Thanks Wiskey and Larry. Will look into the pulse oxymeter, though atm the little spike-balls seem to prefer my GI tract. Which tract spent yesterday and the night trying to leave my body. Fasting was never easier, on the plus side. Pedialyte and weak tea are good stuff (not a sentence I would ever write, in my right mind). Really feel pretty blessed that I can breathe, walk, and be home with the spouse. (she is fine -- had a sore throat, slept more than usual for a couple days, iron constitution bounced back)
Weird medical fact recalled from pre-med days: the GI tract is technically not the inside of your body. It is basically a modified doughnut hole, an extension of your skin that has specialized cells as it tubes its way through from mouth to anus.