CPAPtalk.com

Julie wrote:My Air apparently does not give half the data that SleepyHead does.

not even anywhere near half.

maybe a hundredth

HST wrote:AHI of 5.0 or greater is considered positive. I get patients all the time that have been on CPAP for 10 years or more but the doctor orders a diagnostic followed by titration if positive. IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss. But in order for insurance to pay for study and equipment, they want proof that you still have apnea. If you haven't had a study in the past 2 years then insurance would require new data. The newer machines are a lot smaller and have some neat functions included. The answer to your question about just adjusting your machine would be how much does it need to be adjusted. That could be a long process of trial and error. A titration study would be more effective with active monitoring.

So your opinion as a sleep tech is that with surgery and weight loss, sleep apnea will go away????

LSAT wrote:

HST wrote:AHI of 5.0 or greater is considered positive. I get patients all the time that have been on CPAP for 10 years or more but the doctor orders a diagnostic followed by titration if positive. IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss. But in order for insurance to pay for study and equipment, they want proof that you still have apnea. If you haven't had a study in the past 2 years then insurance would require new data. The newer machines are a lot smaller and have some neat functions included. The answer to your question about just adjusting your machine would be how much does it need to be adjusted. That could be a long process of trial and error. A titration study would be more effective with active monitoring.

So your opinion as a sleep tech is that with surgery and weight loss, sleep apnea will go away????

No, but it could alleviate the severity of the apnea or possibly cure it. Unlikely but possible

HST wrote:IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss.

A baseless statement for most.

HST wrote:The AirSense 10 actually uploads data on it's own to ResMed's online application called MyAir and its included free. SD cards are becoming a thing of the past.

MyAir is nothing compared to the output of SleepyHead (also free, of course you can donate too if you wish). SD cards are hardly a thing of the past. All the modern machines have them luckily.

HST wrote:.... I charge $150 for a home sleep study but I'm in Las Vegas.

Oh you are a tech too? No wonder you are pushing MyAir and made the baseless statement about surgery and weight loss.

Since you are in Las Vegas, perhaps you have some betting tips?

ICS1955 wrote:I went to a local sleep specialist who read my machine and told me my Apnea Index is 4.8, my Hypopnea index is 9.1 and my AHI is 13.8. So, I need adjustment. She suggested a home study to "prove to insurance that I actually have sleep apnea" followed by a lab titration study once approved.

You only have to prove to insurance if you plan on having them pay for some or all of the new machine. The sleep doctor has already read your machine data.

Adjustments can be done by most with an Auto machine that allows you to monitor your current sleeping issues and allow for adjustments as needed. If you have a high deductible or poor insurance, the doctor should be able to give you the RX to get the machine you need without another sleep study.

Used, via our Sponsors or other possible avenues will in many time cost less than a typically deductible.

Krelvin wrote:

HST wrote:IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss.

A baseless statement for most.

HST wrote:The AirSense 10 actually uploads data on it's own to ResMed's online application called MyAir and its included free. SD cards are becoming a thing of the past.

MyAir is nothing compared to the output of SleepyHead (also free, of course you can donate too if you wish). SD cards are hardly a thing of the past. All the modern machines have them luckily.

HST wrote:.... I charge $150 for a home sleep study but I'm in Las Vegas.

Oh you are a tech too? No wonder you are pushing MyAir and made the baseless statement about surgery and weight loss.

Since you are in Las Vegas, perhaps you have some betting tips?

I was warned that being a tech I would need some thick skin and expect to get slammed. I'm not trying to push MyAir, I simply noted that it is a free feature included with the machine. As for the weight loss and surgery, It is a fact that significant weight loss can reduce and sometimes cause apnea to go away. Deviated nasal septums, enlarged uvulas, enlarged adenoids and enlarged tonsils can cause obstruction in the airway and sometimes when removed or corrected can cure sleep apnea.
When I get a patient that doesn't want to do a sleep study and states that they would rather have a surgery, I tell them that most of the time surgery doesn't work and CPAP is the most effective method of treatment.
Tips for betting? Don't lol, save your money.

HST wrote:

LSAT wrote:

HST wrote:. IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss.

So your opinion as a sleep tech is that with surgery and weight loss, sleep apnea will go away????

No, but it could alleviate the severity of the apnea or possibly cure it. Unlikely but possible

or make it worse.

palerider wrote:

HST wrote:

LSAT wrote:

HST wrote:. IMO its dumb because apnea doesn't usually go away without surgery of weight loss.

