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?

[Bonkersblond]

We have one, bought for DD who is mildly asthmatic, very useful since her first asthma attack she seemed ok but her oxygen levels were really low and spent night in hospital, now if she’s ever poorly I can monitor her oxy levels and take her to Drs if worried. Quite glad we have one in the house.

[tiredmedic]

An oximeter is a nice to have for most people, perhaps an essential to some. Bear in mind it should be calibrated against a clinical grade model prior to use, most of the cheap n cheerful Amazon types tend to be out by about 2%, (eg a reading of 96 is actually 98.....or 94, but that's why you calibrate to know the magnitude and direction). Assuming you know the magnitude and direction of error, a corrected reading of 96 to 99% is good, 90 to 95% keep an eye, and readings of 89% or below should be leading to seek medical advice. Below 86% I (personally) would be seriously considering a trip to casualty. For those who don't have the equipment, if pushed I would suggest checking colour of lips, fingernails, ear lobes and nosetip, as these are areas which are highly vascularised and show signs first.

[noraclavicle]

That piece in the NYT is an eye-opener. Thanks for sharing

[Namechanger20183110]

Yes thanks for sharing the article

Thanks all, I'm getting one.

[Namechanger20183110]

@BrieAndChilli would you mind sending a link to eBay for the one you bought? The ones I have seen all say despatched from China and may not arrive until early June

[YgritteSnow]

Thank you for that info @tiredmedic.

[tiredmedic]

@Ygritte, you're welcome, most of the post is available via Google etc, I just happen to have used the methods early in my career when pulse oximeters were rare and expensive ie £5000 a go!

[DippyAvocado]

I read that NY Times article earlier today too. Really concerning. Basically he said patients who were presenting with shortness of breath at the hospital were in the advanced stages of the disease. Covid pneumonia is accompanied by silent hypoxia, so you may have dangerously low levels of oxygen without any respiratory symptoms. That's why ventilation hasn't been as successful as they expected.

I couldn't believe that when they checked the lungs of patients who were in there for other reasons, like the guy who'd come in because he'd been stabbed in the shoulder, they found Covid pneumonia even though there were no symptoms. Who knows what long term lung damage could be being done.

It also makes the policy here of not even sending an ambulance until you're blue in the face seem even more dangerous.

[Actionhasmagic]

I bought one just in case - to be honest a lot of my prep for the virus has been about trying to have control over an uncontrollable situation

[CalmYoBadSelf]

I have one as I am asthmatic and find it reassuring to see my O2 levels are usually good even when I am not breathing well. I have heard others say the same about using it with Covid

[Opinewine]

I've had one for ages before covid19.

What I would say its for the opposite reason, i.e. the primary effect is one of reassurance, and frankly that is a bloody good enough reason for me.

Loads of times I will convince myself I can't breathe due to a pre existing condition and its normal, it is a very good indicator.

About 20 quid on amazon.

[CrocodilesCry]

I've bought one - just in case me or DP became ill as I'm asthmatic, also if a family member became ill they could use it.

I'd recommend Argos or eBay though, prices on Amazon delivered with Prime have trebled to £60+. Paid £20 for one from Argos and a few pounds for delivery.

[TooTrueToBeGood]

I ordered one today after reading the NYT article. I was actually admitted to hospital a few weeks ago and tested CV-19 positive and had pneumonia. The doctor told me my oxygen levels were so low I would not have survived another 12-24 hour and yet whilst I felt ill I didn't feel anything close to that critical from a cardiovascular perspective. I'll be checking my levels regularly to ensure I'm continuing to recover and watch out for any signs of deterioration. I'll also be checking my family regularly just for peace of mind. My only concern is the accuracy of the devices but the tech seems relatively straightforward and something with a slight margin of error is better than nothing.

[Savingshoes]

111 is initially a NON-emergency advice line.

If you are severely unwell - you just go to A&E, not ring for a telephone assessment or a bit of advice, surely?

