Your sleep doctor's most inane statement

[sleepy1235]

My sleep doctor told me that I am 61 and should expect to slow down.

What is your sleep doctor's most inane statement?

[robysue]

Sleep doctor #1: You don't need a full data machine because you'll feel better in two weeks. I wasn't feeling bad to start with---except for some hand and foot pain that was attributed to arthritis. And I crashed and burned in terms of daytime functioning immediately after starting CPAP .... At the end of two weeks of PAPing, I felt more rotten, more exhausted, and more sleepy than I had ever been in my entire life---including my two pregnancies.

Sleep doctor #2: See if using a chin strap helps you sleep better. She said this while she was looking directly at an Encore report that indicated that I have no leak problems---the data made it clear that more often than not my "average unintentional leak" rate is 0.0 L/min, my "average unintentional leak rate" is always below 5.0 L/min, and my "average unintentional leak rate" is seldom above 2.5 L/min

Sleep doctor #3: You don't have OSA; you have a mood disorder. I know this because people with OSA need more pressure than your settings. My current pressures are indeed low (auto BiPAP with min EPAP = 4, max IPAP = 8), but doc #3 had the copies of the diagnostic study in front of him along with all three titration studies. However I don't think he'd ever looked at them very closely.

[49er]

[quote][Sleep doctor #3: You don't have OSA; you have a mood disorder. I know this because people with OSA need more pressure than your settings. My current pressures are indeed low (auto BiPAP with min EPAP = 4, max IPAP = , but doc #3 had the copies of the diagnostic study in front of him along with all three titration studies. However I don't think he'd ever looked at them very closely./quote]

I hope to god if I ever encounter a similar type professional, I would be able to say in a calm manner, "And your scientific proof is --". Unfortunately, I get so taken aback by those types of statements, I end up not being very assertive and always get so mad at myself after the fact.

Ok, for my story:

Sleep Doctor #1 who might be related your doctor number #3 - Demanded that I see a psychiatrist. When I said I would see a counselor to shut her up, she insisted I had to see a medical doctor. Meanwhile, she never reviewed my data when I requested it and failed in other areas. I had stupidly disclosed my past psych med history during the first visit and I feel she held that against me.

Sleep Doctor #2 - Said my AHI was great since it was below 2. This was after reviewing data showing I was averaging 2 to 3 hours of sleep on the machine.

49er

[kteague]

Regarding my request for a data capable machine - It's just a bunch of numbers, you wouldn't understand them anyway.

[robysue]

Sleep doctor #3: You don't have OSA; you have a mood disorder. I know this because people with OSA need more pressure than your settings. My current pressures are indeed low (auto BiPAP with min EPAP = 4, max IPAP = , but doc #3 had the copies of the diagnostic study in front of him along with all three titration studies. However I don't think he'd ever looked at them very closely.

I hope to god if I ever encounter a similar type professional, I would be able to say in a calm manner, "And your scientific proof is --". Unfortunately, I get so taken aback by those types of statements, I end up not being very assertive and always get so mad at myself after the fact.

Hubby and I fired Sleep doc #3 on the spot, but it was NOT a pleasant experience at the time since this right near the start of my current seven-eight month battle with "something's started to go wrong with my sleep and I don't know what" phase.

Sleep doc #3's statement really becomes funny when you know the back story:

Sleep doc #3 was also headache doctor #1 and about a year earlier had insisted that I see a psychiatrist about a potential mood disorder and even set me up with a referral to a guy who's "new patients" backload is months and months long and short cut the wait to get in for the initial psych appointment.

And the psychaitrist? At our first meeting he told me that given my medical history I had no business being put on mood medication. He does think there's something (minor) going on with my moods in that they tend, shall we say, to swing a bit on the wild side. But beyond the Deplin, he continues to see no purpose in prescribing medication. And what is Deplin? It's a prescription megadose of L-methylfolate, which is the active form of the vitamin, folate. The headache doc's PA was the one who ordered a gene test that shows my body doesn't metabolize folate well and she prescribed the Deplin as part of a vitamin regime to keep the migraines under control. And Deplin has been critical in bringing my migraines under control; as an added benefit, it also improves my mood. Why? Well, I've been told that L-methylfolate can cross the blood brain barrier and when it's taken up by the brain it helps balance the chemical messengers that affect mood (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) and can also be potential problems in migraines, although the role in migraines is not well understood.

I've continued to see the psychiatrist at about 6 month intervals and he's turned out to be a wonderful resource in my battle to find good docs. He's the one who encouraged me to fire PCP #1 after being told by PAs there a number of times to "just take Valium" to deal with a variety of seemingly unrelated medical conditions, including a bout of vertigo that was likely caused by a virus. His PA even recommended several DOs as potential new PCPs and the new PCP is one the PA recommended and I like him quite well. And last December after it was necessary to fire Sleep Doc#3, the psychiatrist was the one who cut the red tape to get me switched from Headache doc#1/Sleep doc#3 to my Headache doc#2 (who has the fantastic PA with whom I have a wonderful working relationship) and sleep doc #4 who seems genuinely interested in trying to figure out just why the heck my sleep has gone downhill so badly since last November.

