Should you be checking your own oxygen levels if you have coronavirus symptoms? | Ann Robinson
Oximeters measure the oxygen in blood. As a GP I think they are useful, but there's more to assessing how sick you are
Covid-19 is proving to be a many-headed monster. And though most people will steadily improve and recover, a small percentage (up 4%) suffer a precipitous, unpredicted and sometimes delayed decline. Experts are warning that waiting for the "classic" symptoms - difficulty in breathing and high fever - may mean that some cases of pneumonia and other complications may be missed. But how do you know whether you're the one who will need hospitalisation? Will you end up in ICU? How do you know when you're out of the woods? And are there any specific ways of assessing whether you're getting better or worse?
Most of us can put up with the sweats, aches, cough and deep fatigue for a few days if we know that we'll turn the corner and begin a couple of weeks of gradual recovery. Michael, a 27-year-old coronavirus patient, told me: "At first, it was like wading through a sea of treacle just to reach the loo. I felt like a small child was sitting on my chest so that breathing was really hard work. Then after a couple of days, my breathing eased and I could potter around my flat like my grandmother does, though a bit slower. The thought of going out for a 5K run, which I used to do in about 24 minutes, still feels impossible. But I'm in my third week and I can feel that I'm on the mend. I wish that someone had told me that it would take this long because not knowing is really scary."
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