Sleep Study

Thanks to a very good friend who saw a post of mine on facebook about my exhaustion.  She got in touch with me and told me she was claustrophobic too, but since she had an open heart surgery the doctor told her she needed to have the sleep study done as it was important to her heart health.  So any way she did go through the sleep study and now uses a CPAP and she told me how much better she feels now.  She brought over her mask to show me how it just went over the nostrils.  So I decided right then and there that I would schedule an appointment with my doctor who had done my sleep study several years ago.

I had to wait several weeks to get in, and had the breast cancer scare just before the appointment.  So my nerves were in hyper mode.  I spent last Thursday and Friday night at the sleep clinic.  The first night was awful, probably the most sleepless night I have had in a long time.  I worried about having to do the study over again.  So did the Tech who took care of me that night.  She came in one time and said "Donna what can I do to help you sleep?"  I told her to go and get a baseball bat.  She said "Sorry I don't have one handy."  I had left my pillow at the clinic and so the next day I stopped by and was glad I had as the lab guy was there and heard me.  He came out of his office and had me come into his room to view the results.  I had one area that he was able to get enough data to meet Medicare standards.

The second night was much better as I came prepared to sleep.  I came with a bag of goodies, lavender oil, Advil Sleeping aide, and I had the Tech bring in a noisy fan.  I had told her the room was too hot for me the night before, so she put me in the coolest room they had.  She had me try several masks and I picked out the one that my friend has.  I ended up sleeping through the whole night with the mask on.  I did really feel different that morning, more alert and rested.  Even though I went back to the hotel that Frank and I were staying in and crawled back in bed with him as it was still early morning.  I went to sleep for a few more hours, happy that the sleep study was over.

So now I am waiting for my CPAP machine and mask.  One company had already made arrangements to come to my home on Monday, but after checking my insurance, she called and told me that maybe I should check another company to see if they were a Medicare provider.  So now I am in the waiting game again.  I hope to hear from them on Monday.  I really want to get started with the machine and see if it will make a big difference in my fatigue.  The funny thing is that I called my insurance and lady I talked to said that it was going to be 15% in or out of network.  So I am thinking I should have just kept my Monday appointment with the first company.  So goes life......the waiting game goes on.

UPDATE - May 22
Unfortunately, the CPAP didn't work our for me.  I ended up having an allergic reaction to it.  I was up to six hours a night and was just feeling like I was more energetic when the sneezing and running nose started.  When I say runny nose, I mean a nose that was running like a water hose.  My nose got so sore, I couldn't touch it.  I tried several times using the CPAP trying remedies that I found on the Internet, and from my doctor. Nothing worked!!! The last time lasted longer than usual.  I was told by several people that maybe I have an allergy to latex.  Who knows what the cause is, I just know I can't do it again.  I do know others have had the same problem.  So any way my CPAP was picked up today by Lincare.  Good by to allergies caused by it, and hello to exhaustion.....Can't win for losing.