This question is for anyone using oxygen at home? Have you turned up the number without permission ?

Question

When the oxygen was delivered to my home, they set it on the number 2 and told me to leave it there. I did for awhile. I was having difficulty breathing and my oxygen level was 94. Someone in the medical field told me to turn it up to the next level, it wouldn't
hurt anything. I turned it up.......Now I read on one of the answers on here that I should not have turned it up! WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE OR ADVICE? My level was at 80 when they brought the oxygen. It never goes over 94. I have totally quit smoking so I am hoping it continues to climb up toward the 100 mark.

Answer 1

The main concern with too much oxygen in COPDers is a condition called CO2 narcosis. Essentially, you stop breathing. I don't use oxygen but I can tell you that I have seen patients die from it. Turning up the oxygen in general is okay but the point is

why did your oxygen requirements go up.

In other words, its not about "getting permission" but rather its about talking to your doctor and letting him evaluate you. Is your COPD flaring up and you need more aggressive treatment or are you developing a pneumonia and you need antibiotics.

Answer 2

We use oxygen at home both for my daughter and for my grandfather. My baby daughter only uses 1/2 liter when she is awake, but to keep her saturations at 94% or above when she is sleeping, she often requires higher. Her doctor knows this and approves, just so long as we keep her saturations up. For her, this is okay because we are trying to prevent complications such as the development of a hypoxic drive and pulmonary hypertension. My grandfather has congestive heart failure and was often very uncomfortable, although his saturations were often not that bad. His oxygen initially was set at 2, but now that he is end-stage, they gave us a range of 2-4 liters with the understanding that we are to never go over 4. If you really feel like you need more oxygen even with the saturation of 94, you should contact your doctor. He or she can best tell you if it would be safe for you to change your level or if there is anything else that may help you feel more comfortable. If you have COPD, you probably will never be able to reach 100%, and it may be dangerous to try. From what I understand, healthy people breathe when carbon dioxide in the body becomes high, but people who have had lung disease and low oxygen levels for a while often lose this ability. Because of this, they breathe only when oxygen levels become low (hypoxic drive). If this is the case, when your oxygen saturation gets too high, the brain no longer thinks there is a reason for you to breathe, and bad things happen. If you have been okay for an extended time at 3, however, I would not just turn it back to 2. Call your doctor, tell them what you have been doing, and they will tell you what to do now.

Answer 3

let me guess, you are a COPD patient.
the 94 number you gave me (and also 80) those are the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood = for a normal person

for a person with COPD = the range is around 60 mmhg (millimeters of mercury)

the reason why they don't want you to increase your oxygen is they don't want to overoxygenate you, especially because of your condition. COPD patients have problems with obstructions in their airways -- it could be due to secretions, or it could be because it is "narrowed" or constricted. (and im guessing you have #2 as the main problem). what happens is, you can inhale the oxygen, the oxygen is converted to carbon dioxide by your body, but because of your condition, you canNOT exhale all those carbon dioxide out, so they are "Trapped" in your lungs -- very bad -- this can cause a very acidic blood and if the pH in your blood goes down to as low as 7.25, you will be brought to the hospital, intubated (put a tube down your trachea) and mechanically ventilated which is very uncomfortable (ouch!) so they would have to sedate you. you don't want that! do you?

don't try to go for 94 mmhg, or even 80 mmhg, that is too high for a COPD patient. and the liter flow for oxygen is only 2 (maximum!) i know you feel a lot of discomfort right now, but don't even attempt to change the settings without a doctor's consent! that will actually lead to a bigger problem! do you have a device called "pulse oximeter"? the one where you can put in your fingertips to monitor the oxygen content in your blood? that should be your gauge.

i have a degree in respiratory therapy -- that's why i have extensive knowledge in this area. i've dealt with COPD patients plenty of times! if you were put on a ventilator, they would have to draw blood from you a lot! to see how well you are ventilating.

if you are a COPD patient -- sorry to say, you will never have the 94mmhg PaO2 (oxygen), well you can go there -- but that's gonna cost you. stick with the doctor's orders. im just merely explaining why you CAN'T change these things.

by the way, the numbers 94 and 80 you gave me, im assuming that it is the PaO2, and not the oxygen saturation. if you are talking about saturation (%) the people above are right -- 91 - 94% wouldn't hurt.

Answer 4

You should always check with your Pulmo before changing your rate. Also get a copy of your o2 prescription. It wasn't until I got a copy that I found out I was suppose to have mine set on 3 at rest and 5 during activity. 94 is questionable, it should be 94 on up. Definatley not lower than 92. Your Specialist should have given you a perimeter of acceptable sat rates for you personally. Everyone is different. Congrates on the quitting smoking by the way. Thats great!!

