Hello,

I'd like to find out what you liked about your experience in the lab -- before, during and after.

Also, what you disliked the most with an eye to indentifying areas needing improvement or at least setting better expectations with improved communications.

I hope that by getting feedback, sleep labs will look at the thread and see what improvements can be made and perhaps set some better expectations with customers. Also, I would like to see sleep lab employee's comments as well if something needs clarification.

Let 'er rip!

PG

Before- I would have liked to have known what was going to happen.  I knew VERY little, except that I was going there to sleep.  and I was to bring comfy clothes.  Would have liked to have known about all the wires.  

During - Keep the room one temp, unless the patient asked that the temp be changed.  Mine went from being very comfy until it was so hot that I took all the covers off and considered taking my clothes off.  I was totally soaked.  

DO NOT threaten the patient.   The patient is already under a LOT of stress.  The tech that did mine, came busting in about 1 am, put the cpap on me, was pretty rough with me, AND then left the room.  The mask was pushing my upper lip under my teeth.  I opened my mouth and she came busting back in and said, keep your mouth shut or I will put a chin strap on you!!  I was so stunned, I wanted to cry.  I did not, afraid that she would but the chin strap on me, or worse!!

Do NOT tell the patient that they will be getting a machine and that your company will call and set it up.  To begin with, you are a TECH, not a Dr.  While I am sure that you have seen MANY people with sleep apnea, you are not responsible for making that decision.  A medical Dr is.  

AFTER-   I know that some people have apnea so bad that they fall asleep while driving.  So why do you wake me before 5 AM and send me out on roads that I am probably NOT familiar with, to get myself "safely" home??  Besides, if I kill myself on the way home, my family is going to sue the pants off of you for having me drive like that.  What if I kill someone else?  How will you feel then?  Also, if you are selling the equipment, I am not going to be able to purchase it if I am dead.   I got about 3 hours of sleep that night, less than I have had in many nights before and then get sent out to drive a car home on the interstate!!!

Mamamama,

Whew! That's some night in the lab you had.

This is exactly what we had in mind in starting this thread and we hope more can contribute.

Remember, sleep labs want to know what they are doing well too. I remember the first time a dentist gave me a walkman to listen to while he worked on my teeth. Now that was good thinking.

Thanks again!

PG

My sleep study (2 nights) did not go as bad as all that!  But it was very... 'different'.
First night was observation only.  Basically, they connected what seemed like hundreds of wires to my head, face, hands, and chest.  When complete, I looked like one of the Borg from Star Trek.  Then they tell you to relax and go to sleep... yah right!  I usually fell asleep to the TV every night, but the sleep tech would not allow me to do so.  So I just stared at the ceiling for a while.  The room was very cold, and I could not help but realize that someone was WATCHING me.  I think they use infrared cameras... will this guy 'see' me farting?     That feeling was a little weird, but it passed (no pun intended) and I eventually fell asleep.
 
Next morning, I was disconnected from the Borg Collective and told to have a follow-up with my doctor in a week or so for the results.
Results: - OSA - stopped breathing like 50-60 times an hour.
 
Second night - a few weeks later, was the treatment phase. Seeing whether CPAP would help and if so, what pressure level was good for me.  Tried on a mask... WAY too uncomfortable for me.  Tried on the Breeze... ahhhh  much better.  Sleeping with the CPAP was not easy, and I frequently opened my mouth and became a somniferous leaf blower.  Overall though, it seemed to help and it turned out that I needed 11 inches of...... whatever the sleep guy said.  (and my wife was quick to agree....   )
 
Overall not the best or worst experience I've ever had, but a necessary evil.  I don't sleep well in hotels either so I'm probably biased there.
 
CPAP works great for me now and I'm able to wear it all night.  In fact when I fall asleep on the Lazy-Boy at night, I notice the snorting and gasping almost immediately and I actually want to go to bed to wear the CPAP!
 
Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I am always put to bed at about 7pm which of course is well before most peoples bedtime

I suggest a very soft matress generally should be used as some find it difficult to get to bed on a hard matress, perhaps patients should be asked what type of matress they prefer, I never was

the friendlieness of the staff is very important, Ive had 5 sleep studies and the attitude and help of the staff has varied

at my unit all the beds are singles but another unit I saw had double beds which probably are more comfortable

patients should be asked to wash their hair but not to use any hairspray or cream as this can make gluing on the sensors difficult, the gel should be removed from the scalp next morning too

my rooms have been draughty from the airconditioning so I always take a beanie for my head as otherwise an air draught can make sleep difficult
peoiple who need to urinate during the night should be given more consideration, explain that they can sit up and provide a bottle to urinate into

I guess it all depends on the facility. The room I had the sleep study in was very comfortable with it's own thermometer and furniture similar to a nice hotel room. Doing research on the internet, I knew ahead of time of all the wires, probes and glue. I agree the staff could be a little more understanding, but maybe the frustation of all the wires and the unknown might have heighten ones senses, having us react to little things.

My sleep tech did not give me any medical advice or indication of what might be wrong, all she said was I'll need to follow up with my doctor. She let me sleep until 8:00AM and to be honest, once she dialed me into the right pressure I slept like I can't remember.


_________________
My Kinda town Chicago is



Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even taxes -- you have to make money to get money back

On my first sleep study I thought that I did very well, the Tech. was very nice and friendly, the room was real comphy. Except for the fact that some where around 1am the Tech came in saying that is enough of that and turned the oxygen on. Not a problem she said? I slept just under 4 hours.

The second study was a night to forget as soon as possible, what with the mask leaks, the quiet noise which was to loud and the noise of the oxygen concentrator just out side my door there was very little sleep. Infact only about  2 1/2 hours.

The bed both nights was a queen size and very comphy, the temp. was just right for me (cool).

I felt that the Tech should have paid more attention to the mask leaks than she did, in fact once she put the mask on me she never touched it again until 6am but did I ever touch it trying to stop the air leaks and the burbbeling noise it made. I was very happy to leave so I could come home and get some rest.


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Sleeping at long last

I think it might be nice if the lab made a regular practice of asking patients certain things ahead of time.
My sleep study appointment was set up by my doctor's office.  I only called the sleep lab for directions.

For example, I sleep best on my left side.  I also sleep sometimes on my right side, but given the stressful nature of the sleep study, not to mention all those wires, it was hard for me to sleep on my right side.  We had double beds, but all the wires were set up to connect to the machines located on the right side of the bed.  I also had a bad back that night due to some strain I'd had earlier in the week.  I could not get comfortable enough on my right side.  Eventually I decided to try and adjust myself so I was on my left side, but it took over an hour for me to maneuver myself amid all those wires!
If I had been asked ahead of time which position I slept best, they might have been able to place the machine on the left side of the bed instead, and I could have slept longer, maybe.  

A simple talk by phone with the patient ahead of time could make all the difference.  Some people have special needs, and they or their doctor may not understand that these affect the success of the sleep study.

My sleep study place was great.  Motel-style rooms, friendly and understanding staff.  Towards the end of the titration part, I was in tears and could not sleep (I think in part due to the highest pressures being tried on me, testing pressures higher than what was later prescribed).  I lied and said I needed to go to the bathroom, and they unhooked me so I could waddle to the bathroom.  After, the tech said they really had enough for the test, that I didn't need to be back on the cpap and mask.  I was most grateful.

In the titration part, do they use a humidifier on you?  I don't think there was for me.  Not that it would have made much difference, but maybe.  They had to test me with oxygen.  And the dryness of it and temperature of it sure affected me, making it even harder to sleep.

I know this is quibbling, but that oxygen thingy taped to the end of my finger sure was a major pain in the butt.  And such a seemingly little thing.  I mean, hear I was with all kinds of wires and straps on me, but this little itty bitty oxygen monitor on my finger annoyed more than anything!  And it was always coming off, and the tech had to keep coming in to put it back on.  I sure wish they had another way of monitoring this.

