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Confusing WatchPAT One results
#1
Confusing WatchPAT One results
I’m new to this forum and sadly it’s because my doctor didn’t do a great job of answering my questions. I’m hoping y'all have some ideas. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s skeptical of an OSA diagnosis. I don’t wake up refreshed most days, have anxiety and depression, and apparently snore mildly (based on my phone recording me through the night), but I attribute the lack of refreshing sleep to my mood issues and anxiousness.

So I did a WatchPAT One at-home sleep study. The finger probe was unbearably uncomfortable — super tight, felt like someone was using super glue to remove my cuticle. I managed to keep it on for the minimum amount of time, shifting it around a bit on my finger, which I know it says not to do but the stinging felt like I was gonna lose my finger. I barely remember sleeping more than 2 hours though and felt like it was a waste.

The results apparently disagree: they showed a total pAHI of 20.4, which fits into moderate sleep apnea. Yet I remember being awake most of the night when the device says I was sleeping.

   
   

I was at first excited about the diagnosis. I considered the options and decided to start with a CPAP since it was the most sensible one — I’m already a thin person so losing weight didn’t apply, and there’s nothing else glaringly wrong with my help.

The first night with the CPAP was terrible. I heeded the technician's advice and wore the mask for half an hour while reading in the evening, then went to bed. I couldn’t fall asleep wearing it for 2 hours, so I took it off, and still couldn’t sleep until an hour or two later. I’m not someone with insomnia usually and I fall asleep within 20 minutes of laying down, so this was strange. This experience ruined the whole next day. I tried again that evening, and after 3 hours of just laying there, couldn’t sleep. Now I’m stuck in a bad loop, and I’m terrified of the damn thing.

Now I’m wondering about the validity of the test. Am I in denial? Are there false positives on these at-home tests? Or am I just in for a long-haul of getting used to the mask? I’d appreciate any comfort that others can provide from their own journeys.
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#2
RE: Confusing WatchPAT One results
Welcome to ApneaBoard, jordybug.  

At least you have something on record now with the Watchpat study.  If you weren't alseep for most of it, the results could be skewed though.  A polysomnography is more accurate, but not at all suggesting that you need to get one.  

I had the same problem multiplied by 1000 when I started (getting used to the pressure, etc.).  After time I was able to use therapy effectively. 

You might want to change the settings from 5-15 to straight, fixed cpap of 7 with an EPR on full time of 3.  This might feel more comfortable than the higher pressure that you are probably enduring now.  This might better mimic natural breathing.  

If/when you start sleeping with your machine, you can then download OSCAR and upload some charts and we can help you optimize your therapy better.  OSCAR shows many things that even your WatchPat study does not.
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