ARES Sleep Study Report Advice

[Goldfish]

@ Goldfish

Understand this is not an overnight quick fix with stupendous results immediately. It is a journey which times time and patience and perseverance (at least for the vast majority of users). IMO the first thing is to convince your brain that the hose and mask are not threatening enemies, but rather friends and allies that will enable you to have better sleep and will help mitigate other problems (see the wiki). Talk to yourself over and over and over again. Bottom line - if you are convinced cpap will not help, it probably won't (a self fulfilling prophecy). Set your mind up for success.

I wish it was an overnight process. I think I just feel the lack of support from the shop I am having the trial with. I had a phone appointment set up with them for last Wednesday which I’m still waiting for!

[dataq1]

I feel I never really had the results explained to me properly.
I wonder if I’m really a candidate for CPAP.

Have you discussed your concern with your doctor, or requested a referral to a specialist?

The "shop" that provided you a trial machine is probably a DME, they should not be relied upon for evaluation of your medical needs.

[Miss Emerita]

It would be great if your doctor would refer you to an ENT and/or an allergist. More information from this trusted website:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/d ... nasal-drip

Meanwhile, one tip an ENT doctor told me: it often feels as though you need to cough to deal with the crud, but gently swallowing will often do the job and will irritate your throat a lot less. And here are some OTC remedies suggested by my allergist: nasal rinses, like Neilmed, and Flonase nasal spray.

[Janknitz]

I’m more congested during the day. My doctor treated me for reflux although my only symptoms are congestion and clearing my throat and coughing. I feel it rattle in my throat and back of my nose at night.
She prescribed Tecta but nothing changed. I suspect the Apnea test was just because she couldn’t think of anything else to try!
She has not referred me to a ENT specialist.

Sleep apnea and reflux (either LPR which it sounds like you have or GERD) often go together and exacerbate each other (and typically asthma as well). You have reflux which irritates the airway, which causes edema and narrowing, which causes apnea that often pulls stomach contents up into the airway (LPR and GERD), which irritates the airway and so on. Endless loop. So both must be addressed, but the standard medical treatment with PPI's and acid blockers often makes LPR and GERD worse because we NEED stomach acid to keep the sphincters in the stomach working properly. You must address all of the underlying issues to get real improvement. I highly recommend taking a look at this for the digestive component: https://digestivehealthinstitute.org/fast-tract-diet/

[Goldfish]

I feel I never really had the results explained to me properly.
I wonder if I’m really a candidate for CPAP.

Have you discussed your concern with your doctor, or requested a referral to a specialist?

The "shop" that provided you a trial machine is probably a DME, they should not be relied upon for evaluation of your medical needs.

I haven’t spoken to my family doctor. She didn’t actually even tell me the initial result for a month, and that was only because I already had an appointment with her. I’m going to make an appointment and request that she sends me to a specialist.

[Goldfish]

I’m more congested during the day. My doctor treated me for reflux although my only symptoms are congestion and clearing my throat and coughing. I feel it rattle in my throat and back of my nose at night.
She prescribed Tecta but nothing changed. I suspect the Apnea test was just because she couldn’t think of anything else to try!
She has not referred me to a ENT specialist.

Sleep apnea and reflux (either LPR which it sounds like you have or GERD) often go together and exacerbate each other (and typically asthma as well). You have reflux which irritates the airway, which causes edema and narrowing, which causes apnea that often pulls stomach contents up into the airway (LPR and GERD), which irritates the airway and so on. Endless loop. So both must be addressed, but the standard medical treatment with PPI's and acid blockers often makes LPR and GERD worse because we NEED stomach acid to keep the sphincters in the stomach working properly. You must address all of the underlying issues to get real improvement. I highly recommend taking a look at this for the digestive component: https://digestivehealthinstitute.org/fast-tract-diet/

Thank you Janknitz. I’ll do some reading.

[Goldfish]

It would be great if your doctor would refer you to an ENT and/or an allergist. More information from this trusted website:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/d ... nasal-drip

Meanwhile, one tip an ENT doctor told me: it often feels as though you need to cough to deal with the crud, but gently swallowing will often do the job and will irritate your throat a lot less. And here are some OTC remedies suggested by my allergist: nasal rinses, like Neilmed, and Flonase nasal spray.

Thank you!