[Diagnosis] Can Somebody Please Help Me Analyze Oximeter Logs?

[chill]

I am quite certain that I was awake for hours and hours before I fell asleep on my recent titration test. They asked me to sleep on my back and I pretty much can't sleep on my back. Yet the report said that I fell asleep in 18 minutes! It made me wonder if they mixed my study up with someone else's. Or perhaps me laying there very relaxed and nearly asleep looks like someone asleep. I just don't know. I thought they could tell quite accurately from the EEG.

Asking how you felt you slept is a standard part of the study. They are assessing subjective vs objective so they can gauge what you mean when you say you do or don't sleep well.

And I know the results where not the most accurate because I wanted to make sure I could sleep so I stupidly stayed up the whole night before, which the doctor said was the stupidest thing I could have done which I also agree now.

Sleepy Head (see link at top of page) is an application used to access the data that some of these machines collect on an SD memory card. Not all machine collected detailed data. There is a really good list of which machines to choose, a list that I can never find when I want it. Hopefully someone else can direct you to it

A lot of things that bothered me went away after I was on CPAP for a while. IBS is one of them. Yes, it just went away. Gone. And great reductions in anxiety and depression.

UARS is hard to test for. The definitive test involves putting a pressure sensor in your throat while you sleep. And you thought the normal sleep test was bad! I think the other diagnosis is ruling out other possibilities and then increasing pressure until the symptoms go away.

UARS or not, I think it is reasonable to ask for another sleep test. And this time don't stay up the night before and don't take any drugs or melatonin. You don't need to sleep for long for them to be able to get the data they need.

Given that you have a range of symptoms that you are struggling with, I will recommend Dr Steven Park's book Sleep Interrupted. He shows links and possible links between sleep disordered breathing and many, many other conditions. You may find it enlightening and useful in your search to resolve your issues.

[trish6hundred]

Hi admaster99,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I wish you good luck in getting your sleep problems resolved.

[admaster99]

Thanks to everybody for your input so needless to say the oximeter sleep log I posted looks fine. Correct?

I am aware of flux and have tested it before, but seeing how I feel that my insomnia problem is under control by taking melatonin I don't feel it's necessary but thanks for the idea.

Wow "Chill" it sounds like you have a story very similar to mine my main problems are ibs, fatigue, severe panic attacks, depression, and strange vision problems I don't know how to explain. I really wish I could get another sleep study but with my health insurance in question, it's not something I could do anytime soon. I was wondering can they usually tell if you have a heart problem from a sleep study? I tell you the panic attacks are horrifying and when it happens I feel like I'm having a heart attack and that's one thing the doctors never checked was my heart, they just threw it up to anxiety.

I have also read the article relating to Dr. Steven Parks correlation between UARS and many unexplained condition thats what made me wonder if UARS was a possibility.

It's all so frustrating and I'm so young. I feel like I'm missing out on so much in life, can you believe I have not had a girlfriend in 10 years I know sad.

Thanks again for all your input it really makes me feel better to have people to talk to. Thanks for the warm Welcome

[chill]

Yes, I don't see anything in your oximeter data that suggests Obstructive Sleep Apnea. But that does strengthen the case for UARS as that does not present with significant desaturations. The harm from UARS comes from lack of good quality sleep.

Taking melatonin does not fix your insomnia. To quote my first sleep doctor, "It is a dodge, nothing more. It hides the problem, it does not fix it". I don't think that f.lux is the fix either, but it is good sleep hygiene.

A sleep study does not collect any where near as much data on your heart as an EKG. If you had a really bad heart problem, they might be able to see it. My guess is that your perceived heart problems are symptoms of anxiety attacks, even if you don't feel the anxiety at that time. I got the doctor to get me wired up for a 24 hour (or maybe it was longer, I forget now) heart monitor. I kept a diary of when I felt my heart was beating abnormally. There were zero abnormal events on the monitor. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Yes, they are horrifying. It is like seeing an axe wielding lunatic behind you in the mirror. Only there is nothing.

All I can say is to keep at it. Don't let the doctor's brush you aside. Something can be done: CPAP, medication, CBT, something. Don't lose hope.

[Beej]

You might find it helpful to think of panic attacks or anxiety as sort of a "short circuit" in the way your body works. Individuals may associate the symptoms with whatever is happening at the time, even though those things aren't necessarily related - if I felt X when Y happened, I'll avoid Y and that will fix it ... but it doesn't.
Sometimes, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be helpful to identify and unhook those associations, as well as learning some other options for managing. Meds may be helpful while working on that, though some prefer not to use them.