So I did my sleep study on Thursday night, went to the Dr on Friday morning.
Thanks to everyone who gave me advice beforehand, I felt very comfortable going in to the test.
It was Easy Peasey.
I had to be there at 8:00. The rooms were private rooms, not at all like the labratory with a big picture window where they stand to observe you that I had in mind.
I had a private bath with a shower and towels also. There was one other patient in the room next door, but I only heard him when the tech was in there talking to him. When i first got there the tech took me into the room and folded back the bed. The bed was comfortable and had nice sheets, pillows, and a big fluffy comforter. He had me lay with a Cpap mask on for a few minutes while he finished up with the other patient, it lets you see how the machine works and regulate your breathing in case they have to wake you up to put one on you. I had no trouble at all breathing with it.
After he finished up with the other patient he came back and had me change into my PJs, while he set up all of the electrobes, and monitors. After I changed he had me sit in a chair to put two straps with electrobes in them on me , one around my upper chest and one around my belly both on the outside of my shirt. Next he attached electrobes, one on my throat, two on my upper chest several all around my hairline and two on my scalp, just above and behind my temple. I had a tube that looks like an oxygen tube
and a heart monitor on my finger. Yes these all have wires on them attached to a little box that hung from the head of the bed, they were plenty long enough that I didn't feel hampered by them at all, could lay on either side or
my back. I didn't have any electrodes on my back, tummy, arms, or legs, and he didn't do any testing. After he got me all hooked up and into bed he left me alone to read, watch tv or sleep. There was nothing interesting on tv so i read a little while then turned off the bedside lamp and went to sleep fairly easily, The room was pretty dark except for the small blue light on the tv and a small red one on the camera. I also had an intercom if I needed anything. The tech had to come in twice during the night to reattach the electrobes on my scalp, I have curly hair and they were not staying well. He came in after two hours and put me on a cpap machine, he said I never went into REM,
said he could have let me sleep all night and I wouldn't have gone into REM.
He woke me up at 5:30 took off all of the electrobes, honestly that was the most uncomfortable part, and that's nothing. I got dressed and was walking out the door before 6:00. Now when i found out they were going to wake me up that early i was thinking "are they crazy?" "I have a sleep disorder, they're gonna wake me up at the crack of dawn and let me drive?" In all honesty, I was WIDE awake when i walked outside. I've never been that awake at 6:00 in the morning, it's amazing what a night of real sleep will do for you. DH commented on my energy level and how it stayed up all day long.
I went home and took a shower to wash the goop put of my hair it was stuck pretty good to my scalp but after I pried it off it washed right away.
I had an early morning appointment with my ENT to get my results. I have severe sleep apnea, my RDI was 55, but my oxygen level was still 90% which means my episodes are short. I got a call today to get my cpap machine on Friday and I can't wait !!
I think it's going to freak out the cats a little bit and it won't be very sexy for my husband but that sure trumps the whole dying in your sleep thing. Most of all I can't wait to feel good when I wake up, I've never been a morning person, now I know why.
Hope this helps anyone about to have a sleep test or thinking about doing one.
Give it time to adjust. It took me a few weeks to stop taking it off,but now if I accidently take it off I wake up enough to know I'm not breathing well and put it back on.
). Of course, you get accostumed to getting a good night's sleep so the "wow" factor wears off. What's really cool about the CPAP is that your breathing passages always feel clear, even if you have a stuffy nose or a cold. I can't imagine trying to sleep without it.
