Do it yourself sleep study?

Jan in Colo. · Post by **Jan in Colo.** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:27 pm

My brother is coming to visit me today.....and I just KNOW he has had big-time sleep apnea most of his life. He and his wife have separate bedrooms because of his snoring. He is constantly napping. He has "projects" that he has been meaning to do for YEARS that have never even been started. Etc., etc., etc.

So I've got to move fast...this is only the 3rd time in 25 years he has visited me. But I was hoping to hook him up to my PB420E tonight with a Swift interface and find out what happens.

He's stubborn. He did go for a sleep study several years ago, but he had called in advance to tell them he had a severe head cold, they said come on in anyway, then told him because of the head cold, the study was inaccurate and he'd have to come back for another one. I think he paid out of pocket for it.....and needless to say he has not gone back.

So what do I do? Set the autopap from just 4-20 and see what happens? I really, really KNOW he needs this!

Jan in Colo.

Geocom · Post by **Geocom** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:58 pm

Jan,

From my own personal experience, you must first convince him that he has a problem.

Get in your car, run to Target, or Best Buy, or WalMart and buy a $20 voice activated mini tape recorder. (Don't forget to get a tape and batteries!)

Have your sister-in-law put it next to his pillow tonight, then play the horrific noises for your brother at the breakfast table tomorrow. Play it again at lunch. Then again at dinner.

By that time, he may be willing to try a night with a machine.

Rest assured, your sister in law will be a willing accomplice in this endeavor...

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 4:58 pm

Jan,

There are two approaches...

1.) set the machine at a fixed 4cm and record how many A/Hs he has above 4cm.

2.) set the machine with a middle of the road range like 6cm to 15cm and see how much and how often the machine has to increase pressure to apparently eliminate A/Hs.

I would opt for the second method and hope he feels so much better in the morning that he goes home and talks his Doc into writing him a prescription for an auto-pap.

If you really want to skirt the law, you could buy one on your prescription and let him take it home. It would be better if he works it out with his Doc, but if the alternative is no treatment you make think otherwise.

Colorado Jan · Post by **Colorado Jan** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 5:14 pm

Thanks, guys. Wader read my mind. Exactly. I was thinking of buying one on my prescription and giving it to him...he is SO stubborn. Plus money is an issue I think.

My sis-in-law won't be any help, lol. She is sleeping in another room...I had to have TWO Guest rooms ready for their visit, lol. She refuses to sleep with him and hasn't for years. I'm telling you...there really is no question that he has severe sleep apnea!

I guess I'll ask him how he wants to do it....a split study, lol, or just go straight for the Autopap.....I'm 80 percent sure he'll cooperate....I think.

Jan in Colo.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 7:37 pm

Please do keep us posted on the results.... This sounds very interesting!!!

johnnygoodman · Post by **johnnygoodman** » Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:54 pm

Howdy,

The Sleep Strip is a good option in that there is no CPAP required to test, but it does require an Rx to use.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/slp-sl ... study.html

Johnny

Colorado Jan · Post by **Colorado Jan** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 12:17 am

Well, my brother is "hooked up" as we speak. Fit the Swift nasal pillows on him, showed him how to operate the APAP, and told him goodnight. I almost waited until tomorrow night since it seems like cruel and unusual punishment to have someone try CPAP for the first time after a day of driving 12 hours, but he seemed willing, so I decided to jump on the opportunity!

Biggest problem will be that he prefers sleeping on his stomach...hmmm. We'll just have to see how it went in the morning, won't we.

Jan in Colo.

LynfromOz · Post by **LynfromOz** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 6:50 am

Hi Jan
Quite an achievement! I was wondering if you might have a nasal mask that he could try as the Swift takes a few days to get used to. He may complain of a sore nose or take it off during the night as others have done. It's great that you have got him trying it out, congratulations!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 7:23 am

C.J.

I hope your test went better than mine with my son did. Even tho he does have apnea, he was only able to keep the mask on for 62 minutes the first night and for 1 hr 10 minutes the 2nd night. He took it off in his sleep as I did for the first 3 months. So we didn't get a really good picture of what was going on. Can't wait to hear how it went. I hope he slept well and feel really refreshed this a.m.

elliejose · Post by **elliejose** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 7:25 am

Sorry, that was me. Sometimes the auto log in works and sometimes it doesn't. Does anyone know what the difference is?

LoneRider · Post by **LoneRider** » Fri Nov 11, 2005 9:51 am

Okay, so I am a bit late, I would probably try 6cm of pressure, and leave it at 6cm. If your brother is a bigger guy (like me), he might feel like he is not getting enough air at 4cm. Anyway, without auto you might see more events.

But since I am a day late and a dollar short, I guess I am going to have to wait for the results.

cheers,
Tom

Colorado Jan · Post by **Colorado Jan** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:21 am

Well, the first night was a bust. He couldn't get used to the whole Darth Vader soundtrack idea of hearing his own breaths so clearly. He normally sleeps with a fan directed to his face, which for some reason last night was directed AWAY from him. AND, there is that whole problem of being a stomach sleeper.

So he says he swears he was awake and trying to go to sleep at least six hours with the CPAP machine(although there is no clock in his room and it may well have been a very long 20 minutes!) and then took the mask off. After a series of household noises (four 17-year old boys hanging out in the hallway outside of his room for quite a while at 7 in the morning, and a light fixture falling sometime during the night...CRASH!...), and after redirecting the fan toward his face the way he likes, he finally slept.

Still, I think he might try it again tonight. We'll have to wait until morning to see if we have any results...He definitely said though that tonight he would keep his fan blowing in his face which might help him ignore the sounds of his own breathing and relax about the whole thing. Cross your fingers...

Oh, the Swift is the only mask I have that will fit him. His face is much larger than mine (or maybe I think that because of female vanity, lol!) But no, I'm pretty sure my other masks wouldn't fit.

Jan in Colo.

elliejose · Post by **elliejose** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:41 am

C.J.

Sorry it didn't go well. But remember our first nights. I even asked for water during my sleep study just so I could take the mask off for a little bit. I thought I would scream if I couldn't take it off for just a few, and after he told me no, just like a child, I became very thirsty. I'm sure he knew what I was doing but he couldn't very well tell me no water. Hope you really can get him to try again tonight. And I sure hope tonight goes better than last night. And IMHO if he can sleep with as near his normal habits as possible, the more apt he is to be able to tolerate the mask.

Good luck to you both, tonight.

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 11:43 am

My dad is going in for a sleep study soon. My daughter has apnea I think. She is only six. She snores and I heard her stop breathing last nigh.

I have thought about hooking my dad up to mine. I have not done it yet though. Good luck with your brother, if he can tolerate it, it may save his life.

Dan

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:19 pm

Hi Jan,

How interesting! Please do keep us informed how it goes.

Here's an old thread where loonlvr tried a similar experiment for his nephew:

Aug 28, 2005 subject: A home titration

Unlike your brother, loonlvr's newphew was able to sleep fine with mask and machine. I got to see the Encore data files later. Looked like the nephew definitely had OSA. With "therapeutic" levels of pressure, his data looked great. As far as I know the nephew continued to treat himself. Perhaps loonlvr can update us someday.

Of course it's better for anyone to have a full fledged PSG for a much more comprehensive picture of one' sleep and sleep problems. But if someone just absolutely won't, or can't, have a formal sleep study, autopap experiments at home can be interesting... possibly even lifesaving.