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Has anyone ever had surgery with low oxygenation saturation?

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  • Has anyone ever had surgery with low oxygenation saturation?

    Hi,

    I was just wondering if anyone is familiar with oxygen saturation/pulseox? One of the main concerns in having surgery for myself is my lungs. Even though I am a professional singer and have a very strong diaphragm, my last surgery I was only a ventilator a very, very long time. And now I use oxygen at 1 1/2 liters except at night when I go to bed where I use 3. I do go out a lot without oxygen where my pulseox stays about 91 or 92% saturation. But my heart rate is very high most of the time. You could say that I am always " aerobic." :-) around 110 beats per minute.

    Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else has had concerns about their lungs but the surgery went fine still. I have had numerous operations in my life with no problem is my lungs whatsoever until 2001 when I went to Plano, Texas for surgery.

    If you look at my web site www.FrankieBush.net you may give you a be, tter understanding. Thank you very much, you all have been a big help on my other posts, sincerely, Frankie www.FrankieBush.net microphone

  • #2
    Oxygen Saturation

    Hi, Frankie ~

    There are probably nurses on this board who can answer this better than I can, but I will tell you what I know about this topic. I have a son who has a lung disorder (Cystic Fibrosis) and in the 1990s, when his saturation dropped below 95, he would need oxygen. But now, the nurses have told me that they have changed their policy about this. If his sat drops below 90, they will give him oxygen. They do not feel that a sat 91 or 92 requires oxygen and they have since taken away our pulse ox machine. He has had several operations in the last few years and while under sedation, he DOES need oxygen but when he has a lung infection, he does not. Go figure.

    Do you have a pulmonologist who can give you a more accurate answer to this? I'm sure that if you schedule surgery, the anesthesiologist will be able to address this. Have you scheduled a consult with Dr. Boachie?

    Suzanne in NJ
    45 Degree curve, Harrington rod place in 1980 by Dr. Keim at Columbia-Presbyterian, NYC.

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    • #3
      I am seeing Dr. Boachie in August

      Hi thanks for your reply as always :-)

      My problem is that back in 2001 when I went to Texas for the first time in my life I was frightened to death by their pulmanologist, they told me because my oxygen saturation was only around 90% that I needed to be on oxygen ALL THE TIME. They said that my pulmonary tests were not very good, and fact horrible. But I never seemed to be out of breath, I have been a professional singer my entire life, I don't smoke, never have, and have over 30 operations, I never had any problems whatsoever with general anesthesia. But then I go to Texas and I wind up on a ventilator with a tracheotomy. They did not even want to take the tracheotomy out when they kicked me out of the hospital because my medical insurance ran out. But when I returned back home to Las Vegas, they did not understand why I had the tracheotomy still in, so removed it. And consequently there was no problems whatsoever and I have been fine, however I do use oxygen now 24 hours a day almost in my life. But I'm still not quite sure what is psychological dependency on the oxygen or a basic necessity for my health. I have a pulseox machine, and a oxygen machine in my house. But when I go out at night on the town partying at the casinos, I do not use any oxygen. It's confusing... Like I said, I used to have all the confidence in the world, but now I don't know who tells me the truth when it comes to doctors... Right now I'm trying to find how I can take oxygen on a commercial airlines to New York When I Go See Dr. Boachie. Any suggestions??

      No I'm not too paranoid :-)... Thanks

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      • #4
        oxygen

        If you can go out and sing all evening, without your tank, you are not physically oxygen dependent. We need oxygen every second of every day and we cannot "save it up somewhere in the body" so that we can go a few hours without it for work -especially the breath control needed for singing.

        The O2 might give you a sense of security.
        Karen
        Original scoliosis surgery 1956 T-4 to L-2 ~100 degree thoracic (triple)curves at age 14. NO hardware-lost correction.
        Anterior/posterior revision T-4 to Sacrum in 2002, age 60, by Dr. Boachie-Adjei @Hospital for Special Surgery, NY = 50% correction

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        • #5
          Hi Frankie,

          I'd give the airline a call, and ask them about the O2. I'm sure there are others with emphysema or the like who travel with Oxygen. If it's medical necessity like in your situation, I'm sure thay make allowances for you.

          Susanna
          Susanna
          ~~~~~~
          Mother of a 17 year old daughter. Her "S" curve was 40 degree thoracic from T3 to T9, and a 70 degree rotatory thorcolumbar from T9 to L4. She was operated on March 9th, 2005 by Dr. Boachie-Adjei at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. She was fused from T11 to L3, using an anterior approach, and the major curve corrected to 20 degrees. She's doing great!

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          • #6
            Karen:

            Unfortunately I am no longer able to go out and sing every night, like that once was able to several years ago. My pulseox averages around 90 and I do use oxygen when I sleep, during the day and usually virtually all the time. There are those nights that I do go out on social occasions without oxygen. At which point my pulseox will drop between 88 and 90%. Sometimes however it will stay around 92%. But I was told by the last pulmonary function Dr. that my lungs were only about 33% . You must understand that when it comes to singing you rely heavily on your diaphragm which I do have very good control, and my primary blessing has been my vocal cords, not my lung capacity. Maybe I was just faking it for all those years :-)... I don't think so, I guess you would have to listen to my voice can make your own decision ... :-) www.FrankieBush.net but main concern is being turned down for surgery because my lung capacity/pulseox is not adequate. What I was on a ventilator with a tracheotomy for almost four months, I'm quite sure that did not help my lungs any to get back in shape. I really wish I was able to go back on the road and sing every night, I'm quite sure that would help my lungs immensely. I mean, I used to do almost 150 concerts a year all over the country, now I spend my nights just hoping and praying that I can find a revision surgeon that at the least might be able to get my head a little straighter so I can get out of this wheelchair and stop using the oxygen.

            My last surgery really, really, really was not, well... Thanks everybody,

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