CPAPtalk.com

Tatooed Lady wrote: and a magic hammer.

the way you've talked about your hammer, I figured it WAS magic.

If it needs spelling out - the lab may place a call to you (after talking to the MD who would have already talked to you), to arrange the time nd confirm the date of the new appt... just logistics, nothing else.

Enchanter wrote: Julie, I didn't get 2 hours of sleep. The tech explained that I didn't get close to 2 hours. He said I slept very little and it was a bad test. He said I napped very little but hardly at all and a test would need to be redone. He said that his crew would call me very soon for another appointment. So if he said that himself, how can the doctor determine proper results?

If the tech put the CPAP mask on your nose, then you got at least 2 hours of apnea filled sleep before the tech came in an put the mask on your nose. There are very stringent conditions that must be met before a tech is allowed to split the study and come in an put a CPAP mask on your nose. One of those conditions is that 2 hours of sleep must be recorded. Another condition is that at least 40 obstructive events must be recorded. When you get the results of your sleep test, you need to have the doctor go over them with you and explain why the tech decided to split the study.

Note that the two hours of diagnostic sleep do NOT need to be continuous. If you sleep 15 minutes here, a half hour there, and so forth and so on, then two hours of sleep can be accumulated even though your memory of the night is that you tossed and turned all night long.

It is also quite possible that you slept very little AFTER the CPAP mask was put on your nose. And that the tech did not get enough data to properly titrate you. And hence a titration study needs to be done.

Right now your job is to slow down and wait for the test results to be communicated to you by the doctor. And waiting is hard. But worrying yourself into a tizzy about all the what if's is counterproductive.

You need to redirect your energy into something productive rather than making yourself sick with worry by trying to sort out why the tech put the mask on your nose and what the tech meant when he said X, Y, and Z, and why he said to expect a call from the sleep clinic to set up another study.

I would suggest the following:

1) Do something FUN and RELAXING that will allow you to forget about sleep apnea, sleep tests, and how miserable you feel for a few hours. And take the RELAXING part of what I'm saying seriously. More extreme exercise is probably NOT going to help you forget about all this stuff that's making you sick with worry and anxiety.

2) If you feel like you absolutely MUST be doing something to learn everything you can about OSA, then start learning about OSA as a medical condition rather than just worrying about how your test went and your particular symptoms. Two excellent books written for patients who are interested in the details of what actually happens to a person with OSA at night are Sleep Interrupted by Dr. Steven Park and Sound Sleep, Sound Mind by Dr. Barry Krakow. Get one or both books and start reading.

Tatooed Lady wrote:

Enchanter wrote:So they give you a CPAP machine if you have symptoms of sleep apnea. But I didn't sleep enough and so the tech guy said that the clinic would call me in a few days to have another study. But he said the doctor will have my results in 7 to 10 days. So the doctor knows if I have sleep apnea? And if so, then why would I be taking another test when the doctor needs to confirm it first? It's like Im working with 2 different people and am confused who to call.

You waited TEN YEARS before addressing this health issue. Either call the doctor and harass HIM, or friggin' relax. Do research. Look at old threads on the forum. Meditate. Take a walk. Watch Gilligan's Island. Look at the ten million posts from actual, honest to God HOSPITALS on information for what to expect. But DO NOT EXPECT THAT ANYONE ON THIS FORUM HAS A MAGIC FREAKING 8 BALL. We just don't. If we did, or could wave a happy, magical wand, OSA would be just something in the rear view mirror. And I would have a never ending roll of duct tape and a magic hammer.

That's actually not accurate. I did not wait 10 years to address this issue. I just never knew that it could be sleep apnea until recently. You have to understand that I've been struggling with this for years and have seen doctors before that didn't know. I have spent thousands of dollars over the years on colonics, scientology, Atlus neck chiropractors, colon cleanses, green herbal supplements, magnetic gadgets, reiki, acupuncture, and massage. I have also bought sleep devices too, but just never knew that there was such a thing as a sleep study because my previous doctors didn't tell me.

