YES! YesyesyesyesyesYES!!!!!

[Komodo]

I am NOT crazy!

A few days ago I posted a thread asking if apnea gets worse viewtopic/t49430/Apnea-getting-worse.html

I just got back from my doc, and YES, my apnea IS worse! (I don't know why I'm HAPPY about that! )

He's setting me up for some more testing, and will be changing my machine from a cpap to a A, B, or V, depending on the results of the testing.

Now here's the BEST PART of this whole thing. It is THANKS to this Forum, and all the great people on it, that I will be getting the proper therapy! I say that in part, because it was this Forum that taught me that having the software for my cpap and reading the reports, was extremely important. The software showed me there was something "not right" with my therapy. I decided to print out a detailed report and bring it to my doc today. When I handed it to him, he was awestruck! I am the first patient of his who has ever done that!
IT MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE!!!
It was because of, and ONLY because of, the graphs I gave him, that he could SEE with his own eyes what the problems are.

All you guys & gals out there, take my advie and get the software for your machine. It really DOES make a difference!


I want to end this on a funny note.
Believe it or not, my doc's office it going to bill the DME/insurance company, FOR MY REPORT! I told them,:"Hey! I should be billing YOU for the report that I made!" They didn't think that was very funny.

[melissa1974]

While I am sorry to hear that you are having more apneas, I am so happy that you were able to be such a strong advocate for yourself! Isn't this forum fantastic? We are so lucky to have such great support, to enable each other to take control of our therapy and work toward being as healthy as possible. Good to know that your doctor responded so well, too!

Best wishes for your health!

[OutaSync]

You have every reason to be happy that you have a doctor that cares enough to even look at your print outs. I hope you get it all figured out.

Bev

[Judy R]

That's good news, well I mean not that your still enduring apnea's, but that you will now have the "right" threapy that you need. I'm so happy that you took your print outs, and I glad to know your Dr. was so responsive. That's awesome news. Keep us posted on what happens.

[DreamOn]

Komodo,

I'm very happy to hear that you've been proactive in your therapy and that your efforts are leading to optimization of your therapy! I'm curious....what did the software report indicate your specific problem may be? How did that information help you and your doctor?

You are very fortunate to have a doctor who's willing to consider your reports and other data. So many of us don't have open-minded doctors, and that's why we have to take charge of this ourselves. I think it's so sad how many people give up on CPAP because they don't have the proper information and support. We are indeed very fortunate to have found each other here.

~ DreamOn

[torontoCPAPguy]

Being proactive in your own health care is MANDATORY today; no choice to be made. If you cannot be your own advocate you need someone to do it for you and that will include a great GP if you can find one. We have been very lucky and if it were not for my wife and family being advocates for me this past summer after my bout with H1N1, pneumonia and life support for almost a month... well, I just would not be here. Period.

Is sleep apnea as serious? No, of course not. Is it to be taken lightly? Absolutely NOT. Worst it can do to you? A sleepless night. Duh? NO... IT CAN KILL YOU. I REPEAT. IT CAN KILL YOU. Take my case (and I am now believing that my issues are far less worrisome than some of our good friends on here)..... when I sleep my breathing becomes very shallow; my blood oxygen saturation plummets and my blood pressure rises. Sufficient to split my Aorta, pop it right off my heart, burst an aneurism that would otherwise not bother me ever, cause a stroke or a heart attack AND ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS. The list is very very long apparently I was advised in rehab on Tuesday afternoon.

My point? Scare tactics? You bet. Nothing like good old scare tactics to make a body sit up and take action. If you have sleep apnea or any other related respiratory ailment that requires a blower of any kind.... you need it and you need it right now! You need it before almost anything else excepting food and shelter.

I congratulate you for taking the bull by the horns and taking action and being proactive. Do not let up. Be polite and persistant. Be helpful but not condascending. In short... get the treatment that you need.

I have not felt this good in quite a while. Good sleep, despite a prior post of mine to elicit some giggles, is what the body needs as much as anything in order to heal and be well. My last week in hospital I was in the stroke victim wings of the hospital... unfortunately I was NOT with the catatonic patients but I was with the screamers and I did not sleep a wink for a week. My family, friends and even the rotating MD thought it better to get me out of there and home to heal than to keep an eye on me IN hospital. Incredible but true. I could not eat or drink. I was slowly going mad. Surrounded by screamers that would go off at all hours of the day and night despite heavy medication. It was awful. It was actually worse than being in the critical care unit watching people being rolled out for autopsy all night and on life support with FIFTEEN tubes stuck into me; three being arterial taps.

Good sleep is important to your health. Continue to be proactive and never ever take NO for an answer if you feel that you are not getting the care you need. Today, my wife and I are still getting asked if I am living at home yet. (I have been since July) And my own head respirologist looked at my lung xrays from when I was in hospital and looked at me and apologiezed.... he had never seen someone with an xray like that except in autopsy reports. I survived because I had advocates talking for me when I could not talk for myself.

