Sleep Study Scoring (Newbie)

[bodyroc]

I had my 1st sleep study on October 30th. My Dr. had the nurse call me early this morning November 6th and told me I need to be back at the sleep center tonight. My appoint for my second sleep study is not until November 23rd. I was told I scored 80 and that 50 is considered severe. She then told me she was not suppose to tell me this information but it is critical that I come in tonight and get the second study and get hooked up to a machine, if she has to scare me so be it. She also said the Dr. took one look at my sleep study results this morning and said I can die in my sleep at any time. Now I'm freaked out. Can I really die in my sleep? I am going in tonight no matter what. This is all so new to me and it has me going a bit nuts.

[Pugsy]

Welcome to the forum.

You are going to need to do some fast learning. Start by reading these 2 links.

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/what-y ... me-part-i/

We could all die in our sleep tonight. Might be related to sleep apnea and might be related to something else.
That is the way life is. We just happen to have an extra little problem with our breathing during the night.
Most of the time OSA is a slow death though. Caused by secondary byproducts from the effects that stopping breathing has on our whole body.

So don't freak out. You didn't get this problem over night and it hasn't killed you yet.
Get yourself educated on machines (full data vs hours of use data...links above) and you will have a head start for when you meet whomever is supplying your equipment. Don't be in such a panic that you end up with a machine that doesn't offer any data that might help you if you have problems.

[bodyroc]

Thank you and I will study and print the links you have provided. You have given me some much needed information.

[Tino2You]

Hi Bodyroc,

You have found a good place in this forum. There is a ton of information here. Also the more experienced people on here are very helpful and very understanding.

With your score of 80, my thinking is that your should have had a split study. I scored a 93 and after sleeping for 3 hours I was woken up and told to "put on this mask" and go back to sleep. Was a very fun night. What you are in store for tonight is similar to your first study (wires, and glue and people watching you while you sleep) only this time you will have a mask on. So to get ahead of the curve read the info on masks. You will most likely be given a choice of full face mask (FFM) or nasal mask. Here is your first time to try out stuff and you should. Chances are they will let you go home with the mask you wore during the study.

The trade off of nasal pillow to FFM is one of comfort. The nasal pillow masks have the smallest and lightest headgear and the mask itself fits under (or on) your nose. I find it to be the most comfortable and least restrictive type of mask. The drawback is that you can only breathe through your nose.

The FFMs will work if your mouth is open or closed. The drawback is when you move you can dislodge the seal causing leaks (the bane of our therapy).

Some people on this forum will swear by FFMs and others by nasal mask or pillows. The caveat is that all faces are different and what works for me may not work from you. The mask is the single hardest piece of equipment to find and fit. It is the thing that will be on your face, all night long, from here on out.

Lastly, call your insurance company and find out what they will cover as far as equipment is concerned Some DMEs (Durable Medical Equipment...companies that sell hardware) operate in the same practice as the sleep study and/or doctor and may not be covered under your insurance. Knowing what is covered and where the equipment can be obtained will be plus. By the way, even with my 93 AHI during my sleep study, it still took me 5 weeks to get my machine. Sometimes, some DMEs will give out loaners, but alas I was not that lucky. One thing to remember that (some) DMEs will lie to you. They will tell you that this is the "best ever jim crack machine", when in fact it is the machine with the largest profit margin. the two links Pugsy gave you will explain the differences in the machines.

Take care,
-tino

[bodyroc]

Hi Bodyroc,

You have found a good place in this forum. There is a ton of information here. Also the more experienced people on here are very helpful and very understanding.

With your score of 80, my thinking is that your should have had a split study. I scored a 93 and after sleeping for 3 hours I was woken up and told to "put on this mask" and go back to sleep. Was a very fun night. What you are in store for tonight is similar to your first study (wires, and glue and people watching you while you sleep) only this time you will have a mask on. So to get ahead of the curve read the info on masks. You will most likely be given a choice of full face mask (FFM) or nasal mask. Here is your first time to try out stuff and you should. Chances are they will let you go home with the mask you wore during the study.

The trade off of nasal pillow to FFM is one of comfort. The nasal pillow masks have the smallest and lightest headgear and the mask itself fits under (or on) your nose. I find it to be the most comfortable and least restrictive type of mask. The drawback is that you can only breathe through your nose.

The FFMs will work if your mouth is open or closed. The drawback is when you move you can dislodge the seal causing leaks (the bane of our therapy).

Some people on this forum will swear by FFMs and others by nasal mask or pillows. The caveat is that all faces are different and what works for me may not work from you. The mask is the single hardest piece of equipment to find and fit. It is the thing that will be on your face, all night long, from here on out.

Lastly, call your insurance company and find out what they will cover as far as equipment is concerned Some DMEs (Durable Medical Equipment...companies that sell hardware) operate in the same practice as the sleep study and/or doctor and may not be covered under your insurance. Knowing what is covered and where the equipment can be obtained will be plus. By the way, even with my 93 AHI during my sleep study, it still took me 5 weeks to get my machine. Sometimes, some DMEs will give out loaners, but alas I was not that lucky. One thing to remember that (some) DMEs will lie to you. They will tell you that this is the "best ever jim crack machine", when in fact it is the machine with the largest profit margin. the two links Pugsy gave you will explain the differences in the machines.

Take care,
-tino

Thank you Tino,

You have also given me some good advice. I have been doing a lot of reading and studying about this. It is a bit overwhelming but it is something I am going to have to do regardless for the rest of my life. I will continue to learn and understand as much as I can and this forum is helping me a lot. I don't feel so alone with it.

[JohnO]

I will continue to learn and understand as much as I can and this forum is helping me a lot. I don't feel so alone with it.

I joined this forum in the spring, was diagnosed with severe OSA in early August, and have now been using an Auto-CPAP machine for close to 100 nights. This forum has been amazingly welcoming and instructive. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Feel free to search around too, but people are very willing to share. While the doctors and nurses do what they can, there are many things that can impact comfort, such as choosing the right mask, etc., that the doctors just don't usually have time to address. This forum is very helpful for that.

John