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Lung Health | Last Active: Jun 22 11:53am | Replies (28)

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@srasnick98

So he went for a check up and the doctor listened to his heart and lungs and at the doctor it was 96. She said he was the healthiest patient she had seen in a while. But on the at home pulse ox is when I seen what I did and it worried me dropping to 94 back to 95 the highest is 96 but it won’t stay at 96.

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Replies to "So he went for a check up and the doctor listened to his heart and lungs..."

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Aug 31, 2023

Hello, and welcome to Mayo Connect. We are a community of patients and caregivers who support one another in our life and health journey. First, let me say that 95% is quite normal for many people, and if the doctor wasn't concerned based on his other vitals, health history, etc he is probably fine.

Please let me ask, how much experience do you have with monitoring O2 concentrations in people? When you put the pulse oximeter on his finger, how does it fit? When I place it on 3 of my fingers, I get readings in the low 90's, because they are crooked. My friend has very large hands, and the only one where the meter fits properly is his pinky.

Now, when I put the meter on and walk around, my oxygen sats vary from 98 to 91 or 92 - all normal. I can also see them change depending on whether I am breathing deeply, talking, etc.

Here's my BIG question - If you know, how is your husband at staying fully hydrated with water and other no-caffeine, no-alcohol beverages (preferably not sodas?) Men in particular tend not to drink enough water throughout the day, often because it is not convenient to stop and relieve themselves while working. This affects the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. Urine should be light yellow to almost clear if a person is well-hydrated - and you should be going at least 3 times during the day. Otherwise you is probably dehydrated...
Normal water/water equivalent beverage intake is about 32-64 ounces, more if is doing any strenuous labor or sports. And even more if outdoors sweating in the heat.
Also, anyone drinking a lot of fluids need to be conscious of keeping their electrolytes in balance - a little gatorade or similar during the day can take care of that, or an electrolyte replacement capsule/tablet.

This information comes to you courtesy of my experienced RN daughters, who say the number one underlying cause of visits to the school nurse's office, calls for medical help in summer, and ER visits during hot weather is dehydration.