Last time you've seen any sleep professional? (poll)

[dtsm]

My insurance requires a new script every year, and that means I have to visit sleep doc for annual check-up. I've been on the hose for two years now, and my first re-visit was perfunctory -- downloaded data from my cpap unit, chatted for a few minutes, took my blood pressure, listen to my lungs and 'see you next year'!

[archangle]

- Dental hygienists, barbers, mechanics, eye doctors, doctors performing a lot of routine health exams even routine colonoscopies

I need to get some more sleep. The first time I read that, I was wondering since when are dental hygenists, barbers, etc. performing routine colonoscopies?

[ChicagoGranny]

I need to get some more sleep.

No, you just need to get an understanding of the cuts to Medicare.

[archangle]

I need to get some more sleep.

No, you just need to get an understanding of the cuts to Medicare.

Sounds more like "Medicar."

Oh, boy, am I showing my age now? Who else remembers Medicar?

[BlackSpinner]

Sounds more like "Medicar."

Oh, boy, am I showing my age now? Who else remembers Medicar?

Was that on before or after "Car 54 where are you?" Or maybe I am thinking of "Perry Mason"?

[esangston]

I almost wish I didn't have to see my sleep doc so much as $25 a pop times the other drs I have to see is really adding up. But alas I am the wife of a narcoleptic and el narco and i have 3 children almost ages 5,3 & 1.... and seeing how hubby and I share the same sleep doc, docs taken an above average interest in my sleep issues. In his words, "I can fix you, I can never fix Steve I can just help some of his symptoms" so he's got me coming in once a month until hes happy with my numbers. He's also sending me to a nutritionist and all but prescribing a gym membership as my apnea is weight related. I guess I shouldn't complain but I'd prefer to monitoring my own data and just emailing him said data when requested. rather than going by the dme to trade out my card, then into the sleep drs to be told either I have to get use to it, it takes time, or your numbers arent where I want them, lets see what happens in a few weeks... I almost don't want to let him know I've been looking at my data, but the. I almost wanna show up at my next appt with copies of my data to prove to him I can do this lol

[BlackSpinner]

[quote="esangston"I guess I shouldn't complain but I'd prefer to monitoring my own data and just emailing him said data when requested. rather than going by the dme to trade out my card, then into the sleep drs to be told either I have to get use to it, it takes time, or your numbers arent where I want them, lets see what happens in a few weeks... I almost don't want to let him know I've been looking at my data, but the. I almost wanna show up at my next appt with copies of my data to prove to him I can do this lol[/quote]

With the machine you have you can do it. Download sleephead and if needed pick up a smart card reader. Then all you do is print the reports yourself, make images and email them to him.

[Bons]

Saw mine this morning, while hubby was in the next room seeing my doctor's partner and going over his titration study.

Doc got a laugh out of my mummy sleeping bag solution to the PLM's and said that whatever works is good, and less problematic than medication. And we raised my minimum pressure support to see what it will do for my hypopnea.

Fortunately I had the print-outs from my downloads that were done yesterday because the fill-in RT at my DME seems to have erased my card. I should have been nervous about her when she only handed me a compliance report and I had to explain to her that I needed the 14 page download of averages and the last 7 nights' data - she didn't know that she could access stuff like that......

[Sheriff Buford]

Many of you in this forum are out of touch with reality.

oh, here we go....

[chunkyfrog]

I prefer our reality, right here.
I think it will help me live longer and better.
I'd like to thank 'therapist' for calling it to my attention.

[CruzTerri]

It's been over 12 mos since I've started therapy. With the help of this forum, I was set from the get go. While I'm ok with my DME, I don't think I'd recommend them. The RT's there are ambivalent. The equipment they have is what they have. They didn't like it when I inquired about getting a different mask. Gave me the same spiel about being unable to return masks, etc. When I originally got my equipment the RT said that they'd call me in a couple of weeks to see how I was doing. That never happened, nor have they ever contacted me. I've always called them. They have NEVER asked for the card in my machine.

