Bought a pulse oximeter for reassurance...BIG mistake!

[Ditapage]

Hi, if nobody has heard of one of these it's a device that clips onto your finger and measures your heart rate and blood oxygen level. The doctor was against the idea but I wanted to have one with me for reassurance. So I bought one and whenever I started feeling that horrible breathless feeling I would use it. And it's making me increasingly anxious because it's 95, 96, 97 but I am obsessing now about why it's not 98, 99, 100 which indicates optimal health.

I have been feeling weak and tired and mild chest tightness. It feels like I have to burp or cough to feel like I am getting enough breath. It feels like something is sitting on my chest between my breasts, where the rib cage connects in the middle. It's an awful sensation and makes me feel short of breath and tired. I have tried laying down and consciously breathing to raise the oxygen level but i feel like I can't get a deep breath even though my stomach raises so I know I am breathing deeply.

The stupid thing cost me $29 on eBay so maybe cheap means inaccurate but it's made my health anxiety so much worse. I'm so focused on conscious breathing that it feels like it's hard to get a breath, like it's not coming naturally and I have no energy and lightheaded. My bra sometimes feels tight so I don't know if that contributes. It's also very humid right now where I live and there's no breeze. Has anyone had experience with this symptom or with pulse oximeters? Thank you!

[Phill2]

I bought one for my wife as she has had lung surgery.
Mine seems to be accurate when compared to the one at the hospital.
I'm an exsmoker so mine is usually 98.My wifes is around 95.
It's very humid here too in Yeppoon and it does seem to make her feel more breathless.
It could just be your anxiety doing it to you as breathlessness is a common symptom.

[Ditapage]

Thanks for replying Phil. Did you pay much for yours? I am really doubting the accuracy of mine considering my friend just tried it and it came up 76 when she's perfectly healthy! When I put it back on my finger it said 98, then 99, then 97 and my heart rate went from 105bpm to 77bpm. I feel like this a joke! Does cost make a difference? I don't even know the brand, it was just an impulsive eBay buy.

[Phill2]

I think it was about $30 and seems pretty good.
Runs on 2 AAA battries.
I haven't had any big variations like yours.
Varying 1 or 2 points is OK and to be expected.
Mine was an impulse buy too from the web.Not sure of the brand as I don't have it with me.
Where are you?Humidity is bad here.

[Ditapage]

I think I'll take it to my doctor and see how it compares with his- though he won't be happy I've got one. I wanted it for reassurance but it's becoming obsessive.

I live in tweed heads, it's humid as heck and looks like it's gonna storm which makes it hotter. I wasn't sure if the humidity can affect breathing or energy levels? I know you mentioned it's hard for your wife to breathe in humidity but does she have anxiety? I feel like the humidity is uncomfortable for everyone and I'm overreacting.

[Phill2]

It probably is an over reaction.
On last nights weather they said you were expecting storms down that way so that would be why it's so humid.
It's uncomfortable for everyone.
My wife doesn't have anxiety but has had 2/3 of her right lung removed.
The hospital told me 98 is good for an exsmoker and 95 is good for my wife.
Are you putting the sensor over your finger nail?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Ditapage,

I can understand why your doctor was against it. I'm not, but only when it's used realistically, not for continual reassurance as it will only reinforce an anxiety disorder but I suspect you know this already.

But the figures you are talking about don't see a problem. As long as it doesn't dip below a certain threshold, you are fine. It's only like blood pressure, breathing and everything else in that it will fluctuate due to many factors.

Your doctor will be able to talk you through all that and I think he.she needs to tell you what you can expect to see and why it is normal so you can then use this to challenge the thoughts.

