Just finished my at home sleep study

So, I just finished my at home sleep study in order to rule in/out sleep apnea (with 4 out of 6 family members having it though....) and I am a huge nerd. That being said, you absolutely cannot hand me a piece of tech and tell me that there is data on there and not expect me to find it/try to analyze it, c'mon, it's my job!!

So I slept with the AlicPDX for two nights, found the SD Card, popped that bad boy out, put it in my laptop and copied the files and put it back in, and for a test to make sure I didn't screw anything up, popped it back in a different laptop, and BAM, the files are still there, so YAY!!

Like any geek would do, I set out upon the task of analyzing the data, since I cannot seem to find "other means" *cough* *torrent* *cough* of finding the Alice Sleepware, I fired up a trusty WinXP VM on my MBP and looked at the files through EDFBrowser. I am seeing some odd events going on where the "Patient Flow" channel either dips really low or stays flat (not the repetitive pattern), in conjunction, the SP02 channel dips, the Pulse channel rises, and the Thoracic and Abdominal channels go "wonky". I am trying to figure out if this is a apnea episode or something else.

I called the provider today to make sure that they got the device back and asked for a timeframe as to when I should expect results and I was told 5-7 days. I am not saying that sleep analyzing is a simple thing, but it took me a few minutes (with no experience prior to this with EDFBrowser) to figure out that "something" (technical term there too...) was going on. I guess in looking at what little information I could find on the Alice Sleepware, it does the majority of the data parsing and spits back some type of result, what could make this take so long? Again, I am not questioning the skills involved, I am just completely new to all this so I do not know.

Also, is anyone aware of the Alice software being out in the wild?

Sorry for the long first, non-introductory post, not great forum manners, I will post an intro in a bit.....

Chris

I'm totally laughing at your geekiness. I would do the EXACT same thing and my doctor knows it, which is why they probably skipped home tests for me

Welcome to the forum!

I'm no expert, but those episodes sure sound like apneas or hypopneas to me. Decreased or no flow events
reduces O2 in the lungs, which causes SPO2 to fall. In response heart rate increases in an attempt to circulate
more O2 to the tissues.

The "wonky" thoracic and abdominal data indicate that these events are obstructive. Your brain is sending
signals to these muscles to breath, but breathing cannot occur because of a collapsed airway.
Central apneas would show decreased to no muscle activity.

geeks rule!

SO the results are back, and I was told that I had 3.8 Apnea events per hour that last anywhere from 30-45 seconds and that my results were not conclusive and more diagnosis needed done.....They don't think I was asleep for the whole test either....I wanted to say "OOOOHHHH I thought this was a stay awake test, not a sleep test!!!"

So the same company that already got paid by my insurance company and sent the at home sleep test recommended that I come in for an in house sleep test at one of their facilities (that I am sure my insurance company will pay for), and my PCP of course b/c he is not a sleep technician/sleep doctor, agreed. So now, I have had two tests (in home sleep test and pulse oximetry) that could have been avoided if we had just gone for an in house sleep test like I originally requested my PCP write the order for.

To make matters even more amusing, I "acquired" an older RemStar Plus CPAP machine and worked with a friend of mine who sells the things and have it on a 4cm H2O to 6cm H20 ramp and I am sleeping like a baby and feel great in the morning. I wanted to let the doc in on this information so he could just order me a machine and I could get titration completed but I decided against that.....

Was getting diagnosed particularly difficult for anyone else? It sure seems like I am jumping through a whole bunch of hoops at this point.....

clementscp wrote:SO the results are back, and I was told that I had 3.8 Apnea events per hour that last anywhere from 30-45 seconds and that my results were not conclusive and more diagnosis needed done.....They don't think I was asleep for the whole test either....I wanted to say "OOOOHHHH I thought this was a stay awake test, not a sleep test!!!"

So the same company that already got paid by my insurance company and sent the at home sleep test recommended that I come in for an in house sleep test at one of their facilities (that I am sure my insurance company will pay for), and my PCP of course b/c he is not a sleep technician/sleep doctor, agreed. So now, I have had two tests (in home sleep test and pulse oximetry) that could have been avoided if we had just gone for an in house sleep test like I originally requested my PCP write the order for.

To make matters even more amusing, I "acquired" an older RemStar Plus CPAP machine and worked with a friend of mine who sells the things and have it on a 4cm H2O to 6cm H20 ramp and I am sleeping like a baby and feel great in the morning. I wanted to let the doc in on this information so he could just order me a machine and I could get titration completed but I decided against that.....

Was getting diagnosed particularly difficult for anyone else? It sure seems like I am jumping through a whole bunch of hoops at this point.....

I didn't have problems getting diagnosed but I have been jumping through hoops for my whole cpap experience. For me I have found it easier to just learn all I can here and take care of myself.

As of my last titration, eleven months ago, there was not any computer program which could accurately analyze a sleep study. They are printed out, and then two different "qualified experts" evaluates them at like thirty second intervals. People can have tricky sleeping problems and patterns. You might look up on wiki; Cheyne Stokes, and RERA.

The sleep study report that we advise every one to get, is really a two page summary report. A copy of this can be very useful if you need to get a doc at some time to write a script for Sleep Apnea things. I keep thinking of the guy who went to Las Vegas, and left his hose at home, on a weekend. He could not get his regular doc on the phone, who would not be qualified to write prescriptions in Vegas, anyway. The doc in Vegas would not write a script unless he saw proof that the individual had a qualifying sleep study. But who goes to Vegas to sleep?

One of the reasons some people come to the forum is that their docs have failed to properly analyze the patients sleep study, and so the machine settings end up wrong.

