new too asthma

[jazzanne]

hi is there any devices we can use at home too check our symptoms i know there is a peck flow, i seen some one blowing into a tube on tv last night to check oxygen levels would this help us ?

[elanaoali]

Hi the peak flow meter you mention is what people who like us suffer from asthma to measure how well our lungs are doing. I got mine from my doctor. I assumed that you have had an asthma review and the asthma nurses or your GP should have showed you how to use it.

There is a prescription charge on this. I have one as I have moderate asthma. It comes with a diary to track your peak flow. The video on asthma UK helpline shows you how to use it. It's all about history when using this over two weeks. You will need your peak flow reading that's good for you. Your age and see is use to calculate your best peak flow. The asthma nurses on the helpline can help with all this. Best time to to do this first thing in the morning and around 4/5 pm ever day. A dip in your reading

means could be a warning in something might be wrong. Once you know your best reading , take the reading from the peak flow meter best of three ÷by your best reading ×100 will give you a percentage.

Ask the asthma nurse again for this.

Hope this is helpful.

[servewithmintsauce in reply to elanaoali]

Just as an addition, a peak flow meter doesn't measure oxygen levels (you would use a 'pulse oximeter' for this, £15 on Amazon :P). However, if your peak flow readings are low or dropping, they serve as an excellent indicator of when you should see the nurse, doctor, or UCC, or go to A&E or call an ambulance, and are much better at detecting severe and life-threatening attacks than oximetry in many people!

[jazzanne in reply to servewithmintsauce]

hi do you know the name of the pulse oximeter thanks

[servewithmintsauce in reply to jazzanne]

Even better, I can send you some links!

This one is currently on sale:

amazon.co.uk/Oximeter-Penew...

Otherwise, these are the most inexpensive ones:

amazon.co.uk/ChoiceMMed-Fin...

or

amazon.co.uk/Fingertip-oxym...

or

amazon.co.uk/Finger-Oximete...

or this FDA-approved one

amazon.co.uk/MeasuPro-OX200...

[jazzanne in reply to servewithmintsauce]

many thanks

[jazzanne in reply to jazzanne]

do the machines tell you what your level should be

[servewithmintsauce in reply to jazzanne]

No but as a guide, 96% to 100% is 'normal', 92% to 95% is not necessarily bad but a bit low, and anything below that is considered 'low'. Hope that helps.

[Hidden in reply to servewithmintsauce]

That said, my GP got decidedly twitchy when my Sats went down to 95% seven years ago. Mind you, that was just one of a number of symptoms I was presenting. She couldn't hear anything on my chest either.

[Hidden]

Whilst I do have an oximeter it is a relatively recent acquisition. I've had a peak flow metre for decades and it is still the first thing I will check if I think my asthma is beginning to play up. A peak flow metre (PFM) is a very effective early warning device, particularly when you are getting to know your condition.