Forced by job to get testing and CPAP I don't need..

[MrsRinPDX]

I'll just jump in here and say, that being overweight and having a larger girth of the neck are more common with folks who have sleep apnea. And though it's been debated here, so is being male. I don't think your employer is picking on you, just seeing you are at risk.

[Rob K]

As you probably know, anyone can have sleep apnea. Some body types are affected more than others, but sleep apnea doesn't discriminate. Your employer should be testing everyone, but I guess they are starting with the most likely people.

I'm one of those people who likely went for several years not knowing I had sleep apnea. I'm not overweight and and was generally in good health always. Over the years I started to get more and more tired and run down. I just figured it had to do with middle age, working too many hours, ordinary stuff that would run down anyone by the end of the day or week. Eventually it all caught up with me and started to take a turn for the worse. I was having all sorts of health problems that I would have never thought were related to apnea. That's when the doc suggested a sleep study. We found my AHI was 9 and more like 40 during Rem sleep. Now that I'm on the machine and had the forum members help me dial in the best pressure settings, I feel much better. Nearly all my health problems have resolved except for the normal middle aged aches and pains. The people here also helped me figure out that I feel best when my AHI is around 1 each night.

The point is that you very well could have apnea and health problems that are being caused by it. Like the others said it sneaks up on you over a long period of time. You may not know what normal is, because you may have been living with it for quite a while. Like me, it's possible you don't know what you are missing and may feel better if you use the machine. The only way to know is to get tested.

If you do have apnea and get a machine, keep in mind that many doctors are not good at getting everything dialed in just right to optimize your sleep and health. That was my experience. Everybody requires something different. Different machines, pressure settings, AHI levels, masks and so on. If you want to feel your best you need to take control of your therapy. Much like a diabetic takes control of their own therapy. Hang out here on the forum and ask questions. There's a lot of sleep deprived grumpy people here and some say stuff they shouldn't. Just ignore them. Overall there is a tremendous amount to learn here and benefit from. There's plenty of opportunity to help others, just don't be the person who thinks they are helping people, but really are not. The members will call you out on that. lol

I wish you the best and hope you don't need the machine. I would be overjoyed to donate mine to someone that needs it, but unfortunately I'm stuck with it.

[zoocrewphoto]

I was diagnosed at age 38 as being severe (79 ahi). Also, I never reached REM, so it is likely worse than that.

I thought I slept fine. Sure, I snored, but that was only a problem when I shared a hotel room. I am single and sleep alone, so it didn't bother me at all. I only did the sleep study because a news story explained that sleep apnea leads to high blood pressure, which I had. My doctor had never asked how I slept.

Once I did the sleep study, I learned how bad I really was. How tired I really was but had not noticed. I just thought I was getting older. I had no idea that bathroom trips in the night were due to sleep apnea. My weekend headaches were due to sleep apnea. My high blood pressure was due to high apnea. My weight gain was due to sleep apnea. My occasional nightmares were due to sleep apnea. Sleeping poorly in hotels was due to sleep apnea. My acid reflux at night was due to sleep apnea.

These symptoms creeped up on my over YEARS. I saw them all as normal; never thought of them as symptoms.

I wish somebody had noticed and tested me when I was mild. I could have been treated back then, before my high blood pressure. I could have been more energetic and active. I could have been more confident about traveling with friends. It sure would have been nice to keep this at the mild stage and not the severe stage I have now. Even with cpap, I have to take medications for high blood pressure.

You have an opportunity to treat a problem before it gets bad. I wish I could have done that.

[palerider]

f figured my oxygen would of went down if I stopped breathing

Put your oximeter on your finger, note the reading, hold your breath for as long as you can, note the reading.

[FrederickRose]

Hello recently my employer decided they want to test their overweight people for sleep apnea. I am being forced into the testing since I am fat. I have no symptoms of sleep apnea.. I sleep perfectly each night and wake up with full energy as long as I had gotten between 6-8 hours of sleep.. (I normally get 6-7). I have no day time sleepiness nor am I tired all day. I rarely snore unless sleeping on my back in a weird position. Yet because I have a big neck and am fat my employer decided I am a candidate for sleep apnea.

Hi sookiebulldog, what is your STOP-Bang score?

Use this calculator: http://www.stopbang.ca/osa/screening.php

[EdNerd]

I have slept fine for decades. Snored like a freight train, but it gave the kids some laughs. My wife was having sleep problems and went in for a sleep study. On the "off-chance" that my snoring was one of them, I went for a study too.

Turns out I have a “severe” apnea: I stopped breathing about 240 times in a little over 400 minutes for 30-70 seconds each time. My oxygen was below 80 for 0.1 percent, but there was a low spike of 77. Total of 292 hypopneas, with overall AHI of 43.1.

But I slept just fine.

Ed

[Goofproof]

f figured my oxygen would of went down if I stopped breathing

Put your oximeter on your finger, note the reading, hold your breath for as long as you can, note the reading.

Remember the blood supply holds about 4 minutes of needed O2, without breathing. The new CPR allow for chest compressions or hands, only without breathing for the patient.

Google: So,No rescue breaths with CPR, Right? EMS safty Services

Jim

[MagsterMile]

I for one don't think you're whining. You received a shock from your employer for something you don't feel you need. It's okay to vent. However, venting time is over and you need to do everything possible to get good sleep results. Pugsy has good advice for you. Employers hold the cards so better to make the best of it. Good luck to you and I wish you success on your retest.

