Anyone done a sleep study?

[rbramblett]

My Doctor sent me last night to a sleep study. She thinks I have apnea. Arrived at 8:30 and 2 hours later was hooked up to 15 electrodes and a thing on my finger to measure oxgyen. Big red infra light comes on as they turn out the lights and wish me goodnite. Well 2 hours later I am still laying there praying I will fall asleep since I had to pay $125 for the study and the idea of quiting breathing in the middle of the night scares me, when I realize I have to use the restroom. Guy comes helps me "unhook" sends me off. I never fell totally asleep, this morning they tell me the data doesn't point to apnea. Well how would it I never went to sleep. Now I'm scared my Dr. is going to say "well that's not it" and send me on my way. I am exhausted, cranky and scared. Any thoughts on what to do now. Anybody had this issue??

 

[JR6ooo4]

My Doctor sent me last night to a sleep study. She thinks I have apnea. Arrived at 8:30 and 2 hours later was hooked up to 15 electrodes and a thing on my finger to measure oxgyen. Big red infra light comes on as they turn out the lights and wish me goodnite. Well 2 hours later I am still laying there praying I will fall asleep since I had to pay $125 for the study and the idea of quiting breathing in the middle of the night scares me, when I realize I have to use the restroom. Guy comes helps me "unhook" sends me off. I never fell totally asleep, this morning they tell me the data doesn't point to apnea. Well how would it I never went to sleep. Now I'm scared my Dr. is going to say "well that's not it" and send me on my way. I am exhausted, cranky and scared. Any thoughts on what to do now. Anybody had this issue??

Will insurance pay for any of it? I hate to say it but it might be best to do it again. Try not to be scared, think of as really one of the best reasons to have to go to a hospital. Trying to find ways to help you sleep better. But who can sleep in a hospital?

My DW took one. All the wires, lights out at 9pm, which is like one or two hours earlier than the normal bedtime... Doc reads the results and says she is waking up 6 times! DW asks "six times a night?"
Doc "No, SIX times an hour!"

so now she sleeps with a cpap machine, all night long and no snoring. Woo hooo for me also!

Mikeeee

 

[delmar411]

DH had to take one. They didn't tell us anything we already didn't know though so that sucked. He's chronic sleep deprived with an unk sleep disorder. Some mild apnea but that's not his real issue.

He did give the lady running it some good laughs. She really didn't believe that not only would he go to sleep immediately, that he'd not move an inch the whole night! I guess he was happily snoring away less than 15secs after she told him that he could *try* to go to sleep.

If it's really causing a lot of issues in your life, I would try it again. Esp if your sleep issue isn't insomnia. Maybe a 2nd go round and you'd be more comfortable and actually get some sleep?

 

[ReggieB]

My DS7's doctor thinks he might need to do one. I cannot imagine how they would manage to make him feel comfortable enough to go to sleep. Child would be bouncing off the walls, and making their lives real fun.

 

[LadyyRedd]

I just had one done last fri night. They told me to try to get 2 hours of sleep before 2 am and then, if needed, they would fit me for a c-pap and see how that worked for me.

I never needed it. I slept from about 10:30-3am without waking. Woke up and had to pee, so she unhooked me, I came back and went back to sleep until 5:15 (wake up time by the tech). I do not have sleep apnea (I don't snore, so my regular doctor said that I likely wouldn't....but I'm exhausted ALL the time). I have to wait for the rest of the results of the study, if any, from the actual doctor and not the tech.

Kimya

 

[arminnie]

He did give the lady running it some good laughs. She really didn't believe that not only would he go to sleep immediately, that he'd not move an inch the whole night! I guess he was happily snoring away less than 15secs after she told him that he could *try* to go to sleep.

I've had at least 6 sleep studies. The first one was I had they hooked me up early - about 6:30 or 7:00 and I was SO sleep deprived that the hardest part was staying awake until time to go to sleep.

I had so many sleep studies because CPAP did not work for me. I used it religiously, but it just wasn't enough. I've had multiple surgeries, and I've been cured for 15 years now.

 

[goofyernmost]

I've had at least 6 sleep studies. The first one was I had they hooked me up early - about 6:30 or 7:00 and I was SO sleep deprived that the hardest part was staying awake until time to go to sleep.

