Thank you for kind replies!

Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2004 8:53 am Post subject: In answer to your kind replies:

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First, thank all of you for your kind replies. Second, my doctor was puzzled too as to why and how he ordered a CPAP for me and indicated a pressure without my ever having had the CPAP during the sleep study. That plus my not adjusting had him order a second study. Now I have not had the CPAP a second time, and we are still in the dark about pressure. The one informative nurse suggested that pressure might be too strong. Respiratory therapist is scheduled to visit this week, and I will discuss with her the pressure and possibility of bi-pap or auto-adjusting machine. Also have an appt. with the doctor who read the study for a fuller explanation of what is going on and his take. I will get a copy of the second study, thank you. I don't know the names of all the face masks I have tried. There is the larger V-shaped piece that seems to work the best but raises welts on my skin. There are the nasal pillows, both medium and small which come out during the night when I pitch. The medium is a tight fit, enlarging appearance of nostrils. There are the medium and small smaller nose pieces which look like little almost V-shaped cups. There is the piece that looks somewhat like an oxygen conduit with two slender tubes that meet under the chin and which has an insert for each nostril. (My doctor said this one was not appropriate. It blows out anyway, possibly from backup of pressue due to deviated septum.) I sometimes feel as if I am suffocating with CPAP on, as weird as that sounds. Maybe appt. with respiratory therapist and sleep study doctor will assist. I'll let you know what goes on. Again, thank you so much for all your kind remarks. ...... Sharon

Sharon,
I'm glad you got lots of help. Yes, everyone here is so helpful and supportive, they certainly have been to me.

I don't know if all the sleep tests are the same, but I do know that mine came with some nifty graphs, from all those monitors they attach. (My doctor had showed me the report on my followup visit. I'd asked my mean doctor for a copy, only to find out when I got home, he hadn't copied ALL of it! He figured a woman shouldn't be worrying her little head over such technical things.) Those graphs are interesting. You can tell from them when you slept, when you didn't, what air pressure was tested, how many apnea occurences you had with each pressure, etc. It showed that at a level 17 my apnea occurences went away. That's how the testers recommend a certain pressure, from what you can tolerate and have no apnea. The main part of the report has all the same information, but I liked seeing the graphs. I hope you get your report. Feel free to relay the results to us here. Someone will be able to explain anything you need. Good luck to you.

Linda