Sleep Study
Well, last night I went and had a sleep study performed on me to verify my sleep apnea I've reported. A local Pulmonologist has opened a sleep disorder clinic with a very cool twist. Instead of sleeping in a hospital bed and being studied. He actually has leased out a section of a local hotel, a nice one too.
So, I arrived at 1930 last night and checked in at the front desk as directed. They call up to the nurses office and tell me when I can go upstairs to meet her. Well, after meeting the nurse and being led to my room, I just hang out for the next few hours. It's just a normal hotel room, TV, bed, chair, etc. The thing is that this room has some added equipment on the night stand and a camera on top of the TV that's pointed at the bed and a intercom box in the corner of the room. Sadly, there was no Internet access in these rooms. Seems the hotel did not wire this section like the rest. There was one wireless network, but it was secured and it was for the sleep study equipment anyway.
There are three patients tonight. (All in separate rooms, of course.) The nurse and I had agreed earlier that I would be the last one she prepared for bed, since I had the latest normal bed-time. Well, she later stopped by the room and said it was time. We went to her office (a converted hotel room) and I set in a large chair. She then leads on each of my legs, my chest, all over my head and face as well as a microphone on my neck near my vocal cords. She then circled my head in gauze to help keep the leads in place...mind you they already have some glue-gunk too. All these had wires of various colors and lengths that lead to a box where she plugged them into specific ports. I was able to pick-up this little box and then walk back over to my room and get in bed. After in bed there we two more things that weren't as mobile. The little box was hooked to a big box. This big box also had a pulse-oximetry sensor to be taped to my finger. She, of course, saved the worst for last. There was something similar to a nasal cannula. No O2 comes out of it, it actually is a sensor to see if, where and how I am breathing. The cannula had the prongs for my nostrils like normal, but it also had this other tube connected that has this open hard plastic thing that extended from my nose to just past my bottom lip (approx. 1.5cm wide). One set looks at breathing through the nose, the other through the mouth. We then had to calibrate everything, she had some straps she put around my chest and waist to measure movement and we tested the microphone on my neck. Then it's night-night time with the aid of a sleeping pill they provide.
As hotel beds go, this one was nice, but actually they had really good pillows. There was a very strong thunderstorm that I wish I could have gotten up and enjoyed, but I would have had to call the nurse to get out of bed, and I suspect she wouldn't have liked the reason...potty ok...everything else not a good reason.
Well, the night was like most others, I had trouble getting to sleep, woke up at least 3 times that I can remember and had trouble getting back to sleep each time. The nasal cannula was very annoying because the prongs were hard plastic, not soft at all. Also, the couple times the cannula moved out of my nostrils, the nurses voice came over the intercom telling me to move it back. What is with that anyway? Even a nice nurse like her has to wake you up multiple times a night!
Once 0530 arrived, it was time to get up. The nurse came in, turned on ALL the lights and removed the electrodes with some of my chest a leg hair for good measure. I had a survey to complete and then I was allowed to take a shower. (highly recommended to get all the glue off.) Then it was check out time, but not until I enjoyed the hotel's continental breakfast (also above average in quality and quantity.)
I'll see the doctor for a follow up in one week to hear the results of the study. I already know I have an enlarged uvula, large tonsils for my age, and a narrow/high palette. So, I suspect to hear that I'll need to sleep there one more night to get a CPAP machine calibrated for me.
Hey, this is one of the reasons I have told the local ambulance providers that I could not start full-time for them until October. I want to get this all done before I would be between insurance providers. Just think of how all of this would cost out-of-pocket?
***
Good sleep disorder and treatment information:
WebMd
So, I arrived at 1930 last night and checked in at the front desk as directed. They call up to the nurses office and tell me when I can go upstairs to meet her. Well, after meeting the nurse and being led to my room, I just hang out for the next few hours. It's just a normal hotel room, TV, bed, chair, etc. The thing is that this room has some added equipment on the night stand and a camera on top of the TV that's pointed at the bed and a intercom box in the corner of the room. Sadly, there was no Internet access in these rooms. Seems the hotel did not wire this section like the rest. There was one wireless network, but it was secured and it was for the sleep study equipment anyway.
There are three patients tonight. (All in separate rooms, of course.) The nurse and I had agreed earlier that I would be the last one she prepared for bed, since I had the latest normal bed-time. Well, she later stopped by the room and said it was time. We went to her office (a converted hotel room) and I set in a large chair. She then leads on each of my legs, my chest, all over my head and face as well as a microphone on my neck near my vocal cords. She then circled my head in gauze to help keep the leads in place...mind you they already have some glue-gunk too. All these had wires of various colors and lengths that lead to a box where she plugged them into specific ports. I was able to pick-up this little box and then walk back over to my room and get in bed. After in bed there we two more things that weren't as mobile. The little box was hooked to a big box. This big box also had a pulse-oximetry sensor to be taped to my finger. She, of course, saved the worst for last. There was something similar to a nasal cannula. No O2 comes out of it, it actually is a sensor to see if, where and how I am breathing. The cannula had the prongs for my nostrils like normal, but it also had this other tube connected that has this open hard plastic thing that extended from my nose to just past my bottom lip (approx. 1.5cm wide). One set looks at breathing through the nose, the other through the mouth. We then had to calibrate everything, she had some straps she put around my chest and waist to measure movement and we tested the microphone on my neck. Then it's night-night time with the aid of a sleeping pill they provide.
As hotel beds go, this one was nice, but actually they had really good pillows. There was a very strong thunderstorm that I wish I could have gotten up and enjoyed, but I would have had to call the nurse to get out of bed, and I suspect she wouldn't have liked the reason...potty ok...everything else not a good reason.
Well, the night was like most others, I had trouble getting to sleep, woke up at least 3 times that I can remember and had trouble getting back to sleep each time. The nasal cannula was very annoying because the prongs were hard plastic, not soft at all. Also, the couple times the cannula moved out of my nostrils, the nurses voice came over the intercom telling me to move it back. What is with that anyway? Even a nice nurse like her has to wake you up multiple times a night!
Once 0530 arrived, it was time to get up. The nurse came in, turned on ALL the lights and removed the electrodes with some of my chest a leg hair for good measure. I had a survey to complete and then I was allowed to take a shower. (highly recommended to get all the glue off.) Then it was check out time, but not until I enjoyed the hotel's continental breakfast (also above average in quality and quantity.)
I'll see the doctor for a follow up in one week to hear the results of the study. I already know I have an enlarged uvula, large tonsils for my age, and a narrow/high palette. So, I suspect to hear that I'll need to sleep there one more night to get a CPAP machine calibrated for me.
Hey, this is one of the reasons I have told the local ambulance providers that I could not start full-time for them until October. I want to get this all done before I would be between insurance providers. Just think of how all of this would cost out-of-pocket?
***
Good sleep disorder and treatment information:
WebMd
posted by MidwestMedic at 04:30
1 Comments:
I would have traded ya last night! haha!
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