Sleep Study II

The technician came in and woke me at 9AM and I awoke feeling well rested; the best I had felt in months!

I arrived at 9pm and was hooked up to the monitor. I had 24 sensors glued or taped to my chest, legs, shoulders, and head. I was then able to go to bed. It was a regular bed rather than a hospital bed and more comfortable than the average hotel bed. I was also told to try to sleep on my back. Boy, did that feel awkward; I was waiting all night for Paige to elbow me and tell me to roll over. The machine did record symptoms; I had a snore pattern along with trouble breathing, lowered oxygen levels, a clenching of the jaw, and finally a kicking of the legs as I would jerk myself awake to restore breathing. This prevented me from getting deep and restful sleep.

After a period of time, the technician came in and fitted me for a CPAP machine. I was then allowed to go back to sleep and was again asked to sleep on my back. The CPAP machine blows air into the airways at a constant pressure. I was started at setting 5. On setting 13, my symptoms were "fixed" and I was able to enter REM sleep while on my side. They went as high as 19, but I was not able to be symptom free and obtain REM on my back. The next step was to raise the head of the bed. Even with that, I was not able to obtain REM sleep.

Despite the weirdness of the CPAP, all the wires I was connected to, and the interruptions, I had the best night of sleep in over a year. I was afraid that I would not be able to sleep with the CPAP, but that is gone. I sleep fine with it on and awake much more refreshed.

I am now waiting for the process of insurance approval for my CPAP. I may also need to wear a special shirt that has three tennis balls in the back to keep me from sleeping on my back. The doctor will also be reviewing the records and deciding if they want to bring me back in for another night of testing.

As always, I will post updates here.