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Help a friend understand her test results
#11
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
Hate to say this but they will not “fine tune” anything. It will be a one night study that will Not be typical in a strang bed with 15 wires hooked to her and a strange nurse monitoring her. Her fine tuning will be made here not going back to the Dr 10 times telling her symptoms.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#12
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
(09-05-2020, 09:27 AM)JenniferJuniper Wrote:
(09-05-2020, 07:36 AM)OpalRose Wrote: Yes, she could eliminate the titration study and buy a machine on here own, but why do that?  Especially if she ends up needing a higher level machine, like a BiLevel.

I don't think she would buy the machine on her own, more like ask the doctor to give it to her now so she can use it while she waits for the titration study. I guess she has to see how long she'll have to wait before she can get that appointment. It would seem kind of crazy for the doctor to diagnose her with "significant" (his word) sleep apnea and then make her wait a month or two for treatment. I think the risk of getting the machine now, before a titration study to fine-tune everything, is that she might get frustrated with it and hate it forever.


I understand as we see that a lot, plus many folk just don't get the help needed from their doctors and sleep clinics.

Once your friend gets settled and gets her machine, encourage her to join here. We have so many knowledgeable folk on board that can help her get the machine "fine tuned."

One thing, be sure to tell her to get a copy of her prescription and the complete titration study.
OpalRose
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#13
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
I told her that she can get all the help she needs right here. If she has any issues getting used to her CPAP, I'll definitely have her post. I really don't want her to give up on CPAP--she desperately needs it. I already had one friend with untreated sleep apnea die in his sleep of a heart attack--who knows if the apnea was a contributing factor, but he was in fine health otherwise, not overweight, etc.--so I really worry.
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#14
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
Let me try to give you a brief history of myself.  I was diagnosed with mild to severe sleep apnea in my 40s (I am 73).  Although I have had this for over 30 years, I am NOT an expert.  For the 1st 10 years everything was ok.  In my 50s I started having problems again, not able to sleep, higher amounts of apnea.  Went back to the Dr. and had another sleep study.  They gave me different settings but nothing else and I had the same problems for 2 years and demanded another sleep study.  In that one the Dr gave me a bipap.  It helped a little bit but after another 2 or 3 years I went back for another sleep study.  No changes were made instead they tried to make changes in my “sleep Hygiene”.  Nothing changed so another sleep study and nothing came of that.  So after 5 sleep studies and almost 30 years I found this site in May of this year.  I posted and they helped me get my events down to the mid 20s.  They said it was about as good as they could do and recommended a ResMed VAUTO.  I could not get it through my insurance because they had given me a dreamstation about 4 and ½ years before so I purchased one with my own money used from Supplier #2.  After posting 2 times on this site with the new machine my events have been LESS than 3 for the past 2+ months.
 
I wrote this because I don’t want her to go through the same type of thing I had to do.  FOR ME the sleep studies and DRs, let alone the insurance were no help to me.  I had to do it myself with the help of the people on this site.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#15
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
The Covid pandemic has affected the availability of clinical sleep studies and titrations. On the basis of her diagnostic study, your friend can be prescribed a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset without delay. It is extremely easy to self-titrate, especially with the help of the forum, and will save a lot of time and money, and she urgently needs to start therapy.

It sounds like her doctor also dispenses the machine. I'm not a fan of one-stop shopping and consider it a bit of a conflict of interest. Your friend should be able to use any DME supplier that is in-network for her insurance. It may be fine, but situations where the doctor controls the sleep clinic and machine sales are where I have most frequently seen the highest costs to the patient, the most delays and the cheapest equipment dispensed. I hope her situation is different.
Sleeprider
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#16
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
(09-05-2020, 10:46 AM)staceyburke Wrote: I wrote this because I don’t want her to go through the same type of thing I had to do.  FOR ME the sleep studies and DRs, let alone the insurance were no help to me.  I had to do it myself with the help of the people on this site.

I totally understand. I came to this site after I'd been on CPAP for about 6 years. I did really well for a long time, but had been struggling for about a year, gasping, especially when falling asleep. I had the feeling that my minimum pressure was too low (I have a Dreamstation), and did NOT want to deal with a sleep doctor (I don't even really have one anymore anyway) and insurance and blah blah blah. I knew the people on this board would know more than the supplies place I deal with locally, too. Sure enough, I was instructed here how to adjust my minimum pressure and everything now is great again with my sleep. 

