New to cpap

Hi,
I started Cpap on 11/28/2014.
This Thursday [1/15/2015] I will have my first follow-up MD appt.
MD appts to date have been short and the doctor does not communicate much.
What is the best way for me to prepare for this appointment?
Thank you

Some Doctors want you to bring your SD card from your machine with you and they can insert it in their computer and get a printout to see your progress. If you bring your SD card, be sure and "lock" it so that they don't write to the card and can only read it. (Remember to "unlock" it again when you insert it back into your machine after the appointment).

Another alternative is to print reports from SleepyHead and show them to him. I would print the "Statistics", "Daily" and "Overview" pages. He/She will be very impressed

Most importantly, take a few minutes and write down questions that you have about your situation, and bring that list of questions with you.

It seems that most sleep doctors assume that you don't have a clue as to your sleep quality and don't make an attempt to communicate with you about it.

Paul

I would definitely take my SD card. If you feel uncomfortable with that, take your whole machine. If you decide to take it, remember to empty the water out of the humidifier first. Since you have Sleepyhead, I would recommend taking your reports. The number of reports would depend on the media you choose to use. If you use a printed form, them maybe a printout of your Overview and the most recent Daily report. If you are using a USB memory stick and pdf copies of your data, then I would include the Overview and more Daily reports. If you're using a laptop for your analysis, I would take it . . . just in case.

To give you an idea, I have it setup with my doctor that I email him with a weekly report that contains the Statistics page, each Daily report for the week, the Overview of that week, and a BP-Pulse-SpO2 chart for AM and PM. Because of these reports my doctor visits are few and far between (can you say "Few Copays"). He also allows me a greater latitude of making changes to my settings since he has current data on my exploits.

Good Luck!

Hi

Thank you to both of you.
I will arrive armed with SD card, machine, printouts, and a list of questions.

I complained of severe fatigue, frequent napping, and memory issues in 2010 if not earlier. Basically I was told I needed to exercise, eat better, and that I was lazy and needed to be more productive. I put my foot down, yelled at the doctor, and said something was definitely wrong in early 2014. My sleep study was in July, titration study in September, equipment and training in November. I always took the first available appointments so the time lag between symptoms, tests, treatment and any follow-up is discouraging for me.

I have always been good about preparing for MD appointments and bringing a list of questions, even so, I was not prepared for any of this--DME issues, Medicare compliance, capped bidding and so on. Had it not been for this site I would have not known what equipment I needed or what to do when the equipment started showing problems.

The tech that trained me and provided me with my equipment has not responded to my phone call. The DME office staff is not knowledgeable. I complained to the MD office staff about this and they supported the DME office, saying their lack of knowledge was not their fault but the result of poor training.

Are there training requirements or certifications required for DME offices and or techs???

I do not know when I will have my second MD follow-up visit so I want to have the right questions.

I am very thankful to have found this site. I have sleepyhead but am learning how to interpret the information.