Are oxygen sats always low in people with covid

[Hiyanice]

Is 92/93 too low?

92/93 is very low. I had Covid and was told to contact the doctor if I ever went below 95. However I stayed above 98 even at my most unwell stage.

Respiratory nurse here, work on Covid ward.
In most positive Covid cases, Drs on our ward are happy to accept sats of 92-96% whether that is on room air, or with oxygen; but obviously this is only applicable to hospitalised cases
If you are at home and having levels like this with a home monitor I would recommend seeking medical advice

I work For a covid pulse oximetry at home service occasionally.
Over 95 is acceptable
93-94 we say seek help immediately - that could
Be 999 or ringing the numbers we give out depending how unwell you feel with sats of that level.

Mine were 98%, perfectly healthy chest normally though but it helps to know what you are as a baseline if you have a home unit. 94/95% could be your norm or 99/100% just depends.
Health professionals also don’t just base a respiratory assessment on numbers on a screen. They look at your colour, your work of breathing, rr and heart rate cap refil etc, then listen in to your chest if they are trained for that or pass to someone who can. There are many factors that come into play that I’d never just look at the number on the screen. I think if a normally healthy person had 02 sats of below 94% and was struggling to breathe they needed listened to and checked over to prevent deterioration.

Is that with a proper pulse oximeter or the sensor on your phone? Because the phone sensor is unreliable at best. If the former then you may need to be calling an ambulance.

Mine does occasionally dip that low but a few doses of a blue inhaler usually brings it back up so that is worth a try if you have one. How are you feeling in yourself? Do you feel breathless?

Yes it's too low on a proper oximetr

You need to get urgent medical advice

Mine was giving me readings like that - until I changed the batteries. May be worth considering if you don't feel as though you are struggling

@NannyGythaOgg

This is VERY DANGEROUS ADVICE

Google Silent Hypoxia !!! Its a killer
This is very common with Covid, you dont look or feel like you are struggling with low oxygen but you are…..

I wish people wouldnt give such ‘deadly’ ‘medical’ advice when they clearly dont know anything!!!!

It’s nothing to panic over being 92-93, you’d be discharged from hospital on a regular ward getting those numbers up. The risk as I see it is you’ve no wiggle room if you worsen. You’d need some oxygen support if it dropped any more.

Not a medic, but a mother of a child with brittle asthma.

[quote FrozenCremeEgg]@NannyGythaOgg

This is VERY DANGEROUS ADVICE

Google Silent Hypoxia !!! Its a killer
This is very common with Covid, you dont look or feel like you are struggling with low oxygen but you are…..

I wish people wouldnt give such ‘deadly’ ‘medical’ advice when they clearly dont know anything!!!![/quote]
WHAT

checking - that is checking - the batteries is bad advice.

If you can check the batteries and then find your O2 is fine that is far better than wasting sparse NHS resources. There is far too much time spent by the NHS following up things that aren't emergencies.

Do grow up - Calling the paramedics or ambulance out when it is simply a battery failure is a total misuse of NHS resources.

I didn't even say it was necessarily the batteries - just that, if she felt fine, it was worth checking. If nothing else it could save her embarrassment and, in some cases, (if and only if, it was the batteries) it could save someone else's life that the ambulance would otherwise have gone to.

Checking a battery is great advice - Dialling 999 for a failed battery is definitely not.

I wouldn't dream of giving medical advice on here.

Are you asthmatic?

When I had Covid and was getting readings on my oximeter of around 92%. I spoke to my GP who advised me to call 999 or go to A&E. I went to A&E (Covid side) and they monitored me for a few hours but then said they were happy that my lungs were clear and that 92% was acceptable for someone with Covid.

Having said the above you need to get checked out yourself just to be on the safe side as things can change so quickly.

[quote FrozenCremeEgg]@NannyGythaOgg

This is VERY DANGEROUS ADVICE

Google Silent Hypoxia !!! Its a killer
This is very common with Covid, you dont look or feel like you are struggling with low oxygen but you are…..

I wish people wouldnt give such ‘deadly’ ‘medical’ advice when they clearly dont know anything!!!![/quote]
How is recommending changing the batteries bad advice?

Do be so ridiculous

My dh had levels this low on and off for a couple of days when he had covid. We were told below 90 is when to seek help. I would speak to a medical professional and get advice.

@NannyGythaOgg

Clearly i wasnt talking about the BATTERIES FFS!!!!

You said ‘Especially if you don't feel as though you are struggling’

This is the WRONG ADVICE!!!!

With Silent Hypoxia you DO NOT FEEL YOU ARE STRUGGLING

@WandaVision2

I was NOT talking about the advice of changing the batteries !

Read what i said!!!!! Christ

[quote FrozenCremeEgg]@WandaVision2

I was NOT talking about the advice of changing the batteries !

Read what i said!!!!! Christ[/quote]
NO - read what I said

then I'll take that on board.

I said especially in that case but it was still CHECK BATTERIES not

Don't take it seriously,

Sometimes it can be serious - but it is always worth c h e c k i n g t h e b a t t e r ies before panicking

Again ….

This implies that you are saying if you have low oxygen then you would feel breathless

Which IS NOT THE CASE

Im not talking about the batteries, for christ sake!!!!!!!!!

I will keep repeating what i said because by you implying that can make people think , ‘oh, i dont feel out of breath, so im fine’

All she was saying was check the batteries first if you are feeling ok because it could be them 😏

Thanks for the support people

There is no reasoning with someone who decides you mean something you don't and didn't say and then calling it dangerous.

I didn't and wouldn't give medical advice on a forum.

The ONLY advice I gave was to check batteries.

Assuming other meanings and then criticising me for something that only existed in your mind 🤦‍♀️ Whatever 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

@NannyGythaOgg

Its in PRINT what you said

How many times do i have to say it wasnt about the batteries !!!!!

Its the comment that IMPLIES THAT IF SOMEONE HAD LOW SATS, THEY WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT !!!

[quote FrozenCremeEgg]@NannyGythaOgg

Its in PRINT what you said

How many times do i have to say it wasnt about the batteries !!!!!

Its the comment that IMPLIES THAT IF SOMEONE HAD LOW SATS, THEY WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT !!![/quote]
It certainly is in print

Mine was giving me readings like that - until I changed the batteries. May be worth considering if you don't feel as though you are struggling

and I'm happy to repeat it.

IT MAY BE WORTH CHECKING YOUR BATTERIES

Still sound advice

Good lord, what happened on this thread?

How are you doing OP?

OP Hope you are OK.

It would be reasonable to seek advice with stats like those; we have a fast car service here that comes out to check low stats now (they have all the gear) but arrive quicker than ambulances. They can check and medicate if needed (for things like asthma).