Had another sleep study last night

[amandalee]

So back in January, I decided to find a different sleep clinic, since the one I originally went to last summer sent me on my way without any follow-up as soon as I had my machine. This had not been a good situation because I'm still almost as tired as before I started CPAP.

At my first visit with the new doctor, he didn't seem very impressed with the split-night and titration that had been done at the first sleep lab. Since some of the numbers indicated I might have periodic limb movement, he gave me a trial pack of Requip. The stuff made me sick. I told him this at my follow up appointment, and then after looking at my old studies again, he said he wanted to schedule me for another split night study.

So that was last night. I could NOT sleep at all. It felt like I was laying there awake the entire time. The harder I tried to sleep, the more impossible it was to actually fall asleep and I got stressed out to the point where I just started crying. (This never happens at home BTW, if I can't sleep I go watch TV for awhile and usually that helps me fall asleep).

When the technician came in this morning, she told me I had hardly gotten any sleep at all, not enough for them to come in and hook me up to CPAP. She also mentioned that she hadn't noticed alot of apneas (WTF? In my original study my AHI was 30/hr), but that it might just be because I hadn't slept for very long.

Anyway, I don't know what to make of all this. I'm worried that I will have to go back for yet another study, and that my insurance (BCBS) probably won't pay for it because I already had 2 last year.

I'm also scared that if my Dr. decides the apneas in this study weren't bad enough to warrant using CPAP, that I will have to give up my machine. Granted, sometimes I don't like using it, but BEFORE I got it, most days I was just wishing I could die. I still feel crappy, even with CPAP, but not as bad as without it.

[socknitster]

Oh, dear. Next time maybe you should take an ambien or something? I don't think they will take your machine away. Give up the worry about all this and just wait and see what the doctor says. If the insurance gives you trouble have the doctor go to bat for you. It IS necessary to have another one because this is your life and your health riding on this. You probably didn't have many apneas because you weren't asleep.

Ironically, I had the opposite problem during my sleep study. I thought I WASN'T asleep when the tech came in to put cpap on me. She said I had been asleep for over two hours and that was enough. Apparantly when you are in stage 1 or 2 sleep you can be aware enough of your surroundings that you don't necessarily feel like you have slept at all. That is probably the only kind of sleep you got while you were there--and most people don't generally have a lot of apnea in those stages. Mostly its REM sleep that is the worst for apnea.

Try not to worry about it, though I know it is hard.

Jen

[amandalee]

Thanks Jen. The technician told me that some people have to take ambien so they can sleep in the lab. If I have to go back and do it again, I think I will need a sleeping pill. It was horrible.

The bed felt like I was sleeping on the floor, the sheets were like sandpaper, I was in a room with a window overlooking the street, so I could hear traffic, there was light from the LEDs on the CPAP machine and something else, as well as light coming in from under and around the door. The room was too hot, and I felt like I was being strangled by all the wires.

Also, does anyone have any tips on getting rid of that goop they use to put the electrodes on your head? I've washed and washed my hair but it won't come out.

[sharon1965]

hey amandalee

everything you just said was true for me at my last study, comfort wise anyway

i feel for you, love, i really do...

i wish i had answers for you, but i don't...just know that we are all pulling for you to get what you need

as far as the goop, i found that if i let the water run on it for a while, as hot as i could stand it, it came out, but i still had to shampoo at least twice; you could also try really loading your wet hair up with conditioner, let it sit for a few minutes, then comb thru with a wide tooth comb

[Slinky]

Those cheap plastic "nit combs" they sell for treating for headlice work well. I used a stainless steal "flea comb" we use for the dogs and cats. Both have the same extremely narrow teeth spacing. Plus a good shampoo as well, of course.

[kteague]

Wow, what a disappointment! The only good thing I can see to come out of this is you now know some things to do before another study to increase your chances of sleeping well. In addition to the medication, short of considering another facility, consider the following...

When scheduling your appointment, tell them you request to be assigned the quietest room in their facility, not in the path of talking foot traffic nor with a window over the street. If upon arrival the room is not satisfactory, request a different room or reschedule.

Though it may be a royal pain, take (borrow if need be) a mattress topper and take this and your own sheets (and pillow) with you.

Ask them to tape a piece of paper over any equipment lights.

Ask them when they exit the room to place a towel at the bottom of the door to keep out the light.

If there's a problem with insurance repeating the test, tell them the facilities accomodations were inadequate. It wouldn't hurt to even ask the facility to not charge for the failed test since their accomodations are not conducive to success. A sleep lab should be conducive to sleep, even for light sleepers.

As far as feeling stressed to "perform" by sleeping, and in view of your past difficulties, and especially since your case is complicated by possible movements disorders, I would want two full night studies. There would be less pressure to get to sleep quickly. It concerns me that an abbreviated study may not be fully representative of how your nights usually are.

Sorry you're going thru this at a time when you really don't feel up to it. By the way, what dose of Requip were you given?

Kathy

[Hunter1]

Amandalee

I have read your post from time to time and you are always saying even with CPAP you feel tired during the day. Could your diet be effecting how you feel and sleep? It was for me and I would like to share my story with you.

