Doctor frustrations

Hi All,

Just venting. I just called the sleep doctor and the first available appointment they have is not until January 28th. I am very angry that he has nothing until then. They could not do a fit in appointment just for me to discuss a sleep aid? It really bothers me. They put me through to the medication refill line and this is not a refill. I really wanted to talk to him about medication options because I am already on Trazadone at night and that interacts with a lot of sleep medications. I cannot just keep waking up after two or three hours and then not be able to sleep for four or five more. My length of sleep is not getting any better. I need some help for at least a little while to calm down the anxiety after I wake up after two or three hours. Just wanted to vent. I do not expect a response. If the refill line does not work, I am thinking about going in and talking to my PCP. At least with her I know I can get in within a couple of days.

"just to discuss a sleep aid"... The MD may have a fair number of very serious problem cases backed up from the holidays, so you might want to give him a break. You see your 'time' with him as only being minimal, but add that to all the other pts who probably feel the same way, and the poor MD is probably working through lunch, then maybe having to see hospital pts, going to a seminar that he cannot avoid, etc. etc. and likely only getting a hotdog for supper. You never know !

I'd call back and ask to speak to the nurse. Maybe she/he might have some advice or something to get you through to the 28th. I have the same issue with my doc - he only works in the sleep center on Wednesdays - he works in the hospital the rest of the time - but I can always get through to a nurse who can contact him. Good luck! Happy New Year!

Thanks for your help. I am trying to cut him a break. When I am not sleeping more than 3 hours at the most a night I cannot function for work the next day and I was really looking forward to getting something but because of my med situation I really needed to discuss it over with someone who has the time to listen about my concerns. I talked to my psychiatrist yesterday and he called in a prescription for Rozerem for me but I need special authorization from the insurance company to get it. Since it is one of the only sleep aids on the market that allows you to get REM sleep it is really my only option. If I do not get REM sleep it greatly decreases my ability to cope with my depression. I say that from experience from taking straight Ambien probably about six or seven years ago. I was just frustrated and desperately wanting to sleep through the night with the CPAP. I have currently been off the machine for two nights. My RT is trying to get my pressure lowered a little bit because of waking up with really bad gas cramping, etc. I am refusing to go back on my CPAP until I can get to the place where I do not associate it with sleeplessness and anxiety. I need to be able to get to a place where I can control the anxiety about it as soon as I put it on. I hate the type of person I turn into when I am sleep deprived.

First of all, let me just say - I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!!! My newbie period was not as rough as you're describing, but very nearly. I describe myself during that time as homicidal.

Do try to talk to the nurse. Try the Rozerem. I know this is stupid, but have you tried Benadryl? That's my preferred sleep aid. I also had to go on Provigil during my early months of cpap, to deal with the incredible sleep deprivation while I was attempting to find the sweet spot in my therapy.

Would a different mask help? Have you tried getting on one of the Free Test Drives? Check the link in my signature block for a list of masks you can test drive for free.

Hang in there buddy, you can keep venting here.
Barbara

I was about to ask "what causes the anxiety" that it dawned on my that I'd be terribly anxious too if I were in your situation:
You depend on insurance to OK the medication you need according to what your psychatrist suggeted (nothing you can do).
You depend on a doctor to give you a sleep aid, and the doc. is busy (nothing you can do)
You depend on the RT to lower the pressure a little bit - and she can't do it because she need permison from the doctor (nothing you can do).
Your machine is not even your own.

So basically, nothing is in your hands, except for the ability to say NO!!! - which you just have.

Strapping on that cpap must represent a nightmare of impotence. Very very frightening not be able to do anything to help yourself.

I hope you will find your way out of that maze.

O.

Well, this just occurred to me - can someone tell you how to adjust the pressure on your machine?

Yoo Hoo! Resmed users! Can you post a clinicians menu for this machine?

Huggers,
B.

Babette wrote:Well, this just occurred to me - can someone tell you how to adjust the pressure on your machine?

Yoo Hoo! Resmed users! Can you post a clinicians menu for this machine?

Huggers,
B.

