Do You Go To Your Sleep Doctor If You Are Doing Well

I had a follow up appt to see my sleep doctor next week. Since I will be out of town I cancelled it. Got me to thinking, do I need to re schedule if I am doing well, use it EVERY night and tolerate it extremely well? AHI is usually between .6 and 1.2, and has been for over a year.

Yeah, if you want to screw things up.

Just kidding, I'm a little cynical about the sleep industry lately. I guess it depends on your sleep doctor.

Yes I go. I think its important to keep communicating so if there is a future problem, my doc will be up to speed.

If you blow off a regular follow-up, how enthusiastic will he be in the future if you need him?

rjezuit wrote:I had a follow up appt to see my sleep doctor next week. Since I will be out of town I cancelled it. Got me to thinking, do I need to re schedule if I am doing well, use it EVERY night and tolerate it extremely well? AHI is usually between .6 and 1.2, and has been for over a year.

That's "your call".

With mine, it was all I could do to make it through the three office visits with him......one before the sleep study, one several weeks after to get my prescription and another a few weeks later to show him my reports from Encore Pro and tell him that I had lowered my pressure to almost half of what he had prescribed........and was doing GREAT at that pressure.
Last visit was in May or June of 2005 (I believe) and have not felt the need to go back.


Den

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rjezuit wrote:do I need to re schedule if I am doing well......

No

Cheers,

Bill

Great advice; however, I think that you should Grab your Hat and Get your Coat.

If I found a $100.00 bill on the street, I certainly wouldn't quit looking.

What's the Harm in going?

Have a Good Day,

Jim

"If it ain't broke don't fix it".

I don't go to any sleep doctor. Every year when I get my annual physical my doc asks me if I'm having any problem with my CPAP. He is the one that would give me any prescription i would need. If you are sleeping well, feeling well and your AHI is low...leave well enough alone.

If you get supplies with insurance, then yes, one has to see ones sleep doc or the insurance company will use that for cover to stop paying for supplies.

I used to have a neighbor who was a retired RN, with a lot of years working hospitals. She told me that every time she went to see her doc, she learned something useful, even though it was not usually the reason for the visit.

If you have hit your deductible for year insurance wise. Then yes go ahead and go.. other wise wait until next year and go. That is what I would do.

My neurologist told me to come back in 6 months, but told me to be sure to send my monthly Encore reports to her. If there is issue of course to call.

Haven't been back since I started Apap ? 10 yrs ago and see no reason to go unless something changes a lot. I get enough feedback from the machine (don't even use SH or Encore now, just the IP codes online) and know how I feel.

Fortunately, I like my pulmonary/sleep specialist doctor so I'll continue seeing her once a year.

I saw him once a year to keep insurance happy; will probably continue to keep Medicare on board.
(besides they are paying for it)

I haven't been back since my 30 day follow up with the RT at Kaiser; November 9th will be two years using PAP therapy. All she asked on that visit was if I felt the therapy was going well and if I had any questions. Well, I almost broke into tears telling her of the amazing, profound change I was now experiencing, even after such a short time, with my therapy. It was so different from my many years of severe untreated SA/OSA. She did look at my SD card because I asked her to, but I don't know if she would have on her own. I have everything dialed in so nice now that I don't see any need to go back to Kaiser unless something goes really wrong with my therapy and the unmistakable symptoms from before therapy return.

So, to finally answer your question after all of my rambling: No, I don't go to my Sleep Doctor if I am doing well .

John

I don't go to see any doctor unless I feel bad or need to get a prescription. Why would I want to pay another fee if I don't need anything?

Unfortunately, I do need to start looking for a new GP. I'm not really happy with the one I have had for many years. She has disappointed me a few times in the past year and a half. And she has now moved into a big group facility now. My mom went once and said it was like going to the vet. A bunch of cubicles instead of the remodeled home she had before. I am almost out of a prescription that has no refills. I can get them if I don't go back to the GP or get a new doctor. And my insurance is up in the air right now. Contract negations have been extended, so there is hope. But it could get dropped. So, I need to get all my prescriptions started again in case I lose my insurance.

Yes, I keep my scheduled appointments with my sleep doctor, since my insurance continuing to pay for supplies depends on his verifying my compliance periodically.