01-28-2018, 02:58 PM
RE: VA Diagnosis?
Mike, I can't speak to the technical aspects of the ASV or comment on your condition but I can talk about the VA. I use it now and have been very pleased. I'm over 65 and have Medicare A&B with Tricare for Life as my supplemental. I've always had a military related disability but never used the VA until last June. Used commercial medical practices since I retired in 1990. During my intake PE, I told the provider that saw me that I snored and an appointment at the VA sleep clinic was scheduled. The only down side to using VA health care is that it can be slow so patience is the by-word. There is more demand than they can handle at the facility in Atlanta, GA that I use. So, you're going to wait for appointments and follow-up can be slow.
During my first visit to the VA Sleep Clinic, we got a brief familiarization of the different kinds of apneas by a Pulmonary/Sleep Specialist MD. It was very good. Then we filled out a questionnaire. About a week later, I got a call to come in and pick up a home sleep study device. This approach, as opposed to doing a lab sleep study, is based on the questionnaire you filled out. You might go to the Sleep lab, you might get a home study (you already know this if you know what type device they want). I did the sleep study right away and returned the device for interpretation of the data card two days later.
It took almost a month for me to get a call-back probably because I have a pretty straight forward case of obstructive apnea (AHI 23) with desaturation. Anyway, when I got called back for an appointment on January third this year, it was really quick and easy to get my new ResMed AutoSense 10 and an Amara View mask kit. I got a walk through from a sleep tech on how to operate the machine and fit the mask and the parameters ordered by the sleep doc were put into it.
The one thing to keep in mind after you get your machine is that if you want to optimize it, you'll have to learn all about it and whole lot more about Sleep Disorders than you ever thought you would ..... your health and longevity depend upon it so, it's worth studying. Apnea Board is a tremendous resource. I don't have a follow-up appointment with the VA Sleep Clinic until March 9th. Everything I've learned about my machine, the mask and OSA I did on my own with a lot of help from board members here understanding the data the device provides and making adjustments to your therapy based on that. You're going to get healthier on your machine but it's going to take work to get there and most of it will be on your own.
During my first visit to the VA Sleep Clinic, we got a brief familiarization of the different kinds of apneas by a Pulmonary/Sleep Specialist MD. It was very good. Then we filled out a questionnaire. About a week later, I got a call to come in and pick up a home sleep study device. This approach, as opposed to doing a lab sleep study, is based on the questionnaire you filled out. You might go to the Sleep lab, you might get a home study (you already know this if you know what type device they want). I did the sleep study right away and returned the device for interpretation of the data card two days later.
It took almost a month for me to get a call-back probably because I have a pretty straight forward case of obstructive apnea (AHI 23) with desaturation. Anyway, when I got called back for an appointment on January third this year, it was really quick and easy to get my new ResMed AutoSense 10 and an Amara View mask kit. I got a walk through from a sleep tech on how to operate the machine and fit the mask and the parameters ordered by the sleep doc were put into it.
The one thing to keep in mind after you get your machine is that if you want to optimize it, you'll have to learn all about it and whole lot more about Sleep Disorders than you ever thought you would ..... your health and longevity depend upon it so, it's worth studying. Apnea Board is a tremendous resource. I don't have a follow-up appointment with the VA Sleep Clinic until March 9th. Everything I've learned about my machine, the mask and OSA I did on my own with a lot of help from board members here understanding the data the device provides and making adjustments to your therapy based on that. You're going to get healthier on your machine but it's going to take work to get there and most of it will be on your own.
