might my sleep test be humiliating?

[harry33]

perhaps we experienced hoseheads forget that some newbies are horrified at the prospect of being wired up and breathing thru a usually horrible looking mask, with some strangers in the next room monitoring the newbie and their dreams...

when asked thuis question I was forced to reply perhaps, but everything they do to patients in hospitals is often humiliating, a specialty in australia is forcing a patient to wear an always too short surgical gown and needlessly wheeling them miles thru public corridores on a trolley, while the patient desperately trys to stay modest by pulling down on the ends of the gown, and hoping the trolley wont collapse or tip over.

I guess a successful first sleep study depends a lot on the staff and whether they are welcoming and kindly

[Rustyolddude]

Nothing humiliating at all other than the results the next day. Here in the states, you wearr own pajamas. If you're forced to wear a split skirt in Oz, I'd suggest rehersing a pole dancing routine in advance and make the most of it by entertaining the staff & making them feel humiliated.

[El Pap]

My sleep study, especially the second (titration) one, was anything but humiliating. The room where I slept looked more like a hotel than a hospital. The technician, a CPAP user himself, made me feel at ease. Although there was an infra-red camera in the room, it saw less skin than my fellow sunbathers see when I lie on a towel on the beach.

[jnk]

The PSG tech has a job to do that isn't always easy. Part of that job is respecting the dignity of the patient. A good tech will interact with the patient in a way that puts the patient at ease and lets the patient feel as in-control of the experience as possible. A nervous tech is likely to make a patient nervous, so I would recommend that we as patients go out of our way to put the tech at ease and then everyone can relax as much as possible.

It helps to remember that the tech works for you. For that night it is YOUR bedroom. If anything about the experience worries you, mention it to the tech so the tech can reassure you. As the tech was wiring me up, I joked: "Do you promise me that the video of me sleeping won't make it to an episode of 'Americas's Funniest Home Videos?" Without skipping a beat, the tech replied: "I value my job and my freedom too much to even think of that."

The tech knows you will have ample opportunity to complain about anything you didn't like. So when you make it clear that you are the kind of person who is going to say something nice about the tech in the paperwork you fill out later, that gives the tech special motivation to go out of the way to make the experience as comfortable as possible for you. It may even motivate the tech to go the extra mile when trying pressures during titration.

I found my sleep tests pleasant and educational. Fun, even. There were no needles, no difficult questions, no tasks. All I had to do was show up, sit still for a few minutes, then lie down. Easy. I wore running shorts and a long T-shirt.

Smartest thing I did was to bring ear plugs.

jeff

[MoneyGal]

"Humiliating" is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think there is anything inherently humiliating in a sleep study or any medical procedure.

Yes, it can be difficult to be vulnerable physically with people, and yes, med techs who do not acknowledge their intrusions into peoples' private and intimate space can make a sleep study more difficult and emotionally charged: but they aren't out there to humiliate people.

[timbalionguy]

I had a great technician I was able to talk 'tech' with. I even ended up showing the tech how to hook up and use a new DVD player they were having trouble with.

For my part, I pretended thay were 'jacking me in' to the 'Matrix'. I even asked the tech if I would know Jiu Jitsu when everything was done.

[jnk]

. . . 'jacking me in' to the 'Matrix'. . . .

As long as the tech offered you a red pill the next morning, Neo/Leo.

[Guest]

When it comes to anything medical, leave your modesty home.

[poodleloverdlj]

I've had 7 sleep studies, yes seven! They are not humiliating. They are very professional. The results though might need to be trouble shooted b/t you & your doctor. My first study showed all Alpha intrution. After asking my doctor to show me my
brain wave & then compare it to a normal persons brain wave; we came to the conclusion that my brain might be smart enough not to let me sleep if I wasn't going to breathe. So my next study we tried a CPAP & look 'ma' some Delta waves!
I still have 5 sleep disorders so I am chronically fatigued. I'm faithful with the CPAP: I love to hate it!

Guess I'm chatty today
Diana

[cajun]

Depends on the patient, the room and the tech.

I'm former military, so it would take a lot more than a sleep study to humiliate me. My room looked somewhat like a hotel room and my tech was pretty cool. She played on the local women's football (we're talking helmets + pads) team, so we mixed in some football talk in between the PAP stuff.

[BlackSpinner]

Consider it a personal growth opportunity!

[alnhwrd]

As for me, I much prefer the humility of the sleep study to the pridefulness of the coffin!

By the time I finally got there, I wanted the sleep study done so bad that I wouldn't have cared if they posted a video of me drooling into my pillow on YouTube. But the techs at the sleep center I went to were so professional and caring that it was a very positive experiance for me. I have read some horror stories, so I would recommend that anyone who is apprehensive have a talk with their doc beforehand and maybe bring an advocate along with you if you think you might be too foggy to stand up for yourself.

[roster]

perhaps we experienced hoseheads forget that some newbies are horrified at the prospect of being wired up and breathing thru a usually horrible looking mask, with some strangers in the next room monitoring the newbie and their dreams...

.......

I guess you could consider that humiliating, but I never did.

Having to reply to the universal question, "What do you do?" with "I stay up all night watching and listening to snorers in the next room on a monitor," would be blasted humiliating.

[sleep_question]

A friend of mine had a sleep test at a sleep health center in Massachusetts and there was a bathroom attached to the room but it didn't have a door or curtain on it. She found that very humiliating since she knew the room was covered by cameras.

[Maple Leaf]

I wouldn't describe it as humiliating, uncomfortable, yes. I have a hard time falling asleep when I'm wired for stereo and covered in sticky cream......

Rick