I ran across this website, it has entries going back to 2013. Each month/year has some daily entries covering all sorts of COPD topics.
Lots of simply entries/definitions that might be helpful to fill in some of our knowledge gaps. Definitely worth a couple of minutes to take a look. One example is below:
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wheezingaway.com/
Must Know Words of COPD/Asthma – Today is ‘Pulse Oximeter’
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While having to battle life threatening diseases like COPD and Asthma we always need to be prepared and that preparation includes many, many items of information to help our battles be successful.
Those of us with Wheezingaway.com, COPD Travels and CrossDove Writer continually and dutifully work toward helping raise awareness among others about these two diseases of COPD and Asthma because “without breath we are without life itself”.
Those with COPD and/or Asthma have the duty to learn and know the language of these dreadful lung diseases.
With that idea we discuss some of what we call ‘must know words’ of life with COPD/Asthma – and today we discuss ‘Pulse Oximeter ’.
‘Pulse Oximeter’ is the simple device which we have all used to clip on a finger-tip to get a determination of the percent of oxygen saturation within a person’s blood. While sometimes this test is extremely important for those of us battling COPD/Asthma it is non-invasive (thankfully a test that does not enter or puncture our body), painless and done in a quick, easy manor.
The importance of the ‘Pulse Oximeter’ is quick to understand because it helps those of us fighting COPD/Asthma keep an eye on our oxygen levels which we all know is one of the most important medical levels we need to visually monitor.
The ‘Pulse Ox’ (as many will call it) works by shining a light on the skin which will measure and determine the oxygen saturation of the hemoglobin in your blood. Since each hemoglobin molecule can hold four molecules of oxygen and since our blood contains a fixed amount of hemoglobin, if oxygen gets in the blood it saturates all or nearly all of the blood.
A persons’ oxygen saturation will be expressed as a percentage with most healthy people having an oxygen saturation of 95-100%, and in a healthy system that number does not normally change even during exercise.
Now for those fighting COPD/Asthma, when they exercise or get really active the pulmonary problems caused from our lung illness will produce a significant drop in our oxygen saturation. Most of us with COPD/Asthma know that anytime the oxygen level drops below 90% it can and will cause a significant strain on both the lungs and the heart.
It is that 88-89% mark which if a person falls to or below in a six-minute test walk will most likely be the measuring stick of sorts that will make a determination of whether you are on supplemental oxygen and for how much.
We will presume here that most folks that fight a daily battle with COPD/Asthma have a small battery operated ‘Pulse Oximeter’ which they carry with them everywhere they go as not only a precaution but as the best way to determine how severe a possible bout of SoB (Short of Breath) is by checking their oxygen saturation level. If you do not already have or are using a personal ‘Pulse Oximeter’ then we suggest you discuss with your physician and/or pulmonologist about getting one and understanding the positive reasons for having one.
‘Wheezingaway’ likes to ask a question to hopefully get some response/feedback from our readers – our question here is “do you have a ‘Pulse Oximeter’ and how often to you use it to check your oxygen levels?” Look forward, as always, to your input – thanx.
NOTE TO REMEMBER: We only give descriptions and highlights of various aspects of having COPD and/or asthma and no way do we ever want our information to be considered medical treatment type of information, always consult your physician for more, clearer and more medical founded information.
As always – if you or anyone you know have any symptoms involving lung and breathing functionality, and they linger over and over while disrupting a lifestyle – then please ask questions and get it checked out.
Remember always that without breathing a person is without life itself.
Now I bid to all – smiles, prayers, blessings and steady breathing – Mr. William.
(Copyright@2015, CrossDove Writer)
(Images used are property of CrossDove Photography, permission required for use in any manner)
(Information gathered from various books and internet sources discussing COPD, Asthma and other lung diseases)
