Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My 5 year old son has had asthmatic type issues forever; he was hospitalized at only 2 months old with a serious case of RSV, which led to him having very "reactive" lungs. In short, the poor kid gets a cold, and I'm using the nebulizer four times a day AND at night. After our latest bout with flu (even though he got the vaccine!), I told the nurse that I wanted one of those oxygen testers - it's almost always the first thing they do, and I'm used to what numbers they like to see or *don't* like to see! She said it would cost about $400 for the one they use. Challenge accepted! I knew I could find something out there - it's not like rocket science or super crazy technology, right? Right. Even though my stepmom, a retired RN, didn't think whatever I'd find would be worth much, I kept looking. I read really good reviews for this unit, including some written by medical staff. It's easy to use, works on little thumbs (or adult fingers), but I thought I'd test it when I knew we were headed into the doctor's for (yet another) asthmatic flare up. I checked my son that morning and the finger meter said 97, then jumped up to 98 and stayed there. We went to the doc's a few hours later and they used their $400 fancy meter = it said 97. Is it as great as the ones docs' offices use? Probably not, but it gives me a good idea what his oxygen levels are (and when I should worry)! It also worked when my husband got pneumonia - his levels were down around 96, and sure enough, they wanted to put him on meds and get his oxygen up. I'd absolutely recommend this meter, especially for moms (or dads) who have little ones with asthma or other pulmonary problems. It's been great to have on hand! Absolutely five stars.