1 week of CPAP; sharing my sleep study
I'm one week into using CPAP. I've already benefited from all the generous sharing here and some helpful advice. Thank you!
My UserCP info should be correct, except I went back and got a 2nd mask to try as the first irritated my nostrils and facial skin and seemed to get worse each night I wore it. I've done five nights with the listed mask, and one night with a Philips Dreamwear instead of the Nuance. The new mask feels better sitting on my face, but slips around more and seems slightly less effective at aiming air into my nose where it belongs. I may try alternating days between these two masks to see if that relieves the irritation while providing better treatment overall, but it is early days yet.
I've installed SleepyHead and imported five days' data, but will require very specific instructions to share anything with you here as I don't understand most of it yet.
I asked for and received my sleep report from my doctor after reading that advice here. Thanks! My regular doctor (general practitioner) thought to order a home sleep study to check for apnea because I've suffered with chronic illness (primarily pain & fatigue) for a few years now and neither he nor the specialists I've visited have found definitive serologic results to confirm any specific diagnosis. He's working hard to help me, and a very good primary care physician, but he's not a sleep specialist.
*First question:
Is three pages, including Apnea Analysis, Snoring Analysis, and Oximetry Analysis the complete report, or am I still dealing with a summary?
*Second question:
If 40 of my 103 reported apneas were Central, should I be seriously looking for more analysis and perhaps a sleep study done in a lab by a specialist?
I'm attaching a jpg of the Apnea Analysis portion here. It's a scanned/faxed document, so I can't cut & paste the text.
APNEA ANALYSIS
SNORING ANALYSIS
The Snoring Analysis seems less interesting. (Basing this on a comment written therein: "Patient snored infrequently during the recording.")
Snoring index: 22.5.
Type 1: 17%, Type 2: 17%, Type WL: 66%
OXIMETRY ANALYSIS
Oximetry Analysis is easy type up as there's more non-data (normal?) than interesting stuff, so:
In 349 minutes of recording...
Mean O2: 96%.
High O2: 99%
Lowest O2: 87%.
# of desaturations: 58
SpO2 Levels by Time
91% (318 min) at 95-100;
9% (31 min) at 90-94.
Nothing lower recorded.
SOME ADDITIONAL PERSONAL DETAILS:
I will add a few more personal details because my research since the diagnosis makes me wonder if they are relevant to my questions.
Opioid medication
I do have chronic pain, so I occasionally (10 pills per year?) take opioids. I take synthetic opioids (tramadol) more often (2-3 pills per week?), but I use this drug less often than not. I have observed that either of the former drugs affects my sleep, rendering me tired but unable to rest well (like alcohol--puts me to sleep, but I wake after a few hours unable to sleep further yet still tired.) For this reason, if I need a strong painkiller, I try to take it before dinner in an effort to preserve my sleep quality. I use non-chemical means (heat, rest) before taking drugs as much as I can, and I use a topical NSAID preferentially to avoid taking pills, but ignoring pain has its own ramifications long-term (neurologically) so I walk a tightrope between my wishes and reality.
Benzodiazepine medication
I also occasionally take lorazepam for sleep/anxiety. (It's the lowest dose commercially available of this drug, according to my doctor. I'm out of it right now so I can't check dosage until I get a new Rx.) I got the prescription a few years ago after two occasions of night waking into panic attacks. (I now wonder if those were triggered by apnea events.) I probably used one of these pills before at least the first night of the home sleep study as I found the equipment anxiety-inducing. I also recall taking one the first night with CPAP for a similar reason. I use this medication perhaps once or twice in an average week, not habitually, though more often in clusters when I'm generally unwell/under stress as opposed to spaced evenly throughout my life.
Sleep position
I specifically recall that I slept on my back during the sleep study because I was afraid of all the wires and tubes entangling my neck or coming off such that I'd have to repeat the process. More typically, I prefer to sleep on my stomach or side. I've been pretty successful sleeping in these more comfortable positions with the CPAP mask in place, which was a relief to me. When my arthritis is flaring, however, I sleep in any position that seems to hurt the least, which can include being on my back all night.
