Oximeter Imput Needed

[sheilapnea]

I am investigating oximeters and have narrowed my choices to CMS 50 D+, E, or F and CMS 60C or D. Technical help at Semedical Supply said that for ease of use when monitoring O2 overnight they recommend CMS 50 F. The finger sensor is soft for that model and may be more comfortable. I often wear splints on my hands to eliminate discomfort of arthritis and carpal tunnel. The splints cover my wrists but leave my fingers open. Do the other CMS 50's seem heavy? are they comfortable? The manuals say that you should not use the sensors on one finger for more than two hours. Is this reasonable? What are the advantages/disadvantages of the Lithium batteries?

I would appreciate any input that will help me choose. I have had problems with altitude and air travel so I have several reasons for monitoring my O2 levels. I have been using a Cpap for nearly a year. Before cpap I had lots of symptoms including chest pain but most have subsided. I often have days when I am tired and need a nap. I have a dental appliance which is quite uselful when travelling but I cannot tolerate it when set for maximum displacement and I have not gone back to the sleep lab with it. I have found that using the dental appliance along with the cpap gives me the most restful sleep. My husband claims I snore minimally when using the dental applicance or the cpap alone but not when I use them together. I am interested in documenting this with the oximeter. Thanks to all for the help I have had from this forum. This has enable me to "break into" my machine and helped me to fine tune the settings. I am still very confused by forums. I don't do forums and I don't know the language. If I make any mistakes corrections are welcome. Thanks once again.

[Madalot]

I just purchased the CMS 50F wrist oximeter and got it in the mail today. It was NOT charged, so I've got it charging right now. I purchased this model because my main interest was doing overnight testing and I hate having a "loose" monitor that I had to keep picking up and moving with me when I turned over. I also decided on this model because the finger senser is soft rather than hard.

It's going to take me a while to figure out the download and reporting functions. I figure I'll have a few screw ups before I get it down.

I can definitely let you know what I think of this model after I've used it for a while. My plan is to use it nightly for a while, once I get it all figured out.

[Husky Lover]

I have the CMS-50D which uses AAA cells. I preferred that as I have a bunch of rechargable batteries here.

I've been very happy with it. Even loaned it to a co-worker that suspected sleep apnea and found that he wasn't desaturating much, but needs to keep an eye on things.

As I did a home study and obtained all my items by shopping for the best price, as my health insurance is structured to encourage, I bought the recorder to verify that my CPAP treatment was going well, and it is. When I use it, I've not had any problem with it sliding off of my finger. I heard of some that tape it on if they need to.

I suspect that when national health insurance kicks in, anyone suspected with sleep apnea will be tossed one of these before any full blown sleep study is allowed.

[mars]

Hi Sheilapnea

I suggest you do a forum search on "oximeter", as there is a wealth of information out there, as well as a couple of current threads.

I use a CMS-60D, and am happy with it, but I think that most Forum members are pretty happy with what they bought. I think we get used to what we have.

So read up, and you will not go far wrong.

And congratulations on your first post and WELCOME TO THE FORUM

cheers

Mars

[dtsm]

I have the 60D model and it works great. With your condition, you might be better off with the wrist model. All the models have their plus/minus. I prefer using rechargeable batteries but that's just me.

All the CMS models that are data capable (make sure to get data capable model) come with essentially the same software - do a search as there are numerous detail threads on the various models.

[Madalot]

As promised, I want to give you my opinion after two nights using my new CMS 50F wrist pulse ox monitor.

I think overall, I'm pretty satisfied with it. My biggest complaint is that even though I specifically bought a model that came with a soft sensor cup, it's still extremely tight and hurts my finger. I'm hoping that over time, it will loosen up a bit so as to not be quite so tight.

Thank you to Snnnark for giving me specific instructions for doing the download -- I have done two nights and downloaded and printed out the results. Now that I know how to do it, it's VERY easy and is providing me excellent information.

One of the things that I DON'T like about this monitor (but I think most of these monitors will be the same unless you look really hard AND spend more money) is that the refresh time is about 3 seconds, opposed to the 1 second refresh time the monitor my DME uses. I spoke to my RT about this and her opinion was basically that because my monitor refreshes every 3 seconds, it's possible that it won't pick up brief desaturations like her monitor would.

But we agreed that if my monitor picks up any desaturations, there's most likely an issue that needs to be addressed. And she and I have an agreement that if my monitor starts to show a problem, I'll let her and my doctor know immediately so we can get one with her monitor.

I still may consider purchasing a monitor that DOES refresh every second (I found one I really like, but just wasn't quite ready to part with the money -- almost $300), I think that for now, this one will suit my purposes.

And I have to say that I love the fact that it attaches to your wrist, thus eliminating the need to pick up the handheld model every time I turned over at night. This one is easier because it's totally attached to your wrist/finger. Let's just hope the cup loosens up a bit to make it less painful.