So your opinion as a sleep tech is that with surgery and weight loss, sleep apnea will go away????

No, but it could alleviate the severity of the apnea or possibly cure it. Unlikely but possible

or make it worse.

I've seen that before too

If surgery were statistically helpful, THAT would be the gold standard.
In fact, weight loss/surgery is so seldom a genuine "cure", it is IMO,
MALPRACTICE to even mention it.

chunkyfrog wrote:If surgery were statistically helpful, THAT would be the gold standard.
In fact, weight loss/surgery is so seldom a genuine "cure", it is IMO,
MALPRACTICE to even mention it.

I've had patients return after losing 100+ lbs and seen a dramatic change in the data compared to their previous diagnostic. It doesn't always work but can help sometimes.

HST wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:If surgery were statistically helpful, THAT would be the gold standard.
In fact, weight loss/surgery is so seldom a genuine "cure", it is IMO,
MALPRACTICE to even mention it.

I've had patients return after losing 100+ lbs and seen a dramatic change in the data compared to their previous diagnostic. It doesn't always work but can help sometimes.

then when you mouth the 'weight loss help apnea' old mindset, you should be sure and add the caveats, that it can *CHANGE* needs, might make apnea better, MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE, might not change it at all.

HST wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:If surgery were statistically helpful, THAT would be the gold standard.
In fact, weight loss/surgery is so seldom a genuine "cure", it is IMO,
MALPRACTICE to even mention it.

I've had patients return after losing 100+ lbs and seen a dramatic change in the data compared to their previous diagnostic. It doesn't always work but can help sometimes.

There have been a fair number of individuals (forum members) who lost weight and actually needed MORE therapy pressure. Maybe that would come under the category of "dramatic change".

And, there has been a long-standing discussion on the forum regarding the "chicken or egg" theory with regard to weight and OSA. Did the weight cause the OSA or did the OSA cause the weight.......particularly regarding those who come here asking whether their OSA would be "cured" if they just lost some weight. Generally, the answer has been that losing the weight would be good, but it may not "cure" the OSA. Many of the users have come to believe that they had OSA most of their lives and at some point it caught up with them. Many "normal" or "slender" people have OSA, too.


Den

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palerider wrote:

HST wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote:If surgery were statistically helpful, THAT would be the gold standard.
In fact, weight loss/surgery is so seldom a genuine "cure", it is IMO,
MALPRACTICE to even mention it.

I've had patients return after losing 100+ lbs and seen a dramatic change in the data compared to their previous diagnostic. It doesn't always work but can help sometimes.

then when you mouth the 'weight loss help apnea' old mindset, you should be sure and add the caveats, that it can *CHANGE* needs, might make apnea better, MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE, might not change it at all.

I was warned that being a tech I would need some thick skin and expect to get slammed. I'm not trying to push MyAir, I simply noted that it is a free feature included with the machine. As for the weight loss and surgery, It is a fact that significant weight loss can reduce and sometimes cause apnea to go away. Deviated nasal septums, enlarged uvulas, enlarged adenoids and enlarged tonsils can cause obstruction in the airway and sometimes when removed or corrected can cure sleep apnea.
When I get a patient that doesn't want to do a sleep study and states that they would rather have a surgery, I tell them that most of the time surgery doesn't work and CPAP is the most effective method of treatment.
Tips for betting? Don't lol, save your money.
There ya go

HST wrote:

palerider wrote:then when you mouth the 'weight loss help apnea' old mindset, you should be sure and add the caveats, that it can *CHANGE* needs, might make apnea better, MIGHT MAKE IT WORSE, might not change it at all.

I was warned that being a tech I would need some thick skin and expect to get slammed. I'm not trying to push MyAir, I simply noted that it is a free feature included with the machine. As for the weight loss and surgery, It is a fact that significant weight loss can reduce and sometimes cause apnea to go away. Deviated nasal septums, enlarged uvulas, enlarged adenoids and enlarged tonsils can cause obstruction in the airway and sometimes when removed or corrected can cure sleep apnea.
When I get a patient that doesn't want to do a sleep study and states that they would rather have a surgery, I tell them that most of the time surgery doesn't work and CPAP is the most effective method of treatment.
Tips for betting? Don't lol, save your money.
There ya go

I think you pasted in the wrong answer there, hoss.

Many/most of the people who had UPPP surgery have still needed CPAP/Bi-PAP therapy afterwards, too......sometimes at lower pressures and sometimes at higher pressures. Lots of horror stories in the forum archives.
Those who have had it reported that they were never able to eat a peanut butter sandwich afterward.


Den

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