So please just take a chill pill. What did I ever do to you?

robysue wrote:

Enchanter wrote: Julie, I didn't get 2 hours of sleep. The tech explained that I didn't get close to 2 hours. He said I slept very little and it was a bad test. He said I napped very little but hardly at all and a test would need to be redone. He said that his crew would call me very soon for another appointment. So if he said that himself, how can the doctor determine proper results?

If the tech put the CPAP mask on your nose, then you got at least 2 hours of apnea filled sleep before the tech came in an put the mask on your nose. There are very stringent conditions that must be met before a tech is allowed to split the study and come in an put a CPAP mask on your nose. One of those conditions is that 2 hours of sleep must be recorded. Another condition is that at least 40 obstructive events must be recorded. When you get the results of your sleep test, you need to have the doctor go over them with you and explain why the tech decided to split the study.

Note that the two hours of diagnostic sleep do NOT need to be continuous. If you sleep 15 minutes here, a half hour there, and so forth and so on, then two hours of sleep can be accumulated even though your memory of the night is that you tossed and turned all night long.

It is also quite possible that you slept very little AFTER the CPAP mask was put on your nose. And that the tech did not get enough data to properly titrate you. And hence a titration study needs to be done.

Right now your job is to slow down and wait for the test results to be communicated to you by the doctor. And waiting is hard. But worrying yourself into a tizzy about all the what if's is counterproductive.

You need to redirect your energy into something productive rather than making yourself sick with worry by trying to sort out why the tech put the mask on your nose and what the tech meant when he said X, Y, and Z, and why he said to expect a call from the sleep clinic to set up another study.

I would suggest the following:

1) Do something FUN and RELAXING that will allow you to forget about sleep apnea, sleep tests, and how miserable you feel for a few hours. And take the RELAXING part of what I'm saying seriously. More extreme exercise is probably NOT going to help you forget about all this stuff that's making you sick with worry and anxiety.

2) If you feel like you absolutely MUST be doing something to learn everything you can about OSA, then start learning about OSA as a medical condition rather than just worrying about how your test went and your particular symptoms. Two excellent books written for patients who are interested in the details of what actually happens to a person with OSA at night are Sleep Interrupted by Dr. Steven Park and Sound Sleep, Sound Mind by Dr. Barry Krakow. Get one or both books and start reading.

No Robysue, I didn't get 2 hours. That is why the tech said that the test was no good. Okay to be honest, I didn't sleep one wink. I was 100 percent wide awake, moment by moment. Again, I did not get 2 hours of sleep. The tech guy was putting the CPAP on me because he thought it would get me more sleep. To be honest, maybe he didn't know what he was doing. I did not get 2 hours of sleep. 2 seconds is more likely. That's why the tech guy said the test was no good, he said I did not sleep hardly.

yaconsult wrote: Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING that anyone at the sleep lab said matters in the slightest. The ONLY thing that matters is the big report that will show up on your doctor's computer that will have a breath-by-breath, minute-by-minute, brainwave-by-brainwave recording of the entire night you spent at the sleep lab since you were wired up. He is an expert in sleep and respiratory medicine and will assess those results using his knowledge, training, and experience. He will then meet with you and present you with his findings and recommendations. That is the way it works, and there are excellent reasons why. We have all gone through this exact same process and we are speaking from experience, not speculation.

That's right. Now I don't trust that guy. He could have just been talking out of his ass. It might have been his first night on the job. He said he was going to tell me whether or not I had sleep apnea so obviously he wasn't doing his job right.

If you're determined to disregard EVERYONE's input and to draw your own conclusions......... why don't you just buy some gear off of craigslist and strike out on a course of your own choosing and treat yourself ? An auto machine will tell you a lot of data and then.....you can start 8 more threads asking about it's meaning ! I can't figure out why so many here have repeatedly responded to your circuitous BS in your numerous threads/posts. Moths are drawn to a flame, I guess.

