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Hi there...   Of course, it's impossible to know for sure after the fact what happened to you exactly, especially without being able to examine you. But if they checked your oxygen level using a pulse oximeter, then it's been my observation watching my mom over the past year or two (who has COPD) that oximetry is not always 100% accurate. At least not as accurate as arterial blood gases (a blood test requiring a lab draw) would be.   I've seen oximetry affected by hand temperature, position of the sensor on the fingertip and also by the technician. I suspect your initial reading was not quite as good as they measured it. 98% is darn good for someone who is coughing severely and gasping for breath.   Of course, your best bet would be to pose this question to your doctor, who can examine your hospital records and perhaps pick up on something else that was going on that would have affected it.   To your health, Kathi