Dang sleep study nonsense.....dreading this whole ordeal.
Locust Fork
Member Posts: 32,000 ✭✭✭✭
Larry has been after me to go. I waited until a doctor said something to me about it...which finally happened sometime last month when I went in to get my blood pressure meds updated. They asked if I had been tested yet....so I had to tell her "no" and I knew they were going to schedule me for the night of torture.
Sure enough, it was not fun at all. They said they were going to call in some prescription for me to take that would help me sleep. I take Advil PM and melatonin gummies every night, so I thought it would be some kind of prescription sleeping pill. HECK NO....those nut jobs called in two Klonopin. What the heck is that going to tell them? That I can sleep while drugged out of my mind? I'm not about to take that stuff, so I told them I'd just stick with what I always take at night.
It was HORRIBLE. All the wires and that thing clamped on my finger was too much. I toss and turn at night too....so it was like sleeping in a car wash. So much crap stuck to you and every movement forces you WIDE AWAKE so you are constantly fighting the urge to just pull it all off and walk out.
They called a minute ago to tell me I stopped breathing 8 times per minute for at least 10 seconds each time. So they want me to come back and sleep with a cpap machine. GREAT! I get to sleep with wires and such stuck to me again....but with the added lure of a wind machine strapped to my face this time. I'm such a luck gal.
Don't be jealous.
Comments
just do it . get the machine . make friends with it . sleep better, live better
I'm going.....but I seriously dread doing this again.
Best thing that could happen! CPAP is wonderful, used one every nite for years, take it with me when I travel. Get the proper fit and you wont even know you are wearing it. Wake up well rested.
I agree with this. I have awful sinus issues and doctor did not want to operate as outcome could be worse then what I have now if all did not go well.
I have used CPAP for 10 years and sleep very well. I use a full face mask. Being a scuba diver I was used to a mask so getting used to the CPAP was easy.
I fought it for a long time and finally went in about 5 years ago. Ended up on a CPAP and have slept much better since then. My BP dropped off significantly too ! Try out different "masks" It took a while to find one that worked well for me.
I did the home test where you wear a harness of sensors and that finger clip. As you described, I slept poorly because of the apparatus. I think that's how they inevitably diagnose you as having sleep issues. They said I had marginal apnea and recommended - you guessed it - a CPAP. I declined.
Instead, I started wearing Breathe-Right strips. While not perfect, my sleep has markedly improved. Far less hassle, inexpensive, and effective. Try a box.
Wife and I both wear cpap machines. They enable us to get a good night's sleep. Something we had lacked for most of our lives .
LF,
Just for awareness, the C-PAP is not your only option. I tried one for a while, but it was an absolute no-go due to other issues. In any case, the Naval Hospital sent me to a specialty dentist who takes a 4D computer image of your mouth and makes an Oral Sleep Apnea Device. It is basically an upper and lower mouth guard connected together, which pushes your lower jaw out a bit (depending on what you need). This repositions the tissues in the throat that cause obstruction during sleep, allowing you to breathe clearly. The device is very comfortable, works great, and is even a little soothing to wear (especially if you’re also a teeth grinder).
In any case, I would highly recommend it over the C-PAP. No comparison!
Note: Mine is made by Somnomed, and looks like this….
Good luck!
I sometimes wake up feeling as if I can't breathe. I suppose I might ought to look into it.
I had to do a sleep study in 2019 to satisfy a NS RailRoad medical/CDL exam. I did the home test and was diagnosed with an apnea/hypopnea of 36, anything over 30 required you to get a cpap. One of the best things I have had happen medically. Once you get used to the mask, took only about a week for me, it is so soothing and relaxing to have that fresh air blowing and you get such a deep and restful sleep.Ii hardly ever had any dreams before the cpap because I wasn't in a deep state of sleep but now I dream all the time. Also my apnea/hypopnea has dropped from the 36 to around 2.5, dropped a little weight, blood pressure is a little better and no more night time trips to the bathroom. It has been good for me.
Good luck
Most who use them say they felt so much better after getting the machines
With that said I have been told and ask by so many doctors to get tested
I sure I have trouble I snore and have the sudden wake ups gaping for air but being stubborn ikeep putting it off which may be the end of me
But the older I get the more I think I may take them up on it
as my sleep pattern and rest has went down hill over the last few yrs
I tried the strips and they dont stand a candle to the CPAP.
My apnea was so bad that I had to take an hour or so nap every afternoon.It was either take the nap or fall asleep on my feet type thing .
I did the at-home sleep study & now use a cpap. I fight somewhat to get to sleep but then soundly. It does help as l'm not so drowsy during the day. The problem is de-congesting before going to bed.
Might try one Alka Selzer Plus, it speeds up the decongestion for me anyway.
cpap for sci-fi lovers
Larry loves his machine. I have been putting this off because I just don't like the idea of depending on anything else to get to sleep. I already have a little routine that is a "must" to get me to sleep and it can be a hassle. Its been a silly reason to fight dealing with this....because most likely this will help aleviate the need for the routine.
I have to put the TV on something that is boring or that I've already seen....take my advil pm.....lotion on my arm, legs, feet...and once I'm somewhat relaxed I have a sleep mask that has speakers in it that I've got synced with my phone playing ASMR videos on youtube that I don't "see", but can hear.
Getting my mind to shut down is the main problem. Its work, the kids, stuff around the house and yard, ridiculous memories that you wish you could forget, retirement plans, where is that bowl you haven't seen in forever, what if there is a mouse in here with us, what color will your next car be?
Gotta put things in perspective, Kasey. You (and I!) fret about what I think of as 'first world problems'. We really don't have anything to fret about. We have enough food, a roof over our heads, and clothes on our back. We are what a friend of mine that worked in the mental health field described as 'the worried well'.
With a routine like that I think you need more than a CPAP! LOL
I am 77, been on Cpap/Bipap for almost 20 years. Once you get used to it, you'll wonder how you did without it. Four hours on the machine is as good as 12 hours without it. I almost never get up at night for a bathroom visit. I recommend the Dreamwear mask, the air inlet is on top with a swivel that allows you to even sleep on your stomach.
Good Luck!!!
nearly 20 years ago when the late Sunshine scheduled me for a "sleep study" I went willingly because I wasn't getting enough rest and was ready to try anything.
Wired me up and sent me to bed. Woke me up at midnight saying I had already had over 60 apnea events and my blood oxygen had gotten down to 50% so I qualified to get a mask test first night.
Conked out and slept like a baby and woke up feeling better than I had for years.
Love my CPAP!!!!
Wish I had gotten it sooner -- ended up with an Aortic Aneurism that's still giving me problems, but I don't sleep without my CPAP.
My poor dad had one done all the in Stanford... Miserable experience.
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams