Sleep Apnea Test

The time came for my Sleep Apnea test. They called one day and made an appointment for the next. I arrived and they show me to a room where they ask you a few questions, medical history and lifestyle then comes the moment I was dreading. She pulls out this little pouch with the machine in it. What? What happened to the rather large machine my mother and sister had to use, the one with the wires and the nodes that stick all over and make it impossible to move let alone sleep. I let out a sigh of relief and she proceeds to show me how to set it up before I go to bed. There is a band that goes around your chest, a wire with a finger heart beat monitor attached, and a breathing tube that goes up your nose. Three little wires attached to a wallet sized machine. This is what I had been worrying about? HA piece of cake. Or at least that’s what I thought.

They told me they need at least four hours of sleep to get an accurate read, so I give myself an hour of leeway and aim for five. I get into bed a one and proceed to try and hook myself up. Finger monitor….check, tube up my nose….check, band around my chest....not so much. I place the band around my chest (one size fits all…my double wide butt it does!), and finally getting it secured I press the on button and try to turn it around to my side like she showed me, only every time I get it there it has turned itself off. By this time it is 1:30 in the morning and everyone in the house is asleep. Deciding that it doesn’t fit anyway, I just wear the nose and finger monitors and leave the band alone.

Two days later I get a call saying I have to do the test again because one of the monitors failed. That chest band might have been more important than I originally thought. Picking up the machine again that next day I enlist Ally to help set me up, only to open the pouch and find that they have not included all the pieces of the machine.

Sleep test take three. I have the machine, all its working parts, and Ally. It takes us 20 minutes and some swearing but I am finally hooked up. I did not sleep well that night, I kept waking up afraid that the machine had turned itself off or a pug had come undone. A few days later I get a call saying that I have severe sleep apnea and stopped breathing an average of 37 times per hour.

 

I asked the nurse if it makes a difference for surgery if you have it or not, and if you are able to use the machine of not. She said no, that it is just a different tube they use if you have it. Even with the not great results I am happy to have this out of the way and be one step closer to surgery.

Sleep Apnea Test Advice

1.      Have someone on hand to help you strap in.

2.      Try and aim for at least 5 hours of sleep.

3.      Make sure that you have all the pieces before you leave the clinic.

4.   All pieces are important, if you don't use one you will just have to do it again.

FYI: When she was giving me the referral for the sleep test my nurse told me that I was going to have to pay for the test out of pocked. When I got to the clinic they told me they were billing the program directly. I am not sure which way it was supposed to be but I haven’t had to pay anything for it.

 

XOXO, Evie & Ally