Carl Doyle92 said:Hi everyone. My mother (63 years old) has lung cancer that has metastasized to her bones. She just finished three cycles of chemotherapy, which actually shrank the tumor, but then she developed pneumonia and spent a week in the hospital. She’s been discharged now, but she needs supplemental oxygen—4L for about 18 hours a day—because her levels are quite low. When she isn't using the oxygen via the finger monitor, her saturation hits as low as 80, usually hovering between 80 and 85, though she doesn't even seem to feel the shortness of breath or struggle much.
As soon as she uses those nasal cannulas, it jumps back up above 90.
The thing is, even when she’s on oxygen all night long, she’ll wake up in the morning with a reading of 80, sometimes even lower, despite having constant supply throughout the night. During the day, whenever she's using the oxygen, she stays above 90. Why would her levels drop like that overnight even while receiving oxygen? Does anyone know if there's a reason for this?
I can't help but wonder if she's breathing through her mouth while sleeping, meaning the oxygen isn't getting into her nose effectively; I'm not sure if that matters. Perhaps she should be using one of those masks instead of the nasal tubes at night—if that even makes a difference—and is there any real distinction between the standard masks people wear and these little nasal cannulas?
It is entirely possible that she is mouth-breathing during sleep, which would cause the saturation to dip. However, even if she breathes through her nose while receiving oxygen, it is quite common for saturation levels to drop slightly during sleep. Does her saturation level jump back above 90 immediately upon waking?
Nasal masks are typically utilized when someone requires a higher flow rate, usually anything exceeding 6L per minute, but I would strongly suggest you bring this specific concern to her pulmonologist.