Flatbroke Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Took a second sleep test Oct 4th and was told the doctor would have to review results then set things up to ship a CPAP machine would probably take two weeks or so. Monday was a holiday and I got a call today, they are shipping a machine in the next couple of days. So I will have it hopefully by Monday. Also took a stress test by chenical means today. Oct 9th and I will say the nurses, doctors, and all were very good at Harry S Truman in Columbia. They explained everything as we went along and kept checking on me continusely during the test and during recovery. Good news is the doc said that my heart looks pretty good , no major blockages that he could see, only have high blood pressure. Now where could a guy with PTSD, border line Diabetic, waiting on a DRO hearing in 2 weeks get high blood pressure. Now if things go well on the 24th at the DRO hearing in St. Louis that will ease things up a little. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron II Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 I've used a CPAP for ten years. I like it so well that I even wear it when reading the paper in bed before I go to sleep--I guess I find the sound agreeable. I am curious about the chemical stress test; I've never heard of it. Could you discuss this briefly? Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Flatbroke - if you have your ducks in order all will go well during the hearing. My experience and the experience of those I have helped is that the hearings are very laid back. So calm down and put what you are going to present into a logical order then get this thing on my man. We will all be pulling for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chess Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 [Make sure you know how to use the Cpap machine. I just got mine two weeks ago, so I know where you are coming from. You probably need to add distilled water to it, you need to make sure you have the right mask and it fits properly. With mine, you press the "on" button then the > button next, according to my respiratory therapist. Also, I had bad sneezing attacks and runny nose the first week of using CPAP.(Other CPAP users say their nose is dry..go figure). The CPAP machine is a pain in the neck, but definately worth it if you have sleep apnea. As far as a "nexis" for service connection for your sleep apnea, good luck. My doc says it was caused because Of my obesity. That is, my overweight has extra fat in my throat, too, causing that tissue to obstruct my breathing while I sleep. Its Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Im guessing the VA will get into a pi$$ing match with me over which came first Depression, OSA, Obesity, etc, as they have fought me tooth and nail for everything so far, so why should we expect anything different for OSA? Sometimes I think the VA interprets the "favor-the-Veteran" rule to mean "flunk-the-veteran" or "forget-the-veteran", or "farce-the-veteran" (make the vet feel like he is a farce, by delaying his claim by making him prove the obvious or the impossible) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder Pete53 Posted October 10, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted October 10, 2007 The CPAP is a great machine. It took me awhile to get used to it but here is what it has done for me. No more snoring and I can sleep on my back again. My allergies almost gone yes the CPAP has a filter and you get filtered air. I sleep longer and wake up more relaxed. If you don't have the CPAP that lets you breath heated water ask for one from whoever gave it to you. I usually put the mask on and hit heat and start breathing when the air starts I hit the ramp up button which lowers the air flow for 20 minutes and usually I am asleep when the higher flow kicks in. Although I still stay up late usually going to sleep at 2 or 3 AM I am getting 5 to 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep and not dozing off as much during the day. Now the hard part you really need to make sure that you clean everything at least once a week and that if water is left in the machine that you empty it so it can dry. I clean the filter once a week, wash out my mask, clean out the hose and the water holder using antibacterial soap. My allergies are better, I feel better, no snoring and I started having dreams again. I have a DRO Hearing next week and I am not fretting over it although I am accumulating evidence to present. I work on my claim every day now and currently trying to find where the BVA awarded earlier effective date for agoraphobia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder LarryJ Posted October 10, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted October 10, 2007 Hey guys. I got a question (and, no, Pete, I'm not trying to join the debating team, just ask a question :) ). I have a "sleep study" finally scheduled for January. I have sleep apnea (or, at least, I have all the signs and symptoms as experienced by me, and confirmed by the R.N. that I sleep with). I am not trying to get service connected for this, just trying to get some help with, maybe a CPAP machine or something. Anyway, the question: I've never had one of these "sleep study" things. Do they actually want you to, like, go to sleep, like you would do at home? I mean, I guess that they do (I'm not asking The Nurse, 'cause I don't want her looking at me sideways, like she sometimes does, especially when I ask what she would consider a "dumb question"). What my concern is, is the fact that I can't get to sleep at home, with the therapedic superduper bed, etc., how am I gonna sleep down at the VA? And, naturally, I can't STAY asleep even at home. They could get a much better "picture" of my sleeping abilities/habits if they had a BarcoLounger and a TV. I don't know, I guess I'm just kinda "private" when it comes to somebody watching me sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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