Sleep Study while sick with fever

My doctor ordered a sleep study on me, and when I got there I was running a fever and didn't know it. I told the technician that I was cold and was shaking. They did the study anyway. Later the next day I took my temperature and I was 105 degrees F. After reading an article on the web that any results for a sleep study while the patient is sick should not be considered a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea. I mentioned it to the doctor, but he ignored it, and order the machine anyway. The sleep study results showed that I had 16 AHI an hour. I also have a deviated septum and of course sinues issues as I cannot breath through both nostrils at one time most of the time.

Can anyone shed some light on these results. I am not tired during the day. I do snore some, but not a lot. Since this is a APAP systems I start out a 4.0cm but I normally don't see more than 5.88 at 90%. I was thinking of going to another doctor, as I have not been back to this one for some time, as I believe that he thinks my medical insurance is his private credit card.

If you don't trust your doctor you have an option for trying a new one. I wouldn't think being sick would make that much difference as far as OSA goes. It will likely make the people who came after you sick though.

Hope you feel better.

I had my first sleep study when I had a very bad cold. Could hardly breathe through nose and coughing a lot. The techs said it wouldn't make any difference and we went ahead with a full night of diagnostic and then the next night the titration study. My AHI was 25 with a bad cold and I was prescribed CPAP at 10 which I faithfully used for 12 years (without any followup).

Finally had new sleep study beginning this year and my AHI was 66 and CPAP prescribed at 16.

Makes me wonder if the first study UNDERESTIMATED my disordered breathing due to my cold.

I was prescribed a pressure of 10 and used a compliance only machine for 5 years. Last Dec. I switched to auto and my pressure needs were 16. I wonder sometimes whether using cpap increases our needs?

I don't think having a cold would affect our throat obstructing would it?

Retiredlife wrote: Can anyone shed some light on these results. I am not tired during the day. I do snore some, but not a lot. Since this is a APAP systems I start out a 4.0cm but I normally don't see more than 5.88 at 90%. I was thinking of going to another doctor, as I have not been back to this one for some time, as I believe that he thinks my medical insurance is his private credit card.

The amount of pressure required has nothing to do with the severity of your sleep apnea. You can have mild apnea and need a pressure of 18.

Nasal congestion from a cold might make no difference at all;
my doctor says most apnea airway collapse is too low to be affected by nasal congestion.
Blackspinner is correct; your apnea is no less dangerous than that of someone who requires
substantially higher pressures to keep breathing, but your lower pressure requirement merely
means your apnea can be treated more comfortably.
Apparently, your doc does not feel your deviated septum is severe enough to be responsible for your apnea.
--Have you had a consultation with another doctor?

Off topic a tad but what causes a higher pressure need Chunky? For some reason I just assumed a higher pressure need was more serious but after reading the last two posts it occurred to me that an obstruction is an obstruction.

I believe the idea is if the tissue falling in the way is thinner, thicker, more or less rigid, etc;
it might take more or less pressure to splint it out of the way.
Closed is closed, whether it is a heavy door or a light one.
How often and how long it is closed is the measure of severity.
Holding the door open may be done by a butterfly or an Army mule--that is just dosage.

Hmmm thanks. I guess I mostly follow blindly without thinking about what is going on.

I appears that the only way to be sure is to find a new doctor and clinic and get a followup test.

Get a copy of your sleep study and post it here. People can help you understand it.

Realize that your insurance may not be willing to pay for another study and the cost for it could be as high as $2000 - $3000

Fever would not change anything with respect to obstructions, neither does nasal congestion. But I am very surprised they allowed you in while you are running a fever.

It is not only the average number of obstructions per hour but also how long they last that is the problem. You could have 6 per hour but if they last for a minute or more you would be in deep trouble.

BlackSpinner wrote:

Retiredlife wrote: Can anyone shed some light on these results. I am not tired during the day. I do snore some, but not a lot. Since this is a APAP systems I start out a 4.0cm but I normally don't see more than 5.88 at 90%. I was thinking of going to another doctor, as I have not been back to this one for some time, as I believe that he thinks my medical insurance is his private credit card.

The amount of pressure required has nothing to do with the severity of your sleep apnea. You can have mild apnea and need a pressure of 18.

good point. i have severe OSA that was resolved with a pressure of 5.

Retiredlife wrote:My doctor ordered a sleep study on me, and when I got there I was running a fever and didn't know it. I told the technician that I was cold and was shaking. They did the study anyway. Later the next day I took my temperature and I was 105 degrees F. After reading an article on the web that any results for a sleep study while the patient is sick should not be considered a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea. I mentioned it to the doctor, but he ignored it, and order the machine anyway. The sleep study results showed that I had 16 AHI an hour. I also have a deviated septum and of course sinues issues as I cannot breath through both nostrils at one time most of the time.

Can anyone shed some light on these results. I am not tired during the day. I do snore some, but not a lot. Since this is a APAP systems I start out a 4.0cm but I normally don't see more than 5.88 at 90%. I was thinking of going to another doctor, as I have not been back to this one for some time, as I believe that he thinks my medical insurance is his private credit card.

Have you downloaded software and looked at your data from your machine?

What's your AHI like with the machine?