Class, today we will be learning all about Pulse Ox Monitors.
A pulse ox monitor let’s a parent know what their child’s oxygen saturations are. If a child’s oxygen saturations are too low, the pulse ox machine will alarm letting the parent know that their child is in distress.
For a child like Parker, who has severe pulmonary hypertension, oxygen saturations need to read at 95% or above.
You develop a love hate relationship with your child’s pulse ox monitor. You love it because it will tell you if your child is in respiratory distress and needs your help.
You will really, really, really hate it because often times it will alarm for no reason what. so. ever.
Especially when you have just barely fallen asleep. For the tenth time in the last hour alone.
The pulse ox machine is the number one reason why parents of medically fragile kids learn to cuss so creatively…..and so often.
Well, the number one reason right after intrepid insurance companies and mountains of unpaid medical bills anyway.
Class dismissed.
Thanks for the lesson! Maybe the next should be on creative cussing?! Hope your machine behaves itself and lets you get some sleep . . .
I’ve been taking this class for 4 years now and am ready to pass on to a new one. I could of thrown Luke’s Oximeter out the window last night, it wasn’t alarming for oxygen reasons, but for low heart rate. If it’s not one thing it’s another. We just had to pay another $400 for a new used one because our other one that we’ve had for the last 3 1/2 years finally did drive us mad with mis alarming information. Oh well, life goes on.
Suzi
Thanks for the uh lesson ;0 … funny you should ask about my ‘gray matter’ … my next post (which I just completed … AFTER learning that my parents have been evacuated from a fire in No. CA … why I’m up so late) … had been scheduled to be about your burning question … come by for a visit for your answer
Ah yes, we have a definite Love/Hate relationship with ours as well, though it’s been less than a month that we’ve had it. First it alarmed all the time for low HR, then for a week or two she did great with her HR and her SATS would drop. Today (and ALL NIGHT) we’re back to low HR again. And if that wasn’t good enough, she has a stuffy nose and there’s no way that the O2 is actually making it IN to do any good… Ah… the joys of parenting medically fragile kiddos… One day I’ll sleep again, and I hope it’s because she’s ALL BETTER- until then I much prefer to stay up all night!
You crack me up! Meredith tells me all about those machines since Emma came home from T&A…
Creative cussing… I do that too! Maybe we could all share our creative cusses so that we have new material
I remember that thing. We used one for a few months after Micah’s adenoids were removed. I was ever so glad to see it leave.
You never cease to amaze me Tammy and I’m constantly learning from you.
Must be frustrating to deal with that thing beeping for no reason!
love you and your Parky!
Hi Tammy! I remember this machine when Ashton was born. He was a preemie and was hooked up to all kinds of scary machines. Those sounds are terrifying!
Thank you so much for your email, it brought tears to my eyes! I will be writing back soon
I love you all,
Amy
I was commenting on another site about the new show where the teenagers have to watch babies, toddlers, teenagers ect. That they dont’ have it tough enough. They need to have a baby hooked to a pulse ox all night long and they’ll literally go insane. he he
Thanks for the memories, so glad we don’t have to keep my son hooked up all night long any more. Cause i’d be in the looney bin.
Twitter: marriedlife
says:
This machine was the reason I sent my newborn son back to the nursery. After 36 hours of labor and they wouldn’t let me have him to nurse they expect me to have him next to me and “wake him up” every 30 seconds when his sat levels go down? Um no, mommy needs to recover. That’s what the nurses are for thanks!
Hats off to you though! I can’t imagine what it would be like!
I hated that machine when Evan was in the hospital. It was always going off when he wiggled his toes or the sticker got sweaty and came off. I was so glad that he did not have to have one at home. I think I would have been tempted to shoot it.