Some individuals have problems exhaling against even a little pressure. Someone like that could, in theory, strap on a mask, and never wake up. In reality, most of us wake up when the suffocation cuts in.

If the machine pressure is too low, then perhaps it is not enough to stent the airway open. I believe this not enough pressure is what makes a sleep study so aggravating. A person is not getting enough pressure at the beginning of the night, so they can not sleep. I have a personal opinion that, in my case, if the pressure in inhale is not high enough, my lungs will not inflate enough as I have a constricted airway. so there is a case when I think we need a pressure higher than just what we need to stent the airway open.


I as a patient, do not do well with a machine set on Auto. I know some here some to advocate that one can find ones proper settings with a machine set on Auto. For any newcomer the machine is more likely to chase leaks than find the right pressure. As a huge percentage of people, who have a proper titration in a sleep lab, and get a machine, become frustrated into quitting. I have to wonder at the odds of person playing with a machine themselves is likely to find the right pressure, and stay with treatment.

I do think that many here, particular those with uncomplicated OSA, and some experience and tweak a machine to a more useful setting using the Auto feature. I have.

I also suspect some of the time the sleep clinic does not get the titration right. and so those individuals are lucky if they end up here. It is better than them quitting treatment because the treatment does not work.

For a newcomer, the first issues are to find the right mask for you. One that you are satisfied with. Some people love one mask, and some one else will hate it. The right mask for you is really an individual choice. Seems the largest group here prefer a nasal mask. After that, I would suggest that Resmed masks tend to better liked than some others. Maybe because Resmed makes a whole line, while some mask companies only make a few. Respironics masks seem to be less well liked. I use a Respironics mask. When you meet with whomever is helping you get a mask. Do realize that they can look at your face, and listen to what you say you will not tolerate or accept, and often suggest a mask that is more likely to be what you want.

Please realize that for a newcomer, getting the leaks under control is the next order of business. None of the data recorded by the machine is of any use if the leak rate is above low. Newcomer whose machine is set on Auto, is more likely to have their machine chase leaks rather than find the right pressure for the individual.

A lot folks here say that they could not use a nasal mask, because they have their mouth open when they sleep. A sleep tech, whom I respect because she has a lot of experience in the sleep apnea business (going back to when they first used vacuum cleaners to blow air for treatment) said that in her experience, anyone can learn to close ones mouth while sleeping, without tape in less than two hours, if they are willing to make the effort. She also said that individuals can train themselves to open their mouth in exhale, and close it to inhale through the nose, and stay deeply asleep during the whole thing. I doubt if I am one of them. I use a FitLife Total Face mask because I have an opening between the sinuses and my eye that is larger than normal, and with even a little pressure, the air comes out the tear duct of my eye. There are always weird people. I am one of them.

Well over ninety percent of those on Sleep Apnea treatment do not look at their data themselves, and are perfectly happy with treatment.

Never move a machine with water in it. Next, my advice is to tie off the hose somewhere, like to the top of the headboard with a bit of string or wire. Better use a hose hanger. This is so you can not drag the machine off onto the floor when you roll over. Also a hose hanger has helped me to eliminate leaks.


Now it is time for everyone to jump in here and tell me why I am wrong.

I commend you for taking control of your health and diagnosis.

However, can you comment on why you wanted the test to begin with?

caffeinatedcfo wrote:I commend you for taking control of your health and diagnosis.

However, can you comment on why you wanted the test to begin with?

So long story short, I have always (as long as I can remember)had amazingly difficult times falling to/staying asleep. I have tried Melatonin, OTC Sleep Aids and Prescription sleep aids and I would still wake up feeling like I had not slept at all. About three months ago, I finished what was a medically challenging year (sick a bunch/got the flu even with a flu shot) and began working out/eating healthy, and I dropped 25 pounds. Even after losing this weight, I could not stay/fall asleep and I noticed myself not recovering from strenuous (Insanity) workouts and was also noticing that I was so tired in the AM that I would occasionally fall asleep in meetings and could barely keep my eyes open while I drive into work.

Initially, I thought that this may have been a reaction to wheat (though I am not gluten sensitive/have Celiac's) b/c it always seemed worse after my breakfast (2 pieces of toast with almond/peanut butter, eggs and coffee) so I stopped eating wheat in the morning, and still saw no improvement. I have had sinus surgery 3 years ago to correct a deviated septum/shrink my adenoids/remove scar tissue from previous sinus infections (18 in a 12 month period...Go Ohio River Valley!) and things did not/have not improved since this happened. Ruling these out and the wheat out, I thought that things would get better, but they have not, I was still exhausted in the morning/cranky in the morning/had a headache in the morning. It wasn't until I spoke to my wife and another friend of mine that I even thought about apnea (my misguided view was that it was an issue for "overweight' people which I now know is incorrect) being the culprit to my lifetime of really bad sleep. I did some more digging and found that 4 out of 6 of my immediate (excluding wife) family members must sleep with a CPAP machine.

I hope that answers your questions.

clementscp wrote:So, I just finished my at home sleep study in order to rule in/out sleep apnea (with 4 out of 6 family members having it though....) and I am a huge nerd. That being said, you absolutely cannot hand me a piece of tech and tell me that there is data on there and not expect me to find it/try to analyze it, c'mon, it's my job!!

Yeah. First thing I did was download Sleepyhead and import the SD card data. Pretty interesting.

Thank you for the background clem, sorry to dig I was just curious. It's amazing how many people you find on CPAP after you are diagnosed.

I found out my mother in law has been on it for years and a co-worker was diagnosed right about the same time as me.

Good luck and again - I commend you for taking control of your health. It's usually the only to get things done these days as health care pros (with some exceptions) are all about volume these days to make money.