Noob to CPAP and Group. AHI in the 50's...

I can't wait till Mondays Sleep Dr Apt!!! I hope something comes of it, like med-tix was mentioning he might just write a script for a Bi-Pap or Asv 2 week try out, to see if the "numbers" change etc.... or he orders an in lab test - something lol. If not I always have Wednesdays appt for picking up the home sleep equip from Persante Sleep Lab - they are suppose to be a bigger company on the east coast here, maybe it will be decent enough testing equipment? Do I still use my Cpap while doing this home study?

Cause right now I am not getting rested sleep, thank god work is slow as its the off season and we shut the hotel down till April. A Well deserved break for sure!!

I assume that I should continue to use my Cpap as I have been to collect data and I guess It might be helping somewhat, I am not too sure what the numbers would look like without it..... or If I turn down the pressure settings would they sort of show what my numbers are without lol?

Summary of last night -

The more I read about (home sleep studies), I scratch my head wondering why the insurance would even want to do this home sleep study - umm we already know I have OSA!!! Going to need to get into a lab nm I gotta stop thinking the whys that I can't control!! Hopefully my sleep doc will see the data and get what I need etc with out the hoopla the insurance wants to do....then again they are going to be the ones paying a large chunk of this

Ugg

Roll on Monday!
If for some strange reason nothing right happens Monday ...
I'll just get a used ASV n be done with it and figure out the settings myself...

Oh say I do get this home sleep study... Do I wear my Cpap too?

Update to come Monday ( a buffet song came to mind)

GoincrazyneedrestedsleepLOL.....

metsfan302 wrote:The more I read about (home sleep studies), I scratch my head wondering why the insurance would even want to do this home sleep study - umm we already know I have OSA!!! Going to need to get into a lab nm I gotta stop thinking the whys that I can't control!! Hopefully my sleep doc will see the data and get what I need etc with out the hoopla the insurance wants to do....then again they are going to be the ones paying a large chunk of this

Ugg

Roll on Monday!
If for some strange reason nothing right happens Monday ...
I'll just get a used ASV n be done with it and figure out the settings myself...

Oh say I do get this home sleep study... Do I wear my Cpap too?

Update to come Monday ( a buffet song came to mind)

GoincrazyneedrestedsleepLOL.....

It's all about protocols. They just follow the protocol without considering the circumstances. Your doc on Monday may be able to try to get lab study by going through the hoops but it will probably just end up taking longer than just doing the home study and then on to the next step.

For the home sleep study you wouldn't want to use the cpap anyway - you want the study to show things at their worst in order to get treatment.

I don't know enough about centrals and ASV to comment on trying to just do it yourself, I'm sure someone else here will comment on that.

Good luck with it all.

should i keep using my reg cpap over this weekend? with the numbers I have is it doing anything for me

I dunno just feeling frustrated and unsure if i'll even be able to sleep without it if I do have this dumb at home sleep study wed, hopefully the Doc monday will bypass that with as much data as I have and maybe write a script to try out an Bipap or Sv or atleast get thru to the insurance another in-lab test is needed. WE already know I have obstructive and Central apnea ..... anyhow sorry to waste bandwidth, just feeling bla, was looking forward to 4 days off work n well yea one of those dreary days I suppose

Eric

metsfan302 wrote:should i keep using my reg cpap over this weekend? with the numbers I have is it doing anything for me

I dunno just feeling frustrated and unsure if i'll even be able to sleep without it if I do have this dumb at home sleep study wed, hopefully the Doc monday will bypass that with as much data as I have and maybe write a script to try out an Bipap or Sv or atleast get thru to the insurance another in-lab test is needed. WE already know I have obstructive and Central apnea ..... anyhow sorry to waste bandwidth, just feeling bla, was looking forward to 4 days off work n well yea one of those dreary days I suppose

Eric

Yes! Continue using your cpap unless your doctor tells you not too. As high as your numbers are with cpap - how much higher might they be without the cpap? I know it doesn't help to tell you to be patient but you are a lot closer to a solution than you were when you started this thread. The process can be tedious but it will happen if you stick with it. Hang in there.

yea i can only only assume its higher a alot higher

i just got back from dinner with the wife, needed some food. going to relax veg etc

curems wrote:

metsfan302 wrote:should i keep using my reg cpap over this weekend? with the numbers I have is it doing anything for me

I dunno just feeling frustrated and unsure if i'll even be able to sleep without it if I do have this dumb at home sleep study wed, hopefully the Doc monday will bypass that with as much data as I have and maybe write a script to try out an Bipap or Sv or atleast get thru to the insurance another in-lab test is needed. WE already know I have obstructive and Central apnea ..... anyhow sorry to waste bandwidth, just feeling bla, was looking forward to 4 days off work n well yea one of those dreary days I suppose

Eric

Yes! Continue using your cpap unless your doctor tells you not too. As high as your numbers are with cpap - how much higher might they be without the cpap? I know it doesn't help to tell you to be patient but you are a lot closer to a solution than you were when you started this thread. The process can be tedious but it will happen if you stick with it. Hang in there.

