How Many Sleep Studies Have You Had?

[sybert1ger]

Pretty simple question for all of you. How many sleep studies have you had over the years?

I've been on CPAP for almost 4 years with very little improvement in my fatigue. Every time I meet with my sleep doc, his only suggestion is to adjust my pressure or schedule another sleep study. So far I've had three sleep studies, including one with e full mean sleep latency portion. My last sleep study was conducted while using CPAP and didn't show any other abnormalities. I'm not unwilling to go for another study but at this point I'm just not sure if it's worth it.

[Mammal]

I have only had 1 sleep study so far, 3 months ago. Therapy is going very well, so I'm not sure if I have to have another or not, at some point in the future.

[kteague]

I can understand your dilemma. Sleep studies are inconvenient, expensive, and certainly no fun. However, ANY chance of finding an answer increases the value of the experience when weighed against the cons. I have had several over the last 10+ years, and some, but not all, gave new insights.

Have you at any point sat down with each of your reports side by side and looked for any patterns, discrepancies, or clues? At one time I put the results of several of my reports into an Excel spreadsheet so I could look at them comparatively. If for any apparent reason the studies might have been suboptimal, you could decide if anything would change that in another repeat study. For instance, if you see a pattern of not going to sleep for three hours, ask the doc if a medication could help you get to sleep sooner and have more observation time. Not that this is your issue, just an example. Maybe taking a closer look could help you make the decision whether to have another study or not.

I'm assuming you've had a thorough medical workup for any other contributors to your fatigue - right? Best wishes in finding answers.

[BleepingBeauty]

Pretty simple question for all of you. How many sleep studies have you had over the years?

I've been on CPAP for almost 4 years with very little improvement in my fatigue. Every time I meet with my sleep doc, his only suggestion is to adjust my pressure or schedule another sleep study. So far I've had three sleep studies, including one with e full mean sleep latency portion. My last sleep study was conducted while using CPAP and didn't show any other abnormalities. I'm not unwilling to go for another study but at this point I'm just not sure if it's worth it.

Your sleep doc sounds like the one I had. I've had five sleep studies in almost three years, and the only thing that helped me achieve effective therapy was listening to the experienced users I found here.

Your profile indicates you have the M Series APAP and software. Are you monitoring your own data? If you're not, I suggest you do. If you are, I suggest you post some of your data printouts here. There's plenty of help to be had in deciphering what the data is telling you. My sleep doc had data to look at from several APAP trials and sleep studies, but he glossed over things that I subsequently found to be pretty important.

Best of luck.

[Cindy Lou Who]

From last December to March this year I had 3 studies: one Sleep lab and two at-home studies. The home studies average: AHI = 20 and 127 hyponea. In the hospital split study I was never titrated. If I have to have a sleep study again I will take the home version every time. They are more accurate because they are conducted with the actual conditions that I sleep with every night, ie. Trains roaring by one block away, husbands restless legs... you get the picture.
Cindy Lou Who

[TmjTerri]

From December to Februrary I have had 4 sleep studies. Each time I had one my numbers got worse and they could not figure out what to do with me. Right now my pressure settings are 17/30. I am not having any luck with my vpap st machine and I am on oxygen too. I hate hate hate using my machine and most nights I just do not use it at all. I know that is bad and that I NEED to start using it but I am having such a difficult time with the whole thing. I was told that I have severe complex sleep apnea and I felt like a part of me died when I got diagnosed if that makes any sense. I know my sleep doctor wants to do another sleep study soon so we will see what happens. All I know is that this sucks and I hate it! Being on this forum is helping me embrace my condition and I am getting support and lots of advice which I appreciate. It is nice being able to talk to others who are going through the same thing. Terri

[bdp522]

1 diagnostic study and 1 titration. Started xpap 7/27/06.
I just print out some of my charts and bring them with me to my regular yearly physical.

Brenda

[thewetlizard]

I've only had one sleep study in the year I've been on cpap

[LoQ]

Pretty simple question for all of you. How many sleep studies have you had over the years?

