Here is my new Diagnosis
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Hi Guys,
I have attached my diagnosis of my recent sleep study. As being newly diagnosed, I am looking for comments and recommendations. It appears that I did ok at lower pressures than the Dr. has prescribed, I am not sure what the reasoning is here, but again have never been through this. Would an auto machine take care of pressure adjustments according to its algorithms? I am going to get a prescription Tuesday for the equipment and would like to as prepared as possible, all advice will be greatly appreciated.
thanks
RE: Here is my new Diagnosis
Note: I'm an epidemiologist, not a medical provider.
RE: Here is my new Diagnosis
G'day silversnore, welcome to Apnea Board.
On the face of it a lower pressure might have done the trick. However, we aren't seeing everything the technician saw so there may be a reason he recommended the higher pressure. It's interesting that you had a zero AHI at relatively low pressures, jumping back to 13 at 11/7 before reverting to zero at the higher pressure.
I would definitely push for an auto machine (Resmed AirCurve VAuto or equivalent Philips machine). Don't let them fob you off with the AirCurve 10S, which has a fixed pressure. The key advantage of the auto machine is that it can adjust the pressure up and down as required through the night. Your pressure needs might vary with the stage of sleep (REM v non-REM), position (side or back sleeping), general health and other factors. They might also change over time as you get older. The auto machine can adjust for these factors, delivering optimal pressure at any given time. The fact that your response during the titration test was so variable is also an indicator that the auto machine would be the most appropriate for you. Be prepared for the fact that many sleep doctors seem to have an ideological aversion to auto machines and will try to force you to accept a fixed pressure device.
Stick with the market leaders - Resmed and Philips Respironics. These two companies dominate the market and consequently you will get a higher level of support from forums like this, simply because they are more well known. You should also get hold of #SleepyHead software which will allow you to monitor your progress in much greater detail than the manufacturers' on-line systems allow.
Good luck with your decision!