My UserCP info should be correct, except I went back and got a 2nd mask to try as the first irritated my nostrils and facial skin and seemed to get worse each night I wore it. I've done five nights with the listed mask, and one night with a Philips Dreamwear instead of the Nuance. The new mask feels better sitting on my face, but slips around more and seems slightly less effective at aiming air into my nose where it belongs. I may try alternating days between these two masks to see if that relieves the irritation while providing better treatment overall, but it is early days yet.
I've installed SleepyHead and imported five days' data, but will require very specific instructions to share anything with you here as I don't understand most of it yet.
I asked for and received my sleep report from my doctor after reading that advice here. Thanks! My regular doctor (general practitioner) thought to order a home sleep study to check for apnea because I've suffered with chronic illness (primarily pain & fatigue) for a few years now and neither he nor the specialists I've visited have found definitive serologic results to confirm any specific diagnosis. He's working hard to help me, and a very good primary care physician, but he's not a sleep specialist.
*First question:
Is three pages, including Apnea Analysis, Snoring Analysis, and Oximetry Analysis the complete report, or am I still dealing with a summary?
*Second question:
If 40 of my 103 reported apneas were Central, should I be seriously looking for more analysis and perhaps a sleep study done in a lab by a specialist?
I'm attaching a jpg of the Apnea Analysis portion here. It's a scanned/faxed document, so I can't cut & paste the text.
APNEA ANALYSIS
SNORING ANALYSIS
The Snoring Analysis seems less interesting. (Basing this on a comment written therein: "Patient snored infrequently during the recording.")
Snoring index: 22.5.
Type 1: 17%, Type 2: 17%, Type WL: 66%
OXIMETRY ANALYSIS
Oximetry Analysis is easy type up as there's more non-data (normal?) than interesting stuff, so:
In 349 minutes of recording...
Mean O2: 96%.
High O2: 99%
Lowest O2: 87%.
# of desaturations: 58
SpO2 Levels by Time
91% (318 min) at 95-100;
9% (31 min) at 90-94.
Nothing lower recorded.
SOME ADDITIONAL PERSONAL DETAILS:
I will add a few more personal details because my research since the diagnosis makes me wonder if they are relevant to my questions.
Opioid medication
I do have chronic pain, so I occasionally (10 pills per year?) take opioids. I take synthetic opioids (tramadol) more often (2-3 pills per week?), but I use this drug less often than not. I have observed that either of the former drugs affects my sleep, rendering me tired but unable to rest well (like alcohol--puts me to sleep, but I wake after a few hours unable to sleep further yet still tired.) For this reason, if I need a strong painkiller, I try to take it before dinner in an effort to preserve my sleep quality. I use non-chemical means (heat, rest) before taking drugs as much as I can, and I use a topical NSAID preferentially to avoid taking pills, but ignoring pain has its own ramifications long-term (neurologically) so I walk a tightrope between my wishes and reality.
Benzodiazepine medication
I also occasionally take lorazepam for sleep/anxiety. (It's the lowest dose commercially available of this drug, according to my doctor. I'm out of it right now so I can't check dosage until I get a new Rx.) I got the prescription a few years ago after two occasions of night waking into panic attacks. (I now wonder if those were triggered by apnea events.) I probably used one of these pills before at least the first night of the home sleep study as I found the equipment anxiety-inducing. I also recall taking one the first night with CPAP for a similar reason. I use this medication perhaps once or twice in an average week, not habitually, though more often in clusters when I'm generally unwell/under stress as opposed to spaced evenly throughout my life.
Sleep position
I specifically recall that I slept on my back during the sleep study because I was afraid of all the wires and tubes entangling my neck or coming off such that I'd have to repeat the process. More typically, I prefer to sleep on my stomach or side. I've been pretty successful sleeping in these more comfortable positions with the CPAP mask in place, which was a relief to me. When my arthritis is flaring, however, I sleep in any position that seems to hurt the least, which can include being on my back all night.
That might be clear if there are time stamps. My hours in bed are fairly consistent, roughly 10 pm to 7 am, though insomnia is an issue within that window.
