First Follow-Up w/ Sleep Doc (Long)

Had an appointment today with my wonderful new sleep doc (replaced the old one at the same center). First one since I started cpap a few months ago. I could spend a few paragraphs talking about how great he is, but might end up a bit boring. Let's just say I've never had such a give-and-take appointment with a doctor in my life.

Anybody here compared the Liberty with the Hybrid? He has looked at both of them and feels the Liberty might be better made and suggested I might want to try it next time my insurance says I can get another mask. He said that after July 1, the insurance companies should be paying for it because they'll have the codes in place for it.

I finally got to look at my looong raw data reports, and asked if I could have a copy of them. (Already have the one-page graph thingy.) Between reading the reports and his knowledge, this is what I learned. I had 98 respiratory arousals total, with an RDI of 19, which I already knew. He also confirmed I didn't have any leg movement arousals. None were obstructive, 24 were hypopneas and the rest (74) were breathing arousals that didn't fit either of these, which he said is most likely UARS! (Funny thing, before I even had the sleep study, I thought UARS was my main problem.) The therapy sleep study got rid of all hypopneas and got the UARS down to 12 from 74. Although pressure is a tremendous help for UARS (sometimes helps them easier than obstructive apneas), the AHI numbers the machine shows you don't include these. (I don't know whether the machine can't read them or just doesn't.)

Also said by looking at the raw data, I could probably set my pressure at anything between 7 and 9 and take care of almost all apneas, hypopneas, and UARS. (I was looking at the data with him and saw exactly what he was talking about.) He said it was fine with him if I wanted to reduce or raise the pressure some more in that range and see what happens. (I'm at 8.5 now.)

He's trying some other things with me to help the arousals I'm still having (Rozerem right now), and wants me call back in a week to let him know how I'm doing.

SAG was extremely helpful a few months ago, reading the graphs I posted and giving his knowledgeable insight. Just want to thank him again and hope he reads this update!

Pam

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): CPAP, AHI, RDI

Ummm, can I borrow your sleep doc?

I've never met mine. I do know it's a woman.

I got sent in for a sleep study by my rheumatologist. Who couldn't find anything wrong with me.

I think I need to make an appointment with the sleep doc so she can go over my report with me. Since I wasn't her "patient", she couldn't tell me anything.

Say what? You weren't the sleep doc's patient? She read the scored results, dictated the report then sent the info to your Rheumy and he wrote the script for your equipment?? 'Cause if the sleep doc wrote the script I fail to see how in the world you could be considered NOT her patient??

Slinky wrote:Say what? You weren't the sleep doc's patient? She read the scored results, dictated the report then sent the info to your Rheumy and he wrote the script for your equipment?? 'Cause if the sleep doc wrote the script I fail to see how in the world you could be considered NOT her patient??

That's what they told me. They couldn't give me the full deets on my report cuz I wasn't her "patient". I'm pretty sure the sleep doc wrote my script though.

I had one of those deals going on for awhile. The sleep doc never wrote the perscription at all. The sleep tech wrote the perscription, and the GP that I was dealing with... just signed it. She (the GP) couldn't tell me more than the 2 page summary, and was no help if I had other troubles. Had to find me a sleep doc that would actually talk to me!

At some point, I may make an appointment with her, since that'd make me her patient.