My patient is fixed!

[ColinP]

My tech thought I was fixed at first, but it turned out I was bilevel.

I don't think my patients are fixed, I know they are fixed. I make sure I get 2 cycles of REM with no respiratory events out of them before I let them go (while supine). I also do follow up with them 3 days 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and then on their 3rd and 6th month after they received their CPAP. Just because alot of you people had techs that didn't care, doesn't mean they all don't care.

I wish I had your confidence. Of course, the fact that you yourself do followups at least six times after the PSG indicates exactly the point most people here were trying to make, and that is that being titrated correctly is merely the first step in getting "fixed", and knowing that they are fixed when only the first step is complete might just be a little premature.

[polysomno-man]

of course its going to take sometime. When I say fixed, what I mean is my patient is titrated completely. I understand not everyone out there had a complete titration their first time around, but the difference with me is if I know a patient isn't fully titrated, I personally contact the reading doctor and let him know the patient has to come back. I am fairly close with my medical director, and he sends every patient back that I ask him to send back. A sleep doc is only as good as his counter parts.

[ColinP]

To me, "fixed" means that they're sleeping properly, and have a meaningful improvement in their quality of life. It also has connotations of treating the patient as an object not an individual, but what would I know? I'm only a patient...

[polysomno-man]

I'll tell you what ColinP, the last two nights I had 4 patients. 2 of them were baslines (observation) 2 were CPAP titrations. My one patient last night that I was excited about, she had asthma, diabetes, depression, hypertension and COPD. She told me that she never slept more than 2 hours in a row without getting up to use the bathroom. She slept 8 hours 56 minutes out of a 9 hour 17 minute study. She had 5 REM cycles. Her RDI all together for the night was 1.3 She didn't have a respiratory event the last 4.5 hours of the study.

My patient tonight, I ended up putting him from CPAP to BiPAP to Auto SV BiPAP due to Cheynes Stokes, and oxygen levels dropping into the 60%'s. He woke up today, about 15 minutes ago, and told me he didn't have GERD all night, first time since he started going to AA. He also didn't wake up with a headache. He told me he felt more alert than he feels at anytime of the day, and he just woke up.

I am sorry if I came across like "just another number". Its not like that. If I have a night where a patient does bad, it carries with me until I have a chance to resolve that patients problems. I will carry that for 2 weeks until they come back. Maybe I am a little off the top for you guys, but I have a good heart.

[Debjax]

He woke up today, about 15 minutes ago, and told me he didn't have GERD all night, first time since he started going to AA.

Funny you should say that. I have been on Nexium for a few years now for GERD. I've been in CPAP for about 2 months now. I've been trying to balance the dates on mine and hubby's prescriptions so I don't have to go to the base for "new" scrips as often, since the wait is so bad in relation just refills...so I ran out of my Nexium about a week ago and figured I'd go a week or so without it until I can get a refill setup.

Normally,if I forget to take it on a day, I'm having heartburn like crazy by evening....I've been without it for a week now, and have not had a single heartburn or GERD like symptom....I think the CPAP is helping that too for some odd reason.

[SharkBait]

You guys might want to get off the guy's sack now. Not all techs/DME's/Dr's/patients are alike. Let's quit assuming everyone is Satan Incarnate just because of their position in life...

[Hawthorne]

His position in life is not why the assumptions are being made.

The assumptions are being made in response to what he has said in his posts.

[georgepds]

.....

Wow, who broke her?

I'd recommend Susan Sontag's illness as a metaphor to get a clue as to why some might object to the word "fixed' in this context

[Mrs. Tatis]

that because sleep apnea can cause GERD dear. Its very possible you won't need to take anything at all anymore. I haven't for 3 years now. Its wonderful.

He woke up today, about 15 minutes ago, and told me he didn't have GERD all night, first time since he started going to AA.

Funny you should say that. I have been on Nexium for a few years now for GERD. I've been in CPAP for about 2 months now. I've been trying to balance the dates on mine and hubby's prescriptions so I don't have to go to the base for "new" scrips as often, since the wait is so bad in relation just refills...so I ran out of my Nexium about a week ago and figured I'd go a week or so without it until I can get a refill setup.

Normally,if I forget to take it on a day, I'm having heartburn like crazy by evening....I've been without it for a week now, and have not had a single heartburn or GERD like symptom....I think the CPAP is helping that too for some odd reason.

[boston]

You guys might want to get off the guy's sack now. Not all techs/DME's/Dr's/patients are alike. Let's quit assuming everyone is Satan Incarnate just because of their position in life...

MOST, I repeat MOST of them have earned the title.

[LinkC]

And that's how I \'fikst\ my Headrest mask. I supplied it with something needed. To wit, a couple of legs from a pair of pantyhose tights.

Oddly enough it was a "pair of pantyhose tights" my wife found in my car that got ME "fixed"! (j/j)

[gasparama]

Polysomno, I'm curious: Do you make the prescriptions for the treatment? In my case, the polysomnographer was an RT who worked in the sleep lab. The doctor did the prescribing (and called the DME while I was sitting in his office and told them that his patients would need data capable machines from now on--thanks, RG) and the follow-up. The polysomnographer just reported the results of the sleep study. Your situation is different.

[rested gal]

Oddly enough it was a "pair of pantyhose tights" my wife found in my car that got ME "fixed"! (j/j)

Reminds me of that Christmas joke that everyone's probably seen...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=571142