Asthma attack- normal oxygen?

Hello!
About a month and a half ago I had an asthma attack and had to go to the ER. I was clearly having trouble breathing (wheezing, sucking in under ribs, using stomach muscles etc.) but my oxygen levels were at 98, which is normal! I ended up having to be admitted to pediatrics and staying over night, but the ER doc didn't take it too seriously at first because my oxygen was normal. They tried it on a few different machines but it was still normal. Why weren't my oxygen levels low in this bad asthma attack?

i have had that as well . i can tell you that i am 44 m and have had very severe asthma all my life. i know that the doctors dont know everthing there is too know about asthma .
i know that when i was about 15 there were many new doctors who had been taught that asthma was a matter of the mind and not a real physical problem .
i know that not all that long ago only the first stage of asthma was treated that being the closing of the inside of the breathing passages. that resulted in many deaths. now we all know that steriods must be used to reduce the swelling .
what extactly happened to you and me and i am sure millions of others is not known at this point but i am sure that it was as real as any asthma attack and that you were correct in going to the er. when your older in 10 or 15 years you will have seen many changes in the way this is all treated and most likely knowledge of what the cause of this form of asthma attack is will be well known.
i suspect that you were having swelling in the brocihial tubes but that your ability to force air passed this swelling was good enough to keep your o2 levels in the normal range.
i also think that if you and me and others did not go to the er at such times we might just find that are ability to force the air in and out well enough will fade fast sometime and we will be in big trouble so again i say keep going to the er .
also dont buy all of what any doctor tells you i have heard and seen enough to know they are smart but not infallable.

When you are having an asthma attack you definately can still maintain normal oxygenation in your body.

When you are gasping in for breath you are taking a lot of oxygen in so the levels will still be the same, the danger is you are not fully getting carbon dioxide out.. this is very very serious and probably why you were in the hospital

it's call a gas exchange, oxygen in, carbon dioxide out, if you can get enough oxygen in but can't get the carbon dioxide out that is what is hurting you
having too much carbon dioxide in your body can kill you

Your body was compensating by hyperventalating, asthma is the bodys immune system going wacko by adding histamines to the bady causing the mucas, throat tightening, but until a complete closure your body will compensate, a shot of epinephrine 1cc just under the skin relieves symptoms fastest, but short lived, a regimine of broncho dialators by inhaler and steroids same way may control it, but ask your Doc about an epi-pen for emergencies.

As a healthcare provider I can tell you that it means that you were able to have adequate oxygenation with your breathing. In this situation we usually gives meds (like nebulizer treatments) and monitor. Which I'm thinking is what happened. And incidentally....the 'carbon dioxide' levels were not pertinent here...the theory makes sense to say....but is not accurate in this situation.

If you are allergic is always good to know which are the triggers, you can talk with your doctor about it and they can check for that.
It is also very helpful to switch to naturally based products, the regular products that you can purchase at the store, contain harsh chemicals, preservatives and fillers that are very dangerous to our health, specially for people that has asthma, allergies, respiratory problems and other things like eczema or migraines, etc.
I buy everything through a wellness company because my husband has asthma and allergies, he hardly use the inhaler now (only when he gets sick like cold or flu). I can help you get those products at a wholesale price if you would like to give them a try, it is 100% risk free and guaranteed. It realy helps!
The best of luck!

Mariana Abadie
www.MyKidsFirst.com