Oximeter

[Piper21]

I was diagnosed with copd about 2 years ago now. Initially I was told mild but I would be monitored by the nurse yearly. Well due to lockdown etc I have never seen her since. During lockdown I did need to phone the doctor as I felt the medication was no longer working. She changed me to Fostair which seems to work well for me. Because of lockdown I never had the opportunity to ask some questions. When I first saw the nurse she put what I now know is an oximeter on my finger and said at some point it may be worth me investing in one. I’m happy to do that but I don’t really know what I’m looking for on it. At the time she said my reading of 99% was good but how do I know what’s not good if I purchase one? What am I supposed to be looking for apart from obviously a drop but what can you do If it does drop? Will it just worry me for nothing. Sorry if I’m coming over as dumb but as lockdown came I should have attended the lung rehabilitation group but that’s obviously didn’t happen either. Any knowledge you can pass on to me I would be very grateful .

[Pentreath Volunteer]

Hi Piper - 99% is really good! Some of us do have oximeters at home. I do not use mine much but if my breathing is struggling use It to see if my SATS are down. I think at 88% it can impact upon various organs so you would need to be seen by a GP or other health professional. Everyone’s vary a bit from day to day so no need to use it regularly. Hope this helps.

[Spacecat1]

At beginning of diagnosis of copd they put me down as my sats should be between 88-92 that was 3 years ago. Now the levels are between 94-98 which my consultant is pleased with. So 99 good. I bought oxyimeter of Amazon. Not to expensive. Keep up by good work. I have been using Fostair for about 6 months seems to be doing the job.

My respiratory nurse rung me for a chat. I left a message for her to ring.

Any concerns or questions give them a call even the nurse at your surgery will try and help. Good luck

[Piper21 in reply to Spacecat1]

Thanks, that’s helpful, so much to learn with this .

[skischool]

By all means invest in a pulse oximeter ,they are not expensive and normaly fairly accurate but i think if your sats are in the high 90's most of the time and you haven't noticed a rapid and consistent decline in your breathing you may be just be purchasing something that is not yet required but that may increase your anxiety with your condition,

Best wishes Ski's and Scruff's

[Piper21 in reply to skischool]

Yes I wondered if it might make me more anxious but on the other hand I don’t want to ignore warning signs . I know it was 99 on my one and only visit but haven’t seen anyone since

[skischool in reply to Piper21]

By all means invest in one if you wish just to see how it works but with the provisio that you do not need to check your sats on a daily basis with a mild condition otherwise that obsession will guarantee to raise your anxiety levels.

Keep welll Piper

[Piper21 in reply to skischool]

I think your right skischool not to become obsessive with it. I hope to fly at some point this year and I read somewhere not to fly if your reading is low, that’s what also prompted me to ask you lovely people.

[skischool in reply to Piper21]

Piper you are not on ambulatory oxygen so apart from the other risks with regard to the virus and any other medical conditions you may have i don't see any reason at all why with a mild respiratory condition you should have any fear of flying.

i hope you get to take that vacation.

[Piper21 in reply to skischool]

Thank you, I’m slowly learning from you all.

[hypercat54 in reply to Piper21]

Stay with us and you gain a lot of useful knowledge. I knew nothing when I joined but am much more knowledgeable now.

[Piper21 in reply to hypercat54]

Yes I intend to stick around and learn , everyone is so helpful and this forum I would think is a great help to those of us that aren’t up to speed. I was due to start rehabilitation course just as lockdown started. I had thought I would learn a lot from there, no doubt I will when it starts back up again but until then I’m thankful for all your help

[hypercat54 in reply to Piper21]

We have all been there Piper love. Welcome.

[Ergendl]

My readings are good using an oximeter, but I found it useful for checking when I've had a dodgy night's sleep or an exacerbation. I also used one the last time I flew in a plane, to see if that affected me, but there was no change in levels at any point during the flight, only when I was rushing across the airport before we flew.

[Piper21 in reply to Ergendl]

Thanks for that, I think I will invest in one, I’ve often wondered about plane journeys as I always seem to be more short of breath when I get off the plane . So at what reading do you get concerned, is it a indicator that you may be in for an exacerbation . Sorry for all questions

[Ergendl in reply to Piper21]

I'm not bothered when it reads 95% and upwards. When it goes between 90% and 95% I keep an eye on it and check how quickly it goes back to normal if I stop and rest. Time for concern is when it regularly goes below 90%.

[Corin1950]

My husband was given an Oxywatch finger tip pulse oximeter by the respiratory physio. I looked it up online and it costs £35.99 at Lloyd’s Pharmacy.

X

[Piper21 in reply to Corin1950]

It was his lucky day Corin 😀😀