[JohnBFisher]

Madalot, it's good you have your pulse oximeter. Even with the problems, being able to have information is better than being without the information.

I have a CMS-50E. I am fairly pleased with it. However, I do agree that the comfort can be an issue. The sensor sometimes rides up onto my finger and bruises my cuticle. Ouch!

But it definitely helps me better understand some of my sleep problems.

I picked the 50E over the 50F because I did not want to have to deal with the weight of the batteries. But it's not that much of a deal once you are asleep.

I do sometimes loose the pulse ox during sleep. It slips off as I toss and turn. But it does tend to stay on most nights (probably 13 nights out of 14). And even when I do loose it, it is when I have some severe desaturations. The following is an example of why I monitor:



The pulse oximeter stayed on throughout this one. But I will often move about at the end of one of these events and that is when I tend to knock off the pulse oximeter.

[Madalot]

Madalot, it's good you have your pulse oximeter. Even with the problems, being able to have information is better than being without the information.

I have a CMS-50E. I am fairly pleased with it. However, I do agree that the comfort can be an issue. The sensor sometimes rides up onto my finger and bruises my cuticle. Ouch!

But it definitely helps me better understand some of my sleep problems.

I picked the 50E over the 50F because I did not want to have to deal with the weight of the batteries. But it's not that much of a deal once you are asleep.

I do sometimes loose the pulse ox during sleep. It slips off as I toss and turn. But it does tend to stay on most nights (probably 13 nights out of 14). And even when I do loose it, it is when I have some severe desaturations. The following is an example of why I monitor:



The pulse oximeter stayed on throughout this one. But I will often move about at the end of one of these events and that is when I tend to knock off the pulse oximeter.

Hey John --

Good to see you!! I've been a little concerned about you lately. I hope you're doing better.

I think that my doing my own monitoring is going to be crucial. While the last two nights have been good, I don't think my situation will stay good for any length of time and is going to require constant modifying of my treatment. Maybe that won't be the case, but regardless, doing my own monitoring will allow me to know sooner rather than later if/when my therapy isn't as effective.

[Melinda]

I'm looking to purchase one too, due to waking up feeling my limbs are limp, not able to move from not breathing.
Since using a apap, this has has only happened once again.
But as soon as I don't use my apap, sure as sure I wake up with this problem mutiple times.
I'd like to purchase a oximeter just to see how bad things are.
Allot cheaper than a sleep study.

[Madalot]

I'm looking to purchase one too, due to waking up feeling my limbs are limp, not able to move from not breathing.
Since using a apap, this has has only happened once again.
But as soon as I don't use my apap, sure as sure I wake up with this problem mutiple times.
I'd like to purchase a oximeter just to see how bad things are.
Allot cheaper than a sleep study.

Having a monitor will definitely help determine if there are problems. Just make sure you get a monitor with download capabilities!!

[JohnBFisher]

... Good to see you!! I've been a little concerned about you lately. I hope you're doing better. ...

Unfortunately, today is a pretty bad day for me. I sometimes have lots of issues with tingling / overload. I'm sitting here rocking and typing. My entire body is tingling pretty intensely. I never know from day to day how I will do. I seem to get a few days of hell and then relief for several days.

I *really* need to put together a detailed chart / checklist to monitor how I'm doing. As I've mentioned, it does not seem to be related to anything I have been able to puzzle out.

... I don't think my situation will stay good for any length of time and is going to require constant modifying of my treatment. ...

You definitely have my empathy. Sometimes just knowing what's happening "under the covers" can help you accept and deal with it. At least it seems to help me.

... due to waking up feeling my limbs are limp, not able to move from not breathing. ...

Melinda, you might also want to try to remember if you were dreaming when you awaken feeling like that. Also, does the feeling pass? The reason I mention it is that sometimes when we wake up we wake from REM sleep and our bodies are still slightly paralyzed. Normally when we are in REM sleep our bodies disconnect all our normal control of muscles. This keeps us from acting out our dreams. But if you awaken at just the right moment you will feel paralyzed. BUt that normally passes fairly quickly.

But if you had some problem with O2 desaturation you might feel "limp" due to a lack of energy. It also should pass as you do some mild exercise during the day. A walk to clear your head does more than that as it helps get O2 and glucose to your limbs.

But I always agree that it's better to have more information. I just offer some ideas as you try to sort out what is happening to you.

[Arizona-Willie]

I've had the CMS - 50E and used it for about a year, then the backplate fastener broke and I use a rubber band to keep it together. So no I only use it once in awhile maybe when watching TV or something and I want to check but don't want to download to the computer. Mostly use to check pulse. Having a pulse turns out to be handy.

I use the CMS - 50F now and it it much more comfortable than the E model. I use it every night and download and track my O2 data right along with the data from the xpap machine.

Given a choice, I would certainly go with the F.