Maintenance of Wakefulness Test--Important Charts

[5aces]

Finally this long awaited appointment has arrived.

I achieved the requisite 5 solid hours of cpap use per night for 7 consecutive nights prior to booking this test.

Tonight at 9:00 pm I will be in the sleep lab getting wired up to record data until tomorrow at 5:00pm!

Loaded up the iPod Touch with lots of music and a couple of movies.Food,magazine and a book to keep myself occupied for the next 20 hours...

My career as a professional driver is riding on the outcome of this paritcular test,so it could be the end of a 32 year driving career or the beginning of a new occupation,depending how you look at it.

Hopefully,I will get through the test and continue with what I know best.

If all goes well I should have the results on Oct.14.09

[jnk]

. . . Loaded up the iPod Touch with lots of music and a couple of movies. Food,magazine and a book to keep myself occupied for the next 20 hours...

OK. Let me guess . . .

On the iPod we have greatest hits collections from Perry Como, Barry Manilow, Bread, and 101 Strings. For movies we have "A River Runs Through It" and the first Star Trek movie. For food we have a turkey and onion sandwich, warm milk, and double-stuff oreos. For a magazine we have Bird-Watcher's Digest, and for a book we brought "I Can Make You Sleep."

How close am I?

Just kidding.

Hope it goes well, 5aces.

jeff

[Muse-Inc]

Good luck! Post how it went, we're interested.

[5aces]

Long time to be locked down in a sleep clinic,for sure.

I was in at 9:15pm,filled out a two page questionnaire,got wired up by the tech,taken to the bedroom to check all the hookups and lights out at 11:00pm.

I was asked to remain on my back as much as possible so they could re-titrate and collect data in the worst position for 8 hours.
I woke up at 4:30am for a washroom break and tossed around quite a bit,as I could feel the increase in pressure from the ResMed Malibu.
Sinuses were burning and a I had a medium grade headache when I planted my feet on the floor as soon as it reached 7:00am.
Oddly,even after I mentioned my symptoms,he had to ask-"how did you sleep?"-not very well,I replied.

Dayshift sleep tech arrived and removed some of the gear.
Testing for wakefulness began at 8:30am and every two hours thereafter.
I was asked to sit in a chair for 40 minutes,hooked up to a real time data link,had the lights dimmed and camera turned on.
Being still for that long may not seem like much but i could only get to 35 minutes when my head dropped,which also happened during the 10:30am,12:30pm and 2:30pm tests at various times.
No napping was allowed during the two hour intermissions.
Dismissed at 3:30pm.

Here is the set up:(bring your own hose and mask)


















-the "stool of repentance"

Actually,I watched Sandara Bullock in "The Proposal" and it was quite funny.
Book-A Million Little Pieces,by James Frey.
Magazine-Popular Mechanics-October,Beyond Survival.
Food-One liter milk,Muslix cereal,Nature Valley Bars,Fruit to Go pieces,bag of whole almonds.
Here is the playlist JNK:

