Should I go back for a second titration?

Because I was not able to complete titration at the sleep lab they wanted me to come back for a second try. (another $3200) After several weeks I was able to get doctor to write a prescription for a auto cpap which I purchased. I have been using it for about two weeks and all seems to be going well except for normal minor problems of new user. (got my third mask yesterday, comfort curve, I like it) My question is does it make any sense to go back for the titration? Would appreciate your comments.

If you can download your data from your machine, send it to your doctor and ask him. It may not be necessary to go back if everything looks good from the recorded data. If the insurance company is paying, it might be worth doing anyway. If you are paying, I would not go back if I was doing ok with the machine and the data shows good results. But it's really up to you and your doctor.

Tom

I could not complete the titration study either. I told the doctor point blank that I would come back "when hell freezes over"! I would shoot myself in the foot before I would do that again. They used an auto for an at home titration and set the machine from that..... so I finally thought. Why am I paying this idiot money to have him look at me and say. Everything looks good, see you in 6 months. So I download my info and have tweaked the machine to my needs. Be careful, some doctors will take offense to, shall we say, self diagnosis. If you like your doctor and feel he has your best interest in mind, that is wonderful. Of course, the all important issue is your general health - if you have any underlying health issues, you should be working with a doctor.

if you are feeling good, rested and have more energy. HELL NO. They just want your money. Spend it on a mask and maybe another auto cpap. Laugh all the way to the bank. Now you know why they dont like autos. You don't need a titration study !

Cheers,

Chris

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!! My apap does a better job than my second titration study did. In my opinion (non medical) save your money and don't ruin another good night of sleep by spending it wired up if you feel good. After all, this therapy is all about getting restful sleep and feeling better, and it sounds like that is happening for you already! It's not like you haven't been diagnosed.

Hi Stein,

I have been on the hose since 1/10/05. My first sleep doc was an arrogant b*st*rd! He didn't listen or respond to my questions.

After I FINALLY found a good sleep doc, he wasn't familiar with the machine that I had purchased from our good sponsors at CPAP.COM. I brought in graphs and charts and summaries, and he didn't seem to understand -- he uses ResMed, and didn't seem to want to spend time on my numbers.

This kind of put me off after a really BAD experience with my first sleep doc. He did spend a lot of time examining me and talking with me -- more time in the first visit that the first doc did in several. He also LISTENED to me and treated me as an intelligent person (that was a refreshing change!).

Then he suggested that we do an overnight pulse oximetry to verify that my oxygen levels were staying up at night. As my desat's were dangerously low during my sleep study, this seemed like a good idea. I picked the machine up after work, used it that night and returned it in the morning. It was painless and confirmed that my autoPAP was working beautifully. It reassured both of us that the therapy was working.

At my follow-up visit he did seem more interested in my numbers, and I am working on a spreadsheet from the comma delimited output to calculate some of the numbers and spot trends (hopefully). I had a preliminary copy of that spreadsheet that he wanted to study -- I find it curious that the SilverLining software doesn't calculate AHI for you!

The overnight pulse oximetry seemed like a relatively easy process, that confirmed what was, for me, a major problem that my autoPAP doesn't monitor.

It might be a decent alternative for you as well. Without knowing the results of your sleep study, this is an easy thing to monitor. I don't know what the cost was -- insurance covered this. You might discuss this with your doctor.

Good luck to you!