Or are hospitals refusing to admit unwell patients?

[milveycrohn]

Curiously, if you are expected to wait until you are blue and can't talk before calling 111, how are actually expected to call 111 if you can't talk?
How does this affect those who live on their own?

[Bestoption]

I bought one a couple of months ago in the recommendation of someone in the preppers threads. Unfortunately it didn't work
Properly and they've been pudding me about since (saying they'll send another) but I wasn't too well on Sunday night and was annoyed not to have one, so I ordered a different one it arrived on Monday. I don't like it as much, but it works. They show near enough the same. Umbers -so that's calibrated enough for me!

I know it doesn't give me any oxygen, but it'll calm me down if it's showing I AM getting enough oxygen despite not feeling like I am.

If my sats get too low I will get a taxi/friend to take me to A&E (Covid version) if I can't get an ambulance. I have a couple of FP3 masks (bought in January) for this kind of thing.

I live alone and this has aloe is Ted SOME of the panic about not getting any help if I get this They still might not want to admit me, but if I'm there they're going to have to be pretty fucking unreasonable not to admit me, especially if I have the oximeter showing low sats 🤷🏻‍♀️

But my main reason is that I hope it'll help me to stay calm so I can stay home if at all possible

For £30 it seems like a no brainier

[AvalancheKit]

I have been using them on and off after having had a serious illness ten years ago. You really must educate yourself how to use them properly though, to the extent you almost don’t need to take the reading because you have learned the peaks and troughs of your daily life and know how to

[Kahlua4me]

I have had one for a few years now and find it very useful. I have health anxiety since menopause and find the oxymeter strangely reassuring when I have palpitations etc.

However, I did have flu last Christmas and it was very useful then as I could give my readings to my gp over the phone which helped him to help me.

Definitely worth having one in your first aid kit..

[meow1989]

In case people dont know; some Samsung phones have o2 measuring capability via the samsung health app. Theres a sensor the place your finger on and ask it to measure stress. Anecdotally it seems accurate.

[atenthofaclue]

Is this issue with 111 asking if you can/can't complete sentences not because they're going through triage questions and that's how they differentiate ? Rather than some scheme to keep people at home. I thought that has always been the advice on breathlessness - that if you find you are struggling to speak in sentences then you need emergency help? (Those boxes they have on the nhs website on when to see a gp or see a pharmacist or call 999).

Interesting reading that people are using these for reassurance. When I was in hospital their first step when my levels dipped below the threshold they were happy with was to get me to start taking better/deeper breaths, which did boost it.

So I'm assuming if you were panicked and therefore taking shallow breaths or hyperventilating you would get a low(er) reading? Which would then feed your panic and feed your breathlessness ... Similarly to when people check their pulse when anxious and then panic even more because it's obviously elevated.

Back to 111, pp makes a fair point that it's not an emergency no. If you can't breathe you call 999 not 111. And if you go to a&e they triage you before they send you away or treat. And the triage involves checking your oxygen levels.

[TwigTheWonderKid]

So where is the best place to buy one? Because of my job I know that medical grade pulse oximeters cost a few hundred pounds apiece. I'm having a hard time believing that one I can buy from Argos or eBay might be accurate or reliable.

[Purplewithred]

The £25 ish ones from amazon are fine, apparently the technology is pretty simple. The fingertip one I use (Provided by the Ambulance Service) gives the same result as the one built in to the Ambulance crew ecg machines.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Don't get one unless you know how to use it properly and how to interpret the results!

[Abkbjbjb]

Following 😊

[Flywheel]

I also read the NYT article this morning and ordered one off Amazon. Arriving tomorrow although I see they are no longer in stock. I will use it to monitor any family members who become ill and will also lend it to my parents if they get it. Getting to hospital early enough definitely seems key. Although I am in Ireland and I don't think we have the same problem with people told to stay at home til the last minute