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Sleep test review, 7+ apneas & hypopneas per hour; Doc is prescribing Resmed AirSense 10; going for titration test next. Will try to be really faithful to CPAP, and am thinking of getting an adjustable split king bed so I can sleep elevated while wife sleeps flat.
Doc said though assigned moderate, my snoring was constant & loud (5/5 rating), never really got restful sleep. If asleep I was snoring. Think they were glad to see me leave! She said I got 3.6 hrs of very poor sleep out of about 6 hrs in bed; never entered REM sleep, seemed to wake me up when trying to enter REM. Restless legs constantly. Urinating every 1 1/2 hrs. O2 levels mostly in 90s, but dipped into 70s at times; only below 90 for 0.6% of time.
Sleep test was typical of a nights sleep for me. If this does not work, have to do something as I am constantly going w/o meaningful sleep. Not looking for sympathy, prob worse than me, any comments? What abt adjustable bed? Trying to hit this w/all the weapons I can muster.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
Your situation and results sound exactly like mine, was mild to moderate on apneas, but could bring the house down with snoring that could be heard rooms and floors away, kept everyone awake including myself sometimes. Treatment has been a godsend, haven't snored (noticeably) with the machine on, ever.
The sleep doctors don't like this advise: You could pick up the Autoset and self-titrate in about 2-days. It would save a bunch of money, time and an uncomfortable night in the clinic. Best of all you would be treated sooner. Ask for the script for the Airsense 10 Autoset and self-titration. It is very easy and results are better than the clinic unless you have unforeseen complications with complex apnea...even with that, they will still assign a CPAP. Self-titrate and if you have problems, see the doctor.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
They say no sign of central sleep apnea, so maybe I could self titrate. Think it would blow their minds though, an maybe I could use the training as this is all new to me. I was an engineer, so probably could figure it out OK.
Guess I'm a worry wart, but have been pursuing this problem for a few years now; thought it was prostate until recently when an honest urologist said definitely not prostate, no need to cut on you, go for sleep test. However, nothing has worked so far, and I have a great fear this will not work either---then what? I honestly think it has reached the stage that years are being removed from my lifespan. I'm 80 yrs old; cant afford to lose many! Ha!
Oh, any comments on using adjustable bed to raise trunk of body? A friend had a bad snoring problem and it stopped it. At this point I'm firing all the guns I have at the problem.
01-16-2018, 11:57 AM (This post was last modified: 01-16-2018, 12:10 PM by Sleeprider.)
RE: Moderate Apnea---Almost No Sleep Each Nite
If you have the ability to download and install the free #Sleepyhead program on a PC, Laptop or Mac, then you will have all the tools you need to self-titrate. This does not cut the doctor out of the process. You will need to follow-up with the doctor and discuss how you are feeling and convince him the CPAP therapy is effective and necessary. Your DME will likely monitor your usage compliance, and you must use the machine at least 4-hours per day in 21 of 30 consecutive days in the first 90 days of use to demonstrate compliance. They will also see your AHI and prepare a report for your doctor.
Self-titration does not mean going it alone. It means you will develop a more technical working knowledge of your therapy, work with your medical team and use data to optimize results. Usually this results in better results and better compliance. Your case is very simple and you're an excellent candidate with an engineering background to solve the problem through a series of simple experiments.
You probably understand exactly what chemical titration is, and CPAP is no different. You try a pressure and observe the results. If obstructive apnea are present, you add pressure. You repeat this until obstructive apnea and hypopnea are absent in your results. If centrals become prominent, you reduce pressure. Check out this flow chart of the CPAP clinical titration protocol (click to enlarge). Now this should let you discuss this procedure with your doctor confidently. With auto CPAP, your pressure is set to a range (minimum to maximum). The machine does most of the titration work automatically, but you will need to increase the minimum pressure to minimize the pressure swings and initiate therapy at a more effective pressure.
One last thing. You can schedule a titration evaluation, but request the CPAP prescription be filled immediately. This would allow you to start therapy and decide to either cancel clinical titration if things are going well, or keep the appointment if you need it. As you know, it will be several weeks for the appointment to be scheduled. You could be all done by the time it gets here.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
(01-16-2018, 11:46 AM)Snorzz Wrote: Oh, any comments on using adjustable bed to raise trunk of body? A friend had a bad snoring problem and it stopped it. At this point I'm firing all the guns I have at the problem.
Use the CPAP first. It's unlikely you will need anything else. Adjustable beds are expensive and the CPAP will resolve snoring without it. If you want an articulating bed for comfort or other reasons, fine, but not needed.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
