Newbie

[PhotoCrusader]

Hello everyone. My name is Cathy, and I have just found ths forum. I have been having sleeping issues for years. At first it was an issue of not being able to fall asleep for hours. I was given medication which resulted in either my starting my day with a drug hangover feeling or over sleeping. This became a problem with working / maintaining a job. I stopped taking it with my doctor's knowledge. 2 1/2 yrs ago I lost my job because of falling asleep at my desk and being late to work due to oversleeping. 2 yrs ago, I had my first sleep study. I had one incidence during the night. I fournd out that they marked it as insomnia. The situation has gotten a lot worse. I am falling asleep on the job more often. I can't concentrate and don't have the same mental agility. I haven't been able to keep any job. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get. I just need more. I have had to fight sleep driving home from work. I have fallen asleep at the wheel, and totalled my car. Last March, i brought it up again. My doctor increased one of my medcations and wanted me to wait 6 weeks and recheck my labs to see if that helped. It didn't. I lost another job. He told me that the tests showed that it was not organic. My health insurance ended. On August 1st, my new insurance kicked in. I met with my Dr. and it took 5 weeks to get my nsurance referral. The Sleep Center had a 6 week waiting list. Luckily there was a cancellation on Sunday night. It didn't go well. I had the split test. I was awoken at 1am. Then the hell of the masks. The first was the nose only. It kept losing suction with my face. I then tried the nostril plug. I couldn't exhale all the way. I kept having to open my mouth to let the air out. The last mask was the full mask. It also lost suction. I never fell back to sleep. I was worried about making the drive home without falling asleep. I made it.

How long does it take for the doctor to get back to me? I figure that at this rate I might see a CPAP machine (if I need it) around Christmas.

Nice to meet you all in time.

[kteague]

How long the whole process takes depends on the doctor and the provider (DME) you are working with. In the meantime, do some reading about how to get a machine that will meet your needs. Also, ask for a printed copy of your test results (should be a few pages, not just a summary letter). So often questions come up and it's not practical to call the doctor and ask for a call back every time something comes up. Whatever provider you are using to get your machine, ask in advance the full and exact machine name so you can check here to make sure it is acceptable. Then when it is delivered, check again to make sure what got delivered is what they said you'd get. It's really hard to undo the mess once you accept a sub-standard machine. Some places always give out data cpable auto adjusting machines. Others, not so much. If the titration portion of your study was as much trouble as you say, if they were unable to get solid results it could bolster your case to get an auto adjusting machine. That's another reason for you to have the test results in advance.

Certainly obstructive sleep apnea could be causing all your sleepiness. Step one is to get started on treatment, figure out mask issues, and monitor your data to assure your treatment is therapeutic. It will only be after some time of effective treatment that you can see if there are any residual issues needing further investigation. If it comes to that, we can point you in the direction of other things to consider.

While you are waiting, you might want to take measures to avoid back sleeping and maybe try sleeping on a bit of an incline. Won't cure you but may help mitigate your breathing issues a bit. And please do limit yourself on the driving. I had to do that until I got straightened out. And about how long this whole thing takes, be the squeaky wheel.

[PhotoCrusader]

My plan is to call my doctors office on Monday. I will call the sleep study place to see if they will send me the report as well.
I don't drive much. But living in LA, it is so easy for a short trip to take a long time. One night it took 2 hours to go one mile. There was no way around the traffic.

Thanks for the information. It is all so complicated.

BTW: I hate sleeping on my back. That was part of the problem during my sleep study.

[Julie]

The lab won't send you anything - your MD has to give you the report and discuss it.

[Julie]

It's ILLEGAL for anyone but the doctor to do it!

[Julie]

Only your MD is supposed to give you test results... is that clear enough?

[Gryphon]

I think Julie meant is, it's illegal for anyone but a qualified doctor to "Interpret those results" and provide a "Script to treat a condition diagnosed based on those results".

I'm fairly sure that you are entitled by law to copies of any medical records that are generated in the coarse of your care or data/documentation of any tests performed on you. Not the interpretation of those results unless they're already done and payed for.

Example. If you got a sleep test done. You should by law be able to get a copy of the results of that test. But if the doctor who is going to review those results and give an interpretation of what they mean doesn't have time to look at them for 2 or 3 months "we can talk about that craziness in another thread" - then you just have to wait or take the copy of the results to another doctor who can see you faster.

Not sure if that helped or not.

Rest well.

Gryphon

[Gryphon]

If you don't know what she meant - why don't you "ASK her to clarify" instead of saying what she said was meaningless.

There is a better way to respond to what someone says with out picking a fight.



Also you said "the question is getting diagnosed using a faster better cheaper IHT -in home sleep test- than an expensive unreliable atypical sleep lab session"

The real question that the OP posted - and they were so kind as to re-write it at the end of their post was

"How long does it take for the doctor to get back to me? I figure that at this rate I might see a CPAP machine (if I need it) around Christmas."

Your response to that could go something like... This is how long it took me to get to see my doctor, how long it took me to get my machine etc... You might find that if you contact the lab and ask to be given a copy of your test you can take the results to another doctor for a quicker diagnosis etc...



The reliability of in home tests vs a lab test is a whole different can of worms that could be opened up in another thread and doesn't need to be dragged into this one, especially when your being so aggressive about it and generalizing it. There lots of documented cases of types of sleep conditions that absolutely can not be picked up by a "Take home Test" that only can be found and seen in a lab with more extensive testing capabilities. There also arguments about general apnea that go the other way, that the change in sleeping location and other factors can alter how a person sleeps and make a in lab test less accurate. Both arguments work depending on the circumstances - you cant blanket them all in with broad statements that are blank and white.

We need to stop freaking out new posters with these tit for tat fuss fests... most of which your gruff tone and down right nastiness seam to be starting. If you think what someone says is false or erroneous you need to come up with a better way of following up on those statements that are not considered hostile or combative.

I'll also go out on a limb and say, when people try to correct statements made by you that they think are false or erroneous that they also should be less hostile or combative in the way that they go about it.

[Julie]

Sure, but after the 100th time it gets old.

[chunkyfrog]

So old.

[Gryphon]

It is old - I do agree - it's the same thing I used to think when they told me to ignore the bullies at school... easier said then done.

We gota find a way to correct the bad information but being very "Professional" about it so he doesn't use that to escalate. When he does escalate with name calling I think we could ignore him after that.

[TASmart]

I tried, I really tried. I admit failure. He is too good for me. From now on I have to read, smirk, and move on. I feel for people turning here for knowledge who are unaware of xxyzx's history, but I cannot fight his overt stupidity without getting too sucked into infantile did too - did not. Sad but true.

[Madalot]

I tried, I really tried. I admit failure. He is too good for me. From now on I have to read, smirk, and move on. I feel for people turning here for knowledge who are unaware of xxyzx's history, but I cannot fight his overt stupidity without getting too sucked into infantile did too - did not. Sad but true.

I don't think you failed. I really don't. You have done very well dealing with his inaccuracies. He would try the patience of a saint.

[TASmart]

Thanks

[Lucyhere]

I tried, I really tried. I admit failure. He is too good for me. From now on I have to read, smirk, and move on. I feel for people turning here for knowledge who are unaware of xxyzx's history, but I cannot fight his overt stupidity without getting too sucked into infantile did too - did not. Sad but true.

Only post when he says something about sleep apnea/cpap/ASV machines that could potentially harm someone. Other than that, I agree with you...