When I got there and the tech sat me down in a chair as she wired me up, she plopped in a video for me to watch while she began to wire me up.  Frankly, I didn't care for the video and didn't really concentrate on it, but somehow having that little diversion helped calm me down a little.  I had known there would be wires, but never dreamed there would be so many, and straps around your chest and stomach, etc.  That diversion helped stop the panic attack I was beginning to experience.    

I agree it helps to know ahead of time what's going to happen.  But I wouldn't have them go into great detail about all of the wires and monitors.  That could scare the you know what out of a person.  I knew there would be wires, but if I'd known all of it, I might well have cancelled the appointment.  


Thanks for asking our input.  


Linda

I've only had one sleep study and I have to say, it was much better than I expected.

First, my doctor talked to me about what the experience would be like.  I knew there would be a lot of wires and that no one expected me to sleep like I would on a normal night.  He also provided me several brochures to read about OSA, OSA treatments, and what to expect in a sleep study.  Also, he made sure to tell me that all the wires go into one little box, so if you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it isn't a big deal.

At the sleep center, I was shown straight to my room.  You could tell it was a hospital room that had been converted to a more hotelish room.  One good thing was that the room and hallway did not smell like a hospital.  

Of course, paperwork came first.  There was one question on my mind, but I was scared to ask it.  If the answer was good, I knew I would sleep better.  If the answer was bad, I'd be terrified.  The question - what if I couldn't sleep, would my insurance pay for it?  I did end up asking the question and the person collecting my paperwork did tell me that insurance only required that I be in bed for 6 hours, not asleep for 6 hours and that they would keep me until the time had been met.  Having that question answered before I went would have helped ease my mind.

Since it was my first sleep study, I got to watch a video on a sleep study before the tech came into the room to wire me.  The video helped, but was about 9 years old, so some of the technology on the tape was out-dated.  That is one area I would like to see improved.  (I happened to notice the copyright at the end of the video, so I made the assumption that the technology had improved in the last 9 years.)

The tech that wired me up and did my study was very good about explaining things as she went along.  I was surprised at having the two bands around my body and how long the wiring took.  Normally, I watch television to fall asleep, but felt I was discouraged from doing that.  I laid on my back trying to fall asleep.  I didn't think it was all that long, but according to my study results, it took me well over an hour to fall asleep.

The tech also talked to me 'off the record' too.  She let me know that if she visited me in the middle of the night to put on the CPAP machine, I would have OSA.  So, when she came in the middle of the night, she said I had my answer.  The next morning, she told me that she would be ordering my machine.  I think my doctor just had to sign off on the order.

I must say, that gel stuff used on your head is hard to get out.  I had to shampoo my hair a couple of times before I felt it was gone.

All in all, I felt it was a pretty positive experience mainly because of the tech.  She was absolutely wonderful about easing my anxiety.

If you have good techs at your sleep center, try to retain them.  I'm sure the techs feel unappreciated.  They have to deal with stressed personnel and work the night shift on top of that, but they are the most critical part of the sleep study.

[color=blue]I had two sleep experiences at the lab.  The first one was a full night evaluation and the second for titration.  The facility was very nice and the staff were pleasant and efficient.  But more information and explanation of what I was expected to do and allowed to do would have been VERY nice. [/size] the tech wired me up, told me he would be talking to me via the intercom and as he was leaving going out the door he turned and said "sleep on your back".   Oh dear! I always sleep most on my sides and stomach, making many revolutions during the night.  Being awed by the whole situation, and not very bright, I interpreted this (wrongly of course) as a command that, if not obeyed, would make the whole test worthless.  My sleep efficiency was 42%  with no stage 3 or 4 laying there with the wrong impression that I had to fight the ugre to turn over or even move.   Yeah, I know, it sounds funny now and I should have asked, but he could have explained too  .....  (in my second study for titration the tech clarified this for me.)

