How long is too long from sleep study ordered till getting your CPAP??

[jennymar]

Sleep study ordered on March 17. Actually got my take home sleep study unit May 6, brought it back the next day. They tell me they will have results the following Monday. I keep calling to ask when two weeks pass with no results in, according to them, and they start getting annoyed when I call! Called on a Friday and they tell me still no results in! There is another office in another city so I call there looking for answers. Then I was told the results were in the previous week! They had lied to me. I call back to ask for my report and they tell me no can do until I see the doc. Another doctor I see requested the results and finally, on June 12, I got the call that I have very severe sleep apnea and I should be getting my machine (A PAP, because my apnea is too severe for a CPAP) in hopefully a week.

One week later, still no machine. So that will be 3 months since sleep study was ordered, still no machine, with AHI of 71. Found out machine had not even been ordered yet! I had a follow up appointment and told doc what was happening. She promised to get on it right away. We'll see! I'm starting to get swelling in my legs and my blood pressure is higher than normal. Not very happy!

[Janknitz]

If you are getting swelling in your legs and your BP is higher than normal, call your doctor and get seen ASAP. Something other than sleep apnea is going on!

It's a pain to wait for all these processes. A lot of medical care is "hurry up and wait". They certainly won't wait when you owe them money!

Do you know which DME is filling your prescription for CPAP and do you know what machine you are getting? Have you done your homework about machines and masks? Don't wait a long time and then end up with lousy equipment. Start reading the topics for Newbies at the top of the home page. And keep after your doctor and DME to get your CPAP in place.

[babydinosnoreless]

My sleep study was Sep 2017. I got my machine Oct 2018. I had a dx of very severe apnea with an ahi of 141.3. I did not have swelling in my legs or an increased bp. Get to your doctor as soon as you can. That sounds like you have something else going on.

[djams]

I had a dx of very severe apnea with an ahi of 141.3.

I've followed your progress, but missed the diagnosis. Wow! You've done a great job!

On topic, sorry you're getting jerked around jennymar.

I had 2 in lab sleep studies. Time from 1st study to receiving machine was somewhere between 4 and 6 weeks. And that included a consultation with the dr between studies in which we discussed treatment options.

[Sheriff Buford]

If I remember right, the 4 to 6 weeks is normal.... tho' I've slept since 2010! It is so frustrating! Please get a copy of your prescription and your sleep study report. Trust me, you'll need it for years to come and you will be glad you spent the frustration of getting it. Especially the prescription. If you want to change the place you get your equipment/supplies (called the DME), the new place will need a copy of the prescription.

Go ahead and vent here, we can help you, we are used to it and EVERYONE has gone thru it. Work all your issues here and keep us updated. We'll help you and you WILL be successful!!

Sheriff

[Barbee]

I just looked at my records. In home test was 12-27-17.
I had my titration study on 1-4-18 and had my cpap on 1-9-18.
Home study showed AHI of 32/hour
Titration study there was not enough time asleep for them to get a reading.

[D.H.]

I got my first machine with a week of its being prescribed back in 1999. At that time, most of the patients diagnosed were critically ill, so they may have been more attentive.

[Dog Slobber]

I got my referral for a sleep study in August 2017.
My sleep study was booked for January 17, 2018.
I got my machine Feb 8.

Welcome to Canada, where huge wait times for non-life threatening health care is the standard.

[HooliganSailor]

I had Sleep Study May 10th, f/u Titration Study May 15th. After 5 day process of watching "everyone" point their finger at "someone else", and excuses why equipment under Medicare insurance was bogged-down... I ordered ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet direct from online supplier, out-of-pocket for 38% of MSRP. I sent a fax request to the Sleep Center with Medical Release, and obtained both Sleep and Titration studies. The necessary eqipment was shipped to me 1000 miles distance via free Overnight UPS. With self-pay, the bull**** does not collect under-foot. On June 20th, the local DME supplier said they could start supplying me CPAP needs, first ordered May 17th.

If someone has been diagnosed with OSA by Sleep Study, foot-dragging by ordering physician, sleep center, and DME supplier is UNCONSCIONABLE. Leaving a patient, at risk, for further OSA peril violates a tenet of medical practice that states "Primum Non Nocere" ("at first, do no harm")... unfortunately a forgotten concept.

My caveat... if you are not getting the necessary service and supplies, then it is YOUR FAULT. Get a copy of your Sleep Study/Titration Study, and a Rx for equipment. Don't reply on inter-office communication... they have NO interest in your health and well-being... but YOU and ONLY YOU certainly does. Make it happen, switch DME suppliers. Rules and regulations tossed at you by DME suppliers are the cornerstone of THEIR business model. (end of rant)

Willard164
eastern NC

[raisedfist]

I've purchased my own machines except I did receive one from Apria Healthcare and one from a local DME at the time. I didn't have any delays to be honest. If I didn't get a call within 2 weeks to at least schedule a day for delivery I would call and complain.

[Muse-Inc]

2-phase sleep study Aug 6, 2007. Started calling 5 days later. Picked up equipment and had training sessions Aug 20th (I think).

[Diotima]

I don't recall how long I had to wait but...

I asked for a referral to get a home sleep study. My VA doctor put that in relatively quickly but then I had to wait nearly 3 months for VirtuOx to call me before mailing it out. Then it took around 3 weeks or so to receive it. I did 2 nights for data before sending it back. I heard back from a VA sleep tech around 2 week after mailing it in. So overall around 4 months total time. I was given my Resmed APAP on the day I met with my VA sleep tech.

Overall I was getting really fed up with the process but I had lived for years with sh*t sleep so I just preserved I guess. It was shocking to me how I got used to the "new normal" of sh*t sleep where I was constantly tired, tossing and turning, and not getting restful sleep.

[Okie bipap]

Had my first sleep study in August, 2014. Finally got my machine in May, 2015. My first doctor failed to document an initial face to face meeting where we discussed sleep apnea. Medicare refused the request for equipment. The doctor's office would not return telephone calls, so I ended up contacting th sleep clinic associated with the medical group my PCP is a member of. Two more sleep studies about a month apart finally go me my machine. It was about three weeks after the last sleep study when I got my equipment.

[jennymar]

Thanks everyone. Wow babydinosnoreless 141.3?? That's crazy! Believe me, I've been on the phone with all parties involved several times and it seems nobody knows what is going on. DME finally received something, and said they'll get back to me in a few days. How many times have I heard that?? I really not sure what machine I'm suppose to get. I DO have the prescription and I will be sure to keep it in a safe place. I have an appointment Tuesday with my primary care about the swelling and BP. Fortunately it's fairly mild. BUN and RBC counts are a little high.

So anyone else have to deal with others who can't physically see how crappy you feel and indirectly accuse you of being lazy? Or a hypochondriac? If so, I feel for you. It sucks being expected to do everything a perfectly healthy person does just because they can't feel what you are feeling.

[Kroldor]

I was diagnosed with an AHI of 94 and oxygen saturation down to 55% in October 2018. I just got my machine a couple weeks ago. Hang in there!