Sleep study results

[questionsgalore]

I just looked at my sleep study results and I don't think my doctor is very good at reviewing it. He told me that a sleeping heart rate of 63 is bad. I read that it's normal for a resting heartbeat to be between 60 and 100. Am I wrong? Is he wrong?

My test indicates I have very severe OSA. I had a split study going up to 8 in pressure with no help. They want me to go back for titration. How high does the pressure go? The study also showed I had no central apnea events until I had the CPAP on. Is that normal?

I have no idea when I will get a CPAP at this point. Your experiences and advise is welcome.

[yaconsult]

The heart rate isn't a big deal and, as you found, is within normal range. The diagnosis of severe apnea IS a big deal. And the fact that you had a split study means that they positively determined that you had sleep apena in the first part of the night.

It is unfortunate that they were not able to complete the titration during your first test. They were able to do that for me. The pressure range of a normal cpap machine is 4-20. How much you need has to be determined either by a titration or a lot of experimenting and looking at data on your part. I need a minimum pressure of 13 to keep my airway open, but everyone is different.

Most people do not have central apneas, but some do. They can tell precisely during the titration and it may affect the equipment you need.

It shouldn't take long to get a machine after being diagnosed, especially with severe apnea, but this is a critical part of the whole process for you. You need to make sure that you get a full data capable auto cpap that is supported by the free SleepyHead software that we use to monitor our progress. Many DMEs will try to give you a lesser machine because they make more money that way. What works best is to have your doctor write the prescription for the specific machine model that you want. Then, the DME has to give you that specific one.

[questionsgalore]

I have to get another study done. Probably another month before that's done and then I was told I have to make another appt. with the doctor (more time wasted) and then he has to do the script. I don't see getting one very soon. That's concerning for me.

[Guest]

I have to get another study done. Probably another month before that's done and then I was told I have to make another appt. with the doctor (more time wasted) and then he has to do the script. I don't see getting one very soon. That's concerning for me.

It should concern you. If you have cash to spend you can buy a cpap off Craigslist.

The problem is you will have to learn that all the cpaps from the same mfg look the same even tho diff models have diff features. You can learn the diff here if you can spend the time reading (making notes) and asking questions.

Look for a used auto that is data capable at a reasonable price. For price compare to cpap dot com using the same new models.

The bright side is you will want/need a backup cpap at some point, anyway so it's not wasted money.

There is a lot to learn and a steep learning curve but it has been done here before. Another option would be to find another doc or a dentist to write you a script so you can use insurance. But you also need to find a good sleep doc to get this moving.

[zoocrewphoto]

Can you post the actual results from the sleep study?

For example, what was your ahi? Did they say how long you spent in each sleep cycle, how long on your back, side, etc?

Also, what was the makeup of the ahi as they started the titration? I ask because buying your own machine NOW, might not be a good idea if you are having cpap related centrals. That may be treatable with a regular cpap machine, but you might need a bipap machine. And that would be good to know before you go shopping. If you post your results here, you could at least get better advice for before you do something.

[questionsgalore]

Sleep Data -
Monitored time 470 min, slept for 229 min. Sleep latency of 25.9, REM latency 84.5, wake after sleep onset 215 min.

Breakdown of sleep staging: Stage N1 12 min, Stage N2 133.5 min, Stage N3 55 min and REM 28.5.

Diagnostic Data -
146 apnea events with index of 61.5/hours, 22 hypopnea events for index of 9.3/hour of sleep, 168 apnea and hypopnea events were observed during the analysis period as follows, 146 obstructive apneas, 0 central apneas, o mixed and 22 hypopneas for an apnea/hypopnea index of 70.0.

124 desaturations based on 3 percent or greater drop from baseline. Lowest SaO2 was 79 with an average of 92 percent

During titration in split study 116 desaturations occurred.

Heart rate - 63.9
Arousal Stats -
from 9:30 pm to 5:30 am 301 arousals (78.9/hour), 288 respiratory arousals, 0 leg movement, 9 spontaneous arousals and 4 snore arousals., 0 PLM arousals.

Diagnosis -Very Severe OSA with overall AHI of 70.7 /hours

Started at 4 and went to 8 pressure on IPAP/EPAP with incomplete study without adequate reduction in AHI .

[yaconsult]

I know what you are going through when you try to sleep. My measured AHI was 80. You are not getting any restful sleep as you are having 80 events on average every hour.

Many of us can also identify with your frustration at how long the process takes. I do not understand why they did not try higher pressures during your split study. In my split study, they determined that 13 was the pressure that worked for me.

You can try to get your doctor to provide you with a prescription for an auto adjusting cpap machine to use while you are waiting for the titration study. The first study has proved that you are suffering from severe apnea and that should be more than enough justification.

Another thing that you can do is to contact the sleep lab and ask them to put you on their cancellation wait list. This has the potential to get you in much sooner, with the downside that you have to be ready to go there for the night on very short notice of only an hour or two.

But try to move the process of getting a machine along right away. You now have measured data to back up that your are suffering greatly every night when you try to sleep. Some people have reported that their sleep lab provided them with loaner machines to use until they got their official machine.