At home sleep strip showed no apnea, should I do a pulse ox?

[Toogerbug]

Hi,

I tried the FDA approved at home Sleep Strip test for sleep apnea. It gave me a result of 0 which means anywhere from 0 apneas to normal apneas of under 15.

I was really shocked, because from my symptoms I'm fairly sure I have apnea. I did not sleep well, so that may have been part of the problem. I was supposed to wear it for a minimum of 5 hours and it stops recording at 8 hours. I wore it for about 6 1/2 hours because I just couldn't get back to sleep and it was making my anxious. I would estitmate I only got about 4 hours sleep, I kept waking up. (I go between over and undersleeping, usually oversleeping, but fitfully and with lots of waking up.)

I know I should just go and get the sleep study. I may end up having to. Part of it is expense but mostly I know that I would not be able to sleep. I have enough trouble falling asleep (even though I'm exhausted) at home.

So, I'm thinking my next step should be pulse oxygen monitoring. I'm thinking I might be cheaper in the long run to buy my own machine (can always put it on Ebay if I'm fine) than to get the doctor to prescribe one overnight (which I might not even be able to sleep with the pressure of knowing I'll be charged by the day on the machine).

So does an overnight pulse oxygen monitoring sound logical? Or because the Sleep Strip said no to apnea, should I just assume I don't have it.

I really have the symptoms and have for a long time. I just now recently made the connection to possible sleep apnea while looking at it as a possiblity for my husband.

I snore, not too severely, but every night. wake up SEVERAL times EVERY night even if it's just for a few seconds, often a few minutes (not always to go to the bathroom either). On my best nights of sleep when the sleep is actually good (even though I don't ever wake refreshed) I wake up and think, "Oh, I'm sleeping good." I've done that for so many years that I actually didn't know that it wasn't normal! Anyway, morning headaches, fatigue, restless sleep.

[Toogerbug]

Also, I should add to the above post, what is the cheapest/best home pulse ox monitor?

[klockemy]

It's good to see that you are being proactive in your health; however, nothing can truly substitute for a sleep study.

I just don't want you to go through all this trouble and determine that you have sleep apnea, just to have to go to a sleep study and be told something you already know just to get a prescription for your equipment. I know sleep studies aren't cheap, but getting one in the long run will save you money and be more definitive. If you have issues sleeping, you can tell your doc and they can give you a sedative for the night of the test (that's what I did).

I really wish I could be of more help, but I say, get the study done and know for sure.

Best of luck to you and your decision.

Kevin

[BlackSpinner]

Some places do home sleep studies where they send you home with special recording devices that measure everything. There is is no mask involved just these little prongs which sit under your nose and record air flow. This would be a preliminary kind of study - I had to go back and do another test 4 weeks after getting my machine where they gave me a special machine to use with my mask and a O2 meter - for titration - at home. However if the first study doesn't work for some reason you get an in house study. You have to call around probably. Mine was done as part of a hospital pulmonary clinic and was free under Quebec medicare.

[klockemy]

Some places do home sleep studies where they send you home with special recording devices that measure everything. There is is no mask involved just these little prongs which sit under your nose and record air flow. This would be a preliminary kind of study - I had to go back and do another test 4 weeks after getting my machine where they gave me a special machine to use with my mask and a O2 meter - for titration - at home. However if the first study doesn't work for some reason you get an in house study. You have to call around probably. Mine was done as part of a hospital pulmonary clinic and was free under Quebec medicare.

I've heard about those and they are really great instead of going to the lab and produce comparable results. The only reason I said what I did was because it sounded like he was trying to self test.

[eljay]

Toogerbug -- When I had my sleep study done, I had an AHI of less than 1. Sleep dr said "patient did not meet criteria for the diagnosis of OSA....However it should be noted that at least 20% of patients with negative sleep studies for OSA if retested will have significantly different results. Since this patient had a very poor sleep efficiency (less than 50%) and delayed sleep onset that is certainly possible....Patient should discuss these results with patient's physician...I have no specific recommendations regarding this patient." Based on what the dr said about my results, it seems to me that the fact that you didn't sleep well or for very long during your home sleep test could certainly skew your results. Based on my symptoms (excessive daytime sleepiness, waking often, lots of trips to the bathroom at night, extreme difficulty waking up) my personal dr suggested I try a CPAP and see if it helped, which I did. It has made a world of difference for me. I can't really answer your question about trying the pulse ox and whether that would give you any more answers, but I do know from personal experience that a CPAP can help, even without an official diagnosis of sleep apnea.

[DoriC]

Eljay, you've got me interested. What have your Encore reports shown, what pressures do you use, etc. Curious minds want to know!. Dori

[jdm2857]

Is anyone around to observe your sleep?

People with obstructive sleep apnea typically stop breathing for periods of 10 sec. or more, and restart breathing with a gasp.

If you have these symptoms, you should talk to your primary doc about getting a sleep study post haste.

[Gigatooth]

Have you looked into oral appliances for snoring & sleep apnea such as the Myerson EMA or the Silent-Nite ?
I do them in my office in Austin for some of my patients like yourself and have had great success with it. If you'd like to email me, I would be happy to send you more information about it.
DrLopez at BoccaDentalSpa dot com

Good Luck Sir

[Guest]

Buy a data-capable CPAP or APAP off of craigslist and just start treating yourself. If you get a cpap, set the pressure to 7 cm (or whatever you can tolerate) initially until you can get used to the machine and the mask. Check your data every day. Move the pressure up when you are able to tolerate it, as long as you have events.

If you get an apap, set the pressure to 4/10. Check your data every day. Move both numbers up whenever you can if you are still having events. The top number may need to go way up.

Look for Rested Gal's explanation on this board of how she titrated herself.