2.  Suggestion number two may sound petty: Try not to scare us new people.  Remember we don't  know nuthin!  The office where my studies were done has those plastic 'heads' lined up all around the partitions with big holes carved out where the mouth should be with various horrible looking instruments shown being inserted.  I kid you not.  The staff of course no longer even see them, but as I walked in for the first time it was very scary and my first thought was to leave.  My second thought was also to leave.  Just put them anywhere but where the new people can see them and like me spend a wonderful hour imagining what horrible things are in store for them.   Makes for a rather negative start, eh?    

3. Since there is plenty of time before bed, a video of the procedure would be nice to see.

dat's it and thanks to all the techs out there who spend the night watching over us!  well, gotta go warm up my CPAP.   Thanks for asking.!!!

My first sleep lab experience 15 years ago was a nightmare;  hospital room, huge camera, window to lit room next door where people in white lab coats were scurrying around looking at a huge polysomnagraph instrument tracing on reams of paper.  I had an anxiety attack and left.  Therefore, I figure I went untreated with severe apnea for at least 10 years.

The second was great.  The room was very similar to a hotel room without any medical equipment around.  It was dark with a microscopic infared camera I could barely see.  The techs were great and put up with my constant questions, plus they let me bring everything I needed to feel comfortable and at home except my cats.

The last three (number five being last night) have been in my current doc's office and exam rooms, so they are just bigger exam rooms with beds.  I'm not fond of all the medical stuff around, but he is limited on space.  He did take my advice and add table lamps beside the bed to give more normal lighting and so people could read (which I planned to do but was out as soon as my head touched the pillow).  He has a tempurpedic mattress on one of the beds so whoever gets there first gets the good bed.  It wasn't me last night    

Vicki

Wow, I'm surprised to hear most people had little to no information going into ithe sleep study. At my sleep center they gave me a video to take home and watch before my sleep study at my convinence. It was very professional done and was filmed in one of the rooms at their actual sleep lab so you even had a good idea what your room was going to look like though layout and decor varies slightly from room to room. You arrive at 9 or 9:30 depending on your assigned appointment time but by the time you settle in, fill out the questionere and get hooked up its typically 10-11pm before you are set to go to sleep. If you need an earlier time due to sleep/work schedule they will accomodate it of course. On my first study  it was during the week and I asked no to be woken up in the morning, if possible....I will say it was a disconserting when I left with my pillow & my overnight bag to see a waiting room full of people as I had slept until 9am but I didn't know that since I don't wear a watch. Concidering my some of my worst apneas happened after 7am it was a good thing I did though I learned the next time to turn CNN on to find out what time it was when I woke up so I didn't feel so disoreinted.

My titration study didn't go as smoothly- the person who assigned rooms didn't notice my order was for BiPAP ST titration so I was put in a room that wasn't equiped to do the ST study. This wasn't discovered until 9:30 when my tech arrived and it left her with a lot of extra work to do since BiPAP ST studies are not that common. At first they told me they would do what they could in the room I was in and if the doctor didn't get enough information the worst that would happen is they would have to repeat the study. That was not acceptable to me and I told them if that was the case I was leaving- I saw no point in going through this another time if I didn't need to let alone having my insurance pay for an incomplete study that could have been avoided. Finally around 10:30 they decided to have me swap rooms with another patient- he had no problem with it but I think his tech was a little annoyed at having to reconnect all his wires to the control box. My tech then went to set up her other patient for the night since it was a split study for her which meant I had to stay awake a lot longer when the only thing I wanted to do was sleep. Finally at 11pm she gets back to me and does my setup but with having to set up the BiPAP ST equipment and all it took a full hour so lights out was a little past midnight which was way past my bedtime. Overnight was okay- had to switch masks at one point but nothing unusual. I was a little surprised when she woke me up and I didn't feel like I had gotten nearly enough sleep but since it was Saturday morning they wake you up around 6am as there is no day shift- something I wish I had known ahead of time. Considering I was typically sleeping 10-14 hours a night at home and my I slept 10 hours for my first study you can see were 6 hours just didn't cut it. I knew what little sleep I did get was more refreshing then anything I'd had in years but I just didn't get enough of it. I was so looking forward to getting my own BiPAP ST so I could see what it does when I slept a full night with it.

