surprised at self treating

[AMESS]

Been on this board about a a week. Very surprised at the amount of do it yourselfers. If you go to a doc and complain about not sleeping or whatever the problem is concerning sleep, he will most likely order up a home test. This wil tell if you need further testing like a sleep lab test . This is where you get wired up from head to toe. Now assuming you have insurance, it should (I know medicare does) cover all the necessary equipment including a change of masks until you find the right one. If you dont know for certain sleep apnea is your problem, why go through all this? And yes, I have been through it all and found to my surprise I was knocking off 68 apneas/hypopneas per hr.

[chunkyfrog]

In a perfect world, yes.
But have you noticed where we REALLY are?

[amess]

Some may be better, some may be worse, some may not know. This stuff is expensive. I would not want to be dishing out money for any of this stuff unless I had no insurance, and knew for sure I had sleep apnea.

[Julie]

The whole point of a test is to find out if you have apnea... do you have any idea how many people with e.g. hypothyroid conditions, cardiac problems, pre-diabetes, Lyme disease, 'chronic fatigue', blood disorders, etc. etc. could think they have apnea, test on their own and not get the right answers? Or get the wrong ones, start self treating and end up very sick very fast without seeing a doctor? You're worse than alfabet guy!

[amess]

Hope your comment is not for me. I 'm for a doctor not against a doctor. And you really should be kind who ever you are addressing. We r all here to learn.

[Bertha deBlues]

If you dont know for certain sleep apnea is your problem, why go through all this?

You go through the initial testing (at home or in a sleep lab) to answer the important question, "do I have sleep apnea?" It's a place to start. If the answer is no, you move on to the next possible cause of sleep problems. If the answer is yes, and if you want to do something about it, you start treatment. Not sure this answers your question.

[skylark40]

If you dont know for certain sleep apnea is your problem, why go through all this?

You go through the initial testing (at home or in a sleep lab) to answer the important question, "do I have sleep apnea?" It's a place to start. If the answer is no, you move on to the next possible cause of sleep problems. If the answer is yes, and if you want to do something about it, you start treatment. Not sure this answers your question.

Since you're new here, let me fill you in. Several people here want to ban a certain individual from posting. Sometimes the accusations and slaps upside the head spill over onto innocent parties. Unfortunate.

I believe Amess is wondering why people attempt to self treat apnea without a doctor's diagnosis.

There are a lot of people who don't feel good and are willing to try anything to feel better - with or without a doctor's help. Maybe they can't afford one, or maybe they feel they don't need their help, so they grab at straws and self treat. It's dangerous; and, as Amess said, expensive!

[palerider]

Some may be better, some may be worse, some may not know. This stuff is expensive. I would not want to be dishing out money for any of this stuff unless I had no insurance, and knew for sure I had sleep apnea.

We promote the 'diabetes treatment' method here.

Educate yourself, analyze your own data, and make determinations of what needs to be changed.

Just like a modern diabetic patient measures their blood sure and adjusts their diet or medication *as needed* to best treat themselves.

The old way was to blindly trust a doctor to care more about you than you should yourself.

An educated, involved patient is a healthier patient.

[SewTired]

It's dangerous; and, as Amess said, expensive!

It's dangerous in so far as they may have another health problem that isn't being addressed. But if they can't afford to go to the doctor in the first place and can buy a cheap unit off of Craigslist, they can at least work out if sleep apnea is part of their problem. They will either feel better or they won't. An auto unit and support from forums can help them to do what needs to be done to determine if it will make any difference for them.

In my case, I had to jump the gun. I was reaching a point where I could no longer drive. My situation was terrible, getting worse weekly, but these appointments were spread out by weeks and weeks. So, I bought a used S9 autoset and wooooooo....things got better within days! By the time I finally had my titration study, I no longer needed to nap twice a day. Even AFTER that titration, it was still 3 weeks before I got my machine (and it was broken in transit!).

[guest two]

I have no way of knowing for sure, of course, but I imagine a very high percentage (90%+) of the folks on this board have had a sleep test, either lab or HST and have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it seems in many cases, that's where the treatment begins to break down. After being diagnosed and prescribed a machine, many find continuing support from their doctors to be inadequate, inappropriate, or non-existent. Many doctors seem to have little understanding of how to use the official software available to optimize their patient's therapy. Most doctors rely on DME reports which usually contain only the most basic information and is of little value in actually fine tuning the therapy to suit the patient's needs. Some of those patients are lucky enough to find their way here and learn how to take control of their own therapy in such a manner that it becomes actually beneficial.

[Bertha deBlues]

I have no way of knowing for sure, of course, but I imagine a very high percentage (90%+) of the folks on this board have had a sleep test, either lab or HST and have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it seems in many cases, that's where the treatment begins to break down. After being diagnosed and prescribed a machine, many find continuing support from their doctors to be inadequate, inappropriate, or non-existent. Many doctors seem to have little understanding of how to use the official software available to optimize their patient's therapy. Most doctors rely on DME reports which usually contain only the most basic information and is of little value in actually fine tuning the therapy to suit the patient's needs. Some of those patients are lucky enough to find their way here and learn how to take control of their own therapy in such a manner that it becomes actually beneficial.

True. My sleep doctor means well, but can't help me fine tune my treatment as well as the folks here can.

[chunkyfrog]

I suffered for nearly two decades with untreated apnea, because my HMO
chose to run a FAKE sleep test, which gave me a clean bill of health--JUST TO SAVE MONEY.
Meanwhile, my husband knew I snored, and EVERYBODY knew I was unable to stay awake in the daytime.
Timely diagnosis and treatment is the rule with competent doctors and responsible insurance,
neither of which I had at that time.
Had I dared to be an outlier, like a few on the forum, my health may have not gone as badly as it did.

[ButtermilkBuoy]

My sleep doctor means well, but can't help me fine tune my treatment as well as the folks here can.

Fine tuning, or final tuning, was the key for me. I had three nights in the sleep lab and they couldn't prescribe the right pressure. They knew I was somewhere between 7 cm and 24 cm. lol Tuning at home with the help of the forum got me dialed in. I don't need a sleep doctor any more! Buy my own machine, masks and supplies!

[AMESS]

I disagree about treating yourself. Would u attempt your own blood test? Diagnose and treat your own diabetes?

A qualified sleep dr/pulmonologist who has a respitory therapist in the office is the best way to go. Besides if you have insurance you get your equipment from a qualified place that sells medical equipment. To just keep buying masks is rediculous. In addition, the docs computer houses all the data and then some that you do not get if you have a machine that gives you some stats.

Moral of story --see a doc

[AMESS]

I agree this board is helpful. All I am saying is that it should not be used as a diagnostic tool.