A great place to start Disorder information source Rated and Reviewed Sleep Links Entrance to all monitored Sleep Forums Search all of Sleepnet.com


Sleep Apnea
Forum132 Posting


Archived Apnea Forum132 viewing only. To post go to the Apnea Forum Homepage.

Being Diagnosed while Sick

Posted by whatsanenigma on April 16, 2007 at 08:43:35:

Hello, all. This is my first posting and I have tried to find the answer to this question elsewhere on the site but I have had no luck. Perhaps it is because I am just shaking with irritation and frustration as I type this. I have decided just to make a new post and get it out there because I am so mad right now.

It is rather a long story but my primary care doctor suspected I had narcolepsy and prescribed provigil. Let me tell you, that stuff turns my life around. Of course I actually had to have a sleep study, which I went for...and was told, for the first time EVER in my life, that it was really sleep apnea.

If I really have apnea, fine. But I've been having my symptoms for more than ten years, starting in my late teens. I had a sleep study a few years ago and there were no signs of apnea. I do not snore (I have asked several reliable sources). But the policy here is that if you show symptoms of apnea during your night's sleep in the lab, they won't even run the follow-up study for narcolepsy the next day until you have tried CPAP for apnea. (I am getting ahead of myself but they have called me saying I am supposed to, without even speaking to a doctor, go in to have this thing fitted.)

And of course I did a rather foolish thing by keeping my sleep study appointment even though I had a raging cold and my head was so stopped up I could only breathe through my mouth. I called them in advance to see if this was okay or if I should reschedule. They said it was okay! I would have put it off, but if I don't take provigil, I have to drink so much coffee during the day to get through a day of work that my IBS is in a constant flareup and sometimes I even vomit from the caffeine amount. To go off provigil was a major effort for me. To be that ill again for two whole weeks...ouch.

So I came in and had the study, and they insist they can diagnose apnea even when you are that sick. I am seriously having my doubts. I insisted they run the multiple sleep latency test anyway, but that's probably all messed up too because I was so ticked off that my doctor prescribed a test they didn't want to give, and it was a little harder to fall asleep than usual.

Well, that was a long story anyway, but the point of my post boils down to this question. Can sleep apnea be accuratly diagnosed when the patient is very ill with a cold during the sleep study, to the point of sneezing and having to blow the nose and coughing very often, sometimes needing to even wake up and do these things? Should I insist on having the test re-run before making committments?

Thanks in advance for any help anybody can give.

Follow Ups:


Archived Apnea Forum132 viewing only. To post a new topic go to the Apnea Forum Homepage

  • IMPORTANT : Information not intended as medical advice. If you suspect that you have a sleep disorder you should seek care from a qualified professional. Read Terms of Use. The Sleep Forums are not to be used for commercial purposes. Commercial products and services are not endorsed by Sleepnet.com.
  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


Copyright ©1995-2008 Sleepnet.com., All rights reserved