I've never met the Sleep Clinic doctor who review and analyzed my sleep study results. He did call me on the phone and gave me perfunctory information but did provide me with the summary when I asked.

I have seen my GP a couple of times since January 2011, both times she asked me how I was feeling and using the equipment, I said fine and that was the end of that conversation. She's never asked to see my data, I doubt that she'd be able to make heads or tails of it. I'm scheduled to see her again on Monday and I will be requesting a new script to keep on hand so that I can order stuff from another provider. Who knows if I think about it, maybe I'll take some reports with me, but like as I stated, I don't think she'd know what I was showing her LOL

So I am VERY grateful to have found this forum. Without them I doubt that I would have been anywhere near successful. Although, I have 3 sisters who are also CPAPer's, they all live a couple thousand miles away and really don't even want to discuss their machines, etc. so not the best support system, although you would think they would be.

I haven't tried SleepyHead yet, but I intend to. Haven't read my data card in a while, and for a time I was checking everyday. Life just got in the way (helping to plan my son's wedding) and that is keeping me busy.

[AmandaRPSGT]

Just curious for those of you who are not following up with your sleep doctors, do you have Medicare? Medicare guidelines have changed, and inorder to keep your machine, you have to follow up with your sleep doc within 90 days of receiving your machine. I'm glad they did this. I've heard too many stories about cpap machines being stuck in the closet to collect dust. It's really sad when you have patients who want treatment so bad but can't afford it. Luckily we have some great DME companies down here that will work with patients, and have even given away cpap machines.

[Kiralynx]

Just curious for those of you who are not following up with your sleep doctors, do you have Medicare? Medicare guidelines have changed, and inorder to keep your machine, you have to follow up with your sleep doc within 90 days of receiving your machine. I'm glad they did this. I've heard too many stories about cpap machines being stuck in the closet to collect dust. It's really sad when you have patients who want treatment so bad but can't afford it. Luckily we have some great DME companies down here that will work with patients, and have even given away cpap machines.

Amanda,

You're fortunate to have good people to work with. The doctor who diagnosed my apnea told me to follow up with my GP, as apnea wasn't her specialty. My GP didn't care. My DME wasn't interested in follow up. I had to call them and ask to speak to the RT. If they'd had to prove I was using the machine, they wouldn't have been able to.

It was the good folks here in this Forum who made it possible for me to be successful with my therapy.

I've since changed GPs and take her a full set of my dailies whenever I see her -- but in general, I don't see her more than once a year.

[AmandaRPSGT]

You didn't see a sleep specialist? I've worked at my lab going on 7 years now, and our sleep doc is a Board Certified Sleep Physician, as well as a Neurologist. 2 years ago, he "retired" from Neurology so that he could devote all of his work time to his sleep patients

We are very thorough in our follow ups. I tell all of my patients that if they are unhappy with their DME companies, to call and tell us -- and believe me, we have heard some stories. Our patients also know that if they have questions, they can call me direct at the lab. They know our hours, and when they have problems in the middle of the night...I'm up anyway!

I'm not saying any of this to brag. That's just the way we do things, here. It's the way things should be done. But, I am in a smallish town (college town, so it's really not small!), in the south..... I guess things are just done differently. I hate that patients are getting stuck with Drs and DMEs that don't care. It's really a shame.

[archangle]

It's truly sad that the state of followup of treatment for apnea sufferers is so abysmal. Especially since, with a data capable CPAP machine, a trained monkey could do some good. Even a centralized "mail order" data checkup mill could spot an awful lot of problems. Heck, even a 1-800 phone in your AHI numbers service could do a lot of good.

Many patients get no followup at all other than a compliance check, if that.

However, let's not discourage the newbies too much. Most apneacs are still a lot better off with badly managed no-data CPAP than with none at all.