Sleep Apnea

[Chris111]

Hi i was told i have sleep apnea and the VA is conducting a study in which they will put a modem on the cpat machine if i choose to participate. The only benefit will be getting my cpat machine faster. I feel having a modem can be a bit invasive as they will be checking on me everyday; anyone have any experiences with this?

[Chris111]

Actually the smart card is different than the modem they are proposing to install in the Cpap machine. The smart card has to be taken into the office for them to read; while the modem sends them real time information so then can read my results the next morning. This sleep study is totally volantary but if im having problems getting used to using the device, they will be calling me.

[magician2000]

Mine came with a SMART card, but no one has ever asked me to bring it in to have the card read. That being said, I was diagnosed with moderate to severe sleep apnea in '00, and then they just did a new sleep study for me in Jan '08 and it bumped up to straight severe. I did gain about 40lbs thanks to meds, and I know that can't be helping. But nobody cares about the card.

[bufloguy]

I asked for a Sleep Study . . . and allI got was this lousey CPAP <G>

All kidding aside. I was diagnosed with SA in 2000 by a civilian doc, and lately I wasn't sleeping well. Since I am now receiving care at the VA, I asked for a Sleep Study, and instead, they issued me an auto CPAP, which adjusts pressure as needed. I was instructed to bring the smart card back. A tech looked at the results, and said allbetter now, and that was it. I have to admit that I sleep better with the new machine, but waould have felt better with a new sleep study.

[Notorious Kelly]

Some sleep labs are better than others, of course. I encourage you to keep returning to the techs until you're able to get good relief with the CPAP.

Update on what I mentioned below asking sleep lab doc for a letter: What she wrote doesn't seem helpful- looks more like a CYA letter.

She said my apnea is 'well-controlled', even with me averaging less than 4 hours of sleep a nite and less than 7% REM sleep.

Oh well.........

[Bonzai]

I am off my CPAP profile, and have been using it for about a week now. No change from before, except now I do not wake up because I don't rip it off. My wife watched me reach up and take it off while I was asleep, and then wake up a few minutes later, wondering how the d*mn thing came off and was laying next to me. The sleep tech wanted my PCP to prescribe something stronger for me to sleep, but my PCP says that I need to be seen by a pulmonologist first, so I am waiting for an appointment with them. Meanwhile the Sleep Clinic has scheduled me for the 29th of next month to see how I am sleeping with the CPAP.

Has anyone else had to see a pulmonologist?

Edited August 28, 2009 by Bonzai

[broncovet]

Caution:

Whenever someone tells you they are with the government and they are here to help Veterans, be extra cautious. They probably want you in the study to deny or reduce your benefits. The VA is uninterested in helping Veterans..just go to the vawatchdog.org site and there will be dozens of articles where the VA is shafting Veterans. What we used to call "Veterans paranoia", we now refer to it as "Veterans being well informed".