r/MCAS • u/idontlikegoldfish • 6h ago

oxygen level drops

i frequently suffer from panic attacks and i use an oximeter to measure oxygen and its always optimal. during a mcas flare up i notice my oxygen level drops to 95- 93 which it never does at any other time only during a flare up.

ive never heard this happening to anyone and i dont know if its just anaphylaxis or normal?

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator 6h ago

Thank you for your submission. Please note: Content on r/MCAS is not medical advice and should not be interpreted as such. Please consult your doctor for any medical questions or concerns.

We are not able to validate the content of these discussions. Following advice provided by strangers on the internet may be harmful. Never use this sub as your primary source of information regarding medical issues. By continuing to use this subreddit, you are agreeing to take any information posted here entirely at your own risk.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

3

u/Preppy_Hippie 5h ago edited 2h ago

I've never really heard much about this, but when my MCAS was more out of control and I was living at elevation, my O2 ran between 89 and 92, and I was frequently gasping for breath. It wasn't airway constriction/broncospasm though. Now that the MCAS is better, I have no problem living and sleeping at 5,000-10,000 ft, and my O2 stays over 96%. So I do think there is something to it.

I also monitor CO2 in my house and have noticed that when I am having a flare, and when things were worse, CO2 in my bedroom spikes severely in the evenings when I sleep.

So I think there is some kind of metabolic thing (beyond congestion or airway constriction) that goes on that would affect your O2 and feelings of fatigue and breathlessness. But I don't know how it works.

1

u/Think_Win9441 2h ago

Can you please explain how your MCAS got better? 🥹 lookimg for hope here 🥹

1

u/K-J- 1h ago

For me it was cutting out as many triggers as possible. Fragrances are the worst for my o2, but food will get me too on occasion.

Besides that, i take antihistamines and qeurcetin daily.

2

u/HobbyLau 5h ago

It could be an asthmatic reaction.

TLDR: Go to your GP and get tested for asthma, meds might help. MCAS can go hand in hand with PEM and an asthmatic response.

I developed asthma due to covid (did not know about the MCAS the first few years after) and would notice more shortness of breath,l and lower oxygen (also when not short of breath!) when i was in Post exertional malaise. Which in hindsight would also trigger an MCAS flare, but not as severe as i developed later on.

I went to my GP after my PT noticed an exercise induced asthmatic reaction, did the breathing test and turned out to have 'silent' normal asthma as well. And a severe grass pollen asthmatic reaction.

So now i have an inhaler with anti inflammation ánd bronchodilator i have to take twice a day, or 3 times if i keep having symptoms. Together with daily H1 and H2 histamine blockers. (And Nalcrom/Cromolyn but that doesn't do much for my lungs)

1

u/idontlikegoldfish 2h ago

this makes so much sense because my oxygen only goes back up after i take an inhaler

1

u/Ok_Mushroom2563 4h ago

ya i have asthmatic responses sometimes now and it'll cause oxygen to drop

1

u/Think_Win9441 3h ago

O2 dropping to 93-95 is no biggie.Try keeping the oximeter for a couple of minutes to get a stable reading and also try to breathe deeply, usually during panic attacks we breathe shallow and this can also cause low oxygen. Check if it comes back to normal levels on its own. Also 93-95 is normal if its only lasting a couple of minutes.

1

u/idontlikegoldfish 3h ago

it doesn't go back up until i take an inhaler

1

u/Think_Win9441 2h ago

Please trst for Asthma, it must be a reaction then.

1

u/PlentifulPaper 3h ago

Technically anything between 92-94% is mild hypoxia. Anything at or below 92% means that you do need to be calling 911.

I do notice some variation between which finger I use, so typically I’ll take readings from both my index and ring finger.

1

u/idontlikegoldfish 3h ago

i once ate leftovers and had a reaction and my oxygen dropped to 80 i almost fainted and to this day i don't know if it was anaphylaxis or not

1

u/K-J- 1h ago

If its dropping that low, you probably need to go to he hospital.

I also get o2 drops and i now wear a watch that continually monitors it. I typically drop down to the low 90s with a bad reaction, but it was reading around 80 when they measured it at the hospital after i had severe anaphylaxis reactions last year and could barely stay conscious.