I'm new. I think I have apnea. Advice?

[ChicagoGranny]

Thanks kaiasgram for your feedback. I appreciate being able to double check my plans with someone more experienced than I.

ChicagoGranny, I struggle with excessive fatigue sometimes, but it's not consistent. I have good days and bad days. I feel the temptation to eat when I'm tired, but I try to be careful. I'm 6' 3" and around 195 lbs. I was a little over 200 lbs, but I'm aiming for 190 lbs.

Thanks for the stomach sleeping position picture. I think I stayed off my back last night, and I think it's something I can be consistent with if I take it seriously and work at it.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give me advice in this post.

It will be interesting to see if staying off your back can eliminate the excess fatigue you have on some days.

[BarnhartWill]

I've stayed off my back the last couple of nights and I'm feeling awful. Almost sick with fatigue yesterday. My throat feels just a little bit sore, like if I might have just a touch of a cold, and I sneeze every once in a while. I wonderful if having a touch of a cold could also have something to do with it.

I plan to order a pulse oximeter.

[Not Fade]

I have never been a fan of pulse-oximetry studies for people with suspected sleep-disordered breathing. Way too many false negatives. You can be deathly ill from SDB and the pulse-oximetry study show normal pulse and oxygen levels.

About that cold and sore throat, inflammation or irritation of the airway often causes swelling of the tissues and makes SDB much worse.

This time of year is also bad for pollen allergies.

[BarnhartWill]

Thanks for your reply Not Fade. I had two sleep studies and hardly slept. The doctor didn't ask me to take a third, but he did kinda leave the door open if I wanted to come back. I thought wearing a pulse oximeter would be something I could do and see what kind of results I'm getting.

It's during times like this, when I have a slight cold or a slight swelling in my throat for some reason, that I really struggle. I feel worried and just generally bad.

[49er]

Thanks for your reply Not Fade. I had two sleep studies and hardly slept. The doctor didn't ask me to take a third, but he did kinda leave the door open if I wanted to come back. I thought wearing a pulse oximeter would be something I could do and see what kind of results I'm getting.

It's during times like this, when I have a slight cold or a slight swelling in my throat for some reason, that I really struggle. I feel worried and just generally bad.

BarnhartWill,

Have you considered trying to purchase a used cpap or apap machine on Craig's List? I know many people wouldn't feel comfortable doing so without getting an official diagnosis of apnea from their sleep doctor. But I just wanted to throw that out to you as a possible option if you honestly felt you did have sleep apnea.

49er

[Not Fade]

Thanks for your reply Not Fade. I had two sleep studies and hardly slept. The doctor didn't ask me to take a third, but he did kinda leave the door open if I wanted to come back. I thought wearing a pulse oximeter would be something I could do and see what kind of results I'm getting.

It's during times like this, when I have a slight cold or a slight swelling in my throat for some reason, that I really struggle. I feel worried and just generally bad.

I think not being able to sleep a sufficient amount of time in the sleep lab is a common problem. Maybe ask the doc about a sleeping pill? Or ask for a home study if you think you could sleep better in your own bed?

As far as feeling bad and worried with a cold, that pretty much describes my days pre-CPAP. A cold would make me feel horrible and last five to seven days. Since CPAP, a cold only lasts two to three days and I feel good enough to work all day and go to the gym after work. This even sounds amazing to me, but it is true.

[BarnhartWill]

Not Fade, the doctor did give me 5 mg of Ambian at my last sleep study. I did fall asleep for a short time and then work up and was pretty much the rest of the night.

The doctor did kinda leave the door open for me coming back. He said something about if it get's worse, or something like that. And he said perhaps then we could try a home study. I guess I'm kinda thinking that if I get some data from a pulse oximeter, that would be something I could take back with me if I make another appointment with him.

Also, I'm wondering if this is a periodic problem. Only when I accidentally get on my back, or if I have some slight swelling in my throat. Perhaps when these things aren't happening I'm sleeping okay.

I've seen that some on this forum have just bought a machine and went about treatment on their own. Perhaps that is also an option to consider.

[BarnhartWill]

I just now saw your post 49er. Thanks for your input.

I don't know. I have thought of just buying a machine. I'm pretty sure I have sleep apnea some of the time, but I don't know how bad. I don't think every time I fall asleep I instantly start having sleep apnea. I'm pretty sure I've had problems when I've been on my back. Now I suspect that being on my stomach doesn't work well for me either. I tried sleeping on my stomach (in the raven position) most of Saturday night and felt terrible on Sunday. Maybe I'm doing okay when I'm on my side.