Thanks for your input etc, sometimes just knowing someone else out there has or is going thru similar things helps. I am sure it's all going to work out this week!

Sleep well

Wow this is certainly a very complex and lengthy exercise that hopefully has a successful conclusion in the near term. Pugsy is an amazing contributor, I hope he can help me with my issue but we all learn fro reading about others as much as ourself.

She should be sainted . Heck yea - it wild what I have been going thru, thanks to pugsy helping me early on, I am taking more control of things and have this new sleep dr appt Monday. And hopefully an Asv trial to see these centrals lower

AcedDublB wrote:Wow this is certainly a very complex and lengthy exercise that hopefully has a successful conclusion in the near term. Pugsy is an amazing contributor, I hope he can help me with my issue but we all learn fro reading about others as much as ourself.

Welcome to the forums, post a thread someone/multi people will surely help!

AcedDublB wrote:Wow this is certainly a very complex and lengthy exercise that hopefully has a successful conclusion in the near term. Pugsy is an amazing contributor, I hope he can help me with my issue but we all learn fro reading about others as much as ourself.

Never mind I see you have one going....

Well I did get to my orig Sleep/Pulmonary Specialist yesterday.

Thanks Pugsy for telling me to take some paper reports with me just in case there was an issue that day reading my card - Indeed there was!! Not sure why but from what I can gather they only use Encore Viewer Software and well even though the SD card was my orig SD card from my Philips Respironics System One A-Flex 560p. I mentioned something to the girls up front about having the reports from both ResScan and Sleepyhead, they were glad I had them. They did look at me like I had two head's when I did mentioned sleepyhead - but when I showed them the reports and explained it would read every type of reader they were very interested in it - loved how the reports looked etc. (Not my Numbers)

Saw the Dr, he agreed that the at home sleep test would be a waste, said they would contact the sleep center to cancel that. He said yes the numbers are awful, that its a lot of central apnea and that I Needed an Attended sleep study. I mentioned an ASV type machine to him - he just said Bi-Pap, Bi-pap and that we would see what happens with the sleep study and go from there, I asked if the Bi-Pap would be a Trial type thing to see if it worked/ numbers lowered with bi-pap or not like the Resp. Tech at my DME mentioned and he said no permanent.

So he is making sure I get an attended sleep study in lab, going to get a Pulmonary Function test and X-ray. with a follow up Dec 28th.

No sooner did I leave the parking lot of his office did my cell phone ring - it was the sleep center, same woman who I have been dealing with. She goes who's this Doc - I said my Pulmonary/sleep dr lol she goes well he has canceled the home sleep study and is Appealing the orig decision from the denial of the in lab study from my insurance. I guess its quicker that way then writing for a new study....

Sorry for the epic long comment here, just wanted to update whomever might be following along or stumble upon this in an internet search and be going thru similar things etc.....

So looks like yet more of a wait to get what correct therapy/machine I need, but hey at least its in the right direction!

Eric

This is really the best way to go in your situation.
Get the in lab sleep study done and see for sure how many (if any) centrals are happening and go from there.

Bipaps...that's just Respironics term for any bilevel machine whether it be the "plain" bipap that is just essentially cpap/apap with more pressure support or the bilevel machines that have ASV capabilities.
Will they want to try plain bipap first? I dunno, that depends on what the sleep study shows.

At least the ball is rolling and in the right direction...I much prefer this way than trying to doing the dialawinging thing on your own.

You still have some hurdles but not as many now and what hurdles there are aren't quite so high plus this doc sounds like he has some common sense and knows how to deal with the road blocks your insurance will put up.

Well thought I would post a summary of yesterdays nap and last nights sleep..... Now I did extend my hose (combined 2 6ft hoses) - From older threads going over the science and such of adding hose length, I do not believe that would change my ahi number to low ?

Here is the summary -




I don't get it when I avg 38-50 how it dips down so low randomly.

Shrug, guess that's why they call it practicing medicine

Here is last night - Back to normal here I thought I was getting closer to normal LOL