Exercise causing oxygenation drop

Woot, found this on Google: “ A healthy person should be able to achieve normal blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) of 94% to 99% consistently. For patients with mild respiratory diseases, the SpO2 should be 90% or above. Supplementary oxygen should be used if SpO2 levels falls below 90%, which is unacceptable for prolonged periods of time.”

This is also consonant with remarks my daughter-in-law has made; she’s a home health care nurse.

Woot, Maybe try to monitor your O2 as you exercise & if it falls below 90%, consult with your docs. I have good luck using my levalbuterol inhaler both before & after exercise unless I have just nebbed. If I forget before I start out on my walk, I come home quite tired. Now that it is jacket weather, I will put an inhaler in the pocket of my usual jacket.
Sue

Thanks, Thumper. So, basically, dropping to 91 is nothing to worry about.

Sue, I have wrongly resisted using levalbuteral inhalers for a dumb reason. My dad had asthma and our life revolved around rushing to the drugstore to get him another inhaler as he’s gasping, neglecting to ever have a stand by. I was tested for asthma many times, told I didn’t have it but to try this or that inhaler to see if it helped my lung power. I didn’t want to live like my dad, dependent on an inhaler. Your description makes me (1) knock my head against the wall for refusing and (2) deciding to ask my pulmonologist for a prescription. Thanks.

Inhalers have been a way of life in our home since my children were small. We never went anywhere without them. I remember my daughters cross-country skiing competitively with an inhaler tucked into a specially constructed pocket in the sleeve of their condom-suits (the name the girls gave their second-skin-like uniforms), and how excited my daughter was to cross the finish line in 10th grade without needing it - for the first time in 4 seasons! Then at 40, I was diagnosed with asthma as well - and realized I had it since at least my teens and didn't know it.
Unlike your Dad, we never ran out of rescue inhalers. I have one in my purse, in my nightstand, and depending on the season in my backpack/tote bag/bike bag/dance bag. My husband has been known to ask me "Do you have your inhaler?" before we leave the house. I HATE gasping for air!
Both of my daughters still travel with theirs as well.
I hope this helps you.
Sue

Thanks, Sue. I was so dumb to let my experience with my dad get in my way. I really appreciate your telling me about your family’s inhalers. I’ll keep the image of your daughters skiing with them. Really helps. I’m going to call nurse now.

Greetings. I’m thankful to have come across this group. Thanks to all for their input

@thumperguy
I agree and learned this when I participated in a, I think it was, twice weekly for 9 or 10 weeks pulmonary rehab program and learned pursed lip breathing for my MAC and bronchiectasis. I regularly hike and carry a pulseoximeter with me to verify a 90 or above reading and if below, I stop until it’s back to 92-93. We live and hike at 3000 feet or slightly higher. If we go to an altitude higher than 6500’, I must hike with an oxygen generator by Inogen. I now need oxygen when I sleep unless I’m at below 2000’. Air travel means bringing along the Inogen, too. BTW for those who have had the misfortune of somehow picking up pseudomonas aeruginosa, I went full bore with the twice a day for 28 days nebulizing with 7% saline followed by tobramycin. It was a difficult regimen and I did develop a slight tinnitus but that has diminished. According to a recent specimen analysis, I seem to have gotten rid of it.

@desertdwellerjh

Thanks so much for posting about your experience getting rid of pseudomonas. Could you please tell me what instigated treating for this? I've asked my pulmonologist before about trying to get rid of it but he said no, that it would give him something to target when I got sick, which doesn't seem logical to me. Is there an official guideline or something about when/if we should try knocking that one out? What made you take that plunge?

I had a bronchoscopy because after listening to my account of not feeling well (ie worse than with “just” MAC and BE, my pulmonologist performed one and had specimens anaylzed for bacteria/fungus. The results came back positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa. It’s not clear why I developed it although I did have surgery the previous May under anesthesia and the bronchitis, too, was under anaesthesia. Hospital settings are known to have this bacteria. So I was given the option of a drug like levaquin or a mebulizing treatment using tobramycin (TOBI). After researching both, I opted for TOBI. I was prescribed the 28 day twice a day regimen and stuck to it religiously every 12 hours. I knew I might need another treatment after a month off but it appears to have been zapped. Doing this was difficult. Lots of coughing and producing significant mucous from my lungs. I learned that this organism’s outer protective coating was vulnerable to 7% saline - in other words the saline weakens the pseu aer membrane and makes it more vulnerable to the antibiotic. I did not sleep well for the entire month and I did develop tinnitus but not severe a d it seems to be abating. I am continuing to nebulize with the 7% saline, huff coughing, etc. apparently MAC doesn’t “like” the saline nebulizing either. I do feel much better and I am hiking 3-4..5 miles 3 times a week and hope to bump that to 4 steadily. Easy does it, of course. I am 81 and have been a fan of physical exercise my entire life - used to be a trail runner but now hike instead.