Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Chico77
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by Chico77 » Sun Oct 11, 2015 7:34 am

curems wrote:I knew I needed to have my settings changed while I was traveling and had started using the FitLife mask. I also didn't want to deal with any issues with my DME & insurance so I wanted to do it on their terms. I was able to get the DME to get my reports remotely (they had issued me a modem), send them to my doc, have my doc prescribe the increased pressure and have the DME remotely adjust the settings all in one day. (I'm paranoid about making changes that may impact my coverage.)

When I had my follow up and could explain to the doctor how I tracked my progress and how I could see where mask changes caused changes in what pressure I needed, identifying for her each change of mask and how that correlated with the changes in my AHI, she was thrilled. She was excited to see the correlations were so on target and happy to see that I had not only been compliant but had taken responsibility for trying to make this a success (I had failed once five years previously).

It'll be a good test of how committed your doctor is to your treatment.

Well said. A good provider will be pleased that you are being proactive and taking and actively participating in your treatment. I tell all my patients that it is their responsibility to educate themselves on their equipment and the treatment of sleep apnea. No one will advocate on your behalf as good as you will.

tuzacat
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by tuzacat » Mon Oct 12, 2015 4:24 pm

Hey, thanks, Folks, my appointment is tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

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DavidCarolina
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by DavidCarolina » Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:21 pm

Probably not.


Doctors want to be told what they want to hear.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by chunkyfrog » Mon Oct 12, 2015 5:56 pm

Good doctors are intrigued with proactive patients.
Hope yours is like mine. Until I showed him Sleepyhead read outs,
he didn't even know he was a data geek.

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SewTired
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by SewTired » Tue Oct 13, 2015 4:22 pm

If you feel the need to hide info from a doc, it's time to get a new doc. Give him a chance . If you show your data, he knows that you are making the changes in a systematic way and can either agree with you, set parameters, or explain why these changes shouldn't be made.

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tuzacat
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?Update

Post by tuzacat » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:37 pm

I had a good visit with the Dr. today. I told him why I'd made the changes and showed him my data. He was perfectly fine with it; didn't even blink an eye. He just made sure he had the new numbers in his notes. So that was good and we were able to have a rational discussion about the insomnia. He also thought that the insomnia was an issue seperate from what was going on with the ASV therapy. Thanks for your input folks! Some doctors are like prickly pears and some are not. Best, Tuza

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Wulfman...
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?Update

Post by Wulfman... » Tue Oct 13, 2015 5:48 pm

tuzacat wrote:I had a good visit with the Dr. today. I told him why I'd made the changes and showed him my data. He was perfectly fine with it; didn't even blink an eye. He just made sure he had the new numbers in his notes. So that was good and we were able to have a rational discussion about the insomnia. He also thought that the insomnia was an issue seperate from what was going on with the ASV therapy. Thanks for your input folks! Some doctors are like prickly pears and some are not. Best, Tuza
Glad to hear it went well. Good to know you have a doctor who will listen and work WITH you.


Den

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tuzacat
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by tuzacat » Wed Oct 14, 2015 1:46 pm

Thanks, Den, I was really tickled that I don't have to look for a new doctor!

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RogerSC
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by RogerSC » Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:07 pm

tuzacat wrote:Thanks, Den, I was really tickled that I don't have to look for a new doctor!
Yes, sounds like an all-around good result. Glad to hear it!

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curems
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by curems » Wed Oct 14, 2015 3:28 pm

Glad you've got someone you can work with!

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tuzacat
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Re: Should I tell the Dr. I have played with the settings?

Post by tuzacat » Wed Oct 14, 2015 4:14 pm

He was totally cool with me trying various herbs to help the insomnia. He brought up Melatonin (which had stopped working for me a couple of years ago). He said that most people don't take it the right way. He said you should take about 6mg several hours before you go to bed. Just passing that on to other insomniacs.