Posted on 09/05/2020 3:44:45 PM PDT by Swordmaker
As doctors see more and more COVID-19 patients, they are noticing an odd trend: Patients whose blood oxygen saturation levels are exceedingly low but who are hardly gasping for breath.
These patients are quite sick, but their disease does not present like typical acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a type of lung failure known from the 2003 outbreak of the SARS coronavirus and other respiratory diseases. Their lungs are clearly not effectively oxygenating the blood, but these patients are alert and feeling relatively well, even as doctors debate whether to intubate them by placing a breathing tube down the throat.
The concern with this presentation, called "silent hypoxia," is that patients are showing up to the hospital in worse health than they realize. But there might be a way to prevent that, according to a New York Times Op-Ed by emergency department physician Richard Levitan. If sick patients were given oxygen-monitoring devices called pulse oximeters to monitor their symptoms at home, they might be able to seek medical treatment sooner, and ultimately avoid the most invasive treatments.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
Our doctor reported numerous people in South West Utah were hit by a similar generalized mild illness in January and Utah, but no explanation. Most have tested negative for Covid, but the test is 60% unreliable. So he and they don’t rely on it for any diagnoses.
My lady and I think we had mild cases of Covid back in January and are still suffering from the aftermath. Is anyone else in Freepdom experiencing anything similar?
My lady’s Blood Oxygen is normal. . . But she does get exhausted very easily. That is not normal for her.
Interesting, and thanks for the warning.
I’m old enough to be concerned, but don’t have an oximeter. On occasion I use the sensor in my phone, which lays some claim to O2 measurement, but which no one believes is precise.
Did you get the virus specific (PCR) test?
The FDA approved these types of tests for diagnosing a COVID-19 infection:
PCR test. This COVID-19 test detects genetic material of the virus using a lab technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Also called a molecular test, a health care worker collects fluid from a nasal or throat swab or from saliva. Results may be available in minutes if analyzed onsite or a few days — or longer in locations with test processing delays — if sent to an outside lab. PCR tests are very accurate when properly performed by a health care professional, but the rapid test can miss some cases.
Antigen test. This COVID-19 test detects certain proteins in the virus. Using a nasal or throat swab to get a fluid sample, antigen tests can produce results in minutes. Because these tests are faster and less expensive than PCR tests, antigen tests may be more practical to use for large numbers of people. A positive antigen test result is considered very accurate, but there’s an increased chance of false-negative results — meaning it’s possible to be infected with the virus but have a negative result. Depending on the situation, the doctor may recommend a PCR test to confirm a negative antigen test result.]
The phone oximeter is absolutely not reliable. There are also a thousand reasons why a pulse ox may register low oxygen content. This is asking for more panic. The so called happy hypoxemia is pretty interesting to see (I have seen it personally) but I am unsure what to make of it. Anyone stating the know what it means is FOS
My lovely wife is an RN and if I feel bad out comes the Pulse/Ox meter as a routine...
Monkeys may be flying out of my butt.
Over the past couple of years, I have had the same issues with my blood oxygen level. I have various chronological disorders, so see several doctors several times a year.
Every time I get the oxygen test, the make me do it over, sometimes several times. “The nurse will say, “That’s too low.” High 80s to 92. I say, “No, I’m always like this.” They eventually give up and accept my numbers.
And your lovely wife who’s is an RN (my sweetheart is a critical care RN), knows how to interpret it — which is kind of the point. It is not a foolproof device. Putting a pulse ox in the hand of every bed wetting liberal is a really bad idea.
And your lovely wife who’s is an RN (my sweetheart is a critical care RN), knows how to interpret it — which is kind of the point. It is not a foolproof device. Putting a pulse ox in the hand of every bed wetting liberal is a really bad idea.
Sorry for double post, I must have tremors today :-)
Oximeters are very cheap...Walgreens or walmart...
Amazon sells infrared finger O2 sensors for as low as $20 or so. They are quite accurate, essentially the same as the ones used in doctor’s offices. I got one and check my levels at various times throughout the day.
I first learned of my low O2 level when I had a medical procedure and they put one on my finger and commented my O2 level was awfully low. . . 88%. I used to manage a dental office and we’d try to drop our O2 levels below 97% by holding our breath and it could not be done before being forced to gasp for breath. This 88% shocked me as mine just a month before, when I had been scheduled for the procedure, had been a normal 98%.
They checked me several times during the procedure and it dropped to 86%. They suggested I had better see my GP.
I made an immediate appointment and ordered my own Blood Oximeter from Amazon. My GP scheduled an overnight study to see what was going on for an extended period which entailed wearing a finger O2 sensor attached to a wristwatch like recording device. . . and the recorded results worried him.
I’m now on two liters of O2 overnight as 88% and below is in the danger zone and the 81% was downright scary.
Swordmaker, I’m going out on a limb here. I just ran across this research paper. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521661620306513 You might want to give NAC a try together with Vitamin D. https://www.jomarlabs.com/products/n-acetyl-l-cysteine
I have no idea whether it will help or not. If you try it, please ping me back with your results. Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Always consult your doctor.
So is my lovely Lady, with 40 years of experience.
Thanks. On both already. It’s the sudden drop that really bothers me. I’ve had good lungs and a high, standard 97-98% level all my life. For it to drop to this level just after this low-level, mild illness is very strange, especially as I don’t feel short of breath. Odd. My doctors are at a loss too. . . Includes my cardiologist.
If patients could get HCQ that would be the end of the problem.
MMM - Mask Mandate Murder
That’s the test that is resulting in so many positive results due to it picking up fragmentary pieces of the virus RNA and DNA. They are now estimating it’s producing 90% false positives, depending on how many runs of multiplication of the chain they do. Some labs were getting far too many positives. Some were doing 40 to 50 runs. 35 was considered excessive.
Thanks to all.
Maybe I’ll pick one up from Amazon... just to have in the medicine cabinet.
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