Finished HST, possibly negative?

[Campion]

Nice that you were able to get the OSA file. That's the one thing preventing me from working through the data I pulled from the device I just did my sleep study with. There must be a hidden file i missed when I downloaded the data, and I don't have the machine anymore. Boo. I have to say, though, comparing what I see in yours with mine, I just don't think that I have sleep apnea.

[HalfAsleep]

Just wanted to post an update. I was reached out by the sleep study group that did my HST Friday. At the time, I was looking for another group to do my study with, but the SSG stated they had a opening for that night. It was last minute, but I was greatly tempted, so I said yes.

Let me tell you, I know people say PSGs are difficult to sleep though, but holy hell. It wasn't so much the wires and things stuck to my body (though that did play a part in it), it was more the worry.

"Am I sleeping properly enough? Are they gonna see anything? It's 11PM and they're kicking me out at 5AM, is there gonna be enough data?"

That in itself made it difficult to get to bed. I maybe slept, at most, 4 hours that night and I really felt it when I woke up. So, while we wait for my data to come in this week, I'll have my fingers crossed.

PS: I got my liver ultrasound back. It was fatty liver. Explains my elevated ALT and enzymes. Doc just says I'm too fat. :lol: I think it could be both my lifestyle and the possible SA I'm experiencing. All I know is that if I solve my sleeping problem, energy will come and I'll be fine after that. Lets hope the results are good (which is totally objective cause I want to see some "yeah, your sleeping sucks balls" on that report).

That anxiety about the sleep study seems fairly typical. It seems kind of ironic to want a positive diagnosis and worry about whether you have enough episodes or enough of your usual sleep behavior to prove your point. I went through the same thing myself. The anxiety was hellish, the experience even worse. I don't think all night I demonstrated the presenting symptoms (having my throat flap, choking, coughing...), but luckily enough I had other stuff going that qualified me for treatment. I guess that'll at least get me started, and then I can go to work on the original symptoms.

I had to change beds in the middle of the night on my hospital-based sleep study; at one point I was sleeping folded over at the hips (ballet-training and all); and then I had heart trouble, but was so fed up with them disrupting my sleep, I didn't say anything....And they never did wake me up: I was still sleeping at 9 am.

I do believe the SA and the high BMI are a chicken-and-egg kind of thing.

[deathscreton]

Annnnnnnnnd drum roll please.

I've attached the results of my PSG down below. There's a ton of information, but the gist of it is this:

AHI: 19.6
REM AHI: 29.4 (don't know the difference. Maybe REM was just worse, so it has a different index count?)

I was officially diagnosed with moderate to severe SA with high counts of bruxism (teeth grinding) at night, 31 times. 

The next step is speaking with my doctor and setting up a titration. I want to just get a BiLevel, but that's overkill according to what I'm reading with the report(but the comfort I'd be giving up otherwise! D: I know resmed machines have EPR, so that should be okay. I'll have to do some additional research.), but I'm not sure how well an APAP would work considering the results from the home sleep study test. Provided nothing changes, an APAP should be just fine based on the PSG, so we can only hope. 

That being said, I need to start looking at machines!  Whooooh!

[Sleeprider]

Looks great. I see simple mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea with no complications. If you want to push for getting an auto-CPAP machine and self titrating, I would not expect any complications. Try to get the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset. It will probably take less than a week to find an optimal range of pressures. No harm in doing a titration study on CPAP, as you seem to tolerate the clinical sleep study well. The only drawback is some delay to schedule, conduct, analyze, followup and dispense. Your choice.

[deathscreton]

Looks great.  I see simple mild-moderate obstructive sleep apnea with no complications.  If you want to push for getting an auto-CPAP machine and self titrating, I would not expect any complications.  Try to get the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset.  It will probably take less than a week to find an optimal range of pressures.  No harm in doing a titration study on CPAP, as you seem to tolerate the clinical sleep study well.  The only drawback is some delay to schedule, conduct, analyze, followup and dispense.  Your choice.

I'm rather impatient at this point, and there can't be any harm in attempting to get this done quicker. I'll try phoning up my doctor later today. He doesn't have the signed interpretation page from the sleep doctor yet, but nothing is going to change except her signature, which probably isn't even needed at this point considering that my insurance company doesn't need prior authorization. Here's to hoping. 

And that was actually going to be my next question, which machine. I'll look into the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset and see what can be done. Do you have a recommended supplier? So far, I've only been looking at Supplier #1.

[Sleeprider]

Just express your interest in managing your own care using your personal research and software. It's not rocket science with modern auto CPAP. An engaged patient is a successful one. Let him know you're confident in being able to do this and will work closely to show results. If you need a titration due to unforseen problems, it can always be done later. A CPAP titration is not required for insurance approval of equipment. You have the right as a patient to refuse a procedure or recommendation. It is increasingly common for patients to self-titrate. Lower costs and better results. Just get the prescription for auto CPAP, and you can even specify the Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset or Autoset For Her. Be sure the prescription says patient to self-titrate, and can have a starting pressure range of 5-15. You also need mask, heated tube, filters and related supplies.

[HalfAsleep]

Annnnnnnnnd drum roll please.

I've attached the results of my PSG down below. There's a ton of information, but the gist of it is this:

AHI: 19.6
REM AHI: 29.4 (don't know the difference. Maybe REM was just worse, so it has a different index count?)

I was officially diagnosed with moderate to severe SA with high counts of bruxism (teeth grinding) at night, 31 times. 

The next step is speaking with my doctor and setting up a titration. I want to just get a BiLevel, but that's overkill according to what I'm reading with the report(but the comfort I'd be giving up otherwise! D: I know resmed machines have EPR, so that should be okay. I'll have to do some additional research.), but I'm not sure how well an APAP would work considering the results from the home sleep study test. Provided nothing changes, an APAP should be just fine based on the PSG, so we can only hope. 

That being said, I need to start looking at machines!  Whooooh!

You might be able to skip the in-lab titration study?

For myself, I was surprised my insurance doesn 't require it. I'm evidently auto-titrating with an Autosense 10 Autoset for Her. Thanks to this board, I knew what machine to ask for. I still don't have it, but this would have dragged out way longer with a sleep study titration. Plus, that would have made me cranky with the sleep center staff, argumentative, irritable, generally impossible to be around 'cos you can't get any sleep!