Sleep Study & Getting Started
So, before I start, I read the forum rules, and I hope I didn't miss anything and this post doesn't violate them.
I've been trying to get scheduled for a sleep study for quite a few months now. My primary physician suspected I had sleep apnea last year, but I wasn't having major issues, or at least didn't realize the sleep problems could be contributing to some of my other health problems. However, in recent months I've had extreme fatigue. After working an office job from home and being awake about 10 hours, I will often fall asleep shortly after work. I often sleep 3-5 hours until around 10PM-12AM, then often wake up for a short bit, and then sleep another 5-7 hours until morning. In recent weeks I've started feeling like my mind was foggy, had trouble concentrating and even difficulty finding words when I was talking, during the work day.
So I've been struggling to get a sleep study, and wondering about the ones you can purchase online. The one time I talked to the sleep clinic they said the test I'd get would be an at home test also. I guess my first question is, has anyone had any experience with the at home sleep studies you can buy online? Positive or negative comments?
Second thing, I have a ResMed AirCurve 10S, SoClean 2, hoses, masks, etc... They belonged to my father-in-law who passed away and my mother-in-law gave them to me after she heard I was having sleep issues. This has all been setting in my closet for many months, thinking it would save me some money once I had my sleep study done. Unfortunately, over these months of no response from the sleep clinic after many phone calls, multiple referrals, etc...My life has turned into nothing but work, sleep, and generally feeling miserable. So a couple of weeks ago I decided to study up on CPAP/BiPAP machines, how to use them, clean them, etc... Then decided to try it out one evening while my wife was close by to monitor me. It was obvious my initial pressure setting of 4 wasn't sufficient so I ended up moving it up to 5 and then 6. She said it did seem to help on 6, I still snored some, but not as loudly and my breathing seemed more regular. But I really wasn't totally comfortable with using it blindly so I left it alone for a little while. So this weekend I ended up missing a chance to spend time with family, we had made plans, but I ended just needing to rest for a few minutes because I was exhausted at 4PM. Well a little rest turned into 3 hours of sleep, then I didn't have time to get ready and my plans got cancelled. So this upset me and I said I'm going to use the machine and see if it can help me. So I used it 3+ hours one night this weekend in CPAP mode with pressure set to 6 or 7. I don't know how accurate it is, but it said my AHI was 40.5. I tried it the next night and slept with it in BiPAP mode with a EPAP of 7 and IPAP of 14. This seemed more tolerable to me than trying to go to a constant 8 or 9. I slept with it on for over 7 hours, and my AHI was 4.5 according to the machine. I know some people will probably tell me it's dangerous or irresponsible, and I'm fine with that, but I've gotten to the point where I'm desperate for some relief.
Finally, being new to all of this, I'm looking for a supplier for hoses, masks, etc...I like the mask I have, but think I probably need to move up to the large size. I'm a big person and the medium seems a bit small. So would anyone care to comment on some of the suppliers on the list here, just looking for a reputable place with decent prices.
Anyway, thanks for any feedback and suggestions. I'm really interested in hearing about the sleep tests you can purchase online. I'd like to get a proper diagnosis and some guidance on where to start with the machine. Plus I have insurance, and I'm sure they would help pay for some of this if I can get a prescription.
I've been trying to get scheduled for a sleep study for quite a few months now. My primary physician suspected I had sleep apnea last year, but I wasn't having major issues, or at least didn't realize the sleep problems could be contributing to some of my other health problems. However, in recent months I've had extreme fatigue. After working an office job from home and being awake about 10 hours, I will often fall asleep shortly after work. I often sleep 3-5 hours until around 10PM-12AM, then often wake up for a short bit, and then sleep another 5-7 hours until morning. In recent weeks I've started feeling like my mind was foggy, had trouble concentrating and even difficulty finding words when I was talking, during the work day.
So I've been struggling to get a sleep study, and wondering about the ones you can purchase online. The one time I talked to the sleep clinic they said the test I'd get would be an at home test also. I guess my first question is, has anyone had any experience with the at home sleep studies you can buy online? Positive or negative comments?
Second thing, I have a ResMed AirCurve 10S, SoClean 2, hoses, masks, etc... They belonged to my father-in-law who passed away and my mother-in-law gave them to me after she heard I was having sleep issues. This has all been setting in my closet for many months, thinking it would save me some money once I had my sleep study done. Unfortunately, over these months of no response from the sleep clinic after many phone calls, multiple referrals, etc...My life has turned into nothing but work, sleep, and generally feeling miserable. So a couple of weeks ago I decided to study up on CPAP/BiPAP machines, how to use them, clean them, etc... Then decided to try it out one evening while my wife was close by to monitor me. It was obvious my initial pressure setting of 4 wasn't sufficient so I ended up moving it up to 5 and then 6. She said it did seem to help on 6, I still snored some, but not as loudly and my breathing seemed more regular. But I really wasn't totally comfortable with using it blindly so I left it alone for a little while. So this weekend I ended up missing a chance to spend time with family, we had made plans, but I ended just needing to rest for a few minutes because I was exhausted at 4PM. Well a little rest turned into 3 hours of sleep, then I didn't have time to get ready and my plans got cancelled. So this upset me and I said I'm going to use the machine and see if it can help me. So I used it 3+ hours one night this weekend in CPAP mode with pressure set to 6 or 7. I don't know how accurate it is, but it said my AHI was 40.5. I tried it the next night and slept with it in BiPAP mode with a EPAP of 7 and IPAP of 14. This seemed more tolerable to me than trying to go to a constant 8 or 9. I slept with it on for over 7 hours, and my AHI was 4.5 according to the machine. I know some people will probably tell me it's dangerous or irresponsible, and I'm fine with that, but I've gotten to the point where I'm desperate for some relief.
Finally, being new to all of this, I'm looking for a supplier for hoses, masks, etc...I like the mask I have, but think I probably need to move up to the large size. I'm a big person and the medium seems a bit small. So would anyone care to comment on some of the suppliers on the list here, just looking for a reputable place with decent prices.
Anyway, thanks for any feedback and suggestions. I'm really interested in hearing about the sleep tests you can purchase online. I'd like to get a proper diagnosis and some guidance on where to start with the machine. Plus I have insurance, and I'm sure they would help pay for some of this if I can get a prescription.
