Hello threre - haven't seen you much lately. Hope you're doing OK. I also have one of those finger gadgets. I understand that an O2 reading should never drop below 90 - mine averages about 95 at rest with O2, but drops to mid-low 80's within 5 - 10 minutes without O2 and even lower after a walkies down the corridor.

Odd thing, I can be SOB and still have an oximeter reading of 95, but the heart beat is sky high. I often wonder whether that's due to my pulmonary hypertension more than the emphysema.

I'm the first one to admit I'm not techno minded so I shouldn't even be resplying to your questions ... lol Truth is that numbers don't interest me as they only add to my confusion - I have this disease and that's that.

Take care my friend. Hope to see more of you here.
Leonie xx

I have an Oximeter I got from AMazon.com (Finger Pulse Oximeter SM-110 with Carry Case and Neck/Wrist Cord ) for about $20. It is manufactured by Santamedical and I am very satisfied with it.

Strange as it sounds, there is not necessarily a correlation between your O2 level & how short of breath you are. I do not feel more short of breath at 60% than I do at 85%. Pulmo told me he has seen this in other patients too......

Mine also came from Amazon and didn't cost too much. I'm satisfied with it, although I rarely use it.

And CaitsMom is correct. There've been times when I've been terribly short of breath, yet I'm in the 90's.

Hi Rosalee,

I was thinking about you just yesterday, wondering how you are.

The technology is the same for oximeters, so cheaper ones are typically just as accurate as expensive ones. I have a high end oximeter from Nonin (considered the Cadillac of oximeters). My husband has an oximeter from walmart (paid about $30 for it). The readings from my more expensive Nonin and my husband's el cheapo are the same.

Best wishes,
Susan

I have a nonin (pricey) from amazon & the walmart one that costs around $35.00.
I think if you stick to one that isn't "too good to be true" price you will be okay.
I take mine with me when I go to the dr & check mine on one hand while he checks with his on my other hand just to be sure it is accurate.
they can be a % or 2 off so It is good to stay over 90% to be on the safe side.

as Caitsmom pointed out we can get SOB & not be low Sp02.
heat, cold, humidity & many things affect how we breath. We have been having storms here the past few days & I feel very SOB.
also I find when i "rush" I seem to get more SOB than when I go slow & "pace" myself

I, too, got the cheapest one at Amazon. Works fine. I find it rather reassuring. Of course I'm lucky mine has never been very low.
I always think it should be when I'm SOB. Maybe that's because it doesn't last too long usually.

i don`t need a device to let me know when it is hard to breathe....i can pretty much tell WITHOUT any kind of device because.....IT IS HARD TO BREATHE!! when that happens, i stop what it is that i am doing which is making it hard to breathe, do some pursed lip breathing, and then continue with my life. i see many people on this site talking about their " NUMBERS. " i asked my doctor if it was necessary to have a " finger thingy " and he told me that unless i am doing some kind of " experiment " or "test " on myself, that it is kind of pointless and that his testing me every six months is all that is necessary because those " numbers " always fluctuate and why worry about something i can`t control. makes sense to me....he IS the doctor. { i have had copd for quite awhile and have had a nose hose hanging off of my face 24/7 for over 3 years. i have NEVER had a " finger thingy" and don`t ever plan on getting one. i figure when i am breathing ok, my " numbers " are PROBABLY up. when i am breathing not so good, my " numbers " are PROBABLY down. me knowing the exact " number " is not going to make any difference. BREATHE IN.....BREATHE OUT.....

i guess i am odd because i don't "feel" any different until i get to around 78% 02---then my legs get weak & I get very confused & even slurred my words when too low....but I don't get SOB.

Just this weekend I didn't turn mine up when busy getting dinner ready and suddenly i started slurring my words. (just like if i was drunk) I put my 02 on & sat down, but after it came back up to 90%+ i was weak and tired the rest of the evening & finally just had to go lay down.

I have also to gone out & be spraying weeds or do work outside & run out of 02 or my hose gets unplugged from my fanny pack tank. then i suddenly get weak & barely able to make it to my house.
So my Pulm told me to use mine to "get the hang" of now needing more 02 when active.
(there was a time I could set it at 2LPM & good for all i did)

going below 88% affects brain function & all vital organs Because of the 2% fluctuation in oximeters it is recommended to keep your Sp02 at 90% or above.

As for SOB, I can be sitting in my chair with perfectly good Sp02 & I can get SOB---as Caitsmom said, SOB doesn't always correlate with SP02%....when I get SOB, I usually need to do my inhaler or pursed lip breathing to get it calmed down.

I suggest talk to your dr & see what he wants you to do. It isn't something to get "obsessive" about watching, but monitoring my 02 under different conditions has helped me know how to best set mine for different activity levels.

Yes, I agree with Jarca and also understand Oxyman's aversion to oximeters - I'm not a gadget freek either and tire of their novelty practically overnight. I tend to run more on instinct than logic, often cutting too close to the bone and ending up in ICU.

I was hooked up to a concentrator 24/7 in 2009, but am still plagued by the question: what dern good will extra oxygen do for me if I couldn't breathe properly from the get-go? If this disease prevents the efficient gaseous exhange of O2-CO2 to take place and results in CO2 over-inflating the lungs, then how in the name of all that's holy does this additional oxygen get into our blood stream? The nurse who came to instal my concentrator couldn't answer me suffice to say I'd be running around like a spring chicken in no time. Still waiting like a chump and as SOB as ever before.

Anyway, I bought a cheapo oximeter more as a learning tool rather than another piece of essential equipment. While I still don't fully grasp the physiology of oxygen therapy, I'm at least satisfied that my other vital organs are kept in a healthier condition than my lungs.

See, I told ya - after all these years I'm still a green horn and certainly not in the "know" about technical matters. But I hope my personal itsie-bitsie input has added a tad more to your page. I pray you find your answers pretty soon and look forward to sharing with you. Take care and go well.

Leonie xx

A nurse told me not to depend on oxymeter numbers too much because oxygen levels don't tell the whole story. Your carbon dioxide levels may be too high, which results in confusion, weakness, sleepiness, and sometimes SOB.

Sorry, I did not explain that carbon dioxide levels in the blood can rise because COPD is preventing you from expelling it through your lungs.
I wish there was an "edit" button on these posts, like Facebook.

Hi BonZon. Yes I get that, I DO have a heck of a struggle to breathe out but, in the meantime, oxygen is being blasted up my nose and not seeming help at all. It like a dern game of musical chairs going in my lungs - who'll get in first. In fact, oxygen sure doesn't help to lessen the stress of SOB nor does it kick me into top gear on the energy scale. The only time I run around like a spring chicken is when my head is just about to fly off like one of those foil balloon thingies ... only mine won't be saying "Happy Valentines" .... (lol, the picture just made be giggle ... :-). )

when I first purchased my own pule ox from Walgreen's, I was obsessed with my O2 readings...now I'm more interested with how I feel...mostly my numbers read good but I'm still SOB so the readings really don't matter. you know your own body & when something is really wrong by how you feel.

sorry meant to say "pulse" not "pule" !