Code: Select all

		
Midnight Rider	3:03	Allman Brothers Band	Devils Rejects Soundtrack	Other		
April Wine - Bad Side of the Moon	3:12	April Wine	First Decade	Rock		
(65)	3:47	April Wine Slowpoke		Other		
Can't Get Enough of Your Love	4:17	Bad Company	Hot Guitar Licks: Guitar Rock	Classic Rock		
Lot Lizard	14:41	Big Chief	Platinum Jive	Rock		
Motherless Children	3:36	Big Sugar	Big Sugar	Rock		
Groundhog Day	3:59	Big Sugar	Big Sugar	Rock		
Just About Sunrise	2:41	Big Sugar	Big Sugar	Rock		
Goodbye Train	3:49	Big Sugar	Big Sugar	Rock		
Nowhere To Go	3:02	Big Sugar	Big Sugar	Rock		
Ride Like Hell	4:49	Big Sugar	Five Hundred Pounds	Blues		
Under The Lighthouse	4:11	Big Wreck	In Loving Memory Of...	Pop		
Scream	4:44	Billy Idol	Devil's Playground	Rock		
Twice As hard	4:08	Black Crowes	Greatest Hits	Rock		
Sting Me	4:40	Black Crowes	Southern Harmony & Musical Companion	Southern Rock		
You're the One	3:29	The Black Keys	Magic Potion	Rock		
The Flame	4:36	The Black Keys	Magic Potion	Rock		
Just Couldn't Tie Me Down	2:58	The Black Keys	Rubber Factory	Indie/Blues-Rock		
Keep Me	2:52	The Black Keys	Rubber Factory	Rock		
Doomsday Jesus	3:31	Black Label Society	The Blessed Hellride	Heavy Metal		
Black Dog	4:55	Black Label Society		Other		
Highway Song	7:14	Blackfoot	Strikes	Southern Rock		
After The Mourning	3:51	Blacklist Union		Other		
Hit The Highway	4:44	Blindside Bluesband	BlindSide Blues Band	Blues		
Blues In My Soul	4:46	Blindside Bluesband	BlindSide Blues Band	Blues		
'A' Jam	3:45	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
I Got A Worry	3:50	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
My Misfortune	5:58	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
You Got Me Workin'	5:38	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
I'll Get Along Alright	5:48	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Steal Away	7:05	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Been So Long	11:09	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
You Got A Way	6:14	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Fun And Games	5:43	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Whatcha Want	8:24	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Another Day, Another Mile	4:52	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Right The Wrong	9:43	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
I Had It All Wrong	3:46	Blue By Nature	Live At The Lake	Blues		
Peter Gunn Theme (Spy Hunter)	3:48	Blues Brothers				
The Fire Inside	5:56	Bob Seger	Greatest Hits	Classic Rock		
Born Again	3:59	Bobaflex	Tales from Dirt Town	Rock		
Goodbye	3:32	Bobaflex	Tales from Dirt Town	Rock		
Oh Baby	3:02	Bomshel	Bomshel	Country		
Lost Highway	4:16	Bon Jovi	Lost Highway	Rock		
Everything's On Fire	3:40	Boneclub	Beautiflu EP	Rock		
Masterstroke	3:59	Bootsauce	The Brown Album	Alternative & Punk		
Smokin'	4:22	Boston	Boston	Rock		
Song Woo	1:59	Bubb Rubb	ebaumsworld.com			
Buckcherry - Time Bomb - 03 - Time Bomb	4:10	Buck Cherry	Time Bomb	Rock		
Crazy Bitch	3:23	Buckcherry	15	Rock		
Slide guitar blues	4:56	Buddy Guy				
Burning Gasoline	4:42	The Civilian Project	The Civilian Project	Metal		
Heavy	2:57	Collective Soul	Dosage	AlternRock		
My Sacrifice	4:59	Creed	Weathered	Rock		
Faixa 1	4:38	Current Swell	Trust us now	Blues		
Faixa 5	3:09	Current Swell	Trust us now	Blues		
Leave Me Alone (To My Bottle)	2:44	Dash Rip Rock	Boiled Alive!	Rock		
Take Me to Chicago	3:50	Dave Hole	Steel on Steel	Blues		
One Last Breath	3:41	Dave Hole	Steel on Steel	Blues		
Hot, Hot Papa	3:06	David Wilcox	Rockin' the Boogie: The Best of Blues and Boogie	Rock & Roll		
Woman From Tokyo	5:51	Deep Purple	Guitar Rock	Classic Rock		
Rebel Rebel	4:04	Def Leppard	No Title			
