Blood oxygen levels of 90 - is the NHS being crap here?

[Predictablenamechange1]

I just spent 7 hours in A&E. I can't get a GP appointment which is the only reason I went to the hospital. I'm sleeping pretty much all day every day, feel really unwell and have been admitted previously due to dangerously low blood oxygen levels.

This time I tested at 90. According to the NHS site that means I need to call 999. Yet I was discharged. What do I do from here?? I can't work at the moment as I'm sleeping practically all day and night. I want to get better but how do I do that? The last time they took me in they gave me an oxygen mask and a drip which really helped.

I'm missing my sister's hen do at the weekend because of this. I'm just so frustrated.

Nope. I can put in an econsult form between the hours of 8 and 9am. That's it.

Still don't understand why econsult forms can't be put in at any time... I set my alarm for half 7 this morning and slept straight through it. I'm usually an early riser naturally. Hence some of my concerns for my health.

Hope they do for you too!

@Predictablenamechange1 Thanks!

Write a letter? Saying that A&E say you need a GP appointment but have been unable to get through. I'd say hand deliver it but signed for might be better to prove they received it.

I would go to the surgery in person to book an appointment. They can't ignore you if you are stood there in front of them.

They can and do. I have gone in to book appointments previously and they literally refuse. They just say I need to call again at 8am the following morning.

I know it sounds ridiculous but that's because it is.

They did the basic tests. Then told me I had a blood oxygen levels that warranted a 999 call, literally according to the NHS website

It advises people sat at home to call 999. You were already in hospital and have been assessed as not needing further medical treatment. If you have concerns about this then you need to re attend A&E or contact PALS and complain.

I can only assume there was a misunderstanding of some sort, did you actually see the reading? Is it possible they said it’s above 90? Were they actually telling you your pulse reading rather than o2 reading?

The pulse oximeter gives a pulse and oxygen reading so I’m wondering if they said ‘that’s 90’ and you’ve misunderstood it to be the oxygen rather than your pulse. Are you short of breath at all? You need to return to A&E if you are.

Not that this really helps but there is method in the madness. Urgent Care appointments (as opposed to routine) are typically only released on the same day because if they're available 2-5 days before then they'll all just get booked up 2-5 days in advance and you're faced with the same problem (i.e you'll be in the queue to book the first available slot in 5 days time that are opened up at 8am that day). Then because of the delay a decent percentage of the people who booked appointments for x days time will have either gotten better by the time the appointment comes around, or forget all about it and not show up/cancel.

I work an urgent care clinic in a gp surgery and have 24 slots bookable to see my self opened that days, without fail there are always at least 2 people who dna, that's an appointment they said was an emergency needed to be seen that day and when I call to find out if ok typically "oh sorry I totally forgot can I move it to tomorrow..."

The surgeries are just trying the best they can to meet the demand which is far higher than the capacity they have.

So my referral was sent on Friday, I rang the x-ray clinic (umpteenth try) at 6.50 pm yesterday (Tuesday) and for a miracle someone picked up the phone. No, they still haven't got it. They use a system called WebV and only look at referrals in that format, and the computer is saying No.

Anyone remember fax machines? I believe they were pretty reliable. Phones with copper wires. A next- day postal service? Ha ha.

The NHS are now paying a lot of money to a lot of IT specialists to run their computer systems. All we need is a catastrophic computer virus and everything will grind to a halt.

Anyway, I have emailed the GP surgery. They don't want health related emails, only admin, sick note queries etc. (So not e consult). I will get a response within 48 hours.

I got an apointment via an econsult, was quite surprised but it did work, not urgent obviously had to wait about 2 weeks, is that worth a try

Finally got an apologetic phone call from the x ray department. My GP surgery has sent them proof that the referral had been sent last week, so now I have been entered onto the system manually. Hurrah!

Went up to the hospital this morning for my x ray. Now I have to wait 7-10 days for the results. I don't feel too bad if I don't do much at all, but after traipsing along the hospital corridors and car park my oxygen is 92%. Not quite at death's door, I assume!

Hope you are getting somewhere @Predictablenamechange1

I have finally seen my xray results. Everything OK apart from mild hyperinflated lungs. I am hoping this is temporary? Oxygen levels slightly better overall. They are still dipping low on exertion but not every time.

After the mix-up with my missing referral last month I have now had a letter from the NHS inviting me for...a chest xray! Am assuming this is a glitch, but will phone the GP on Monday to double check.

I used to tell patients to breathe like they had just run for a bus, and, hey presto, 98% sats. 90% is absolutely fine. If you are looking for attention, holding your breath won't work in A&E.

That's a bit harsh. Lots of patients are looking for reassurance, not 'attention', and don't understand that oxygen sats will vary depending on exertion, position, limb temperature, circulation, etc. They get told that sats under a certain level are 'bad' but don't understand that it just forms part of a picture.

If you have to breathe like that to get your oxygen levels up, does that not mean there's a problem?

Or are they just supposed to carry on breathing like that for the rest of their lives?

Surely the oxygen level when they are breathing normally is the important thing? Temporarily bringing it up through exaggerated breathing just means it will go back down the minute they go back to breathing normally. And that's not a problem?

90% is not fine

I haven't read the whole thread but I can tell you that unless you have chronic respiratory disease, oxygen sats of 90% are abnormal. Seems odd that they've discharged you with that O2 level.