Gasper62 wrote:If you're determined to disregard EVERYONE's input and to draw your own conclusions......... why don't you just buy some gear off of craigslist and strike out on a course of your own choosing and treat yourself ? An auto machine will tell you a lot of data and then.....you can start 8 more threads asking about it's meaning ! I can't figure out why so many here have repeatedly responded to your circuitous BS in your numerous threads/posts. Moths are drawn to a flame, I guess.

In all honesty, I am going to look into that. If for some reason my tests was done wrong and it says I got 2 hours of sleep (even thought I got none like most nights before 5 am) then I'm just going to have to order my own test and show the doctor myself afterwards. I have a bad feeling that the test wasn't done properly so I'm already figuring out Plan B.

But you have to remember, now I remember the tech using the word ''FAILED Sleep Study''

How to create a troll.

Enchanted,

You have to understand one important thing: The tech is not allowed to just slap a CPAP on your nose for no reason during a diagnostic sleep test. The only reason the tech is allowed to split the test is if there is overwhelming evidence of pretty severe OSA early enough in the night. And the evidence for OSA can be recorded only when the EEG data says you are asleep.

The titration part of the test may have been a FAILURE, but that does not mean the diagnostic part of the test was a failure.

If by some chance you really didn't sleep a single second all night long, then the tech could actually get into trouble with his boss for putting the mask on your nose and proceeding to a split study. Do you really think the tech would run the risk of getting into serious trouble with his boss by coming in and putting a mask on your nose when you did not meet the criteria for a split study?

You absolutely MUST wait until you get the results of your sleep study before you draw any conclusions about what was or was not recorded during this particular sleep study. When you see the results of your study you will be able to then ask, What justified the tech's decision to split the study?

It seems as though you are working very hard at talking yourself into not believing a word the doctor has to tell you during your next follow-up appointment: It seems highly likely to me that if the doc tells you that you did sleep for x minutes before the tech put the mask on you and that the data gathered during those x minutes indicates you have OSA, you are just going to refuse to believe the doc because you have convinced yourself that you didn't sleep at all during the test.

Quit psyching yourself out about this. Quit second guessing what happened. Wait for the test results and look at them with an open mind. If the test results say you slept part of the night, accept that as the truth. If the test results actually say you didn't sleep at all, then ask the doc: "Why the heck did the tech try to titrate me during the second part of the night if I never fell asleep before he put the mask on my nose?"

As I said before: If I were a betting man instead of a teetotalling female math professor, I'd be betting $$$ that enough data was gathered to justify the tech's decision to put a mask on your nose and try to titrate you. And I'd be betting $$$ that you're going to walk away with a diagnosis of OSA when you next see the doctor. But whether the doc will insist on another titration study or just go with a week of autotitration? I wouldn't make a bet on that question at this point with the data that I have about what's going on.

robysue wrote:Enchanted,

You have to understand one important thing: The tech is not allowed to just slap a CPAP on your nose for no reason during a diagnostic sleep test. The only reason the tech is allowed to split the test is if there is overwhelming evidence of pretty severe OSA early enough in the night. And the evidence for OSA can be recorded only when the EEG data says you are asleep.

The titration part of the test may have been a FAILURE, but that does not mean the diagnostic part of the test was a failure.

If by some chance you really didn't sleep a single second all night long, then the tech could actually get into trouble with his boss for putting the mask on your nose and proceeding to a split study. Do you really think the tech would run the risk of getting into serious trouble with his boss by coming in and putting a mask on your nose when you did not meet the criteria for a split study?

You absolutely MUST wait until you get the results of your sleep study before you draw any conclusions about what was or was not recorded during this particular sleep study. When you see the results of your study you will be able to then ask, What justified the tech's decision to split the study?

It seems as though you are working very hard at talking yourself into not believing a word the doctor has to tell you during your next follow-up appointment: It seems highly likely to me that if the doc tells you that you did sleep for x minutes before the tech put the mask on you and that the data gathered during those x minutes indicates you have OSA, you are just going to refuse to believe the doc because you have convinced yourself that you didn't sleep at all during the test.