Chevrolet	2:24	The Derek Trucks Band	Songlines	Rock		
Forgiven	4:15	Disturbed	Ten Thousand Fists	Metal		
Die M F Die	3:06	Dope	Life	Hard Rock		
Stitches (Acoustic Demo)	3:43	Drowning Pool	Loudest Common Denominator	Hard Rock		
Van Halen Tribute	5:51	Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani	G3	Classic Rock		
Stay With Me	4:39	Faces	A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse	Rock & Roll		
Miss Judy's Farm	3:38	Faces		Rock		
Jump Into the Night	3:25	Flaming Groovies				
Delaware Slide	7:54	George Thorogood	George Thorogood & the Destroyers	Rock		
Sweet Thing	3:44	goddo	Who Cares [Bullseye]	Other		
Grand Funk Railroad - Some Kind Of Wonderful (1)	3:18	Grand Funk Railroad	Collectors Series	Rock		
Mista Bone	5:11	Great White	...Twice Shy	Hair/Pop Metal		
Your Crazy	4:10	Guns And Roses 		Other		
30 Days In The Hole	3:57	Humble Pie	Harley Davidson Road Songs	Rock & Roll		
Burn It Black	2:43	Injected	Burn It Black	Rock		
Used Up	3:45	Injected	Burn It Black	Rock		
To love somebody	5:21	Janis Joplin		Classic Rock		
The Wind Cries Mary	3:18	Jimi Hendrix	The Ultimate Experience	Hard Rock		
Jimi hendrix	3:13	jimi hendrix				
Thunderbird	4:05	John Hiatt	Master Of Disaster	Blues		
Cocaine Blues	3:02	Johnny Cash	At Folsom Prison	Other		
I've Been Everywhere	3:17	Johnny Cash	Unchained	Country		
Lightning	5:43	Johnny Winter	The Winter of '88	Rock		
Bad Girl Blues	4:37	Johnny Winter		Other		
Simple Man	4:23	Junkyard	Junkyard	Rock		
Hollywood	3:01	Junkyard	Junkyard	Rock		
Keith Richards - Take It So Hard	3:15	Keith Richards	Talk is Cheap	Rock		
Trucker Anthem	4:40	Kid Rock	Cocky	Other		
Forever	3:46	Kid Rock	Forever	AlternRock		1
So Hott	4:07	Kid Rock	Rock N Roll Jesus	Rock		
Lowlife (Living The Highlife) (Bonus Track)	4:05	Kid Rock	Rock N Roll Jesus	Rock		
Hots On For Nowhere	4:43	Led Zeppelin	Boxed Set, Vol. 2 (Disc 2)	Hard Rock		
Ride In The Sky	2:56	Lucifer's Friend	Lucifer's Friend	Rock		
Don't Ask Me No Questions	3:24	Lynard Skynard	Second Helping [Bonus Tracks]	Rock		
Slither	5:13	Metalica	Reload	Rock		
All the way to memphis	4:55	Mott the Hoople	Breaking The Waves Soundtrack	Rock		
Glad When You're Gone	4:19	Nazareth		Rock		
Animals	3:07	Nickelback	All The Right Reasons	Alternative		
Feeling Way Too Damn Good	4:17	Nickelback	The Long Road	Rock/Pop		
Yellow Ledbetter	5:03	Pearl Jam	Jeremy Maxi CD Single	Rock		
Pure	4:02	pure	pure	Rock		
The Devil's Chasing Me	5:21	Reverend Horton Heat	The Full Custom Gospel Sounds	Other		
Folsom Prison Blues	2:48	The Reverend Horton Heat	Holy Roller	Psychobilly		
Dragula [Si Non Oscillas, Noli Tintnnare Mix]	4:38	Rob Zombie	American Made Music to Strip By	Rock		
Quit My Drinkin'	2:49	Robert Garrett	House Rockin' & Hip Shakin', Volume 3: Killer Swamp Blues Guitar	Blues		
Angel	4:06	Rod Stewart	Never a Dull Moment	Other		
Gasoline Alley (live)	4:04	Rod Stewart & Small Faces				
Rough Justice	3:02	Rolling Stones	A Bigger Bang	Classic Rock		
All Shook Up	3:31	Ry Cooder	Cocktail Soundtrack	Goa		
Superstar	4:03	Saliva	Every Six Seconds	Alternative		
Hell-Cat	2:58	Scorpions	Virgin Killer	Rock		
Madman	2:43	Silverchair	Frogstomp	AlternRock		
The Threat	3:49	Skid Row	40 Seasons - The Best Of Skid Row	Pop/Hair Metal		
Good to be Alive	0:33	Slash's Snakepit	It's Five O'clock Somewhere	Rock		
Black Betty	4:16	Spiderbait	Tonight Alright	Aussie Rock		
Dirty Pool	3:48	Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble	SRV Boxed Set Disc 3	Blues		
Slide Guitar	3:18	Stevie Ray Vaughn	In the Beginning	Blues		
Hot love	4:58	T. Rex				
Fall To Pieces	4:31	Velvet Revolver	Contraband	Rock		
Sugarcane	3:55	Wide Mouth Mason	Promo Only Modern Rock Oct 99	Rock		
The Cult - Wild Flower	3:36		the business soundtrack			
Cocaine - BuckCherry	3:36	

