Brief Results of my Latest Sleep Study

For my background, see viewtopic/t40736/Hi-all--A-brief-introduction.html

I had my most recent sleep study (my fourth in 18 months) two weeks ago; will be seeing the doctor for full results on Thursday afternoon. In the meantime, one of the girls in the office gave me a basic rundown of my results.

The doctor wants my pressure upped to 14. (For the first year of CPAP, my pressure was set at 12. This past November, after my third sleep study, my pressure was lowered to 10. Now, the doctor wants it at 14.) Does this seem screwy to you guys? And is this more reason for me to insist on a more sophisticated machine?

I'm told that my central apneas were only transitional and that they disappeared when in the deeper stages of sleep, and that Cheyne-Stokes respiration was not present.

FYI, I called my insurance provider this morning, and I'm told that if the doctor wants me to have a better machine, he has to request prior authorization from them. It takes up to 14 days for either approval or denial. If denied, I can appeal. They will NOT reimburse me if I purchase a machine outright.

After I see the doctor on Thursday, I'll have copies of all four of my sleep studies. I joined Photobucket and will scan and upload the info so that those of you who want to can better assess where I stand with my treatment needs. I'm tired and frustrated, but I'll carry on with this process because I'm determined to deal properly with my sleep disorders. I'll let you know when my studies have been uploaded. TIA

You know, that's why I trust my auto machine to find my correct pressure, rather than the sleep study titration. My sleep study titration was WAY off. My APAP gets it right every night, keeping my AHI average around 0.4.

[quote="BleepingBeauty
I'm told that my central apneas were only transitional and that they disappeared when in the deeper stages of sleep, and that Cheyne-Stokes respiration was not present.[/quote]


I'm glad to see that they have ruled that out. I'll be looking forward to hearing what the doctor has to say.

Bev

I spoke with my sleep doctor's clinical director today, and she, at least, is willing to work with me. The doctor changed his schedule this week, so I won't be seeing him on Thursday, after all. But she asked me to come in on Thursday, anyway, and pick up an AUTO-PAP on loan for a week-long trial (provided that the patient who's got it on loan at the moment returns it on time). She said if the AUTO doesn't make an appreciable difference or if I feel like I can't tolerate it, she'll let me try a Bi-PAP next and see if that's better. Either way, she's willing to push the doctor to get the authorization and get me a better machine if the trials indicate that I'll be better off with one of them. She was adamant that an ASV is *not* the machine for me and wants me to up the pressure to 14 on my CPAP to see if it helps. She said the sleep study indicates that I was having lots of events until the pressure went to 14, when everything changed for the better. So I'll adjust my machine for the next few nights and will let her know how things go when I see her on Thursday.

I told her I was determined to get a fully data-capable machine so I can monitor my own therapy, and she agreed that was a good idea and even suggested she would see what she could do about getting the software and reader covered by my insurance. Feels good to have someone in my corner who listens and is sympathetic; even more important, she's willing to do what needs to be done.

I'm not exactly shouting this yet, but "yay!" I'll pick up the copies of my two most recent sleep studies on Thursday and upload them as soon as I can.