Breathless-vs-oxygen saturations
I ask my dr about being very short of breath with good oxygen saturations. She went all around it without actually answering my question. Is it from the emphazima, bronchitis. Im on oxygen at night but not during the day. I am glad i found this group. I can use all the support I can get.
Following this....I had a flare up a couple days ago and am struggling. Having same issues....also getting winded being on the oxygen too.....anxiety is bad too.
I just dont understand it. Why? I can have my oxygen on and be short winded.
Hi Kathy, and- this is a topic that has come up many times within the community. It is not always easy to understand how one can be having difficulty breathing and still have an acceptable oxygen saturation level. Sadly, it is the nature of the disease.
In the COPD-diseased lung, such characteristics as gas trapping, ventilation-perfusion mismatch, over-distended lungs and loss of lung elasticity, all contribute towards the sensation of breathlessness. For some folks, the breathlessness is associated with a lower oxygen saturation while for others, the numbers can remain acceptable.
We actually have an article published, right here on COPD.net, which focuses on this very subject. For your convenience, here is a link to that material: https://copd.net/search?s=oxygen%20saturation%20and%20breathlessness.
I do hope this information is helpful for each of you in a practical way.
Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
