Newly Diagnosised, what is normal time to get CPAP?

[LMDAVE]

HI, first time posting here.

I was diagnosised with what my doctor reported as significant sleep apnea. I had my original sleep test on October 5th. It took several weeks to hear the results, and now I have to go back for a titration study and they said a nurse will call you to schedule it. Two weeks went by before I had to call them, and now the soonest titration study I have is November 16, which is next week.
I'm expecting another 2 weeks after that for results, and no telling how long until I'm in my own CPAP system.

I'm tired at work this morning as I type this. I can't wait to get some relief from this. The way things are looking I may not be in a machine until Christmas or the begining of the year.

Oct 5 thru the end of the year for sleep test to CPAP. Is that normal time that others had to wait?

Thanks
Dave

[CaptainRaven40]

It's not abnormal at. The best thing you can do it after the titration study is to be on the phone pushing for results. I know this was a huge thing for me. I pushed through the whole situation and just kept at it and it made a big difference. I am sure someone with more knowledge will be by shortly. I am newer here. Best of luck!

[LSAT]

It depends on the doctor and the sleep center. What you are going through is not uncommon. I was lucky...I had my titration the same night as the sleep test. I had a meeting with my doctor a week later and walked out of his office with a copy of my sleep study and prescription. I got to choose my DME from a list I got from my insurance company. I walked in to a brick and morter DME and walked out with my equipment.

[WindCpap]

I was in the same boat as you. I was diagnosed in July, and I was in tears when I found out that I couldn't get a titration until September. After you have accepted the idea of CPAP, you can't get it soon enough.

[nanwilson]

July to the NEXT April was my wait. Talked to my regular doc in July, waited to see the sleep specialist until Nov, hand my study done in Feb, got my machine the middle of April. How's that for long wait?
Good luck
Nan

[RPSGTryan]

Our lab has a 3-5 day turn around, but that is different in every lab. Especially if they are not scoring the studies in real time and are sending them out to be scored. Once the titration is done and prescription is sent to DME company, insurance can take up to 30 days for approval. Now we are booked 6 weeks out, so if it's busy like that in your areas it can take a bit of time.

[Okie bipap]

I had my sleep study on March 26, titration study on April 23 and got my machine on May 2. My sleep doctor actually works at the sleep lab, so there is no delay getting results to her. The DME I used is part of the same medical organization as the sleep lab. I have gotten great support all the way around, even though my primary physician did not recognize the symptoms of sleep apnea. I ended up contacting the sleep doctor on my own and requested an appointment.

[Wulfman...]

HI, first time posting here.

I was diagnosised with what my doctor reported as significant sleep apnea. I had my original sleep test on October 5th. It took several weeks to hear the results, and now I have to go back for a titration study and they said a nurse will call you to schedule it. Two weeks went by before I had to call them, and now the soonest titration study I have is November 16, which is next week.
I'm expecting another 2 weeks after that for results, and no telling how long until I'm in my own CPAP system.

I'm tired at work this morning as I type this. I can't wait to get some relief from this. The way things are looking I may not be in a machine until Christmas or the begining of the year.

Oct 5 thru the end of the year for sleep test to CPAP. Is that normal time that others had to wait?

Thanks
Dave

Some of that sounds "normal". Any of this can vary from days to weeks to months.

But, since we're getting to the end of the year and IF your insurance deductible resets on January 1st, you may want to do some math on this situation. You could get dinged for another deductible and co-pays after the first of the year. You MAY be better off to pay out of pocket for a machine before the end of the year. Many online sellers like https://www.cpap.com and http://www.secondwindcpap.com sell machines for very reasonable and cost-effective prices.

Do the math........don't be blindsided be additional costs you hadn't counted on.


Den

.

[LMDAVE]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll have to just get through it until I get the machine.

When I had the sleep study, they put a mask on me half way through the night, so I figured that was the titration part. But when I got the results they said I had to come back for a titration study. When I tried to explain that I think they did that part already, I couldn't get through to them, they just said everyone has to do it this way. Basically just said that I didn't have enough time on it, so I bought that.

The part that made me feel good was jsut from having the mask on half the night, I was groggy in the morning and stay home from work, but went in at lunch time. And I felt better than I have in a while, my body was more alert, I was more positive and happy, I felt better. Couldn't believe that I felt that from one night, it really scared me that I mst have been starving for oxygen and slowly killing myself. Hope it wasn't just a mental thing.

Guess I'll know after the Titration study this Monday if I feel good the next day. I hope I don't have difficult nurses like other I read on here. I want to make sure I have the right mask and everything figured out.

[Okie bipap]

They can't always complete the titration study in the first night. They start with a low pressure and gradually raise it until the find a pressure that works. If they cannot find a good pressure the first night, then you will need to do a full night titration study. They could not find an optimum pressure for me, so they put me on bipap with IPAP of 20-25 cm H2O and EPAP of 15-20 cm H2O.

[Cardsfan]

lmdave- you can kind of push things along. Find out from the sleep center, if you have your test on Monday, what day they expect to get your results and give you a prescription for your equipment. Tell them you want to go ahead a make an appt. now with the DME to get your equipment. I'd find a DME now and go ahead and make the appt. as soon as possible to coincide with the date you expect to get the results. The worst that can happen is that you have to postpone it.
If you wait till after you get your prescription, it may take another 2 weeks to get in with the DME.

Don't let it drag out thru the holidays, and near the end of the yr. when everyone is trying to take vacations. (that's what happened to me same time last year)