Again, congrats. Keep learning. Keep watching the numbers. Get the gear that you need. ALL of it... even if it means selling things that you love. Your LIFE may depend on it.

Oh. And one other thing. QUESTION the medications that are being prescribed and look them up on the internet. KNOW what you are being given. Recognize the shape, size, colour of each pill. (If you are taking pills and I don't hesitate in saying that there should be very few apnea patients that are NOT taking meds).

The latest blowers will tell you lots of good stuff, like how's the mask working for instance. There are only so many sleep studies that insurance is going to spring for under any circumstances; congrats on getting your doctor to actually take the time to read the report and having done so he is absolutely entitled to payment for his time. Be glad it is possible.

This is a great community and we are very fortunate to be a part of it. sorry to rag on for so long here.

[KatieW]

Good for you! Let us know what happens next.

[dsm]

Komodo

Your story is what makes this place so great. We can take responsibility and we can achieve better results.

Good for you !!!

DSM

[Scarlet834]

I remembered your original thread and jumped on here thinking you had found the solution to your increased apnea events. OK, so not yet, but you are obviously on your way. This was a very enjoyable post to read. I'm glad you went back to your doctor and that the doctor was so responsive.

Loved the story of billing for the report!

Can't wait to get the next update.

Sharon

[SleepingUgly]

Believe it or not, my doc's office it going to bill the DME/insurance company, FOR MY REPORT!

What report? The download of the data? How can he bill the DME for that?! I love it, though.

[Komodo]

Komodo,

I'm very happy to hear that you've been proactive in your therapy and that your efforts are leading to optimization of your therapy! I'm curious....what did the software report indicate your specific problem may be? How did that information help you and your doctor?
You are very fortunate to have a doctor who's willing to consider your reports and other data. So many of us don't have open-minded doctors, and that's why we have to take charge of this ourselves. I think it's so sad how many people give up on CPAP because they don't have the proper information and support. We are indeed very fortunate to have found each other here.

~ DreamOn

The "short" answer is, I wasn't getting the full benefit of the therapy with my nasal mask because of mouth leaks. BUT...it's because of those leaks, that my doc could see the "type" of apneas I was having on the graph. (something to do with REM sleep) On nights where I wore a FFM, my AHI was a LOT higher, but the apneas were "different" than they were with the nasal mask.
My original sleep study used a nasal mask, and my therapy was based on those numbers, which didn't give an ACCURATE picture of what was going on with me. The next series of tests he's sending me for will be done with a FFM.

[Komodo]

Believe it or not, my doc's office it going to bill the DME/insurance company, FOR MY REPORT!

What report? The download of the data? How can he bill the DME for that?! I love it, though.

Yeah, I know. I love it too!

It seems that the printout of the downloaded data is the same thing he gets when he orders a "report" from the DME. I always thought that a "report" had someone interpert the data, and give an opinion as to what they saw in it. Something that SHOULD BE done!

[Komodo]

I remembered your original thread and jumped on here thinking you had found the solution to your increased apnea events. OK, so not yet, but you are obviously on your way. This was a very enjoyable post to read. I'm glad you went back to your doctor and that the doctor was so responsive.

Loved the story of billing for the report!

Can't wait to get the next update.

Sharon

I DID!!!!!!! I did find the solution to my increased apnea! Change the therapy!!!!

It sucks that my apnea is worse than originally thought, but now that we know that, I can finally get the RIGHT treatment for it. THAT'S, why I'm so happy!

[jmelby]

It seems that the printout of the downloaded data is the same thing he gets when he orders a "report" from the DME. I always thought that a "report" had someone interpert the data, and give an opinion as to what they saw in it. Something that SHOULD BE done!

I think your doctor is charging for HIS interpretation of the report. When I get my creatinine or cholesterol checked, my insurance gets billed twice... once for the lab test and once for my doctor looking at it to interpret the results. I'm pretty sure when your DME prints a report, they are not doing any interpretation of the results... nor should they be as they are not medical professionals, they are retailers.

[Komodo]

It seems that the printout of the downloaded data is the same thing he gets when he orders a "report" from the DME. I always thought that a "report" had someone interpert the data, and give an opinion as to what they saw in it. Something that SHOULD BE done!

I think your doctor is charging for HIS interpretation of the report. When I get my creatinine or cholesterol checked, my insurance gets billed twice... once for the lab test and once for my doctor looking at it to interpret the results. I'm pretty sure when your DME prints a report, they are not doing any interpretation of the results... nor should they be as they are not medical professionals, they are retailers.

That makes a lot of sense. You're probably right.

I still think he should at least split his fee with me! After all, I'm the one who pointed out all the "important" stuff!