I've not used that machine, but perhaps this will help:

ResMed S6 CPAP

1. machine must be shut off
2. press START and TIMER 20 MINUTES buttons at the same time
3. switch on machine using master switch at the backside of the machine
4. using TIMER 5 MINUTES and TIMER 10 MINUTES buttons increase or decrease pressure (pressure setting is shown on display at reverse side of machine)
5. complete setting by pushing STOP button once
6. now the machine is set to the new pressure and will remember that when being shut off and switched on again

_________________

Wulfman came through for you. See this link for the clinician's menu, so you can reset your pressure yourself:

viewtopic/t37372/Need-clinicians-menu-f ... eight.html

Cheers,
Barbara

swcompassionate, if you don't have the clinical manual for the S6, PM me your email address. Will be glad to send that to you.

With so many doctor's offices having voicemail menus to go through to get to someone, I have found that by writing a letter describing my problem or question and then faxing it to my doctor allows him to call me back with the info that I need at his convenience. It saves both of us alot of time. Just the act of writing your question out helps to clarify what you want to say.
It seems to work well.

I include my birth date, some background info if necessary, and cell phone number so he won't have to play telephone tag when he is ready to reply.

cpapsue wrote:With so many doctor's offices having voicemail menus to go through to get to someone, I have found that by writing a letter describing my problem or question and then faxing it to my doctor allows him to call me back with the info that I need at his convenience. It saves both of us alot of time. Just the act of writing your question out helps to clarify what you want to say.
It seems to work well.

I include my birth date, some background info if necessary, and cell phone number so he won't have to play telephone tag when he is ready to reply.

I do the same thing. I'm always amazed how well this works. Good tip!!!!
B.

Hello All,

Thank you all for your incredible advice. In terms of resetting the pressure on the Resmed 6 is that something I should do without a doctor's order b/c the rest of my CPAP equipment is under insurance. I do not want to mess anything up with that. I think I will definitely use the suggestion about faxing a written concern to the doctor. Don't know why I did not think of that before. Fortunately, I have a really great psychiatrist who was my friend before my psychiatrist and he has an amazing mind and understands my history and sensitivity to meds and the interactions/reactions I have had to various medications. I am very medication sensitive. Trait I inherited I think. I always feel better after talking to him and I know that he will have no problem writing out the paperwork in such a way that they have no choice but to give me the Rozerem. In regards to waking up after two or three hours, has anyone on this site used GABA- natural supplement, that helped my mom through 3am wakings after an accident she had, said it helped her to stay asleep all night. I just want to be able to take something when I wake up like that in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep so I can try to pretty quickly go back to sleep. Just wondering. I got my free samples of the pursleep aromatherapy. Once pressure gets changed on my machine I am looking very forward to trying the samples. Keep me in your thoughts as I struggle through this very difficult transition. Thank you.

Maria

P.S. I am so glad that I found all of you and this wonderfully supportive forum. Be blessed.

The decision to change the pressure is yours to make. You are the one who has to decide if you wish to do this on your own or if you wish your doctor to order the change.

Each of us wrestles with that decision sometime in this process. Some will make many changes all on their own making good choices; others will make changes which are too much too fast. Some will choose not to make a change and let the doctor determine the treatment entirely.

Many people on the forum do manage their own treatment using data available from LED read out's from the machine and software. I don't think you have that available. Others make small changes in pressure, let it stay for a while and then judge how they are feeling to see if they wish to make another small change.

Again, it's your choice. It's your treatment. It's your health.

jules wrote:The decision to change the pressure is yours to make. You are the one who has to decide if you wish to do this on your own or if you wish your doctor to order the change.

Each of us wrestles with that decision sometime in this process. Some will make many changes all on their own making good choices; others will make changes which are too much too fast. Some will choose not to make a change and let the doctor determine the treatment entirely.

Many people on the forum do manage their own treatment using data available from LED read out's from the machine and software. I don't think you have that available. Others make small changes in pressure, let it stay for a while and then judge how they are feeling to see if they wish to make another small change.

Again, it's your choice. It's your treatment. It's your health.

Wise words from Jules.

swcompassionate wrote: is that something I should do without a doctor's order b/c the rest of my CPAP equipment is under insurance

The above does give me the impression that Maria is feels her choice is limited by her insurance. She seems worried about being (metaphorically) slapped on the hand by her insurance for changing the pressure on her own on a machine insurance did not even supply. Can anyone who understands the intricacies of American medical insurance tell her what might happen (insurance-wise) if she did change the pressure on her own?

O.