I have been on CPAP for about 6 months. While I experienced some improvement, I was still tired and sleepy during the day.

Recently, I listened to a CD by Brian Tracy titled "Fit and Trim For Life." On this CD, Mr. Tracy states that food is a chemical. When we put food in our bodies, our bodies react to it just like a drug. Some foods are good for our bodies, others are not.

From this CD, I learned I should not mix protein and bad carbs together. When I mix them together, I feel tired and angry. When I stick with protein and good carbs, I do not experience the drag through the day.

Mr. Tracy also states that we should stay away from the three white poisions: salt, sugar, and white flower.

Brian Tracy states that if one will follow his plan, he/she will arrive at their ideal weight, feel better, and sleep better.

You can get this CD through BrianTracy.com for about 17.00.

Your medical issue may be more than just your sleep apnea.

I wish you well.

Hunter1

[tomjax]

Your profile shows you have an apap.

Why did you not download the data?

You are having a sleep study every nigt if you only use the data availiable.

The more I hear about sleep docs the confuseder I get.

I wonder if all docs are as dumb as most of them seem to be.
Did you even mention that you have a data capable machine?/

[JZ]

When I did my sleep study, it was a two-night study, not split night. On that second night when they were to do the titration, I did not feel like I slept at all. I guess I did some, but not on my back. The sleep center asked me to come in a third night to get me to sleep on my back. They said it was their fault because the technician did not instruct me to stay on my back.

The first question I asked was whether they were going to charge my insurance company for the waste of time second night and they said no.

If you need to return for another study, I recommend you tell the sleep center you expect them to not charge your insurance for the failed split study. You can also communicate that directly to your insurance company.

BTW, when I went back for the third night I did take an Ambien and it helped some.

Good luck.

[gasp]

[quote="amandalee"]Thanks Jen. The technician told me that some people have to take ambien so they can sleep in the lab. If I have to go back and do it again, I think I will need a sleeping pill. It was horrible.

The bed felt like I was sleeping on the floor, the sheets were like sandpaper, I was in a room with a window overlooking the street, so I could hear traffic, there was light from the LEDs on the CPAP machine and something else, as well as light coming in from under and around the door. The room was too hot, and I felt like I was being strangled by all the wires.

Also, does anyone have any tips on getting rid of that goop they use to put the electrodes on your head? I've washed and washed my hair but it won't come out.

[allen476]

I feel for you. I had a 2 night study and felt the same way the first night except I was "the room is too dark, it is too quiet, and the sheets are too scratchy" (darn the wife for buying high thread count sheets).

The second night I went I took my own pillows and a blanket. I also took a night light with me but I wasn't allowed to use it because of the recording camera that they use. She did turn on the bathroom light and then closed the door giving me a little light. They turned down the thermostat to cool it off in there and brought in a fan to blow on me. I have to say it helped a lot.

Don't be afraid to voice what will help you sleep. When I was talking with the tech while she put the 500 wires on my body, she said that everyone is different and that they will accommodate almost anything.

And the goop, I found that using a scalp brush helped with that.

Allen

[amandalee]

Thanks for all the replies, they are helpful. 2 days later, I think most of the goop is finally out of my hair.

Next time, I guess I will have to take my mattress topper (it is one of those memory foam things) and my own sheets (high thread count) with me. I complained about the noise from the street, and they gave me some earplugs--those didn't help though because it just made my own breathing sound really loud and annoying.

When I mentioned the LED lights from the CPAP and whatever else, they found some extra pillows to put over them, but there was still some light from them and it bothered me. There was a fan in the room, thankfully, and once they turned that on, the white noise and cool air helped a little.

It probably sounds like I am being overly sensitive, but I have a really hard time sleeping in unfamiliar places...

As for the Requip, I started off taking 0.25 mg for a few days, then 0.5 mg, then 1 mg. When I took the first 0.25 mg pill, it made me feel all shaky and nauseous. The next night I tried it again, and it wasn't as bad, but still unpleasant. When I got to the 1 mg pills, they made me see and hear things in the room that I knew weren't there as I was trying to fall asleep--shadows moving and things like that. It freaked me out and I stopped taking it after that.

As for my diet, I try really hard to eat healthy and avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates and stuff like that. I'm doing Weight Watchers, which emphasizes getting at least 5 servings of fruits & veggies, drinking enough water, getting healthy fats like olive oil, etc. Most of the time I do pretty well, but other days when I am feeling really tired and crappy, it's alot harder. The diet CD sounds interesting, I will have to look into it.

I try to remember to download the data from my machine and look at it on a regular basis (they do this at the sleep clinic as well). The last time I checked, my AHI was less than one, with no major leaks or anything else to be concerned about. The numbers looked good, but that isn't reflected in how I actually feel.

Thanks again for all the help.

[gasp]

. . . I try to remember to download the data from my machine and look at it on a regular basis (they do this at the sleep clinic as well). The last time I checked, my AHI was less than one, with no major leaks or anything else to be concerned about. The numbers looked good, but that isn't reflected in how I actually feel. . .

It took me months of good numbers to feel like I could call what I was feeling rested. Not only was I making up for many years of lost sleep, but the hunt for a mask that worked also impacted getting adequate rest.

Keep on keepin' on : )