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Posted 2/19/2009 1:24 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, I went to the doctor yesterday because I was having a horrible time breathing.  I felt like I couldn't fill my lungs up and my entire upper body core felt like it was full.  I had taken some Tums several times thinking maybe I ate something that didn't agree which hardly ever happens to me, but they did not relieve me.  I couldn't sleep on Monday night and I kept having the worst pain throughout my chest area when it came to breathing.  I would actually have to lean forward to catch my breath and it was very painful to even do that.  My husband wanted me to go to the ER that night, but I really was convinced that maybe it was just gas or something.  So, I went in the morning.  I wasn't any better then, but when I got to the doctor they saw what a stuggle it was for me to catch my breath that they used the pulse-ox and read my oxygen levels at 80-this was at rest.  I read on webmd that normal oxygen for a person is 80.  Anyways, they gave me a nebulizer breathing treatment, took some blood and had my chest x-rayed.  Everything came back normal, so they did an EKG just to be safe.  That too was normal.  In the end my doctor said that I may be getting Bronchitis and that I've just caught it really early on-she did prescribe a 3 day treatment along with extra NSAIDS to help assure that the inflammation would not get any farther-although she hadn't noticed anything.  I should also include that my abdomin was very sore and it almost brought me to tears when she was pushing on it. 

 

Has anyone ever had unexplained difficulty in breathing?  I just thought it was strange that they didn't even mention that my oxygen was low and when I asked the nurse what normal was, she said I was doing good considering I felt like I was conjested.  However, a girl that I work with is also am EMT and she said anytime a patient's oxygen level drops below 90 they slap the O2 on.  The clinic I went to actually had me walk from the Lower Level up to the 2nd floor and then down to the 2st floor for blood and x-rays.  I was so out of breathe I wanted to faint when I reached the 1st floor.  It was awful.

 

Just thought I would throw this out there and see what everyone thinks.  I am feeling better today, almost like none of this happened.

Posted 2/19/2009 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
(((( Tammy )))) a pulse-ox of 80 is low and would need oxygen. It sounds like you may be in a flare and have some inflammation going on, I've had some chest discomfort when I came off plaquenil. I am coming out of a flare and have had some chest discomfort too. My neuro wanted me to schedule an appt with a cardiologist mainly due to a high pulse but this other discomfort got my attention and pushed me to make the appt sooner. Hopefully the NSAIDS will help and you will feel better soon, it may take a couple of days though. Stay on top of this and let your doctor know if you don't improve. Take care and let us know how you are doing.
Posted 2/19/2009 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry, I read on Web MD that normal oxygen was at 88 or above, not 80 like I stated in my earlier post.
Posted 2/19/2009 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
That's ok, I thought it was a typo, 80 sure sounded low!!!!!!
Posted 2/19/2009 10:00 AM (GMT 0)
I'm asthmatic, and 80 is low. An average person runs 98-100. I recently went to the doctor, well I passed all tests but one....my very audible wheezing when he checked my breathing. Said it was worse than when I saw him the previous week (I got sick and had to go back lol) and I wound up gettng a nebulizer treatment myself. After a treatment, I sounded clear, and had the very rare 100 reading.
Posted 2/19/2009 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I was told today by another dr. that if my lungs were inflammed due to a flare, you would not hear anything unusual while listening with the stethoscope. An x-ray would probably not show that inflammation either unless it were major. The pulse-ox was the best reading I had about what was going on. I'm pretty convinced that its not Bronchitis I'm dealing with, so I've just called the clinic and I'm having them send my records to my rheumy so he can review this.
Posted 2/20/2009 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
If you have lower pulse, usually means infection. As for inflamation, a blood test of full panel and others can show some enzyme adnormalities.
Posted 2/21/2009 11:22 AM (GMT 0)
Smurf is right. I don't know where you guys read it but with my lungs I have my own pulse ox. a young adult could have 100% but the older you get it might go down slightly. I mean very slightly. Like 98 99. If your 02 stats were 80 I'm surprised you could walk or they didn't slap you in the hospital. My insurance rule is they will pay for my home oxygen if I leave the hospital with anything 88 or under. If you ever get to feeling that way and you have a fire department around stop in and ask them to take your pulse ox. Some times it feels worse than it is. I get stuck in the hospital if my gets down to 90.
It seem like there has been a lot of people here lately with breathing problems. I hope you feel better soon. Let us know what the rheumy has to say. Sometimes I put vick on my chest with a heating pad and it helps relax my lungs a little bit. Or try to sleep on the couch or in bed with your head propped up a little bit.
hugs
carol
Posted 2/21/2009 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. the funny thing is I am on the fire department and I'm a first responder, so I knew this oxygen reading was pretty scairy. The nurse at the clinic tried to play it off as not a real big deal. Since then I've talked to another EMT and a registered RN/paramedic and she thinks I should place a complaint on the clinic. Another nurse thought they shouldn't have had me walking around the clinic to go give blood and get an x-ray-they should have been carting me around. What is wrong with the clinic in my area. It has been the talk of controversy lately, but in the shape I was in on Tuesday I couldn't drive an hour to get to a better one-I was counting on them to really take care of me.
Posted 2/22/2009 6:59 AM (GMT 0)
for the lady who was having trouble breathing.  were you having  problems with your lupus when you were having trouble breathing because during flare ups sometimes it affects my breathing and it can be quite frighting. Hang in there.  Somethings it helps just to know someone out there has had it happened to them that your not alone.  I sometimes have flare ups once a month/ then I ll go a couple months and wamo it hits me like a ton of bricks.  sincerely bad genes

Posted 2/22/2009 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
I didn't think I was in a flare, although I could be. In early January my body was in pain and I had a horrible flare in my right leg-I ended up on crutches for a week. My dr. increased my Metho. up to 15 mg again. I was down to 10 mg. We were trying to taper off and unfortunately that didn't work. I sometimes think I'm too new to this to figure out how to treat my body and know what to expect.
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