[Diagnosis] Sleep Study Venting

[sleepyLottie]

Hey everyone.

I had a sleep study done (at-home one cause insurance wouldn't cover the 'real' one). I'm still waiting for my doctor to call with his evaluation, but I saw some of the results already and I'm kind of feeling disappointed. Over two nights, my AHI was 2.7 and 2.9 with SAO2 of 91% and 89%.

The tech I spoke to before I did this said I needed a 5 to get a diagnosis. Even went on to say even a 4.9 wouldn't cut it. Well for several years I will sometimes have dreams where I have trouble breathing (and I can feel it physically) which sometimes results in waking up gasping for breath, which is happening more frequently lately. That's not the only symptom (daytime tiredness and headache among others), but my understanding of the results makes me scared I won't get a proper diagnosis and won't be able to just TRY a CPAP and see if it makes a difference. Once upon a time I always woke up refreshed, but those days have been gone for a few years now.

I'm just venting here while I wait for the official call from my doctor. But if anyone is able to offer me some sort of validation that I can still have even mild sleep apnea despite that low score, I would appreciate it.

I'm just tired all the time and my memory has gone down the trash  

Thank you for listening!

[Dormeo]

It is conceivable you have something called UARS -- Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. Lots of information here:

http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ome_(UARS)

and here:

https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-c...drome.html

When you are able to discuss your situation with your doctor, you might ask whether you could try out a bi-level PAP machine, ideally the ResMed VAuto. It is capable of delivering more "pressure support" than ordinary PAP machines, and some doctors who study UARS believe pressure support is a key element in successful treatment of UARS. For a perspective from a doctor who advocates vigorously for this idea, see:

https://sleepbreathe.org/response-to-sle...krakow-md/

(An ASV machine is an even more specialized machine -- and even more expensive -- than a vanilla bi-level machine.)

If your doctor won't let you trial a bi-level machine, you could consider asking for a prescription that you would fill at your own cost -- if that is financially feasible for you.

Finally, I do have to say there are many reasons for daytime sleepiness and fatigue other than respiratory problems during sleep. That, too, would be worth exploring with a physician. You could at least be screened for such problems as thyroid deficiency, connective tissue disease, Lyme disease, and others. It can take some pushiness to get a doctor to work with you on a symptom as broad and "subjective" as fatigue, so consider how to get what you want while maintaining a good relationship with your doctor.

[Gideon]

I also was going to mention UARS, but you need either a doc that is very familiar with UARS (not many) or a detailed flow rate data that goes down to a breath by breath level. Preferably on a BiLevel machine . You are looking for flow restrictions or limits that are typically not flagged, this must be manually read.

[sleepyLottie]

Thanks to both of you, I'll look into UARS. I have a few medical issues so I get bloodwork and other screenings done fairly often. Since I have breathing issues during sleep I figured it wouldn't hurt to get a study done.

[quiescence at last]

There are also things called RERA that are micro arousals due to resistance in flow. Ask about RDI which considers these arousals.

QAL

[Hydrangea]

My husband had an at-home sleep study. It was SUCH a joke - something around his wrist, and something around his chest. It was like if the manufacturers made a *toy* version of a sleep study for a kid to play with at home.

I wholeheartedly don't believe it should be used to rule out sleep apnea.

Push for a sleep lab test.

[DaveL]

I had my first sleep study at the old Nurse's Residence at Victoria Hospital in London Ontario. I noticed my first crawling bug when I was sitting as they suited me up in the armour they used. That's right...first bug....The place was unique and old. I didn't see the ghost that the site was reported to have. However, I did watch for it all night. It wasn't a very good sleep study.

They stripped off the contacts and hardware they used and rushed me out the door. When I got home I realized I had puffs of old glue stuck to my skin where the contacts had been. Other pedestrians had looked at me and walked more quickly as I walked to my car. Disconcerting. I didn't know what was wrong. It took a long long time to wash the glue off.

I'd prefer a good home cpap test.

[SarcasticDave94]

The NEW Milton Bradley ® Home Sleep Apnea Test!

batteries not included

[Sleeprider]

The threshold of 5-AHI is a condition of insurance to pay for a machine. You can obtain a prescription and self-fund a machine and equipment, or even get one without a Rx. You have very low SpO2 and a lot of symptoms that suggest there is a problem. If you can get a copy of the respiratory flow trace from your test, it would be very easy to see if there is a limitation in the inspiratory flow or other problem that contributes to these symptoms. Before Philips had a huge recall of their machines, it was easy to find new and used CPAP machines at a good price. Unfortunately, it is much harder and more expensive today. A trial on CPAP, and especially something like the Resmed Airsense10 that can offer lower exhale pressure and higher inhale pressure could make a big difference for you. There are a number of reasonably priced machines available on Craigslist, and the best way to find them is using the SearchTempest search engine. I usually use the search term Resmed and look for Autoset or Vauto machines.

[Dormeo]

In your original post, you wrote: "Over two nights, my AHI was 2.7 and 2.9 with SAO2 of 91% and 89%." Were those numbers your lows, your medians, or something else? And do you know how much time you spent at or below 90%?