[Traceypo]

When I was in Hospital on 4 hourly observations, my stats fluctuated every four hours, what I found fascinating was the impact my anxiety had on this. When I was anxious, my stats were just outside of normal ranges, when relaxed I was perfect.
At no point, even when outside the normal ranges were the staff at the hospital concerned, my operation was done without a second thought from them.
There are many factors that can impact on your stats, anxiety being one. Resting heart rate has such a high range as what's normal for one person can be very different to someone else.
I would never use this equipment, nor any app as I'd worry about the reliability and also if it was recommended then surely our doctors would tell us all to get one.
My feeling is, that now you're checking all of the time, your anxiety will be higher pre check and that will reflect in your stats.
Personally, I'd throw the damn thing away and start trusting your Doctor who has studied many years to take care of you.

[rsanchez]

As long as your blood oxygen is above 90, you're fine. Why isn't it at 100? It really could be anything, but 90 and above are really all the same in terms of indicator of health.

Additionally, you need to use it better. On the hand you use it, place the hand on a flat surface and try not to move it for a minute. Then see the reading it gives you. The more your hand moves, the more errors you'll get in measurement. Waiting one minute will also give the oximeter a chance to get a more accurate reading.

[Fishmanpa]

Just like any obsessive checking behavior (poking and prodding nodes, checking poop etc.), owning a device like this many times increases one's anxiety. While the motivation is sincere, the end result is oft time negative.

At my last appointment, my cardiologist made some changes to my med dosages and encouraged me to purchase a home BP monitor. My first thought turned to the many here and their obsessive checking behaviors. While I don't suffer from HA, the thought did cross my mind that it could be detrimental. I put off buying one for weeks but broke down and got one about three weeks ago. I was told to check once a day at the same time and keep a journal. It's been totally fine but I can see how for someone with anxiety/HA, it could be a noose tightening around their necks.

In this case, it's apparent it's causing you stress and it would be in your best interest to discard it. If your doctor says your levels are good, then take his word for it.

Positive thoughts

[Phill2]

Thanks for replying Phil. Did you pay much for yours? I am really doubting the accuracy of mine considering my friend just tried it and it came up 76 when she's perfectly healthy! When I put it back on my finger it said 98, then 99, then 97 and my heart rate went from 105bpm to 77bpm. I feel like this a joke! Does cost make a difference? I don't even know the brand, it was just an impulsive eBay buy.

Hi Dita
I finally got around to checking mine.
No brand just Pulse Oximeter on it
Blue box

[Wanttobebetter1023]

I just recently purchased a pulse ox monitor and am regretting it too! The amount of anxiety it has caused is crazy. If my numbers are not 97/98/99 I freak out. I'm thinking of throwing the darn thing away.

[iwantpeace]

the cheap ones, tend to not give an accurate mesurment.also your fingernail has to be clean and not painted.for example it might give you a measurment of 96 while your
actual is 98-99.
the cheap ones tend to make mistakes and give a rough estimate. even in their manual
they state that they have a 2% error. so you might be 98 and the device showing 95.

the ones that they use in hospitals are the expensive ones, that they are calibrated, tested and approved.
for example brands like (NONIN OXYMETER) are the BEST.
all their products are 100% accurate and calibrated.
not like the cheap made in china no name.
offcourse the price starts from 100+ bucks


i tried one that was integrated in samsung note 4. and showed random readings all over the place. like 97,94,98 and so on. also if the finger was not in the right postition i would get like 70%.
once the doctror place one in my finger and it showed 70. i was like WTF??OMG?. the doctor told me to chill because this ones (CHEAP) tend to show error reading.
we did a second one and it showed 98.

so stop worry about what the cheap one will show.
also buying a professional one for 100 bucks is also too much.

[Phill2]

Maybe I got lucky but I have no complaints about mine

[rsanchez]

You really do need to know what you're doing to use these. Generally, as long as you're over 90 you're fine, you don't need to be at 97-99 all the time, and because of all the bodily processes going on at any given time you'll likely fluctuate all across the normal range.

And has been mentioned a few times, even if you don't get 90+ you are likely to get bad readings occasionally. Switch fingers or give it more time to get a more accurate number.

If you're gonna buy a pulse oximeter, you need to be smart about it and know what you're looking for.