I went to see the doctor with my results and the only thing he sayid was You have Sleep Apnea, you need a CPAP.  He didn't ask any question or explainded anything.  I have allergic rhinitis who blocs my nostril in a considerably way.  I went to see the ORL and since he puts me on medication I notice I sleep a little better.  I put here my sleep test results, I need to understand what all that means and how serious is my case.  I'm considering to try another doctor do you think it would be a good idea or there is nothing to do?
Total recording time 507.5min, total sleep period 397.5min, total sleep time 316.5min, sleep efficiency 62%, sleep onset latency 109.5min, number of stage 1 shifts 32, awakenings 8, stage changes 150, number of rem periods 3, REM latency 105min.  
Arousals: spontaneus 45, respiratory 79, PLM 0.   Sleep Stages: stage 1    5.7%, stage 2   47.9%, stage 3   33.6%, stage 4   0%, REM 12.8%.  
Body position: supine 86.3%, Prone 0%, Side 13.7%.  
Oxigen saturation: Mean SaO2 %    awake 95.1, NREM 94.1,  REM 90.2, total 94.1%;  Min SaO2 %  awake 63.9%,  NREM 86.9, REM 61.9, total 61.9%.  AHI:30.0      Number of desaturations 156.  
Apneas   O  REM index 41.5, NREM index 1.1; Hypopneas  O  REM index 35.6, NREM index 22.0;   RERA 0

What it's apnea with arousal?  

Recording technician's comments: split night not done. I thought thad seeing how she would do out of REM, in NR would be interesting.  I wanted to get full night of her breathing pattern, also.
Scoring Technician's Comments: Patient was horrendous in REM.  When there were noapneas she still had strange breathing pattern.

First off, the scoring technicians comments are unprofessional.

Id switch labs simply because of those comments, but just go elsewhere for the titration. They can use the data from this study for diagnostic purposes.

As far as severity. It is severe enough to treat. The scale that is out is kinda silly because what solely matters is how tired you are and whether or not the data recorded points towards your fatigue. In your case, it does and your insurance company will cover their share of the study.

To answer your question... apnea with arousal?

This means that a patient has complete cessation of breathing follow by a brainwave arousal.

Thanks for the answer.
I have no insurances that's why I'm trying to figure out if it could be a possibility that my case could be fixed without a CPAP.  It looks to me that all the apneas and hypopneas I had where obstructives if I'm right trying to interprete the test results.  
Because I know I had allergic problems I was wondering if it could be another solution than a machine.

rosacer wrote:

Thanks for the answer.
I have no insurances that's why I'm trying to figure out if it could be a possibility that my case could be fixed without a CPAP.  It looks to me that all the apneas and hypopneas I had where obstructives if I'm right trying to interprete the test results.  
Because I know I had allergic problems I was wondering if it could be another solution than a machine.

You may be able to try positional sleeping to decrease your AHI, but a REM AHI that is that high MAY be difficult to control. The results were a bit tough to read, but it would be of interest to check on the non supine AHIs during the study and to note whether or not any REM was recorded during those lateral positions. It may also be of interest to sleep in a recliner as this can lessen your events, but that is not a guarantee.

It stinks that so few options exist for sleep apnea treatments, however far fewer exist for those on a budget (IE no insurance). The dental appliances cost thousands of dollars, if I remember correctly. You could give the positional sleeping a try and see. It could be tough to know whether or not it is helping, however fill out a sleepiness scale every single day and use your fatigue level to try and assess. You could also record yourself and look for arousals, limb movements, and other keys to try and see if things are improving. It will probably be time consuming, yet it will be cheaper than a seperate sleep study to figure out if positional sleeping will help (the lab should have done that for you , arg).

I hope this helps.

PS... If you do try sleeping on your side, then make sure that figure out some way to ensure that you will stay on your side. Ive seen many sleepers that claim to sleep on their side, however during the night they slip on to their backs for a time and then roll back over later. You will want to avoid that, if possible.

Thanks again.  But how bad in a scale of 1 to 10 is 30 events/hour?  I'm supposely on a waithing list with priority for a lended CPAP.

rosacer wrote:

Thanks again.  But how bad in a scale of 1 to 10 is 30 events/hour?  I'm supposely on a waithing list with priority for a lended CPAP.

10

Thanks a lot for the information, I will make my best to find a solution ASAP.  
I started to sleep in a sitting position and I find that helped a lot.  And you are right about the fact we believe we sleep a lot in the sides but the true is that we turn and lay down on the back the most of the night.  I found the information you gave me very valuable.

rosacer wrote:

Thanks a lot for the information, I will make my best to find a solution ASAP.  
I started to sleep in a sitting position and I find that helped a lot.  And you are right about the fact we believe we sleep a lot in the sides but the true is that we turn and lay down on the back the most of the night.  I found the information you gave me very valuable.

I appreciate the message. I hope that you do find success. OSA is a tough monster to tame. Keep asking questions and contact me any time, if I can be of any help.

Good luck!

Hello

I was wondering if it could be a good idea to buy a second hand CPAP.  I have no idea what to check, my doctor didn't give me the prescription because he send a request to another hospital for a program that lend you a machine if they find you can't afford to buy one.  I'm not sure they will lend me the machine even if I'm not a fortunated person, that's why I'm thinking at plan B = second hand machine.  

Could you tell me what to check on a second hand machine?  I saw a Resmed Elite S8 with humidifier 3I, 1500hr used for $700 it says it comes with travel bag but in the picture I don't see the hose.

Thanks

rosacer wrote:

Hello

I was wondering if it could be a good idea to buy a second hand CPAP.  I have no idea what to check, my doctor didn't give me the prescription because he send a request to another hospital for a program that lend you a machine if they find you can't afford to buy one.  I'm not sure they will lend me the machine even if I'm not a fortunated person, that's why I'm thinking at plan B = second hand machine.  

Could you tell me what to check on a second hand machine?  I saw a Resmed Elite S8 with humidifier 3I, 1500hr used for $700 it says it comes with travel bag but in the picture I don't see the hose.

Thanks

You will get a lot of resistance (I think...) on this board because ultimately, you do not have a prescribed pressure (as the split night study was not completed). I would hate to comment on this in public, so PM me if you would like my personal opinion.

Good luck!!