The absolute worst part came when a week later when I got the call one evening from a tech that BiPAP ST hadn't worked for me and I needed to follow up with my doctor- I was so disappointed as there are not many options for severe CSA. To make matters worse the person who called me wanted to schedule my appointment 6 weeks out since I didn't need to be set up with a BiPAP according to her.  My doctor had told I would see him in person a few days after the results were in but it was after 5pm so there was no one else she could check with and she wasn't going to budge on getting an appointment any sooner. I did the only thing I could think of and lied that I'd left my calender in my car so I would need to call back the next day to schedule the follow up appointment. 9:30 the next day my doctors nurse called and said I needed be seen as soon as possible and could I be there in couple of hours? Gee...6 weeks versus 16 hours to wait- which would you have gone with? I couldn't make it that day so they double booked my into an appointment the following day. My doctor explained that BiPAP ST did not stop 50% of my centrals, leaving with with 30+ per hour even with treatment. He was not sure if I would notice any improvement since xPAP causes disruption to our sleep also but since I was willing try anything so he suggested I use one of the labs BiPAP ST free of charge for a month. Considering one months rent on a BiPAP ST is $600+ was a very nice guesture on their part, especially when they knew I would be using a different DME vendor if it did work. My doctor wanted me to use the BiPAP ST as much as I could for a couple weeks then go without for a few nights to see if I noticed a difference to make sure any improvement wasn't just placebo effec. I noticed such a difference the first night that I knew going without it was going to be tough- I put it off as long as possible and finally a few night before my follow up appointment I went without for one night. I told my doctor there was no way I could have went 2 nights without and just the thought of it nearly caused a panic attack which he said was proof enough that it worked even if it didn't work as well as we would have liked. It took a little work finding just the right machine for me but I've been happily using my Respironics Synchrony BiPAP ST for 18+ months now. We have added stimulant meds during the day to help with the residual EDS and its a constant struggle to find the right combination of sleep meds to help minimize the disruption to my sleep 30+ central apneas per hour cause but I am doing a lot better then I was 2 years ago when I first saw my sleep doctor. I just wish they could come up with a way to eliminate even more of my centrals so I don't have to take all the meds.

My doc actually had a DVD video that I watched during my first visit to his office.  About 30 minutes long, it showed and described the entire process, introduced some of the staff, the rooms, etc.  Showed a guy getting wired up, the machines, you name it.  The people at the lab were great, very casual and comforting.  I had no issues with any part of the study.

Lynn543 makes a great point.  One of the most difficult things to go through is having the electrodes attached to your head and washing off the goo that keeps them stuck there.  This was a pain for my first sleep study.  For my second study, my head was (is) shaved bald (hence my nickname) and it was much easier to wash off the goo.  Clearly this is not a good alternative for most folks, but the chrome dome works for me, and my wife loves it.

The bed in the sleep study room was kind of small. It was a basic hospital bed, seemingly for the pediatric ward.  Both of the techs I dealt with were pleasant, but the room was kind of noisy (white noise).  I also felt like I was part of the Borg Collective.  It is difficult to get comfortable with all that stuff glued and fastened to one's body.  Too bad there isn't a better way.

Things that can be improved are -
1. A more comfortable bed, large enough for an adult.
2. A restroom  - or even a full bathroom with a shower - in the sleep study room, so that if one has the urge to go, you don't have to walk out of the room and across the hallway.
3. A TV would be nice - programmed to shut itself off after you fall asleep (if you do fall asleep).


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"Whatever it takes." Chuck Noll

Hmmm...

Our lab had nice beds
Bathroom in each room
TV on one of those telescopic arms, sleep programmable

I was quite comfy!