New Sleep Study Horrors

Last night was my new study. Almost 4 years since my first one. When I went in for this first one, I was unaware of what was going on in my sleep. I knew that I snored but it didn't seem to bother me too much, other than the bathroom trips all night long. I went in last night and had all the hook-ups stuck on. When we get to the room and I get in bed, I am told that I will not be getting a machine later on during the night like they had previously told me. That the insurance requested a full night study. I can not sleep without my machine. It is not possible. I have told them that. Now that I know what it is like to sleep peacefully all night, sleeping without the machine is not an option. I do not take sleeping pills either. I was give 2 ambien, about an hour apart. I am not sure about the time, they wouldn't tell me what time it was all night. I can not sleep on my back, due to a previous surgery. I was constantly told to sleep on my back, to get more events. More? I was unable to sleep at all! Everytime that I would go to sleep I would have an event that would wake me up. This is what happened all night long. All 8 hours of pure h*ll. I have heart problems. My heart was skipping, pounding, fluttering all night long. I suffocated all night long. I was beginning to think that I was going to die and at one point the teck told me that I only had one more hour left. Thankfully 5am finally came and I was unhooked. I was miserable. I can not move my neck. I suppose from sleeping on a different bed, I am not sure. I have welts all over my face, neck and shoulders from the gunk they used to stick the sensors. I got home, took a shower, and raced as fast as possible to my machine. Bliss. I don't care what the results for the new insurance shows. I am not doing another study. I don't care if the results are worse or better, it doesn't matter to me. If they will pay for a new machine, fine. If not, then I will buy it myself. I am not going in there again. They told me that results will take 2 weeks and then I will have to come in for the study with the new machine. That they will start with a level of 8. I use 13. Not gonna happen. No more stupidity for me.

Oh Mimmie, I am so sorry you had to suffer like that! Seems to me that once we demonstate that we have OSA in an official PSG, we should not have to prove we have it again unless we think it's gone! How horrible! Getting home and onto your machine -- pure bliss indeed!

I would never do a PSG without a machine...I'd be willing to let them start it at a pressure of 4 so they could verify I still have events but go naked? Uh...NO NO NO.

There's got to be a better way. I'm going to do the home study next time. I know I won't get as much info, but I'm not certain that all of it is important in the end. If I have an APAP that can be used as a CPAP with good data feedback, I can keep tweaking the program 'till the numbers are good. I can take as long as I want. They have one night under unnatural conditions. My insurance will pay for at-home studies now. Sorry you had such a bad experience. After mine I was so exhausted I had to sleep in the parking lot before I could drive home. That did not reflect a normal night. If I hear tell of a really great one in my network I may change my mind.

Oh Mimmie, sending you a big hug! What an awful experience! How can they even think of starting you at 8cms! Can the Dr who ordered the sleep study get involved and tell them how he wants the titration performed? It would be a shame to have to buy a new machine if ins will pay for it. Good luck.

I can't believe they are going to make you titrate again. You are titrated already.

I would call your insurance company and see if they really insist on a two night study for someone who already has demonstrated apnea. I'm a little suspicious that the lab just wanted to do 2 nights to make more money.

The insurance company is the one who ordered the new study. It's a new insurance and they wanted to make sure that I had OSA before paying for a new machine. Apparently the 4 year old sleep report wasnt good enough for them. I do wonder though, how will they be able to determine how bad I really am because I did not sleep for any length of time. Not like the first time. 79.9 an hour. This time I would only sleep minutes and when I would have an event it would instantly wake me. So how will they judge that?

oh you poor thing, what an absolutely dreadful and frightening experience!

Mimmie wrote:Last night was my new study. Almost 4 years since my first one. When I went in for this first one, I was unaware of what was going on in my sleep. I knew that I snored but it didn't seem to bother me too much, other than the bathroom trips all night long. I went in last night and had all the hook-ups stuck on. When we get to the room and I get in bed, I am told that I will not be getting a machine later on during the night like they had previously told me. That the insurance requested a full night study. I can not sleep without my machine. It is not possible. I have told them that. Now that I know what it is like to sleep peacefully all night, sleeping without the machine is not an option. I do not take sleeping pills either. I was give 2 ambien, about an hour apart. I am not sure about the time, they wouldn't tell me what time it was all night. I can not sleep on my back, due to a previous surgery. I was constantly told to sleep on my back, to get more events. More? I was unable to sleep at all! Everytime that I would go to sleep I would have an event that would wake me up. This is what happened all night long. All 8 hours of pure h*ll. I have heart problems. My heart was skipping, pounding, fluttering all night long. I suffocated all night long. I was beginning to think that I was going to die and at one point the teck told me that I only had one more hour left. Thankfully 5am finally came and I was unhooked. I was miserable. I can not move my neck. I suppose from sleeping on a different bed, I am not sure. I have welts all over my face, neck and shoulders from the gunk they used to stick the sensors. I got home, took a shower, and raced as fast as possible to my machine. Bliss. I don't care what the results for the new insurance shows. I am not doing another study. I don't care if the results are worse or better, it doesn't matter to me. If they will pay for a new machine, fine. If not, then I will buy it myself. I am not going in there again. They told me that results will take 2 weeks and then I will have to come in for the study with the new machine. That they will start with a level of 8. I use 13. Not gonna happen. No more stupidity for me.

yep sounds exactly what my test a couple of months ago was like. minus the welts, my last test had been in 1995 so it was WELL PAST time for anther one but I don't see the reason for putting someone already diagnosed with moderate to severe apnea through that.. Its smacks of being cruel.


I know for me they barely managed to get 2 hours of total sleep time the whole night, or i would have had to redo my study, Boy was i pissy. I warned the sleep tech while he was hooking me up that I KNEW I would be super cranky and i was apoligizing before hand, since i knew he was gonna get his head bit off several times that night.

2 weeks later on the titration he had to start me at 6..... now I've been at 20 pressure for years. But apparently its all computer controlled and he couldn't change it.

I am in a much better mood now after sleeping my required 8 hours of bliss. Gotta love my snuggleluff, as cpap is called. Thanks everyone for the good vibes. I was afraid that I would have suffocation dreams last night! And it's good to know, in a warped kind of way, that others have had to do the torture too. And I agree it is cruel. Like a torture session. I would have told 'em anything they wanted to know to just get a machine to sleep with. Have a good day everyone.