5 ms·

If I had a blood oxygen of 89% I would have gone to the emergency room immediately. That's 80 year old smoker with emphysema levels. If you were previously heal

If I had a blood oxygen of 89% I would have gone to the emergency room immediately. That's 80 year old smoker with emphysema levels. If you were previously healthy that is far more serious than the "light" covid-19 that many people get, assuming the reading was accurate.

debaserab2 7y ago
That's what my friend said, too, but it didn't linger there for long and I felt comfortable enough with my breathing that I didn't feel it warranted going to the hospital. As my symptoms got better it gradually improved and the last time I did a reading it was at 99%, which I think is where I normally am (it's not something I measured before this though). I only suggest that it was the "light" version because it seems like the advanced cases develop into pneumonia and I definitely didn't have pneumonia. The breathing problems felt no worse than a bad cold to me. I have asthma and bad allergies, so it could just be that I'm somewhat used to sub-par breathing in general. I also know of some breathing exercises that always seem to help.
- rjsw 7y ago
  Anybody living in CO has already self-selected for being able to adapt to lower oxygen levels, maybe you were at less risk of getting really bad than the average for the US.
redis_mlc 7y ago
> If you were previously healthy that is far more serious than the "light" covid-19 that many people get, assuming the reading was accurate. According to interviews with doctors, corona patients experience lower than normal oxygen levels without that being a problem, until it gets very low.
ip26 7y ago
Don't forget he's in CO, SPO2 is lower at altitude. Nobody has 100% in Denver- unless they have carbon monoxide poisoning (or so I'm told).
- nradov 7y ago
  Average blood oxygen levels only drop about 5% in Denver.
  - ip26 7y ago
    Right, so if a healthy person is typically 95% then 89% is less dramatic. Perhaps comparable to having 94% at sea level.

debaserab2 7y ago

That's what my friend said, too, but it didn't linger there for long and I felt comfortable enough with my breathing that I didn't feel it warranted going to the hospital. As my symptoms got better it gradually improved and the last time I did a reading it was at 99%, which I think is where I normally am (it's not something I measured before this though). I only suggest that it was the "light" version because it seems like the advanced cases develop into pneumonia and I definitely didn't have pneumonia. The breathing problems felt no worse than a bad cold to me. I have asthma and bad allergies, so it could just be that I'm somewhat used to sub-par breathing in general. I also know of some breathing exercises that always seem to help.

rjsw 7y ago
Anybody living in CO has already self-selected for being able to adapt to lower oxygen levels, maybe you were at less risk of getting really bad than the average for the US.

redis_mlc 7y ago

> If you were previously healthy that is far more serious than the "light" covid-19 that many people get, assuming the reading was accurate. According to interviews with doctors, corona patients experience lower than normal oxygen levels without that being a problem, until it gets very low.

ip26 7y ago

Don't forget he's in CO, SPO2 is lower at altitude. Nobody has 100% in Denver- unless they have carbon monoxide poisoning (or so I'm told).

nradov 7y ago
Average blood oxygen levels only drop about 5% in Denver.
- ip26 7y ago
  Right, so if a healthy person is typically 95% then 89% is less dramatic. Perhaps comparable to having 94% at sea level.