Needing supplementary O2 is determined by your O2 saturation levels, either measured by an oximeter (that little gizmo they put on your finger) or by an Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) test. The Medicare standard which is also used by most private insurance companies is that if your O2 saturation levels are below 88 either at rest or with activity, you qualify. So when you get to the point where your O2 saturation levels are below 88, you qualify for and should use supplemental O2.

I suggest you go to this site and view all the videos involved in COPD 101. You'll learn a lot. http://www.copdfoundation.org/Learn-More/For-Pa...

Using supplemental O2 ensures that you don't get cor pulmonale (right heart failure) or brain damage due to anoxia. You don't want either!

If I am just sitting around and doing nothing my 02 level is betwen 93 and 95 but when I get up and start to do something it drops fast to 86 to 89 .Also if mucus builds up then you are fighting for oxygen and when that happens sit down and start working on breathing slower.

I read a very interesting article a few months back where they were talking about the results of a study they did on patients with low oxygen levels. Research found you start to lose brain cells when your oxygen dips below 90%. Isn't it interesting that both here in Canada & in the US the standard for O2 is 88%. By the time they agree you need oxygen you already have COPD brain LOL!

I have been on oxygen for 15 years ,it is the only thing that keeps me going .I use it at night and during the day when I get tired . The portables are great ,when you want to walk and do yoga

Jared, the low level isn't debatable for Medicare; private insurance is another matter. 88 is the threshold for Medicare in the US at the present time. There is a long term study going on now that is testing whether 90 is a better threshold, but the results won't be apparent for several years.