[Loreena]

After seeing first and last sleep doc (of the sleep lab) a month into treatment after still feeling horrible and only having access to the brick they gave me.......Sleep doc says: "Well, the sleep lab said the pressure we gave you eliminated the apnea so I suggest you go home and use a good nose spray."

(Two months later I get a bill in the mail for $350 for 15 minutes of his time.)

It turned out I needed a pressure 6 points higher at that time than the sleep lab titrated me at. Now, nearly 40 lbs. lighter, I sleep in a recliner relatively upright (while lying on my side) while using a tongue suction device with the mask and now can use the pressure I was originally titrated at (7).....I'm not complaining about this setup (I am a desperate woman)--just glad I finally figured out how to "sleep."

[49er]

Sleep doctor #3: You don't have OSA; you have a mood disorder. I know this because people with OSA need more pressure than your settings. My current pressures are indeed low (auto BiPAP with min EPAP = 4, max IPAP = , but doc #3 had the copies of the diagnostic study in front of him along with all three titration studies. However I don't think he'd ever looked at them very closely.

I hope to god if I ever encounter a similar type professional, I would be able to say in a calm manner, "And your scientific proof is --". Unfortunately, I get so taken aback by those types of statements, I end up not being very assertive and always get so mad at myself after the fact.

Hubby and I fired Sleep doc #3 on the spot, but it was NOT a pleasant experience at the time since this right near the start of my current seven-eight month battle with "something's started to go wrong with my sleep and I don't know what" phase.

Sleep doc #3's statement really becomes funny when you know the back story:

Sleep doc #3 was also headache doctor #1 and about a year earlier had insisted that I see a psychiatrist about a potential mood disorder and even set me up with a referral to a guy who's "new patients" backload is months and months long and short cut the wait to get in for the initial psych appointment.

And the psychaitrist? At our first meeting he told me that given my medical history I had no business being put on mood medication. He does think there's something (minor) going on with my moods in that they tend, shall we say, to swing a bit on the wild side. But beyond the Deplin, he continues to see no purpose in prescribing medication. And what is Deplin? It's a prescription megadose of L-methylfolate, which is the active form of the vitamin, folate. The headache doc's PA was the one who ordered a gene test that shows my body doesn't metabolize folate well and she prescribed the Deplin as part of a vitamin regime to keep the migraines under control. And Deplin has been critical in bringing my migraines under control; as an added benefit, it also improves my mood. Why? Well, I've been told that L-methylfolate can cross the blood brain barrier and when it's taken up by the brain it helps balance the chemical messengers that affect mood (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) and can also be potential problems in migraines, although the role in migraines is not well understood.

I've continued to see the psychiatrist at about 6 month intervals and he's turned out to be a wonderful resource in my battle to find good docs. He's the one who encouraged me to fire PCP #1 after being told by PAs there a number of times to "just take Valium" to deal with a variety of seemingly unrelated medical conditions, including a bout of vertigo that was likely caused by a virus. His PA even recommended several DOs as potential new PCPs and the new PCP is one the PA recommended and I like him quite well. And last December after it was necessary to fire Sleep Doc#3, the psychiatrist was the one who cut the red tape to get me switched from Headache doc#1/Sleep doc#3 to my Headache doc#2 (who has the fantastic PA with whom I have a wonderful working relationship) and sleep doc #4 who seems genuinely interested in trying to figure out just why the heck my sleep has gone downhill so badly since last November.

Hmm, you seem pretty level headed to me. But I am glad the psychiatrist realized that prescribing medication would not be a good idea and that he has helped you find some good doctors.

49er

[sleepinow]

"Well I never heard of complex sleep apnea so your going to have to do the research for me"

[allen476]

Sleep Doc #1 - Me: "I am having a lot of problems sleeping with the mask, what can we do?"

Him: " Yep, a lot of people have that problem"

( Exit doctor and 2 minutes later in comes his nurse )

Nurse: "Ok, you are all set, he wants to see you again if you have any problems"


Sleep Doc #2 - Me: "I think that my pressure needs have changed"

Her: "Well you have a big neck, I wouldn't be surprised. I won't order a new titration study until you lose 50 pounds at least. All that weight is why you need a higher pressure."

[oak]

Doctor #1 (not a sleep doctor): "come back if you are having problems and we will send you to the sleep lab again. They can determine if your humidity needs to be turned up or some such thing."

[Slinky]

Regarding my request for a data capable machine - It's just a bunch of numbers, you wouldn't understand them anyway.

Yup, yup, KTeague. My insistence on accepting only a fully data capable PAP resulted in a comment the equivalent of "You're just the patient, you don't need to know that. It is sufficient that I as the doctor receive that information."

[DreamDiver]

"You can't trust the data off your machine. It's just a toy."

[DoriC]

"Just leave the pressure wide open and let the machine do it's job"

"Full face masks always leak, there's nothing you can do about it"

[mgaggie]

"No I haven't got a letter from your specialist"

This was said while looking at the screen where ot clearly showed a letter received from said specialist.

[Reenee]

My favorite did not come from the actual Doctor; it came from the Respiratory Therapist at the group meeting. While chuckling, she had the audacity to say: "I can walk into a party and pick out the people who have sleep apnea"

Nice huh?