Should we all be buying oximeters

[Namechanger20183110]

...if 111 and 999 carries on with this debacle of telling people to stay at home until they can't talk?

Does anyone here have one that has also had Covid and can vouch for its usefulness?

an oximeter will only measure the amount of oxygen. it won't do anything to add oxygen to a person so really, what good is it?

Why the namechange? Are you an oximeter manufacturer?

We borrowed one when DD had suspected Covid and it did come in handy as we could keep track of her oxygen levels and pulse alongside her temperature and run them past a friend of ours who is in emergency medicine.

It also meant that when we got to the point of phoning 111 we could give them the figures. By then I honestly thought they would send us to a Red Zone at a local surgery for her to be checked over but they didn't. At this point she was really quite unwell so I hate to think how I'll you have to be to be seen by a medic.

Apologies OP! just seen you haven't namechanged for this post. My remark was tongue in cheek anyway.

But still, how would an oximeter help?

If you had one, what guidance would you take on what levels were OK or when to worry? With temperature we have 37.8 - we don’t have guidance for O2 sats.

Ive bought one to keep an eye on my sats if I do end up ridiculously breathless. More for peace of mind than anything - if the sats show pretty ok then I'll be calmer which will hopefully help with panicking.

We bought one, they don’t cost much and DH is medical so knows how to use it properly. We live in an area that is really not great hospital wise so want to be prepared to look after ourselves as well as possible at home and also to know when we need to push to go in if necessary.

I've bought one from Amazon today

@CompleteBarstool - thanks. How is your DD now? At what level did your friend recommend you to ring for help, and what did 111 say in response to that info?

@NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 haha it's ok, yes I name changed on 31/10/2018 - the numbers at the end aren't just random but can't remember what for now. I have heard anecdotal reports that it helps indicate when oxygen levels in the blood have dropped to dangerous levels, i.e at a level where CPAP can help rather than ventilation, which is widely known to be a huge risk with poor survival rate. Early oxygenisation treatments are reported to be effective to lower the death rate, as seen in Germany. But as @Purplewithred it's knowing what those danger levels are. Perhaps a medic on here can advise

96-99% is the level of o2 considered to be ok. Anything below 90% is something you may need to ring 111.

I bought one after a friend who had Covid said it really helped her stay sane. She said she felt like she couldn't breathe but in fact she was getting enough oxygen.

I just want to know if someone in my house does catch the virus, I know if and when they need additional support.

I’ve got one and had it for a long time due to my health anxiety. It’s useful.

We already had one, from when DH had a few months of atrial flutter a couple of years ago. He likes having as much data as possible.

Why not... it may give you a better idea of if you're managing or not. But from DHs experience it may be worth,as with temperature, monitoring beforehand what reading is normal for you.

I've got one. No they can't do anything to actually assist but they can give you some peace of mind if you're ill and frightened but you can see for yourself that your oxygen levels and heart rate are fine. Also have a peak flow monitor and sent off tor a BP measuring device which will arrive tomorrow. I have panic disorder too and being able to see that physically all is as it's should be really helps me to manage that better.

I already had one and yes, I think it would be useful because you can see if you are still getting enough oxygen even if you feel breathless/chest crushing. You can take a few readings whilst you are fit to establish your baseline. Better than sitting at home being turned back by 111.

Are there any reasonably priced accurate ones people would recommend?

I bought one today! I considered it before and thought it might be overkill. Also wondered if commercially available home ones might be too inaccurate to take seriously. But was convinced after reading a piece in the NYT today by Richard Levitan.

www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html

I wish I had bought one. A family member has one and used it when she thought she had coronavirus. Although she was breathless it showed her oxygen levels weren't terribly low, it meant she could monitor things and it did give her peace of mind. She suggested I bought one but now everyone is getting them and it's too late....

There's loads on Amazon @WanderingMilly.

I bought one a week or so ago from eBay for about £18. I’ve tested my levels a couple of times and it’s been 98-99%. Helpful to have a baseline (so even if the monitor is on the cheap side and not accurate I will know if it drops)

I have one (had it for years for other medical reasons) & last months when I feel like I may have had COVID, my sats were pretty much under 95% & dropped to 89% on occasion. It corresponded with chest/breathing issues I was having so I feel it was useful to have. But like I said, it's something I've had for years.

I bought one to mainly keep an eye on DD as she’s in at at-risk group (although I think she had a mild case before I received it). She’s fine now, but when we tested it out yesterday the oxygen alarm went off! Her other readings were way lower than before too. So we’re now left thinking she is actually one of the undead (sorry, bad taste).

When I was sick a few weeks ago my oxygen readings were definitely lower than they are now, but never in the danger zone. I think they’re useful to have for reassurance (?) but possibly not always 100% accurate at the cheaper end perhaps.

www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/opinion/coronavirus-testing-pneumonia.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

this article explains why its useful to have an oximeter

Some phones can measure it, using the same tech to some of the machines you buy, and has a 2% variant which isn't bad considering it's free if you already have a compatible phone.

My boss had Coronavirus and was in A&E and they were debating sending him home, they said they had ordered lots of pulse oximeters to give out if the person was borderline to be admitted. My boss already had one so he was told to monitor his 02 levels when he got home. He suggested I get one just in case and it's due to be delivered this week. As someone with Asthma who lives alone I thought it would be helpful if I became sick.