pulse ox with download capability; pulmonary hypertension

[TonyP]

Still trying to get some info on what pulse ox will record overnight and be able to download on to my Mac Book OSX.
Also, my sleep doc tells me I have severe sleep apnea although my real complaint is trying to get to sleep. He wants me to start using a CPAP machine. Also said I have pulmonary hypertension due to the sleep apnea which might also explain my  progressive decrease of exercise fitness.
Any help please?
TonyP

[Walla Walla]

Get a sleep test. That's about it.

[HalfAsleep]

Could you explain some more how the doctor came to the conclusion you have severe sleep apnea? Did you take a sleep test? If so, you might want to post the results here, so you can get input and learn about how the condition applies to you.

Insomnia is a common complaint among folks with sleep apnea. You will find fellow sufferers here and learn some tips on how to address it. You might want to start by observing "sleep hygiene". You'll find info on that in the menu above. Not all sleep treatment is machine-driven. There is much that has to do with habits, preparation, and knowing your body.

I'm not sure about pulmonary hypertension, but hypertension in general is a common co-condition to sleep apnea, as are the several you might be at high risk of, including stroke.

IDK if it's critical to worry about the oxygen info, but it does sound as though apnea is a very important condition to address, per your doctor. The sleep study reads oxygen levels.

To do starter list:

1. Get sleep test results.
2. Post sleep test results here in a new thread.
3. Educate yourself about sleep apnea; you can start with the wiki in the menu and reading a lot of threads.
4. Ask questions here.
5. Get a head start on treatment by reading up on sleep hygiene and start work on at least one issue.

Hope that helps!  Good luck in your new adventure!

[srlevine1]

Still trying to get some info on what pulse ox will record overnight and be able to download on to my Mac Book OSX.
Also, my sleep doc tells me I have severe sleep apnea although my real complaint is trying to get to sleep. He wants me to start using a CPAP machine. Also said I have pulmonary hypertension due to the sleep apnea which might also explain my  progressive decrease of exercise fitness.
Any help please?
TonyP

First, you may wish to insure that your sleep doc is in touch with your cardiologist and pulmonologist because pulmonary hypertension is a major concern.

I suggest you call Kevin Cooper (Vendor #19) because he is my go to guy on pulse-ox units. Since most software was designed to run on Windows, have you ever considered running Windows in a virtualized environment? (VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop).

[TonyP]

Thanks for your reply. I wonder why so many PCPs miss sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension So many people in later years have sleep problems and I wonder how many of them have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea should be high on the diagnosos list.
Tony

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Thanks for your reply and the vendor recommendation. My computer is an Apple. With Apple so popular, wonder why few pulse oximeters don't have Apple compatibility.
T

[srlevine1]

Thanks for your reply. I wonder why so many PCPs miss sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension So many people in later years have sleep problems and I wonder how many of them have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea should be high on the diagnosos list.
Tony

---

Thanks for your reply and the vendor recommendation. My computer is an Apple. With Apple so popular, wonder why few pulse oximeters don't have Apple compatibility.
T

To answer your questions ...

Most PCPs operate on the basis of self-reported symptoms and many people do not consider snoring to be problematical or indicative of a serious problem. Even the obese or those with large neck sizes are not routinely screened unless they are professional drivers, engineers, pilots, captains, or have some critical role in the transportation or critical infrastructure areas. Because of limited time during a visit, few discuss long-term health issues or those that do not come readily to mind.  

As for pulmonary hypertension, unless it is advanced or combined with other cardiac or pulmonary issues that require an echocardiogram, it often remains undiagnosed. 

And, as for Apple ... they have a minuscule portion (under 10%) of the commercial computer market because their hardware and operating system software are open platforms.  Therefore, with the exception of iPhone apps, developers allocate their efforts in the windows marketplace first. Much of the software associated with the  sleep industry is rapidly aging and is simply updated rather than being re-egineered.