Posted by GrantAZ on March 19, 2003 at 19:32:58:

In Reply to: Re: Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Teens posted by SGS on March 19, 2003 at 15:18:54:

I think that the comment that Concerned Mom made that stuck out to me was that she questioned the number of 4.6 AHI because of the nasal pressure monitor falling off of her daughters face. 4.6 could be right, but it may not. I would definitely try to get a second test if you think the first test could be faulty. A second opinion could be warranted and never hurts.

The following is meant to show that you shouldn't always count on someone else's analysis to determine something as important as your health. Sometimes you have to go with your instinct and what you KNOW to be true. Empirical data and statistics are only as good as the people who are compiling and analyzing that data. People make mistakes.

When I first started having symptoms of sleep apnea (waking up choking and gasping for breath, horrible snoring, constant exhaustion, falling asleep at work, etc.) I went on the internet to try to find out if anyone else had these same problems. When I found this board I couldn't believe it! People had the same problems as me! I had to argue and argue for my PCP to allow me to see a Sleep Specialist who would later give me a sleep test at the hospital.

When I had my first sleep test I just couldn't fall asleep. With all of the wires attached and the unfamiliar bed and the pulse oximeter thing on my finger along with the anxiety of the study I just couldn't do it. Also, I have very good hearing and kept hearing the techs talking and could even make out the words they were saying. I tossed and turned for about 6 hours and then finally started getting to where I could possibly fall asleep. Every time I started to relax enough to doze off my throat closed which made it so I couldn't fall asleep. They finally came in and told me the test was over. 7 hours had passed. I was exhausted and very disappointed because I felt like I should have been able to fall asleep and now they wouldn't have any data to analyze.

A week or so later I went in to see my Sleep Specialist and the first thing he said to me was "great news, you don't have sleep apnea." He went on to explain that my test showed no episodes of apneas and no snoring with normal oxygen levels. He basically said there was nothing wrong. When I told him that I was not able to fall asleep at all during the test he told me that I was wrong and that the test showed that I had fallen asleep 14 minutes after they turned the lights out and slept almost the entire time.

What? When I explained to the doctor that that was just not true he basically called me crazy and said I was delusional and refused to listen to me. I even told him that I could hear the techs talking and even told him quotes in technical jargon that I heard them say, but he said that was impossible because the rooms are completely soundproof.

When I asked to see the video and look at the hard data from the test he told me that those had already been destroyed and all that were left were the analysis report completed by the sleep center.

It took many more months of arguing and bringing other people into the equation to get this doctor to allow another sleep test. I didn't even try to go to sleep the night before the test so that I would be exhausted and be able to sleep.

I insisted on bringing my own video tape which they said would be returned to me after the analysis was completed. They put me in the back room so it would be quieter. I went to sleep after about an hour and then remembered them coming in sometime later to wake me up and put me on a CPAP. I fell asleep with the CPAP on. I did wake up a few times during the study but it went much better than the first study. A week later when I met with the doctor he told me that I had been diagnosed with mild/moderate sleep apnea and wrote me a prescription for a CPAP. I never brought up the results of the first study because I didn't want him to get mad and take away my prescription.

The point is - If I would have just blindly listened to the doctor's original advice and not have stuck with what I KNEW was correct, I never would have found out that I needed to use a CPAP. Go with your instincts and question any analysis that you think could be wrong.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Teens Concerned Mom 14:13 3/20/03 (1)
  • Re: Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Teens GrantAZ 17:44 3/20/03 (0)

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