Answer 5

I have been on O2 for(5yrs) I have Sarcoidosis (for15 yr) and COPD, Any time you are having a difficult time breathing you should do several things, if you have someone there have them assist you in doing these things. I'm assuming your in distress. still if not there are some good tips here. If this is not the case and your having difficulty all the time make a appointment with your doctor, and dicuss your needs.(What are you doing when your sats drop, keep a log, if it happens on a regular bases and take this with you.)

# turn up the O2 just enough to be able to call the doctor or 911 this is NOT for polonged amount of time ,just til assistance comes
# do you have a rescue inhaler, or breathing machine that you are to use should your sats drop? How do you know your sats are droping?(do you have a meter) Did you remember to take any and all medication perscibed that day?
# make sure you are useing your PURSED breathing, during this time. remain calm,
# check the hose make sure there are no kinks ar problems with the machine and that you are getting the right amount. If it takes water make sure the water level is correct and ALWAYS use distilled water (I learned that the hard way) bottled water is not good enough it will build up calucium deposits in it and lower your O2 intake even though your meter states 2, it will not be what you are really recieving. Is this happening all the time? How are you when your on bottled O2?
# talk to your pulmo doc and have him set you up for respitory therapy this comes with class-time and is well monitored. you wear a monitor at all times and they check your stats every few minutes.
Im doing this exercise, which will get your stats up there faster I go 3 times a week Im on 3 liters of O2 and am in waiting for a lung transplant. However there are goals that I have to reach. beleive it or not walk a tread mill 30 minutes at one time, plus other exercises. they are great they just increase you a bit each time if possible but never to much, this will help get you off that O2 quicker. I work out now for apromately 45 minutes. I have been doing this for about 2-3 months and have noticed a remarkable difference.
Once you go up a level on your O2 for any prolonged amount of time it will be difficult to get those numbers back down.
How long has it been since you quit smoking ? Are you getting second hand smoke? Is the smell of smoke still in your home? Have you been tested to see if you have any allergies? I have difficult time breathing with pine smelling Pine-sol it shuts me down in nothing flat.....so make sure its not anything being used in your home as well as any Mold or pet hair. It is best if you can rid your home of wall to wall carpetting...Wood floors are great anyway...Curtains need to go Blinds or very stylish these days....Join a support group, if you can't get out there are several on the internet that are really great and full of information you meet others with the same issues and there are always forums that you can find all kinds of info. MSN and Yahoo both have them in thier HEALTH Group sections.
It does take time for your lungs to heal, they didn't get that way overnight , they can't heal overnight.
If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me I will be happy to coorispond. Good luck and Good health.

Answer 6

Sounds like you were diagnosed with COPD.....2L is the bare minimum thats given thru a nasal cannula which can go up to 6L...with an O2 saturation of 94 in someone with COPD I'd expect that and thats normal for them...if your level was truely at 80% then you wouldve been on your way to the ER with a tube in your throat...if your fingers were cold etc then you get false readings...you can turn up your O2 a little but you need to speak with your doc first...too much O2 for someone with COPD can cause your hypoxic drive to kick in...then you have another big problem to deal with.....depending on the amount of damage that you did from smoking will determine if your O2 sats will ever rise above 94% and stay there....but 94% for a long time smoker isnt bad....talk to your doc...

Answer 7

I am a RN and the goal for most patients is that the oxygen level to be greater than 92%. Being 94% is a good level, so really there is no reason to increase your oxygen "number" (also referred to as "liters") based on that. It sounds that 2 liters is fine for your condition.

Answer 8

My grandmother used to do that all the time, and it never caused any problems. If you are in the hospital, the nurse or doctor will turn the oxygen up for you if you have trouble breathing. You should never change that setting without consulting your doctor first.

Answer 9

PLEASE talk to your doctor before you turn up the setting.He/she knows how much you should be getting. If your O2 level is not going over 94. you NEED to consult him/her.
I am not now, but I used to have to use oxygen and was told the same thing (it was set on 2, and I was told to leave it there).I did not have a pulse oximeter and never knew what # I was at.
But, I DO know that TOO MUCH can cause damage. Go to WebMD and do a search PLEASE!!!

Answer 10

Too much oxygen is very dangerous, as it tells your brain that you are getting enough oxygen. Your brain will then cause you to unknowingly slow your respiratory rate down. This will cause your Co2 levels to sky-rocket (leading to Co2 narcosis). Respiratory failure can soon take place. At that point you can only hope that somebody finds you. Simply put: Too much oxygen can and will cause you to stop breathing. Before changing your oxygen, talk to your doctor. It can very well be very dangerous. DON'T DO IT!!!