Cheapest good pulse oximeter?

[SleepyTexasGirl]

I had a doctor's office a couple days ago meahttps://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=184207sure my O2. It was 94 and they told me to hyperventilate to get it over 95 so they could let me leave. And my second to last labs had high hemocrit and RBC (I may be wrong on the names) or something that meant I may have chronically slightly low oxygen levels. Last lab those were normal.

So between that and sleep apnea I think I need to get an oximeter.

I've dug through old posts that suggest the Wellu 02 ring and SleepU and Contue 50F oximeters.

Those are the only ones on the Oscar list that are available on Amazon. And they appear to be about $150. The Pulox ones might not be available in the US.

I'm an unemployed grad student. I would prefer not to pay that much for medical equipment out of pocket. I'm already paying out of pocket for enough other stuff.

When I search on Amazon for recording pulse oximeters, I see a wide variety in the $50 range. Has anyone tried any of those and for the ones that download to an app, have those been sufficient to compare with Oscar? I'm assuming the $10 ones don't record

I haven't actually tried Oscar, but I know it exists. I figure if I'm not even bothering to wash the nosepiece of my mask, trying to run Oscar is a bit much. I am working on training my cat not to eat the hose and or replacing the hose when he puts too many holes in it.

I am pretty groggy most of the time but I'm also on meds that interfere with sleep and have erratic sleep hours. I have not trained the cat not to climb on me purring in the middle of the night.

My sleep test was done at home about 2.5 years ago and I fell asleep while hooking up the equipment and so started it in the middle of the night and it only ran a few hours. They said my O2 went to 88%, but didn't specify how often I had apnea events. Both my parents have CPAPs, so I figured even with a super short lab they were probably correct.

The sleep lab told me to put pressure on 10. I reset it to auto ranging from 9-11, with exhale relief. And it normally stays at 9 or slightly above. WIth a cold it goes to 10. When ramping up I don't feel comfortable until it hits 7 or 8.

Anyways, are there cheaper alternative oximeters. that will let me manually compare the Oscar graphs with the oximeter if the clocks are synchronized and I start them the same time?

[Pugsy]

You want one that clearly states it is an overnight recording pulse oximeter.
The cheap $10 varieties don't record. They are for spot checking only.

The cheapest I know of is the CMS 50 D Plus and all my usual sources were sold out. The "Plus" part of the model name is critical. There is a CMS 50 D model but it doesn't recort. It's for spot checking only.
Looks like you can still get one at EBay but it has to come from China
It is compatible with OSCAR.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/183109626216?c ... gLLPfD_BwE

You might check other sources on line but I couldn't even find one at Amazon.
What with covid and all....pulse oximeters are in short supply...and I wouldn't be surprised if the computer chip shortage isn't also making an impact.

[Grumpy48]

I've had the Wellue O2Ring since December 2019 and it does what it is supposed very well. I actually had gotten it because I had suspected I had an apnea problem and the drops in O2 at night I was having were enough for my doctor to schedule a sleep study which got me onto CPAP therapy. The O2Ring is easy to put on and isn't that noticeable at night while wearing. In the morning I connect it to my PC (Windows) to retrieve the previous nights sleep and recharge for the day. I did once import the O2Ring data into OSCAR, but never did it on a regular basis. Amazon occasionally has price drops ('Lightening Deals') and I've seen it down to about $155 or so. At over two years of usage, the cost spread out over that time is about $0.25 per day.
Amazon shows a $20 'coupon' currently.......... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VW ... UTF8&psc=1
Attached is a screenshot of data from a couple nights ago.

[SleepyTexasGirl]

I tried searching for the Contec 50F online, and came across people selling them on eBay used, saying they were floor models, for around $50. I figured that was a good alternative.