I had so many sleep studies because CPAP did not work for me. I used it religiously, but it just wasn't enough. I've had multiple surgeries, and I've been cured for 15 years now.

What kind of surgery? What was involved?

 

[Bren's Mom]

Reggie, if you can find a pediatric sleep center. I live in CT and at Yale Peds they have a center that does only kids...and the parents can sleep there as well...something you might want to ask about.

So sorry op that you had a not so good experience. I've had 2 studies; one to determine I had apnea (severa at more than 50 episodes an hour) and one to do my CPAP titration. I was soooooo exhausted I had trouble staying awake until I was hooked up and was asleep in 7 minutes. I toured the sleep center at our local hospital prior to my study, was assured that the ward is locked at night, that the attendant assigned to me (a female I'd asked for) would watch me on the camera the entire time, and I had a phone next to my bed. I was comfortable and had no worries about my safety. Perhaps you can ask your Dr. about trying it again, but this time having a friend/spouse/s.o. come with? Most places will allow a patient advocate to be there and sleep on a cot...my center has pull out couches in each room for this purpose. My dh needed to be home with the kids but I felt I'd be fine without him...but if you need someone there then there's no harm in that!

Good luck!

 

[JodiR]

I had a sleep study 4 weeks ago. I had a hard time falling asleep also. The entire process cost around $1,800 which I only had to pay $25. I did not go into a deep sleep. I did sleep enough that it was found out I stop breathing 20 times an hour. I get to go back next week to wear the mask. They did tell me I can take a sleeping pill this time.

 

[ameraumi]

DH has to have this done in a few weeks. He snores something terrible! His dr ordered the oxygen meter thingy for the finger (oxometer?) and his numbers were WAY above normal so he ordered the sleep study. DH is tired all the time (as am I) and can fall asleep at a drop of a hat.

 

[arminnie]

What kind of surgery? What was involved?

I had mine done 15 years ago so I know they've had improvements since then. But when I had mine done there were 3 steps.

1. Remove uvula (dangly thing) and part of soft palate. I think this now can by done with radiation today. This is what most doctors do for surgery but the success rate with only this (and tonsils out too) is not that high.

2. Move tongue forward - pretty major surgery. I was in ICU for 2 days afterwards. Incision on neck and under bottom front teeth - tongue muscle moved forward to open back of throat. After healing I could tell no difference with speaking, eating, etc.

3. Move jaw forward. I did not need this step but a friend of mine did have it.

Other: I had implants in my nose to make my nostrils open. Think breathe right strips on the inside.

I am so glad that I had this done. I lived in CA so had all of this done at Stanford which has the top sleep center in the country. They literally discovered sleep apnea and have done the pioneering work with surgery, treatment, etc. Patients literally come in from all over the world.

Fifteen years ago I would NOT have had this done anywhere but Stanford. They were not in my insurance network but it was worth it to me to pay out of pocket to have the surgeons who had invented the surgery and done it many times. Sort of like if you needed a heart bypass in the 70s Houston was the place to go.

I'm sure that today there are trained surgeons in many more places. But I would be VERY VERY PICKY about who operates. The general success rate for sleep apnea is very low because there are so many doctors doing it as a sideline. You want someone who specializes in sleep surgery.

I've found that many doctors are not aware at all of what is needed. When giving my medical history to a new doctor I am amazed at how many of them genuinely have never heard of what I had done.

This is a great link:
http://www.sleepsurgery.com/

 

[goofyernmost]

Wow...for me the CPAP system works very well and that sounds like some really heavy surgery. I think I will wait until they make a pill?

There is nothing about that procedure that I did not cringe about as I was reading it.

I have spoken with many, supposed "sleep" specialists and to a person the only thing they have ever mentioned is a tracheotomy. That doesn't appeal to me either.

 

[powellrj]

I have had 4 done, I always thought I never went to sleep either, but they always assured me I sleep more than I think I do. I would swear I was up all night, but they said I wasn't.

I had a bi-pap machine for awhile because they said my problem wasn't sleep apnea, it was the opposite of that, whatever that means. I finally sent it back when the insurance coverage dropped and I was going to be charged more a month for it. I never noticed the difference after I gave it back so I can assume it wasn't working.

