Newbie here. Received my sleep study results. Few Questions.

I met with a Pulmonologist for the first time this past Friday to go over my sleep study results. My Cardiologist was the one who ordered the sleep study but after he received the results be immediately sent me over to a Pulmonologist that's also in his office to go over the results with me. The Dr. stated that during the 8 hour sleep study, I averaged 52 events per hour and my average duration of not breathing during the events was roughly 20sec. He also stated that my blood oxygen saturation dropped to 73% during the sleep study as well. No wonder I have been having these heart issues and feet/ankle edema, shortness of breath, palpitations. He is sending me for another sleep study to do a CPAP Titration. He thinks along with the obstructive sleep apnea I may be also having central sleep apnea were the brain isn't sending the signal for the lung muscles to breath.

This is all really new to me and would like some advice/opinion on my above readings if this is alarming and should there be anything else that needs to be done. Such as other tests or treatments.

Thanks in advance!

Yes it can be alarming, my first sleep study showed 84 events per hour. My Auto PAP machine controlled to less than 3 events per hour most nights.
Work through the process, use your PAP machine when you get it. It can be life saving.

Welcome to our world! My recommendation is to spend lots of time reading on here before your titration study. Having some knowledge makes it much easier to know what questions to ask. Bottom line is that you get a machine that gives you full clinical data - AHI (broken down), leak rates, and what is called a wave form that allows you to zoom in on any events. Other participants on this forum can help you understand what questions to ask your doctor.

Will you have a miraculous cure of all that ails you? Maybe. BUT there is a lot of work that needs to be done, with absolutely no guarantee. Not every illness is caused by apnea, so you won't get an absolute answer. Take what benefits you get, ask many questions! I don't love my CPAP, but I do love how much better I feel. May you at least feel the same!

wgchurch wrote:I met with a Pulmonologist for the first time this past Friday to go over my sleep study results. My Cardiologist was the one who ordered the sleep study but after he received the results be immediately sent me over to a Pulmonologist that's also in his office to go over the results with me. The Dr. stated that during the 8 hour sleep study, I averaged 52 events per hour and my average duration of not breathing during the events was roughly 20sec. He also stated that my blood oxygen saturation dropped to 73% during the sleep study as well. No wonder I have been having these heart issues and feet/ankle edema, shortness of breath, palpitations. He is sending me for another sleep study to do a CPAP Titration. He thinks along with the obstructive sleep apnea I may be also having central sleep apnea were the brain isn't sending the signal for the lung muscles to breath.

This is all really new to me and would like some advice/opinion on my above readings if this is alarming and should there be anything else that needs to be done. Such as other tests or treatments.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the board. You'll find lots of helpful info here.

My results were similar, with 63 events per hour, and blood oxygen saturation dropping to 61%! I had the edema, shortness of breath, palpitations, GERD, getting up many times to pee, trouble staying awake, etc.

I am happy to report that most of those issues are in the past. I've been using CPAP for a year now, and my life is considerable different now.

If the centrals are much of an issue you may be needing one of those high end ASV type of machines. That may be determined with the titration study. People who have both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea prior to the treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea aren't horribly rare in numbers but we do have a few forum members here who met that initial diagnosis.
The centrals may or may not be a big issue. It depends on how many and how they affect sleep and/or oxygen levels.

The results you posted...mirror mine a lot. My Oxygen went down to 73% and AHI in REM sleep was 52. It's fairly severe but there are many people with even worse numbers.

Welcome to the forum. Start your education process and start reading and reading.
The CPAP Wiki at the top of the page is a good place to start.

wgchurch wrote:

This is all really new to me and would like some advice/opinion on my above readings if this is alarming and should there be anything else that needs to be done. Such as other tests or treatments.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to The CPAP talk website. My AHI during the sleep study was 140. My oxygen level dropped to 69.
Your readings look alot better then mine. I started my therapy on April 30 of this year.
This website and its members are valuable. If not for the people here I would never have made it this far.
My suggestion is to spend lots of time here reading and learning.

This video will put things in perspective for you when you have a few minutes it is worth viewing:
http://www.resmed.com/us/multimedia/und ... 40x380.swf

Today, I feel the most rested in years. This therapy works and is worth all your effort.
Not to mention your life depends on it. I wish you well..

wgchurch wrote:This is all really new to me and would like some advice/opinion on my above readings if this is alarming and should there be anything else that needs to be done.

Hi,

Yes, this can be a little alarming when you first start out. In fact, it can be a real kick in the butt. But please take comfort in knowing that you have a diagnosis, knowing that there is a solution for the problem, and that a lot of us deal with it pretty successfully. I think of it as my "new normal". There is a lot of stuff to learn about, and there will be some changes to your routines. It doesn't help that all of this stuff comes at you when you are a little sleepy and probably very tired. I know I was really lucky to have people to talk to in this forum, so please keep posting questions and let us know how things are going.

-john-