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Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
#1
Question 
Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
I had an at home sleep study this spring with equipment prescribed by local sleep study center doctor. I used their Alice PDx system for two consecutive nights. Light to moderate sleep apnea was confirmed, but my sleep was so severely disrupted by the bulky uncomfortable equipment that I got very little true restorative sleep. I was completely exhausted after one night and a zombie after two nights. Slept like a stone third night.

Before looking into CPAP equipment options, I want to see if I could repeat the test in a non-intrusive way that would accurately represent what happens on a normal night when I'm not dealing with bulky equipment. Maybe then the apnea may not require serious intervention at this time. I have shopped around and am prepared to buy some stuff, looking for feedback. The stuff below is all for under $400, and the camcorder would have general use in my life.

Video camera Canon VIXIA HF R600 with Canon R600 external microphone to capture breathing and body position. Will try to get by with 64G SDHC card at first. This would be enough to confirm apnea, would upload video to PC and process the audio with audio/video editing software to map out breathing to pick up any serious apnea events. If that goes well will try adding CMS 50E Pulse Oximeter with 60" Finger Remote Probe. It has downloadable data data from all night with software analysis. The 60" cord will allow mounting the oximeter display in front of camcorder so I can see pulse and oxygen during any apnea events on the video.

All comments and questions welcome, planning on ordering stuff Black Friday weekend.
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#2
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
Be it a home study or an in-lab study, most everyone does not sleep well during the study.
Request a copy of the sleep study to find what kind of apnea was found.

Likely you're going to end up on a PAP device. Perhaps you could do a trial on an auto PAP machine and let it auto titrate your pressure.
You should talk over options with your doctor.
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#3
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
Hi ptandjb,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions and answers to your questions.
Much success to you.
trish6hundred
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#4
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
(11-20-2015, 01:56 PM)ptandjb Wrote: All comments and questions welcome, planning on ordering stuff Black Friday weekend.
Welcome to Apnea Board, ptandjb
If were me, I put the money toward Resmed S9 AutoSet and ask the doctor for APAP scrip
Learn how to use it and find out as much as I can about mask types and choices, also I believe its within your grasp since you did your homework about the oximeter and the camera
Keep us posted of what you decide to do, we're a community care about each other
Good luck

Edit: home sleep studies are being used more often and more cost effective than sleep lab, not everyone need to be tested in sleep lab
Here is wiki/video explain sleep disordered breathing (SDB) http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...hing_(SDB)
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#5
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
I would definitely get a copy of your sleep sturdy first before buying anything and review that data here with the informed membership. There are a lot of people here who could then help steer you in the right direction. Another factor which you don't describe is what symptoms were you having that caused you to have the study. How you feel and your symptoms are another true barometer of whether you have OSA or something else. If you haven't done so already take the Epworth Sleepiness Scale test. https://www.slhn.org/docs/pdf/neuro-epwo...pscale.pdf

It is used as a subjective measure of your sleepiness during the day.

Let us know what direction you pursue. Good luck with your diagnosis, treatment, and therapy.

Coffee

Happy Pappin'
Never Give In, Never Give Up




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. 
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#6
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
A video camera and microphone cannot "confirm" sleep apnea. You would be better off putting the $ toward a used APAP machine and titrate yourself, with the help of your doctor.

Talk to your doctor about your choices. You have already been diagnosed. Light to moderate is still sleep apnea.

We're here to help whatever you decide.
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

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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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#7
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
The video is less important than the actual airway blockage, apnea/hypopneas and oxygen saturation data. I wouldn't buy a camera, unless you want one for your non-sleep life.
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#8
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
(11-20-2015, 01:56 PM)ptandjb Wrote: All comments and questions welcome, planning on ordering stuff Black Friday weekend.

Instead of wasting your money on all this nonsense, just ask for an auto machine. Check the listing for those ones covered by Sleepyhead (includes the Airsense and Respironics 560). Unless your study indicates very low o2 levels, the oximeter is also a waste. Things like RERAs and CAs will not be found on a visual or sound record.

An auto machine will not only adjust to you NOW, but will later when you have a cold, when you have allergy issues, when you lose and gain wait, when you are on your back, when you are on your side. Unless an automachine is contraindicated for a specific health problem, it's the way to go.
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#9
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
Thank you for your comments, all. I did some research after reading all the posts to understand all the terms used. I have my sleep study report in front of me.

First, a bit of background. I have been under the care of a pulmonologist for years for episodes of diminished oxygen uptake that correlate with viral cold infections, starting during a cold and lasting for as short as a couple of days during the cold or for as long as 6-7 months afterword. In about 2/3rds of the colds there is no oxygen uptake impact, but in some colds lung impacts are major. I was once hospitalized with oxygen so low after four colds in a row that I had to take an oxygen tank into the bathroom. I have always recovered normal lung function so far. I acquired a high quality pulse oximeter at this time, and use it to detect/confirm onset and duration of diminished lung capacity. During such times when I would get up in the night for the old guy trip to the bathroom, blood oxygen would drop to the low 80s and I would struggle for air for a minute or two when I got back in bed. When I last discussed this issue with the pulmonologist she decided to order an at-home sleep test to see if that would provide useful information.

At the time of the sleep study the Epworth Sleepiness Scale test was a 2. The sleep test showed 5 OAs, mean duration 19.7s, max 25s; 52 hypopneas, mean duration 35s, max 83.5s; 57 apneas, mean duration 33.7s, max 83.5s; no RERAS or CAs. Average blood oxygen 91, average BPM 62, no arousals, minimal snoring. I got up once to go to bathroom while hooked up, back in bed in two minutes, BPM rose to 118, SO2 dropped to 78. This event was related to an ongoing period of diminished lung capacity and not sleep disorder related as I was awake and moving about.

The sleep doctor was at first alarmed at seeing the 78 oxygen level, calling me to say I needed a CPAP machine right away, she did not initially understand that was a waking event. Later she changed her recommendation to trying an oral appliance and referred me to the specialist. The visit with the dental specialist made me a bit reluctant to proceed with the appliance as I have had severe TMJ pain in past years and am concerned that the physical stress of the appliance would bring back the TMJ.

My father had severe sleep apnea when he was my age, my mother had to sleep separately because of the noise and her fear that when he stopped breathing he would not start up again. I have a younger brother with severe apnea for past 15 years. He could not tolerate CPAP devices and finally determined that his apnea was positional and he now gets by wearing a special backpack at night.

My wife reports that I make a lot less noise at night at times when my weight is down and whenever I do not eat too much. I have been directed to lose 70 pounds and am down 35 so far. I was planning to get a better oximeter anyway for monitoring/recording oxygen during exercise, and a camcorder would be nice to own, so I will probably proceed as planned. I hope to be able to detect stoppages in breathing in audio record and the CMS 50E Pulse Oximeter data analysis software is quite sophisticated. If I fail to get clear results that's OK, there is no down side for me to try learning what I can.

I believe that my apnea is not yet so bad that I cannot wait to see what the recommended weight loss does for me. As I am losing weight slowly and steadily I am inclined to wait until I get my weight to where the doctors want it to see if I would then need CPAP intervention. I know that apnea does not improve with age, so I know I have a lot to think about.
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#10
RE: Planning Home Sleep Study to Confirm Apnea
Since you didn't indicate how long you slept on the study we can't determine the AHI. An AHI greater than 5 means you have OSA. With 57 events you would have had to sleep more than 10 hours to have an AHI less than 5. See the board wiki (link at the top of the page) for AHI definition and OSA ranges.
Coffee

Happy Pappin'
Never Give In, Never Give Up




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. 
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