Just Diagnosed what's next

[sdfisherman1995]

Hello everyone i had a sleep study done a week ago and the results are posted below. i reached out to my doctor but haven't heard back yet so i was just wondering based on what's in the results what are my next steps. new to all this thanks for any help. 

STUDY NAME: SLEEP STUDY DIAGNOSTIC
 
TYPE OF SLEEP STUDY:  In-lab baseline polysomnogram.

TOTAL NUMBER OF CHANNELS RECORDED:  21

TOTAL RECORDING TIME:  503 minutes

PATIENT'S BMI:  40.7

SLEEP SCORING:  Patient's total sleep time was noted to be 290 minutes with a sleep efficiency of 57.7%.

SLEEP LATENCIES AND TOTALS:  Latency to sleep was noted to be 65.3 minutes and latency to REM sleep was noted to be 107 minutes.

RESPIRATORY AND OXIMETRY DATA:  Patient's overall apnea-hypopnea index was 30.4 with a supine index of 60.0 and a REM index of 63.2.

O2 SATURATION:  Average was 89-92% with a nadir of 76% while sleeping and a total of 34 minutes spent with a saturation below 88%.

CARDIAC DATA:  Average heart rate was noted to be 75 beats per minute with a maximum heart rate while sleeping of 96 beats per minute without significant arrhythmias noted on limited EKG monitoring.

AROUSALS AND AWAKENINGS:  Patient's PLM index was noted to be 0.8 related to arousals and 2.1 not related to arousals.

IMPRESSION:  This baseline polysomnogram demonstrates severe obstructive sleep apnea with significant desaturations.

RECOMMENDATIONS:  Given the findings above, a dedicated in-lab PAP titration polysomnogram is recommended.  The patient should follow up closely with a sleep provider.

[upsman]

Most likely you'll be scheduled for a titration study with PAP. You'll be connected with all the sensors again, as well as a device of some kind.
This will determine what pressure settings and what type of therapy you'll need. 

From there, you'll probably be prescribed some type of machine and your journey begins. Hopefully, with proper follow-up from your doctor to adjust your settings as needed.

[sdfisherman1995]

thanks just heard from the sleep center sounds like i have to wait till June for the triation study. i just want to sleep well i haven't for about 10 years and now its taking months to even get in.

[upsman]

Good luck.

[Gideon]

Option
Talk to your doc about skipping the titration study and getting a ResMed AutoSet ASAP and "auto-titrating" so as to get on CPAP sooner.

The myth: Auto-titration will find your optimum settings, it won't.
The other myth: the Titration study will find your optimum settings, it won't either.

The facts:
The titration study will, depending on the person running it, find a good set of settings to start with. This is because the titration study looks at brief periods at a variety of different settings, all of which are in a strange room, in a different bed, with different pillows etc. While you are being monitored a
And videoed all night while wearing a strange contraption called a CPAP you have likely never used before, and you have several dozen sensors attached all over your body, all of which is perfectly normal for you, right.

Self titrating. You are wearing a mask and are attached to a CPAP, in your home, your bed, and with your partner to, uh well, fill in the blanks, but a mostly normal setting for you and you can view and average the results over several nights instead of several 15-30 minute periods to determine what works for you

I'm in favor of self titration with the help of the many users her on Apneaboard.

[sdfisherman1995]

i messaged my doc to see what he says i just really don't want to wait 3 months to start sleeping better.

[sdfisherman1995]

heard back from the doctor he was able to get the sleep center to move my appointment up to tonight. so hopefully will be getting a machine soon. once i do ill for sure be checking in with everyone here to make sure everything is set up and im getting the best treatment i can. thanks everyone.

[Sleeprider]

When a device is prescribed, we recommend the Resmed Airsense 10 or 11 Autoset. With shortages in CPAP machines, we are seeing a lot of Chinese made machines being dispensed, and the quality difference is significant. Hopefully your insurance is good and your deductibles reasonable. Many people are issued an auto-CPAP with instructions for self-titration rather than an observed titration. The auto CPAPs, particularly Resmed Autoset are actually very good at providing effective pressure, and it is rare that you cannot achieve better results with self-titration than a lab titration. If you have high copay or deductibles you may want to argue for self-titration.

[sdfisherman1995]

thanks for the info i was able to get into to do my triation study on Monday night i have good insurance and am already at my out of pocket max for the year. according to the tech i responded well to the cpap machine but she didnt tell me what they would be prescribing or what my pressures where. she said the doc would call me an i a week or two with the final results. my mother has an extra airsense auto 10 i may grab to use while waiting for the new one. just wasnt sure how to set it up to use while im waiting.

[clownbell]

At the very top of the forum page is a large black strip in which there are several links, of of which is titled "CPAP Setup Manuals." That will help.

Another link in the black strip is titled "Wiki." That will give you tons of information about sleep apnea and related issues. Go to the Wiki man page and scroll down to about the middle, where you will see a link to help you set up the correct pressure. The experts may suggest some refinements, but the wiki link will get you close.

Incidentally, IMO the wiki is well worth reading. That way you can understand some of your own questions.