Check-in appt, what to talk about?

[RoboLobo]

Hi everyone long time no talk, hope all of you are well and safe. So I have a check-in appointment with my sleep doctor for the first time in three years as pretty much a formality. I assume he gets my stats via my insurance of maybe Resmed (?), hence he hasn't contacted me for these past three years. So I'm kinda at a loss to what to chat about. As far as you all know, does he get my detailed stats and knows how I am doing? Can he see my current pressure? My nightly stats via Resmed My Air are pretty good, mostly 95-100 "points" on that simple scale with a few exceptions. That being said, sometimes I wake up with a pretty good headache which has never really happened in the past, and I often times just don't feel refreshed like I used to. I do have the latest and greatest equipment so I don't think I need to hit him up for a new machine or mask or whatnot. So apart from the occasional crappy sleep nights I don't really have much to complain about but I am just wondering if I am overlooking anything. He's the type of doctor who if you give him the opportunity will spend 5-10 minutes max with me, confirm I'm more or less OK and send me on my way for another three years. But your thoughts on this rather random question are much appreciated!

[ChicagoGranny]

More important than the doctor, are you using OSCAR to make sure your CPAP therapy is optimized?

BTW, after my sleep doc skipped town, I asked my GP if he could send a script that satisfies insurance requirements to the DME once a year. He said he didn't know much about CPAP, but he has been gladly sending the script.

So, why even go to see a sleep doc?

[RoboLobo]

Thanks for your reply. In reply:

1) I have to look into Oscar. I had Sleepyhead years ago, but the [impressive] breadth and enormity of the data overwhelmed me

2) My sleep doc, he's OK. There is an advantage to only seeing him once every three years and only for 10 minutes, very low maintenance

[zonker]

Thanks for your reply. In reply:

1) I have to look into Oscar. I had Sleepyhead years ago, but the [impressive] breadth and enormity of the data overwhelmed me

oscar is an "outgrowth" of sleepyhead. and both are way over my head too.

i merely capture the data display screen, upload it here and wait for my betters to advise.

pretty easy, really.

[ChicagoGranny]

) I have to look into Oscar. I had Sleepyhead years ago, but the [impressive] breadth and enormity of the data overwhelmed me

Zonker's right - start with learning how to read the reports on your machine display. If you have a low AHI and low leak and feel well, you might not need OSCAR.

[zonker]

) I have to look into Oscar. I had Sleepyhead years ago, but the [impressive] breadth and enormity of the data overwhelmed me

Zonker's right - start with learning how to read the reports on your machine display. If you have a low AHI and low leak and feel well, you might not need OSCAR.

felixlaugh.gif (287.23 KiB) Viewed 2439 times

[LSAT]

Chances are that your doctor has seen none of your data. Bring your SD card in case he wants to see something.

[ChicagoGranny]

zonker

[zonker]

zonker

EXCELLENT!!!

and of course, stolen.

[Miss Emerita]

What has your AHI been of late? I do think you should tell your sleep doctor you've started getting headaches and feeling less refreshed. It's possible your settings need to be tweaked. Our bodies change over time, and sometimes settings need to change to keep up with us.

But to be honest, I think you'll get the best advice if you post some Oscar charts for people here to take a look at. Collectively there's a lot of knowledge and experience here at your disposal.

[RoboLobo]

Thanks for all the replies. Using the Resmed MyAir info:

AHI per hour last thirty days: 5.3
Last ninety days: 5.23
Last 365 days: 3.96

Good? Bad? In the middle?

My upcoming appt. will be virtual, that's one reason I am trying to get my ducks in a row beforehand. I do plan on e-mailing him a couple of days before my appt. to see what data he wants (if any) and how to furnish it.

Thx!

[Pugsy]

AHI....middle to bad IMHO but I would need to know sleep quality before final determination.
As when when and what kind of events are being flagged. If 90% are awake flagged events we shrug our shoulders and worry more about why the poor sleep.

There's a lot more to successful cpap therapy than just AHI numbers but I wouldn't be happy with your numbers at all.
If I was just going by numbers.

Now your doc....he will most likely go by hours of use numbers, maybe overall AHI average and ask you how you feel.
If you say "okay"....he will give you a virtual pat on the back and send you on your way.
If you say "not so great"...he will still give you a virtual pat on the back and send you on your way and probably tell you to give it more time and maybe get more sleep if your hours of use are a bit lacking.

Most docs won't dig deep into any details unless they are forced to.

[Miss Emerita]

Given that you've started having headaches again and feeling unrefreshed, I'd say your AHI needs to improve. You were feeling better when it was lower.

Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? Any chance you could download the Oscar software:

https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/

All you'd need is an SD card in the slot on the left side of your machine. If there isn't one there, you can buy one that is inexpensive.

If you try the Oscar route and hit any snags, people here would be happy to help. That may be more productive for you than having a virtual appointment. We can hope the doc can see all your data via wireless and make some good suggestions, but what Pugsy predicts is all too often what happens.

[RoboLobo]

Ehh, just noticed our little MacMini topped out at Yosemite (10.10.5), and Oscar appears to require Sierra (10.12). If anyone thinks it will run on Yosemite let me know. Until then I will plan on telling my doc I want more than that virtual pat on the head. Maybe he'll tell me to try another mask, although the Simplus has worked the best for me and I've tried everything else.

[RoboLobo]

Nope, won't open. Oh well, I will try to marshal my available data and anecdotal evidence and go from there. I have not yet begun to hassle my doc!