[kteague]

I'm curious, having had the MSLT but not the one you had. Did they instruct you to try to stay awake during the test periods or to just be natural? What's the pass/fail or diagnostic criteria? Look forward to hearing the intrepretation of your results.
Kathy

[5aces]

Instructions verbatim:

"Try not to fall asleep"

After each 40 minute test session the question "on a scale of 1-7(one being the lowest) how would you rate your sleepiness?" was asked.

Same question regarding fatigue followed and answers to each question duly noted.

[Muse-Inc]

35 minutes...wonder what that means to them. Tell us when ya find out.

[SleepyT]

Dude! Your avatar is the stuff of nightmares! No WONDER you can't sleep!

[5aces]

C'mon SleepyT,it's getting close to Halloween and Pennywise was the best horror clown ever...http://tinyurl.com/ybt5z4s



...and then there was THIS guy:

don't waste your money. most of these people here like to play doctor. just stick with your CPAP, read your prinouts, if they are abnormal bring them to your REAL doc. Not these clowns here who think they know everything.

So I just turned into a horror clown and scared him away.

[elg5cats]

C'mon SleepyT,it's getting close to Halloween and Pennywise was the best horror clown ever...http://tinyurl.com/ybt5z4s



...and then there was THIS guy:

don't waste your money. most of these people here like to play doctor. just stick with your CPAP, read your prinouts, if they are abnormal bring them to your REAL doc. Not these clowns here who think they know everything.

So I just turned into a horror clown and scared him away.

Now, I understand the clowning around. With the explanation, it hilarious!!!!! Did I read your post correctly that data was being collected between the naps as well as the naps? That room looks like it could make you want to sleep to escape if confined for a day....that would be a challenge itself. I had a MSLT test 2 years ago. I was encouraged to leave the center between naps if I would like.....no way I was going public in my attire, but I did leave the room for a lounge, walks in the hallway etc.

I hope you get good results so you can go back to work and be safe as a professional driver.
elg5cats

[5aces]

Yes,I howled at that "clowns around here" post awhile ago too! viewtopic/t45489/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45 ... ns#p404673



This device had been hanging around my neck or laying beside me from the time I went in until it was time to checkout.

I took the picture after some of the electrodes had been removed from the overnight portion of the study.

The connections in the picture represent the connections for the day study.

It was connected to a cable link for real time data downloading during the overnight study and while sitting in "the chair" trying "not to fall asleep"

I would assume it has memory capabilities so you can walk around and copy the data later when it is hooked up to the cable but I may stand corrected.

I was free to roam around the clinic building or go downstairs for some fresh air outside but really,you know people would have some questions for you...
I was tempted though,after looking at the bedroom curtains for some time 'velcroed' to the wall blocking all the light!

[elg5cats]

This device had been hanging around my neck or laying beside me from the time I went in until it was time to checkout.
I took the picture after some of the electrodes had been removed from the overnight portion of the study.The connections in the picture represent the connections for the day study.It was connected to a cable link for real time data during the overnight study and while sitting in "the chair" trying "not to fall asleep"I would assume it has memory capabilities so you can walk around and copy the data later when it is hooked up to the cable but I may stand corrected.I was free to roam around the clinic building or go downstairs for some fresh air outside but really,you know people would have some questions for you...I was tempted though,after looking at the bedroom curtains for some time 'velcroed' to the wall blocking all the light!