I-love-Apnea-Board
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#17
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
(09-05-2020, 10:46 AM)staceyburke Wrote: Let me try to give you a brief history of myself.  I was diagnosed with mild to severe sleep apnea in my 40s (I am 73).  Although I have had this for over 30 years, I am NOT an expert.  For the 1st 10 years everything was ok.  In my 50s I started having problems again, not able to sleep, higher amounts of apnea.  Went back to the Dr. and had another sleep study.  They gave me different settings but nothing else and I had the same problems for 2 years and demanded another sleep study.  In that one the Dr gave me a bipap.  It helped a little bit but after another 2 or 3 years I went back for another sleep study.  No changes were made instead they tried to make changes in my “sleep Hygiene”.  Nothing changed so another sleep study and nothing came of that.  So after 5 sleep studies and almost 30 years I found this site in May of this year.  I posted and they helped me get my events down to the mid 20s.  They said it was about as good as they could do and recommended a ResMed VAUTO.  I could not get it through my insurance because they had given me a dreamstation about 4 and ½ years before so I purchased one with my own money used from Supplier #2.  After posting 2 times on this site with the new machine my events have been LESS than 3 for the past 2+ months.
 
I wrote this because I don’t want her to go through the same type of thing I had to do.  FOR ME the sleep studies and DRs, let alone the insurance were no help to me.  I had to do it myself with the help of the people on this site.



That is amazing story on how health care works in the USA, it seems some times the patient is forgotten and you have to jump through this hoop to get to the next stage of treatment and lets see where we can fit you in while a person is almost turning purple from lack of oxygen from Apena's. When you do a quick calculation if a person has a AHI of 80 and most apena's are 10 > seconds and he or she sleeps for 7 hrs the formula looks something like this. 80(AHI) X 7(hrs) X 10(Seconds) / 60 (to convert to minutes)= 70 minutes with out breathing properly( that is why oxygen is needed some times to be added.)
Where I live in Northern Canada we have hardly have any doctors because they are retiring and this dam Covid19 is driving them off I'm thinking. We are in a doctor shortage crisis and that is why Sleep Apnea board forum's are soooooooo important to the rest of world who do not have access to clinics possibly like in bigger city's. When we get tests for Apena in the north it is done with a home study usually and then the machine is brought back to the nurse who then does her study and will correspond with others on the best machine of treatment(most patients are clueless on what is the best machine is out there because they are overwhelmed with equipment and procedures they have to adapt to). It might not be perfect but it works for hundreds in the surrounding area where I live, a lot of Older people do not like them but they are not coached properly possibly IMO and do not no the consequences. Anyways like you mentioned you have to do the foot work your self to get treatment properly because health care workers all over North America are under tremendous pressure to work through different health issues of the citizens.
Thanks for sharing!
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#18
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
I feel it is manifestly unethical for a health care provider to tell a patient she has a dangerous condition and then tell her to wait until more can be done about it when all he/she has to do is to prescribe a regimen of pressure therapy until the (inevitable) titration assessment results in an initial pressure setting prescription.  

She should have an interim prescription and a loaner from a DME of her choice to commence relief.
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#19
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
(09-06-2020, 05:51 PM)mesenteria Wrote: I feel it is manifestly unethical for a health care provider to tell a patient she has a dangerous condition and then tell her to wait until more can be done about it when all he/she has to do is to prescribe a regimen of pressure therapy until the (inevitable) titration assessment results in an initial pressure setting prescription.  

I agree 100%! She contacted the doctor and he called in the prescription to the medical device place. Hoping now she can pick it up this week, if insurance doesn't hold things up. I'll walk her through OSCAR and so she can post her data here as she gets started with the machine at home. She's across the country from me, unfortunately, so I'm trying to help her long distance. She's going to have the Airsense 10 Autoset, but I'm not sure which mask she'll end up with. I love my Dreamwear gel pillows mask, because the hose at the top of the head rather than at the nose is much better IMO. She might need a full face mask, I'm not sure. Any mask advice from you guys would be much appreciated.
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#20
RE: Help a friend understand her test results
Read the Mask Primer in my signature
Seriously, the best mask is simply the one that works, and which mask that is will likely change over the years.
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