What is your oxygen level while wearing a surgical mask? (quit smoking, cough)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My oxygen level is the same with or without my mask. The fact that I can breathe normally through a mask tells me that it doesn't protect me or you from this tiny particle virus.
With that said, I do think that wearing masks in public *might* help to minimize the spread. Probably not by much but it's something.
IMO, it would have made more of a difference in the first weeks of the pandemic but the CDC was officially telling us NOT to wear a mask, and that it wasn't spread that way.
The gases you inhale and exhale are much smaller than the respiratory droplets you exhale. Those are caught by the mask.
They can and mostly in damp weather. We exhale damp used air. when we exhale, much of it flows out around the edges of the mask. The mask actually lifts away from your face.
Whenwe inhale, the mask pulls toward your face and it seals better. the moisture on the mask impedes flow of fresh air. You work hardr to breathe. Youroxygen level will normally drop when wearing a sim[lemask like a painter's mask or dust mask. Hold tyhe mask upto a bright light source. Do you see pinholes in the mask?
I have an oximeter- 95 with and without a mask. Male, 60 years, smoking for 53 years, diagnosed with COPD and a congenital heart defect (a hole between the left and right side of me heart).
Quote:
IMO, it would have made more of a difference in the first weeks of the pandemic but the CDC was officially telling us NOT to wear a mask, and that it wasn't spread that way.
No, what they said was that wearing a mask did not protect the wearer.
Medical personnel have been wearing masks, to protect their patients, for more than 100 years.
While the virus particles *themselves* are very small, they are often carried by vapor/droplets and current data indicates that wearing a mask *does* confer some protection to the wearer, more than was initially thought.
In addition, it appears that the viral load received has a relationship to the severity of the illness. A lower viral load received results in a slower growing infection as it takes longer to reach 'critical mass', which can give ones immune system the opportunity to ramp up *before* the virus level reaches 'critical mass' and causes overwhelming illness.
It is, in fact, quite similar to what happens when I'm brewing beer- I have to pitch an appropriate amount of yeast into the wort in order to start the fermentation process quickly. It takes time for the yeast to multiply to an effective volume. If I add too little yeast, it can take days for fermentation to start, or it may not start at all.
However, if I make a yeast 'starter' several days prior to brew day, and allow the yeast to multiply greatly beforehand, equivalent to a massive viral load being received, then they go to work within hours instead of days which results in a rapid fermentation with a vast explosion of yeast cells.
The two processes are actually very much the same.
I don't know what it would be because I don't have a pulse ox., but I can tell you about my post op sats, and mask experience. In the recovery room my oxygen level was well below normal. It was 85% and I needed some oxygen for a few hours. (Low hemoglobin from the surgery?)
Later my nurse took the oxygen off in my room and the alarm woke me up, It was all to familiar. My sats were low again. They were 88%. I just took deep breaths and they went up again. The nurse came in and asked me what happened. I told her that my 02 was low. She asked me if I fell asleep and I said yes.
About two hours post op it was time to get up and walk around the unit. That included wearing a mask. I walked a lot. It felt great. I did that a couple of times and after about 7 hours it was time to go home.
I had my old N95 and I wore my surgical mask over that on the way out to the car. I had no trouble breathing, and that's with post op low hemoglobin.
Masks are not the problem. Masks are the solution. This anti mask troll garbage has to stop. It's just a vote for Covid to keep raging.
They can and mostly in damp weather. We exhale damp used air. when we exhale, much of it flows out around the edges of the mask. The mask actually lifts away from your face.
Whenwe inhale, the mask pulls toward your face and it seals better. the moisture on the mask impedes flow of fresh air. You work hardr to breathe. Youroxygen level will normally drop when wearing a sim[lemask like a painter's mask or dust mask. Hold tyhe mask upto a bright light source. Do you see pinholes in the mask?
Do you have such a mask and a pulse oximeter? If so, could you measure your oxygen level while wearing it, please?
Mine is the same with and without a blue procedure mask.
If you have a Samsung phone the Samsung Health App has a pulse oximeter. Open the app, scroll down to "stress", click measure and follow the instructions.
The gases you inhale and exhale are much smaller than the respiratory droplets you exhale. Those are caught by the mask.
That is the only reason why I said that wearing masks in public *might* slow the spread, but not prevent it.
People who think they can't get or spread the virus if they and everyone else are wearing masks are mistaken.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
