So I bought a used littman classic II SE stethoscope off of ebay. It appears to be perfect. However, when I tried to use the scope, I could barely hear my own heartbeat. I can, however, hear bowel sounds.
I do not know what a stethoscope should sound like, nor do I really know how they should look like.
The scope does have the littman clear cover on the end you press to your skin/heart/stomach, and there is a littman classic II SE engraved on the outside rim.
However, I heard that people can indeed change parts on a littman with other brand's parts, sometime with inferior parts.
I am afriad that this is what happened becuase last week I used my friend's (who is a vet student) $15 dollar scope to listen to her little chiuhuahua dog's heartbeat and could hear it really really strongly (the dog had just eaten chocolate and was having activated charcoal pumped down her stomach) however. with a 60 dollar littman scope I can't even hear my own heartbeat!
I did notice that I can twist the tube going into the round part you put near your heart and it increases and decreases the sound. Is that the tunable diaphram? I cannot move the rims at all
thanks so much! I'm completely clueless unless nursing school starts and if this scope is a fake I have only a week more to return it!