hurt. Now by experience with someone w/ COPD, she does get pain in front chest area when she has had pneumonia, which is something to be very aware of for it also comes with the territory, sort to speak. Apparently the flu or a very bad cold turns to pneumonia for her eventually.
Since I’ve come to realize that COPD is not only a chronic and devastating disease, it is also one which could be completely treated (not cured). But you do have to be very attentive to all your symptoms, especially when a new one develops. You have to listen and understand as much EVERYTHING your doctor tells you, especially the pulmonologist.
Most important don’t let anyone from MEDICAL profession or anyone else for that matter tell you that "there’s not much that can be done", even at the end stage of the disease!!!! I could fill out an entire notebook with the "assumptions" made by many in the medical field who unfortunately steered this relative of mine and her entire family from many things that would have indeed help her.
Don’t be afraid or embarrased to ask all the questions you think are pertinent. And whenever you don’t understand anything been told to you, ask and probe for the right answer. Unfortunately you will receive information from many whom want to help you, but which seem contradictory in the manner that many of these facts are implemented.