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?

We have one.

I have had chest / lung tightening and felt out of breath the last few days but the monitor says 98-100 so it reassures me

I've had (suspected) COVID-19. I'm on day 13. I rang 111 today as my breathing got worse, but I wasn't blue and could still talk (about 3 words at a time). They sent an ambulance. The paramedics were lovely, my oxygen was 94. I felt daft wasting their time, but they said they aren't very busy at the moment.

So I don't think it's true everywhere.

Does anyone know if the apps claiming to be able to do this on iPhone work? I can't find any oximeters available until June

I have a £20 Ebay one and the Samsung health app one. Both vary wildly from 89-99 so I'm not sure of the accuracy of either.

I got one at the beginning of March. Tried it out on everybody in the house, all reporting 98-99. So if and when anybody is ill I will be able to trust it if it's showing desats. The piece in the NYT has echoed why I thought it could be helpful. I would get one if you can.

My friend tested the Samsung phone one at her hospital. About 1% off. ITU DR & quite happy to use it as a measure.

I have one for health reasons. My mum borrowed it when she had coronavirus (tested and confirmed). The home ones are never going to be as accurate as the hospital ones but they will be able to say if your oxygen % is decreasing or staying the same. Nail varnish must be removed before using it otherwise you’ll get a false low reading! I think they’re helpful for distinguishing between anxiety and breathlessness, and “breathing difficulties” where your oxygen % is decreasing. If you buy one I would take some readings while you’re fit and well as a basis for comparison for if you use it when unwell.

I almost bought one and didnt and now think I might...

Please be careful with them. We bought one a few years ago for DS who has long term health issues. For the first few months it was pretty accurate but then it misread when DH became ill. DH’s O2 dropped to 70% O2 and he was desperately ill with double pneumonia - the oximeter was still reading in the 90’s.

We have bought another one but took advice from our medical team - the one we bought was much more expensive (over £100+) as these are the ones the medics use. Our medical team couldn’t confirm how good the cheaper ones were, as they are known for being unreliable.

Toomuchbloodychoice

Where did you buy your oximeter? What brand is it?

I'm wondering if I should invest in an oxyimeter that you have?

I my my preparation for this virus, I bought 2 oximeters from amazon. I bought a blood pressure monitor for monitoring my blood pressure every day. I bought a woollen blanket. I bought crates of still water. Multivitamin bottles of the family.

Are there any more tools I could get in preparation for this virus?

@SMJYellow

A thermometer and paracetamol

@Namechanger20183110
It was this one. It came in a few days even though expected delivery was longer than that
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184242874983

Just invested in an oximeter. Can't believe anyone wouldn't after reading that article. £50 reduced from £70 on Amazon.

@SMJYellow Lucozade, tissues, anything you normally crave when you're ill. I've bought orange juice, throat sweets too

I ordered one yesterday.

I left it a bit too late to call in when I had breathing trouble and it would have been helpful to know at the time that I probably wouldn’t be inconveniencing anyone if I had called because my breathing was so bad. DH was guesstimating my levels but an oximeter would’ve convinced me he was right 😬 I ended up in hospital very poorly.

I ordered one because I was left with pleurisy and I want to monitor my breathing.

We have a blood pressure monitor at home too which has been handy but DH is a medic.

Thanks for your replies. I have a thermometer and paracetamol. I find children's calpol is soothing for sore throat and cough so I have a bottle of that too. I have a rocking chair that reclines. I made an invalid corner in the room. All I need now is a mini fridge.

I want to give my chair up to my mother she doesnt want to take it.

@SMJYellow Why a crate of bottled water? Just use your tap

I would be cautious of a false sense of security. A few yrs ago I knew I was ill, thought it was a chest infection but one day felt awful. Getting of the sofa left me struggling for breath so I called 111. I went to A&E & did feel a bit better, at triage my oxygen levels were ok as was my heart rate & temp only slightly raised. I know something wasn't right & my breathing was a bit crackly. Doc gave me a x-ray & I was diagnosed with pneumonia. I got quite ill, vomiting etc & needed IV antibiotics & further antibiotics to clear the infection. I had that oxygen wrist test & my results were good but I was very ill, normally young & healthy.

I bought one back in February. I know how to interpret the readings. I found it invaluable when ds2 was ill with what we suspect was covid 19. His sats did drop to 89%, but the 111 service was hopeless and I asked to speak to a medic. I was able to get him on their radar instead of being fobbed of by the initial call handler who was frighteningly inept.

I was able to track ds' general condition and recovery with the 02 readings. I also have a BP monitor and a proper thermometer as the forehead scanning one was giving false readings. Dh and I were also ill.

@showerdodger have you read the article?

People are presenting with very advanced pneumonia without having had breathing problems. They didn't feel short of breath but in actual fact their oxygen levels weren't good at all.

Its behind a wall.

my point was if I had one & used it I probably wouldn't have called 111 as I may have been reassured as the shortness of breath only happened once.

my oxygen levels were ok but I was still very ill.

Sorry - slight tangent. Dh has a CPAP machine for sleep apnoea. Does anyone know if this would be any good if one of us was having breathing difficulties? Heard about these being used with Covid patients, I think, but they had to be specially adapted?

Shower this article is saying that COVID 19 doesn't work like other pneumonia. That they are seeing it is causing silent hypoxia. So oxygen levels are very low but the patient doesn't feel short of breath.

That is explaining the reports of suddenly feeling ill and rapidly worsening. They are already critical at the point of becoming ill.

Someone who is getting enough oxygen, therefore, can be reassured somewhat.

Definitely worth a read, it's not behind a paywall.

@WatcherintheRye Don’t be ridiculous.

@WatcherintheRye
@QueenOfPain
Hospitals do use a type of cpap machine but its got oxygen going through it as well, up to 15 litres before the need for ventilation