Titration Test Concerns/Questions

Hi... I've just completed my Titration Study and I am kind of upset. I guess my expectations were higher, but based on information I have read on this website both before and after I am feeling a bit better.

I was diagnosed with OSA on 10/21/12. I'm familiar with this... My husband and father both have it and have cpap's that they use religiously (yay!) I hate to say it, but I was so happy to be diagnosed with OSA... Okay, maybe not happy, but so relieved to know that there may be a fix in the near future for my excessive tiredness. I've been tired for years... Have complained about constant tiredness that was always related to something else (depression, overweight, blood sugar), yet it never was fixed. Finally last year I went to the doctor to report that i just don't breathe well through my nose. I am congested ALL the time. Her first recommendation was an allergist.. then following an ENT if the problem continues. I did see the allergist and have bad allergies, which I have been treating for a year. However I was/am still having tiredness and breathing through nose issues.... Finally got to the ENT.. I probably shouldn't have waited so long, but with high deductibles and co-pays one can only do so much!

Went into the ENT and said "I'm tired all the time. I would like a sleep study". He said "Awesome. Here you go".... After getting the results back I had 10 apneas and 139 hypopneas. AHI of 22. Success... I am on the road to recovery! Loved the sleep tech. She was very informative. The next morning she explained that my sleep was pretty fragmented and confirmed some questions I had. Waited two weeks to get the results to the doctor, a week to get in to see the doctor. He gave me the Rx for a titration study. They called me up and scheduled me for the next available appointment- December 7th. Was pretty disappointed that I would have to wait so long. I mean we know what the problem is, lets get to fixing it! Got on the cancel list and got a phone call two days later. They had an opening the following evening (this past Friday).

Got to the lab and had a different sleep tech. There was someone else in the lab that night, so he got her hooked up first and it seemed like they were adjusting masks, etc... it took him about an hour and a half. The tech comes into the room and says "first off are you congested" and I said "Yes, extremely... I just got over a bad cold"... He said "then you should probably not have the test tonight as we won't be able to get an accurate reading, unless you are a mouth breather". Well, i had just waited 1 1/2 hours for him, no way was I going home, plus on top of this I think I am a mouth breather, aren't we all? I snore and drool.. that sums it up for me. So I say "yes, i do breathe through my mouth" and he says "Ok we will put you into a Full Face Mask". Luckily I had read on this forum that people do successfully use their Cpap's when they have a cold and sometimes it helps, so I stuck to my guns. By the time he got me finished hooked up it was midnight! He slapped the mask on, said "time for bed". I think he was excited to get to his dinner or something.

I immediately get a tickle in my throat and I ask for water and he responds "they are all out". I said "i'll go to the faucet"... nothing... so I try not to think about it, which is good because he never returned... Okay maybe he did return and I just passed out, but... He did some mask adjustments in the middle of night and back to sleep I went.

I woke up in the morning feeling tired, but not exhausted and not wishing I was still sleeping. I felt "rested", even though I know I didn't sleep as great as I normally do I asked him if I was up all night and his response was "what do you think". I said "I must have slept because it was already 6 a.m." I asked him where I was at setting wise and he said he couldn't tell me, but that he thought we were all set. I was using the Mirage Quattro to sleep I I did notice leaking and face farts, i thought it was just me

IDK... I am wondering if we should have tried other masks, or explain how they work better. If I had to take the mask off I wouldn't have been able to. That was pretty scary. Anyhow, is this a pretty typical test environment? In the future I think I will go elsewhere. What recommendations to you have when I get to the DME? Any advice would be appreciated and I feel better just venting!

I'm a newbie, but this was pretty much like my sleep studies. Hurry up and wait, then no information. This will bump you up so maybe some of the experienced folks can comment.

Hi Snuzzie, your titration study sounds pretty much par for the course. But in the end, you will be doing much of the fine tuning on your own anyway, so don't be too concerned. One of our most popular recommendations for newbies is http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/ by Janknitz, one of our forum members. Start there and then ask away with all your questions.

The techs cannot legally give you any medical information. And since you needed the fullface mask because of the congestion, the lab may not have had more than one or two models available. Had you not had the congestion, then you would most likely have been given the option to try all three styles of masks. In other words, for the most part your experience was fairly standard, except for not being allowed water.

A couple of things about follow up: BEFORE you go to the DME, ask your doctor to specify on your prescription that you should receive a data-capaple machine, and DO NOT accept an "escape" from Resmed or anything that does not say "pro" from Phillips Respironics. As far as masks go, bring a pillow (leave it in the car unless you need it) and try on masks while lying down, with a cpap set at your prescribed pressure. Try all three styles, and a model of two of each. Once you get it home, you have a 30 day trial. If you discover that the mask is not right for you, you can exchange it.... and the DME should let you do this until you find the right one for you.

Thank you for all the information! Since finding this site I am so much more prepared....