Overnight Oxygen Study Update

Thursday, November 19, 2009

We are 2 hours into our oxygen sleep study and we've already had to turn Darbi's oxygen back on. :( I'm so bummed. She's not ready to come off of the oxygen. When we started, she was awake and sating in the high 90's which is good and normal. So we took her oxygen off - still sating in the 90's - then she fell asleep and slowly started dropping off into the high 80's... then mid 80's... then low 80's. The lowest she reached, that I saw, was 78. I'm glad that we haven't had a saturation monitor these last 7 months because I could go crazy just staring at it making sure she keeps in the high numbers. I was watching it for about 10 minutes when her heart rate started to drop. From our time in the hospital, I knew when the numbers were becoming dangerously low so we decided to call our doctor's office after hours clinic. Unfortunately, they closed at 10 and it was 11:15. We then decide to phone up our old friends at the NICU. :) They remembered who we were and told us that we should consider this an "emergency" and go ahead and call our doctor's office emergency number. I knew that her numbers were getting lower and lower but because of this test, I didn't know how low was considered "acceptable". The nurse that we got a hold of said to put her back on the O2 and keep the test going so they can see the difference of her being off the O2, then on the O2 while asleep. We turned her up to 1/4L (the amount she was on when she was discharged from the hospital in May) and it took her about 5 minutes to get her saturation levels back into the 90's.

So. She still needs the oxygen. I'm bummed but a little relieved. I want it close this winter. If she didn't need it now, I wanted to at least keep a few tanks around in case she got sick. It would be nice to maybe take it off during the day and only use it at night but that will be the Dr's call. I have to go in on Monday to get her booster H1N1 shot so I will get the update from the doctor then. Ugh.

3 Wisecracks:

Mel H. said...

I'm so sorry Audrey. I know you must be bummed and the night was scary, but at least you KNOW. It sounds like she's doing well when awake, which is a great thing. It's normal for sats to drop when they're asleep. And you are right about the pulse ox. It's maddening and impossible not to look at. Hugs!

Megan B ♥ said...

Oh, that is a bummer :( I am hoping that you'll be able to do the day/night switch thing too. Or the awake/sleep time switch thing anyway. That would still be a nice improvement, while having your oxy close by in case you need it. Good thing she's so painfully cute with her little nose tubes. :)

Jodi said...

Just wanted to say hi. Hopefully, Darbi will be off oxygen soon. I laughed about the post with her hair coming in. It has taken forever for Olivia's hair to grow and we're still not quite there yet, but I can get it in a little ponytail finally. Anyway, just wanted to say hi from one 23 weeker mama to another. . .