[sookiebulldog]

I had a follow up visit. One thing the vendor sleep study doctor was not showing me during the first visit was the chart of occurrences while I used the home sleep study and all the information that they had from the home sleep study. Once looking at the charts the only spikes on the sleep test were the time I was putting the unit on and still getting into "sleep" mode and when I was waking up and taking the unit off. The time where I slept were few to no occurrences. Unfortunately they count all the information from when you put it on until you take it off. My dentist (who I just found out is a sleep specialist also) looked at it who easily could tell most the occurrences where false positives and my AHI should be more around a 1·2 not an 8 taking that into consideration. For the second test staying awake to watch the device for most of the hours explained the increase in occurrences as I moved around. I see this forum is mostly for people who are trying to improve their lives and help their sleep apnea. I am in a different situation where I am seeing doctors who are just rushing people through their office to move to the next person. All the questions I had about CPAPs my employer vendor won't answer. I am sure most people here have doctors that are looking out for their patients comfort and success. I probably shouldn't of posted here but was trying to see if anyone else went through any similar situations and how the result numbers work. I am still being required to do the over night study (charging my insurance $1800) so hopefully they won't count false positives the same way as a home sleep test. I was informed if I read even a 5 AHI during the over night expect to be purchasing a CPAP. It will be monitored which I have no clue how and what numbers they are looking for as they won't provide me that information yet. Thanks for all the replies (grumpy ones included)

[kaiasgram]

An in-lab or hospital sleep study will be able to determine when you are asleep vs. awake based on EEG which measures electrical activity in the brain. So if you can sleep for a decent period of time you should have a valid sleep study. Hopefully your AHI will be below 5.

If you do have to get a CPAP machine, the monitoring is done remotely and the data comes right from the CPAP machine. Successful treatment is considered to be AHI below 5 and using the machine for the required minimum number of hours.

Sometimes folks here are quick to assume that you are in denial and looking for excuses to not get treatment. It just sounded to me like you were really caught off guard by the testing requirements and the potential threat to your employment, all to treat a condition you never imagined you had, and that you don't have significant symptoms of. Most people would generally support questioning a medical diagnosis and looking for more information and another opinion. Heck, many of us have questioned our own doctors and tests along the way.

If you do have mild sleep apnea and your employment depends on your treating it successfully, I hope it's a smoother road than many of us have traveled.

Good luck!

[49er]

Great post Kaiasgram.

I too am floored that people feel that someone should automatically accept a medical diagnosis of sleep apnea and when they don't accuse the person of being in denial, particularly when home study tests are not known for their accuracy.

Sookiebulldog, best of luck with the full-scale sleep study test and resolving your situation.

49er

[ChicagoGranny]

sookiebulldog

It's interesting that you chose "bulldog" as user ID. Sleep apnea is almost universal among bulldogs.

Bulldogs are brachycephalic (short head). They have small nostrils, a very long soft palate, small sacs in their throats that protrude in the airway and a short windpipe. Bulldogs have been inadvertently bred to have obstructive sleep apnea.

[Bill44133]

Hello recently my employer decided they want to test their overweight people for sleep apnea. I am being forced into the testing since I am fat. I have no symptoms of sleep apnea.. I sleep perfectly each night and wake up with full energy as long as I had gotten between 6-8 hours of sleep.. (I normally get 6-7). I have no day time sleepiness nor am I tired all day. I rarely snore unless sleeping on my back in a weird position. Yet because I have a big neck and am fat my employer decided I am a candidate for sleep apnea. I took an employer contracted home sleep test and it came back with an AHI of 8.3. the result of 8.3 puts me in the mild case of possible OSA.. they want to now do an overnight study. There is no way I will sleep at an overnight study and I have to take a day or two unpaid time off to do this test. If my AHI is 5 or below everything would go away and I move on as normal. I figured the first home sleep test came out with an 8.3 because I slept on my stomach and was pushing the monitor into my throat disturbing my sleep. I recommend I do another home sleep test at my cost. This time I did the test quietly and peacefully lying awake in my bed for 6 hours monitoring the test. (I feel this forced testing and a lot of the OSA politics surrounding my issue was a scam) I wore my OWN o2 sensor on my other hand to monitor my oxygen and heart rate. My heart rate stayed steady at 79-85 and it showed my o2 stayed around 92-98%. The result came back higher with a 12 AHI... How does this test say I stop breathing while I am awake??? Any help surrounding these home sleep tests and these results would be most helpful.

Maybe they caught your sleep apnea before it got worse. This can take years to develop and it doesn't go from "zero to sixty" overnight. You should consider yourself lucky. If you always sleep on your stomach, it may be accurate.

Just accept it and use it.


Den

.

+1

I wish that mine had been caught and treated much earlier than it was. Damage was done, but it could have been worse though.
Consider yourself lucky that this happened to you.

take 15 minutes and review this youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gie2dhqP2c

This video put the whole thing into perspective for me.

I wish you well

[FrederickRose]

I am still being required to do the over night study (charging my insurance $1800) so hopefully they won't count false positives the same way as a home sleep test.

No, the attended, in-lab diagnostic test is designed specifically to avoid the problems you experienced on the home sleep test. Good luck, and best wishes!

[sookiebulldog]

An update.. did over nite in lab test and just got results.. was able to actually sleep for 3 hours.. AHI 1.1 no signs of sleep apnea what so ever, no snoring ect... confirms the home sleep tests are pretty much BS showing over 8.0 and 12.0 ahi (in my case vendor is making a good amount of money off me and the company so they want you to have a high AHI though).. A really BIG thank you for the advice and information from everyone who understood that I was frustrated shelling out $$$$ for being forced into a condition I had no symptoms of. Learned a lot about sleep apnea through the process. Best of luck to all who are living with Sleep Apnea thanks again...