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Permalink Reply by Banyon on July 20, 2010 at 3:05pm

Sheila Knowles said, The girl from the company who supplies my oxygen and checks both my CPAP and oxygen machine just left.. she does NOT like to answer questions.. never smiled the whole time she was here..forgot to even mention that the bag left on my bed was my new supplies

Sounds like she has untreated sleep apnea. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Sherrie Gregory on July 25, 2010 at 3:12am

I may be in the wrong Pew, but I can't find a Q and A for my issue. I take oxycontin and oxycodone for CRPS Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. I believe it is the opiates that have caused a lowering of my oxygen levels. They only checked the night time levels. As if it is not needed in the day. I do not feel any different yet. Have used it for about three weeks. I definitely want a portable one if I am to use this for a long time. If I am able to get the ketamine infusion treatment for the CRPS and am able to get off of the opioids , I assume I will no longer need the oxygen supplement. If you know somewhere to send me, I would appreciate the lead. Of course the doc thougnt for sure I was a sleep apnea person because of all the fatigue during the day, but I went thru the sleep study overnight and they had trouble rooting me out.. I sleep too much. I have very little energy and still get the stupors during the day at times. It is very frustrating. I am sure the breathing slow and shallow tho is from the meds. I am going to get an oximeter...docs have never suggested it but said to stop by and they would do a quick finger test !!!! That is how thourough they are....as you have said... you need to be your own advocate and do your own homework and what a blessing the inter net is for research.
It has helped me so much and something I can do for almost FREE and save many a frustrating trip to the docs !
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Sherrie in Nebraska

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Permalink Reply by Mark Douglas on July 25, 2010 at 8:20pm

PD --- oh CPAP is supposed to help you get restorative sleep -- effective sleep. Well, you need a good oxygen level overnight to get that.

This metaphor has flaws, but -- Just like the ONLY purpose of a car is not just to transport you or your family, the ONLY purpose of a CPAP is not Oxygen. But if your oxgen is dangerously low while on CPAP -- its dangerously low. You may have a really cool CPAP, but if your oxygen is low, you need to know and do something.

Consider this -- if you went for a sleep study, and for some reason, their oxygen meter did not work, the doctor would not consider it valid. No doubt he would order a new test.

Sure he looks at a lot of other stuff too. But the most basic thing is oxygen. Its as basic as blood pressure, it's that basic. If your sleep doctor did not check your overnight oxygen, you could and should sue him for that house in Aspen.

Your blood pressure is not the ONLY thing that determines if you need heart bypass surgery, you can be sure one of the first things your doctor checks is your blood pressure. And they will take that measure again and again and again. They take it so often - because it's so important. And its simple to do.

I wish I had known what my overnight oxygen was 10 and 20 years ago, I might have avoided a boatload of health problems. Maybe not -- but I would have had information to take action. I was clueless, never even occured to me, never heard it mentioned.

Its kinda silly to wait till you have heart disease or anything else, and then go, "oh, so overnight oxygen matters?" Yet it matters. That's like catching polio, then saying - "was there a way to prevent this?"

I'd bet my neighbor's dog that many people have low oxygen overnight for months or years BEFORE they come down with heart disease, obesity, apnea, and a dozen other scary things. And if you saw your oxygen levels start to drop, start to have significant dips, you could take that information to your doctor. He would have NO CLUE what your overnight O2 was -- it's not something they check till you are in dire straights. Perhaps we should all check it sooner.

And since its so cheap and easy to check your overnight oxygen -- why not? This isnt 1860. We are fortunate to be able to check this vital aspect of our health, at home, easily, cheaply, and often.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Douglas on July 25, 2010 at 8:40pm

Sherrie -- fascinating story. Sorry I never heard of that CRPS and can't opine on any of that. But you seem to be right on the ball, taking control and not being passive! Way to go!

It surprising that your doctor would just say come by for a quick O2 reading. Yes of course you should know that, but overnight levels is important too. I've never seen anyone with low daytime oxygen levels, but I've known people with very dangerous overnight levels (me).

I think it borders on malpractice for doctors not to know what your overnight O2 levels are. And keep in mind --- the levels can change. A week can make a big difference, medications can too. . They don't just take your blood pressure once in May, and then not bother with it till the following Thanksgiving.

Overnight oxygen is as important as blood pressure if you have any compromised breathing issues. Or fatigue. Or memory problems. Or heart problems -- the list is long.

Its probably not an issue in most people's lives -- but who knows? Why not check? Its easy enough. I wish I had checked my overnight oxygen decades ago. I of course never heard of it, never knew it was remotely important.

Yet low overnight oxygen impacts every single cell in our body, every organ, every muscle, every process. It impacts yoru mood, your concentration, your memory, your personality, your energy level. There isn't a health condition you can name, that might not be impacted by low overnight oxygen.

This isn't 1860 or even 1960 -- we have small cheap reliable devices which can check our overnight levels very easily. If you check your overnight oxygen once a week or month, and everything is fine, then you are a hypochondriac who didn't need to check. But if you check it and find an issue, you can possibly save your life, and avoid a slide into bad health.

Sherrie Gregory said:

I may be in the wrong Pew, but I can't find a Q and A for my issue. I take oxycontin and oxycodone for CRPS Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. I believe it is the opiates that have caused a lowering of my oxygen levels. They only checked the night time levels. As if it is not needed in the day. I do not feel any different yet. Have used it for about three weeks. I definitely want a portable one if I am to use this for a long time. If I am able to get the ketamine infusion treatment for the CRPS and am able to get off of the opioids , I assume I will no longer need the oxygen supplement. If you know somewhere to send me, I would appreciate the lead. Of course the doc thougnt for sure I was a sleep apnea person because of all the fatigue during the day, but I went thru the sleep study overnight and they had trouble rooting me out.. I sleep too much. I have very little energy and still get the stupors during the day at times. It is very frustrating. I am sure the breathing slow and shallow tho is from the meds. I am going to get an oximeter...docs have never suggested it but said to stop by and they would do a quick finger test !!!! That is how thourough they are....as you have said... you need to be your own advocate and do your own homework and what a blessing the inter net is for research.
It has helped me so much and something I can do for almost FREE and save many a frustrating trip to the docs !
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,

Sherrie in Nebraska

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