Nocturnal Oximetry

The pulmonologist sent me home with a device to record oxygen levels overnight.  He said that if oxygen is needed at night, using oxygen will extend life.  OK.  I have done this twice before, and it’s been ok, but COPD is a progressive disease, so maybe it’s time. . . And as was pointed out in one of the forums I read, if I check during the night with my ordinary pulse oximeter, it is checking when I am awake, and maybe it was lower when I was asleep.  Here we go!

The device is the size of a paperback book, with a normal finger thing on a long cord attached to the device.  There is a “posey” velcro band to hold the cord.  Not sure why this seems important, but they said to use it, so I did.  That was the first mistake.  The “posey” had a powerful scent.  Perhaps it is the sanitizing solution they used or perhaps the previous user is heavily perfumed.  Maybe it wasn’t even sanitized.  Since I sleep on my side with my hand near my head it was overpowering.  I took it off and put it away, but it took a good half hour of snorting and coughing to get my system cleared.  

Second mistake - the device blinks with a yellow light.  So I got up and covered the light with a ribbon.  Some light came through.  So I put the device face down on an adjacent pillow.  If I checked the device during the night, sometimes I forgot to put it face down.  I had dreams of wandering through the forest chasing lightning bugs.

Third mistake - the finger holder has a red light.  I had other dreams of fire engines.

It was the worst night sleep I’ve had in years!

Good news is that from what I can see, the saturation was acceptable.  Whenever I looked during the night, it was above 93.  We’ll see what the data shows when I send the device back to be read.

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I see that they are developing a device to connect to the iphone.  It costs around $50, but the reviews are not good.  

Perhaps improvements are on the way???  If it works, it would be great and a vast improvement on the $790 I signed that I would pay if I lost or destroyed the borrowed device.  For that money I could buy the best iphone SE with the greatest memory, pay sales tax, buy the oximeter and still have money left over.

Rescue Inhaler

Rescue Inhalers

Now it’s time for a rant.  IT IS NOT A RESCUE INHALER

As soon as I was diagnosed, I was given a prescription for Pro-Air, “a rescue inhaler”.  I know what inhaler means - breathe in.  I know what rescue means - save from drowning or a burning building.  During 8 years, I maybe used two inhalers.  Not that I shouldn’t have been using them.  But I only needed “rescuing” a few times - like when I was gardening in the sun at a humid 90º and didn’t think I could make it back to the house.

Calling the albuterol a rescue med meant I was not using it.

Then I went to Pulmonary Rehab.  (More on that in another post.)

That’s when I learned I should have been using it much more often.

Like before exercise.  Really?  I haven’t even started huffing and puffing because I’ve not even started.  So I clearly don’t need rescuing!  Well, it turns out that the inhaler opens lung passages to be able to accommodate more air, and it may make it easier to exercise longer and harder.  

Now I use it before exercise.  Also in the car on the way to the mall or grocery store, so that I can enjoy the walking.   And for some reason, around 4PM I seem to need it for no reason at all.

I asked my doc how to know if I was using it too much (this was after a week of heat and humidity and high ozone levels).  His answer was that I would know if I couldn’t stand the rapid heartbeat and hyper feeling.

So now I use the inhaler if it will improve my life not save my life.

Who can afford this?  

This fall, instead of giving me a paper copy of a prescription for Ventolin, the primecare folk sent it directly to the pharmacy.  The pharmacy called to see if I really wanted it filled, since, with my medical plan, they would cost $45 each!!!!  One of the forums I read has several folk who order their meds from Canada or India.  I tried their suggestion, and I placed an order.  Sixteen - yes, that’s 16 - inhalers were $89, including shipping.  Is there something wrong with this picture?  

Are these pharmacies legit?  Or are they the ones who sell the little blue pills. . .?  I took the advice of the folk on the forums I read.  A website to check on Canadian prices is http://www.pharmacychecker.com/  I have used three different pharmacies.  There is also an Indian pharmacyt that some of the forums recommend. It's alldaychemist.com. Please send me a message if you would like more information. You can  email here.

Please remember, this is not advice from a medical professional. This is my opinion as a COPD sufferer.