Quit psyching yourself out about this. Quit second guessing what happened. Wait for the test results and look at them with an open mind. If the test results say you slept part of the night, accept that as the truth. If the test results actually say you didn't sleep at all, then ask the doc: "Why the heck did the tech try to titrate me during the second part of the night if I never fell asleep before he put the mask on my nose?"

As I said before: If I were a betting man instead of a teetotalling female math professor, I'd be betting $$$ that enough data was gathered to justify the tech's decision to put a mask on your nose and try to titrate you. And I'd be betting $$$ that you're going to walk away with a diagnosis of OSA when you next see the doctor. But whether the doc will insist on another titration study or just go with a week of autotitration? I wouldn't make a bet on that question at this point with the data that I have about what's going on.

Can you be sleeping but moving, thinking, and looking at the room at the same time? Like in other words can you be conscious like we are right now but still be technically asleep. For instance one time while on a long car trip with my friend, I heard myself snore for a few seconds, but I was very aware of what was going on.

From http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sl ... leep-apnea

Equipment Used for a Sleep Study

During a sleep study, surface electrodes will be put on your face and scalp and will send recorded electrical signals to the measuring equipment. These signals, which are generated by your brain and muscle activity, are then recorded digitally. Belts will be placed around your chest and abdomen to measure your breathing. A bandage-like oximeter probe will be put on your finger to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood.
Other Tests and Equipment Used for Sleep Apnea

EEG (electroencephalogram) to measure and record brain wave activity.
EMG (electromyogram) to record muscle activity such as face twitches, teeth grinding, and leg movements, and to determine the presence of REM stage sleep. During REM sleep, intense dreams often occur as the brain undergoes heightened activity.
EOG (electro-oculogram) to record eye movements. These movements are important in determining the different sleep stages, particularly REM stage sleep.
ECG (electrocardiogram) to record heart rate and rhythm.
Nasal airflow sensor to record airflow.
Snore microphone to record snoring activity.

When you meet with your doctor, that is an excellent question to ask him: During a sleep test, how is "sleep" measured and what counts as "sleep". Is it possible that I did not sleep for a single minute? According to all the machines, how many minutes did I sleep during the course of the study? Feel free to ask the doctor to explain and justify his answers - it's his job to explain them to you until you understand.

Elle wrote:How to create a troll.

At this point I would rather find out that we've been conned by a troll than to think that the OP is really as impaired as he has demonstrated. After answering all his questions six ways to Sunday and after giving him some mental health resource suggestions, I think the best and kindest thing we can do for him now is to stop dancing with him. Every response and every attempt to help him just sets off another round. All of his responses to us have been to restate his question, or to reject our explanations, or to say why our suggestions won't work and/or we don't understand, or to ignore the help and just start another new thread on the same subject. We've been on a merry-go-round with him. He can't self-regulate. So we either set the limits for him or we keep playing ping pong with him.

He will meet with his doctor soon enough.

This is why I am starting to hate and mistrust people as I get older.
By the way..the whole "You don't UNDERSTAND!!!," and "you have to UNDERSTAAAND!!," thing is just STUPID. Harley Davidson has used the "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand," schtick for YEARS. Hell...if I have to understand, don't bother explaining! Double for you and your anxiety ridden, denial coated tripe with a heaping side of bullshit.
I'm a glutton for punishment and cannot BELIEVE the good people you've taken advantage of on here! The only way you're going to be happy is if someone else is a deluded as you, and agrees that there is a conspiracy, the tech was loopy, etc.
You bitched that you waited 10 years. YOUR CLAIM. I'm working off that. NOW however, I'm the asshole because you supposedly had shit tons of tests, 3 voodoo priests and a witchdoctor named Mabel try to blast the bad juju out of you?
I'm SO glad I'm not your doctor. Or your anything. I would be in jail for doing something "mean" with duct tape.

You know, you can only be taken advantage of if you let it happen... continuing to feed even a non-troll without stepping back somewhere in the midst to re-look at what's happening fits in the definition of insanity re doing the same thing and expecting different results... so we can only blame ourselves after a certain point... I know I'm just as much to blame as the rest... we all think we have the answers, but it doesn't matter, he didn't really want any to begin with!