Exercise and Oxygen Saturation

[McCbon]

Has anyone had any experience with, or knowledge of, desaturation with exertion? I have boderline surgical stenotic BAV (although some docs are ready to go, my numbers aren't quite there yet.) I have been using the elyptical, plus I hike, about 5 days a week for 50 minutes and it seems like I desaturate at the begginning. Resting HR is usually 50s. When I start to warm up I sometimes go inot the low 80s for my O2 sat. right around HR 110. As I warm up to anywhere from 127 to 138 HR it hovers in the 95 or 96 range ( which isn't pathologic on it's own, but I wonder with all that amped up circulation why it wouldn't be better saturated.) Mostly it's the de-sat I wonder about. The other peice of this puzzle is that the last two stress echos I've had they say I did great, "in the atheletic range" (of course that is compared to most 62 year old women!) but I had to quit before the full time because I felt like I just couldn't catch up at the very end, I wasn't gasping, I just couldn't go anymore and asked to stop. I always felt like I could have done it, if the very last part had increased more gradually. It was weird. They said you can stop any time and so I did. Anyway, the report showed that my O2 desaturated at the same time I needed to quit. It was in the upper 80's, HR was 155 ish. Two cardiologists and one surgeon plus my asthma doc (I have well controlled asthma and he said it wasn't asthma) shrugged their shoulders and said they didn't know why I might desat. So, sorry for the long story but I've researched a little and found basically, zilch.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. Bonbet
P.S. I don't know what's up with this site, I registered as McCbon a long time ago and then they seemed to have canceled me with the whole site update so I reregistered as bonbet. Now I am showing up as McCbon again. Can't explain that either!

 

[epstns]

Welcome back, McCbon. I never did check my O2 sat levels before surgery, but I did notice that in workouts I would often feel "winded" during the first 5 or 10 minutes, but then would feel fine under heavy exertion for the next 3- to 40 minutes. It just seemed that as I got closer to "surgery-ready" it took longer for my system to gear up. My docs never used that as any sort of diagnostic, but I remember it happening.

 

[woulde]

Welcome back, McCbon. I never did check my O2 sat levels before surgery, but I did notice that in workouts I would often feel "winded" during the first 5 or 10 minutes, but then would feel fine under heavy exertion for the next 3- to 40 minutes. It just seemed that as I got closer to "surgery-ready" it took longer for my system to gear up. My docs never used that as any sort of diagnostic, but I remember it happening.

Interesting observation on the system "gearing up". I am an active cyclist (6600 miles last year, 5200 miles year to date) and over the last four to five months that has been my perception... I tell my wife it is almost like the oil is to thick. Echo in August indicated valve area, peak jet velocity and mean gradient are all severe stenosis with an increase in left ventricle size/wall thickness so I am scheduled for AVR with Dr. Gillinov at the Cleveland Clinic on November 11th. I have not checked O2 sat levels but would be interesting information, baseline five or six year ago compared to today and maybe nine months post-op after recovery and rebuilding of some base conditioning.

 

[McCbon]

Woulde: I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming surgery. Keep us posted please. Are you still exercising pre-op? And if you are- it might be interesting to get a small finger oximeter, like I have, and measure your HR and O2 saturation during exercise pre-op so you have a baseline to compare to post-op.
McCbon

 

[woulde]

Hi McCbon, I am still exercising pre-op, primarily cycling with an average of 4 or so days a week and 10 - 11 hours of moving time. 150 miles last week and 200 miles the week before. I put my road bike back on the trainer to get a good speed/cadence/heart rate baseline to compare post-op recovery and adding 0[SUP]2 [/SUP]saturation to that would be interesting as well. About three weeks out now so still plenty of time to get some good data. I'll let you know what I come up with.

And thanks for the best wishes; AVR ( radiation induced in treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma) appears to be as inevitable as the changing of the seasons, just have to play the hand I am dealt.

 

[Duffey]

I bet there's something wrong with the pulse oximeter. I use to check mine after using an elliptical and it would dip into the mid-90's, but my hubby said not to worry, that was well within normal range. He's been in respiratory therapy for 30+ years, so I take him on his word. If you're seeing low 80's at the beginning of a workout, I would think it would be caused by the oximeter not functioning properly. Positioning can cause issues, too.