I guess I have 3 options:

I could go back to the doctor and ask for a 3rd sleep study

I could get a pulse oximeter and see if it reveals any problems.

I could get a cpap machine

Would a cpap machine be a better diagnostic instrument than a pulse oximeter? I think kaiasgram thought going with an oximeter might make sense. But Not Fade had concerns. I think by the shape of my throat, jaw, etc. that my apnea is the obstructive type.

[49er]

I just now saw your post 49er. Thanks for your input.

I don't know. I have thought of just buying a machine. I'm pretty sure I have sleep apnea some of the time, but I don't know how bad. I don't think every time I fall asleep I instantly start having sleep apnea. I'm pretty sure I've had problems when I've been on my back. Now I suspect that being on my stomach doesn't work well for me either. I tried sleeping on my stomach (in the raven position) most of Saturday night and felt terrible on Sunday. Maybe I'm doing okay when I'm on my side.

I guess I have 3 options:

I could go back to the doctor and ask for a 3rd sleep study

I could get a pulse oximeter and see if it reveals any problems.

I could get a cpap machine

Would a cpap machine be a better diagnostic instrument than a pulse oximeter? I think kaiasgram thought going with an oximeter might make sense. But Not Fade had concerns. I think by the shape of my throat, jaw, etc. that my apnea is the obstructive type.

Hi BarnhartWill,

Neither one diagnoses apnea. For example, there are some folks who don't have O2 desaturations who definitely have sleep apnea. So the device wouldn't be foolproof.

But if you go this route, you want to buy a recording one so you can view the data on your computer. The cheaper ones would run $40 to $50.

You might decide this is worth taking the risk since this is your cheapest option. Then if there are problems, you can decide to either purchase a machine directly or go back to the doctor.

If you decide to buy a machine directly and your first night indicates something like a 10 to 20 AHI, that is a good indication you have sleep apnea but it is not a diagnostic tool officially. But the advantage is if you really do have sleep apnea and hone in on the right pressure and start to feel better, that is a good sign you are on the right track.

I know I am kind of being vague but hopefully, I am giving enough information so you can make your own decision and not be influenced by what I am writing.

49er

[BarnhartWill]

Thanks 49er and everyone else who has given me some input.

[BarnhartWill]

I was leaning toward pulse oximeter, but would this make more sense?

viewtopic/t97340/Remstar-Plus--model-25 ... -sale.html

Again ... I don't know if I have sleep apnea regularly. But I'm pretty sure I've been having it some.

[Pugsy]

That model 250 machine wouldn't help you much because it doesn't gather any data beyond how many hours of use.
No leak data, no AHI...no nothing.
While it would make a good back up machine for someone who didn't need the data....you want all the data you can get.

[kaiasgram]

I was leaning toward pulse oximeter, but would this make more sense?

viewtopic/t97340/Remstar-Plus--model-25 ... -sale.html

Again ... I don't know if I have sleep apnea regularly. But I'm pretty sure I've been having it some.

No, Will, that machine is a "brick" -- it does not record any data besides the number of hours the machine is being used. It will not help you at all.

People who go the DIY route need to start with an auto-adjustable or APAP machine. In the ResMed series that would be the S9 Autoset (not the S9 Escape Auto). In the PR series I think there's more than one option and someone will be able to tell you which ones. You need an APAP so that the machine can start out running a wide range of pressures, which would help you determine what your ideal pressure (or range of pressures) needs to be. The second critical feature is full efficacy data so you know if you're having apnea events, and what kind of events (obstructive, hypopnea, or "clear airway"), mask leak information, etc.

[BarnhartWill]

Thanks Pugsy and kaiasgram.

[Pugsy]

Having an APAP for self diagnosing and/or self treating simplifies things a bit but it isn't the end of the world if you end up finding a good deal on a cpap model that does full data.
The model 460 PR S1 Pro cpap machine offers limited APAP capabilities and even if you find a straight cpap machine you can dial in therapy needs using fixed pressures fairly easily. It's nice to have the APAP capabilities though because sometimes those auto adjusting pressures come in handy.

I may know of a source for a full data S9 AutoSet used low hours...send me a private message if you want more information. I also need to know how much you can or want to spend.

The pulse oximeter idea...not everyone will have significant desats with their sleep apnea events...that's the main limitation to that idea. I have a friend whose AHI was in the 60s and her Oxygen levels never dropped below 94% from a baseline of 96%...documented on her in lab sleep study...so it can happen.
So if you did the pulse ox thing...if you saw significant desats then you have your answer..but if you didn't see significant desats you might or might not have your answer.