Adding Oxygen ?

[palerider]

Been on Cpap a few years now and not feeling any better. I know when I had my sleep study they had to add oxygen because they told me mine dropped to 70% while sleeping and that few hours I slept there was the best I ever remember sleeping, and that was strange because I was very uncomfortable, bed was too small all the wires glued to me, had to stay in 1 position and so forth. I told my doctor (just about begged) and he said I didn't need oxygen, I have a resmed 10 set at 9.0 and it ain't doing it. Sorry for the rambling but I want to get my own machine and use it with my Cpap. I'm looking for advice, what do you think ?

I think, unless you have worn a recording oximeter, you don't know whether you need oxygen or not.

oxygen saturation levels have little effect in how rested you feel.

[zonker]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment ?
I want to stop cpap,
. . .

I think I figured this out.
Logic does not work with this one.

i disagree, in this case. i think the op is just panicking at his dilemma and reaching out. once he's calmed down, getting his therapy in order and starting to think more clearly, he'll be all right.

at least he's not spending time arguing with the expert users here.

[Hoosier Daddy]

What confuses me is why would they add it during the sleep study but not during home treatment ?
I want to stop cpap,
. . .

I think I figured this out.
Logic does not work with this one.
[/quote

i disagree, in this case. i think the op is just panicking at his dilemma and reaching out. once he's calmed down, getting his therapy in order and starting to think more clearly, he'll be all right.

at least he's not spending time arguing with the expert users here.

You'd be correct. I have also figured out that frog is a true asset and very helpful to people seeking help.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Another thing I just thought of is these are my myair numbers, hardly any apnea at all. 8:05 usage hours 70
Good mask seal 20
0.3 events per hour 5
1 mask on/off 5
Total myAir score 100

[Pugsy]

Well yeah...those are treated numbers. No way of knowing how many apnea events it prevented from happening or would happen without cpap being used.

[chunkyfrog]

MyAir is a COMPLIANCE tool.
---Mostly a TOOL.
It is of little therapeutic use, compared to Oscar/Sleepyhead.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Well yeah...those are treated numbers. No way of knowing how many apnea events it prevented from happening or would happen without cpap being used.

Ok, guess I'll try the oximeter next, should I try 1 night with cpap and see before I do a night without it ? And TY , you've been very helpful.

[Pugsy]

Doesn't really matter in what order you do the testing but if you do it with cpap and there are still significant drops in O2 levels....you have one answer right there.

[Okie bipap]

When I did my sleep test, I also had to be put on oxygen so they could complete the test. However, once they put me on a machine, my oxygen level stabilized. If I fall asleep without my machine on, my blood oxygen level drops drastically. When I was in the hospital last spring due to AFIB, and when I had a hip replaced two years ago, I would set the blood oxygen level alarm off every time I dozed off without my machine on. When I slept at night with the machine, I never set off the alarm once.

[TropicalDiver]

Excellent advice above. I will try and provide a bit more context.

Untreated (or poorly treated) sleep apnea causes lots of stress on the body. One stress often seen is hypoxia (low oxygen levels) but it is one of many. And hypoxia is not seen in all cases of apnea. Nor are all cases of hypoxia due to apnea. Even if simply adding O2 resolved hypoxia (not a given), it would not resolve all of the harms that apnea can do. In other words, fixing only desating (via oxygen) does not make sense.

As others have noted, in cases of apnea with low sats, treating the apnea typically resolves the desating. In the sleep study, when they are not providing PAP, it makes sense to add supplemental oxygen. And, assuming your sats are fine with PAP (most often the case), adding supplemental oxygen would not make sense.

That is why you are going to do the overnight oximetry. If it shows you are still desating, then you need work with a doc. If you are not, then you know supplemental oxygen is likely not warranted.

Please let us know how it goes!

[Julie]

You're putting too much into what happened when tested... they may try all kinds of things (like diff. sleep positions) to get worst (or best) case scenarios, but they don't necessarily prescribe for those, they use them however to understand the whole picture. Don't get hung up on that!

[D.H.]

I agree that you need an oximeter. You need to be sure that low oxygen is your problem.

Ordinarily, if the diagnosis is garden variety obstructive sleep apnea, you should not need supplemental oxygen. However, if there is an additional diagnosis, that might be different.

In this case, if your oxygen is still too low you obviously should see if supplemental oxygen helps.

If the sleep doctor who is treating you refuses to hear this, find a different sleep doctor.

[greatunclebill]

If you think you need o2 and the doctor refuses to order it or order you tested for it. it makes me think you don't need it. the doctor is putting his medical license on the line every time he makes a decision. do you really think, everything considered he would just arbitrarily be an axx and say you don't need it and open himself up to a malpractice suit? i don't think so.

to save money, have your sleep doctor or your primary care doctor order an overnight o2. you'll get the unit from the dme, use it overnight and return it the next day, your doc will get the results. if you buy a unit and show him your results, in most cases he is going to order the study anyways. taking everything i've read in this thread at face value, i'm thinking you don't need o2.