Interesting, and thanks for the warning.
I’m old enough to be concerned, but don’t have an oximeter. On occasion I use the sensor in my phone, which lays some claim to O2 measurement, but which no one believes is precise.
The phone oximeter is absolutely not reliable. There are also a thousand reasons why a pulse ox may register low oxygen content. This is asking for more panic. The so called happy hypoxemia is pretty interesting to see (I have seen it personally) but I am unsure what to make of it. Anyone stating the know what it means is FOS
Oximeters are very cheap...Walgreens or walmart...
Amazon sells infrared finger O2 sensors for as low as $20 or so. They are quite accurate, essentially the same as the ones used in doctor’s offices. I got one and check my levels at various times throughout the day.
I first learned of my low O2 level when I had a medical procedure and they put one on my finger and commented my O2 level was awfully low. . . 88%. I used to manage a dental office and we’d try to drop our O2 levels below 97% by holding our breath and it could not be done before being forced to gasp for breath. This 88% shocked me as mine just a month before, when I had been scheduled for the procedure, had been a normal 98%.
They checked me several times during the procedure and it dropped to 86%. They suggested I had better see my GP.
I made an immediate appointment and ordered my own Blood Oximeter from Amazon. My GP scheduled an overnight study to see what was going on for an extended period which entailed wearing a finger O2 sensor attached to a wristwatch like recording device. . . and the recorded results worried him.
I’m now on two liters of O2 overnight as 88% and below is in the danger zone and the 81% was downright scary.