I've been on CPAP for almost 4 years with very little improvement in my fatigue. Every time I meet with my sleep doc, his only suggestion is to adjust my pressure or schedule another sleep study. So far I've had three sleep studies, including one with e full mean sleep latency portion. My last sleep study was conducted while using CPAP and didn't show any other abnormalities. I'm not unwilling to go for another study but at this point I'm just not sure if it's worth it.

What are you hoping to find out through a sleep study? Is this information only obtainable through a sleep lab study?

I had a study at home this summer. It was free and allowed me to sleep in my own bed, and it led to a change in pressure which is helping me a little. I was grateful to the doctor for allowing me to do it at home.

I have agreed to have another study at the sleep lab. The ONLY reason I agreed to a lab study is that I think I may need oxygen at night, and the doctor won't prescribe O2 without a sleep lab study. Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing this one.


So my advice is to figure out exactly what you hope to get out of a sleep study in the lab, and then ask the doctor if the same thing could be accomplished in a different way, such as with a home study. If you don't know, ask the doctor what information he is looking for with the study.

[brain_cloud]

I've had four since last October. Each one more fun than the last.

[Jaylee]

Only two for me.

[Bons]

I had one about twelve years ago referred by a neurologist; all I was told from that was that I did not have OSA - asked him what did mess up my sleep and he said, "You don't have sleep apnea". Had one three weeks ago and did have apnea, then the titration two nights later. I'm heading for my third in three weeks on Monday when they will titrate me for bipap and get another look at my "irregular breath patterns" (actually, I don't have a pattern or rhthym, which is what the pulmonologist wants another look at).

[torontoCPAPguy]

I have had two; one before being diagnosed with OSA/etc., and one afterwards to titrate me for a pressure of 4 cm H2O (jeez). I learned a lot from the second sleep study. Like sleep studies are only as good as the sleep lab and the people running them. And that you are your own advocate. And that you had better get educated if you want to live a long and healthy life cuz otherwise they are going to do their very best to kill you early to make room for more patients.

So, off I went to get the cheapest CPAP machine money can buy at a cost of about $2300. And a mask that put blisters on my nose. That's the end of MediGas in my life.

I then purchased from cpap.com a ResMed S8 Autoset II and now have a ResMed S9 Auto with software and all the bells and whistles. I have taken it upon myself to titrate my pressures and so on and have done so to perfection. AHI is generally ZERO. No apnea events. No hypopnea events. No nothing. Mask fits perfectly with nominal leaks. I am now working with infused oxygen at night to get my SpO2 to around 95% through the night and am seeing wonderful results, but I have had to pay for the concentrator and all the associated gear on my own. I don't have time nor patience for the BS that the doctors have put me through but will use them as I need them to be sure. I have a meeting with a pulmonologist in 10 days or so. I intend to be prepared to take in the graphs of all of my nights of sleep and oximetry readings showing exactly where I stand at that time. I am hoping it will be once again zero events and SpO2 at 95% all night. And I am then going to request that I have a sleep study with EEG to see how my gear and settings are working and how much REM sleep I am actually getting. I believe I am approaching my magic bullet but I don't feel it quite yet. I slept as well as I have slept in years last night with the oxygen infusion (it is really minimal at 4L/M... the air presented to my nose is less than 24.8% oxygen versus room air at 20.8%). I am cranking the O2 down to 3L/M tonight and reducing my APAP range by 1cm as well to see what the results will be. Hoping we still have zero events and our SpO2 comes down to 95% all night long. Too much oxygen, I believe, may be undesirable just as <90% is very undesirable.

Anyway, sleep study number 3 will tell the final story.... if I am getting a solid sleep with few arousals and lots of REM sleep I am golden and happy and dancing a jig here. I am hoping that this will permit me to start feeling and acting something like a human being once again.

I am a pit bull. Don't get between me and my good night of sleep. Or my bone.

[Physician]

One, and I'll never do another one. No need.

[sleepydawn]

I have had 3 for me and been in the lab 3 more times with my kids. Good times!