I understand the wired up wandering around concern. At my first sleep study in 2003, I lead a group of other to be testers on a mini tour of the rest of the facility after we were wired up......we created lots of explanations for our appearance should be stared at or questioned. But for the nap study, no way I was going I going out in the "daytime" looking like that where I was at high risk of running into people I knew. That gadget board looks similar to what I had. I thought they were only recording during my naps, and the report suggested that as well....but I was wired all day. Are you being tested for Narcolepsy? Have you been teste for Narcolepsy before and removed from of your job because of the results? Did you sleep during your naps? When I slept at all naps, I was concerned driving could be threated. I can't imagine losing driving privileges for daily living let alone professional. I sure hope you get a green light for driving!
elg5cats

[BlackSpinner]

Interesting - They put you in for the worst possible night for sleeping then they test you for wakefulness. Sound like you were being set up for failure to me.

[5aces]

Specifically,I was not being tested for narcolepsy.

I had to step down from my driving job because I was unable to use cpap effectively,due in part to sinus issues that were discovered during the cpap voyage.

Now that things have somewhat settled,it was time to discover where I am really at with the cpap treatment and the MWT test should reveal the answer.

The whole point of the exercise was to try not to sleep at all during the day and I only "dozed off" for a brief second during the times in "the chair".
I asked if that counted as 'sleep' and the tech replied "either you were or were not sleeping"-the length of time did not matter,'sleep' is a matter of perception.
When I admitted to 'sleeping' for only a couple of seconds,I was asked by the tech "did you have any dreams?"
I never had any dreams.
During our discussion on what counts in the test I was cautioned: if you operate heavy equipment you shouldn't be "dozing off"-even for a second.
So,I do not have any high hopes for an easy pass.
I tried my very best not to fall asleep but I have been fighting this for so long I am just plain beat down.
Really,I want to do the right thing for myself and those around me and if it means hanging up the steering wheel,so be it.
It does sadden me because I will sorely miss travelling and can't imagine not being on the move.
Truly,the only way of life I have known from age 18 until age 51...

@Blackspinner:
After coming home from my monthly first Friday supper club engagement last night,I thought about what you said.
At best,I could only surmise that they were trying to capture what would be a "worst case senario"-one that could easily happen on any given night at home.
My state of wakefulness at that point could easily be transferred into a real life situation and for the sake of safety,the results should matter.
Cost is always a factor too,so why not re-titrate at the same time,I suppose...

[5aces]

Today I met with the Respirologist at the sleep clinic to review the MWT results.

Not the "fait accompli" I had anticipated.

Another doctor had interpreted the results from study and had not signed off on the assessment,pending the respirologist's review.

Indeed I did fall asleep for 2 minutes during the first session,8 seconds for the second session and only brief seconds for the third and fourth tests.
Both doctors must reconvene to interpret these results,the interpreting physician felt the small periods of sleep were of no great consequence,whereas the respirologist wanted further analysis.

Not unexpected though,as I had a busy night of re-titration prior to the daytime screening.

The pressure was varied from 8 to 13 cmh20,with 10 being the optimum for preventing AI's.

Oddly,(and the subject of further scrutiny)were the numbers that showed a pressure of 13 afforded the most REM sleep time,also produced the highest AHI level.

The plan for now is:

1) both doctors will confer on the sleep study numbers and assess.

2)a ResMed Autopap is to be provided for home use,to capture 7 days detailed data at an 8 - 13 cmh20 variable setting.

3)follow up in three weeks to further assess and advise.

On a side note I had a few kidney stone attacks last week,they were just plain off the hook,my first and hopefully last!

Likely from inactivity following the sinus surgery in April,what can you do if you've spent too much time in bed?