 

[rbramblett]

I just had one done last fri night. They told me to try to get 2 hours of sleep before 2 am and then, if needed, they would fit me for a c-pap and see how that worked for me.

I never needed it. I slept from about 10:30-3am without waking. Woke up and had to pee, so she unhooked me, I came back and went back to sleep until 5:15 (wake up time by the tech). I do not have sleep apnea (I don't snore, so my regular doctor said that I likely wouldn't....but I'm exhausted ALL the time). I have to wait for the rest of the results of the study, if any, from the actual doctor and not the tech.

Kimya

Guess I'm in the same boat as you, hurry up and wait. I hope the Doctor sees something the tech didn't. Goodluck!!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

that sounds like the first one my DH had.

He talked to his dr and the dr arranged for a 2nd sleep study.

And he slept and slept then. They got good info out of it. He has a CPAP now and I LOVE the preosn who invented that! It helps SO MUCH!

 

[mom2rb]

I just had two sleep studies done. My oxygen levels were dropping 17 times an hour. I was given a C-PAP and just had my tonsils and adenoids out. I only used the C-PAP for a few days before my surgery and right now it seems painful. I hope that after I am done healing and can use the machine I will start to feel better.

 

[Barbossa]

I had a sleep study done 6 weeks ago. It wasn't too bad, the bed was nice, the room had colored paint and wasn't unlike my bedroom at home. As expected, I was wired up head-to-toe. I took maybe an hour to fall asleep (lights out at 8:30), and was rousted awake at midnight to put on a CPAP mask. The test confirmed what I already knew: that I had severe sleep apnea. Check out the numbers:

Without CPAP:

Stopped breathing 89 times/hour.
Longest period without breathing: 73 seconds
Lowest SPO2 (blood oxygen): 29% (normal is > 94%)
Snoring: Louder than a train wreck

Holy crud, I was a dead man sleeping.

With CPAP:

Stopped breathing 8 times/hour.
Snoring: eliminated
Lowest SPO2 (blood oxygen): 92%

I had the revelation this year that I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in 15 years. I use (and swear by) my CPAP every night. I don't snore, I don't fall asleep at my desk, I don't fall asleep sitting at red lights. I'm in a better mood, I have more energy etc. etc. It's the best piece of machinery that I've ever owned.

If the OP is not satisfied with his/her sleep study, I would discuss it with his/her doctor. Sometimes you fall asleep and don't realize it, but I would make sure the study was done correctly. If not, I would insist that it be done again. Good luck!

 

[silverarrowknits]

If you feel the sleep study was no indicative of what is going on, by all means, ask to be re-tested. With that said, I just finished my Masters thesis about sleep misperception and how we believe we are awake more often than we truly are at night. There are other types of disorders that mimic the symptoms of sleep apnea.

For the posters wondering about testing kids, I saw a <2 year old get hooked up for a sleep apnea test. She was wriggly during the hookup, but fell fast asleep. At that clinic, Mom can sleep in the same room as the child or in the connecting room if the child is older. I used to work in a sleep research lab and most of the participants were between 9-12. These kids had to wear tons of wires, but they were able to fally asleep quickly and didn't mind the wires and stuff.

Yea for all the Disers who use their cpap machines! Letting your brain get the oxygen it needs is super important! It breaks my heart when I talk with people who refuse to use their cpap machines.

 

[Poppinsme]

I'm a Registered Respiratory Therapist.
Get another sleep study.
Do you smoke? Stop.
It helps to lose weight if you are overweight.
Having a large neck is not good either.
Sometimes it helps to sleep with head of bed raised and sleeping on 2 pillows.
CPAP-Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
BIPAP-Bi level Positive Airway Pressure
Pulse Oximeter- The in-fared light placed on your finger. Measures heart rate and Oxygen saturation in the blood. Normal 92-100% Sats. Less for smokers and the elderly.
At the children's hospital I work at we do 100s of sleep studies on children of all ages.
CPAP is a wonderful invention and if you need it don't be afraid, you will feel like a million bucks if it works.
Surgery is always a last resort and many , many are failures.
And remember Dr's. DO not know everything and they make mistakes. Always get a second opinion if you don't trust the diagnosis.