Can sleep study results be wrong?

[madtownzombie]

I had a sleep study done on May 24th. The results showed that I have slight RLS (restless leg syndrome) and the sleep clinic will not allow me to get a CPAP machine because the study showed that I slept 82% of the total time between when I fell asleep and when I awoke. The results showed that I had slight central apnea events upon awakening during the study. Here is my question, can I have a good night of sleep during the study and yet still have a much worse case of sleep apnea that was not detected that night? My wife has had to shake me in the middle of the night because I had stopped breathing, I snore almost every night, I have headaches and cannot concentrate or stay awake during the day. I don't feel the leg movement is an issue because I have had 4 back surgeries and a spinal-fusion, which is always going to be an issue with my legs. I was told right away at the sleep study (by the Technician) that I probably would not need CPAP because I didn't look like the "typical" patient. I am not a large man and I do not have a large neck is what the Technician said. It almost felt as if the clinic was trying to avoid offering machines to patients whether they needed them or not. Maybe this because of the new health care laws going into affect, I don't know. I was also told by a nurse, when I called about my results, that the clinic wanted me to see their Doctor about RLS and the earliest they could see me was August 3rd. I asked why I would not get a CPAP and she said, "I am not suppose to share this information with you but according to the way you answered your questionnaire, you do not appear to have sleep apnea but the answers described RLS as the problem. Sorry this is so wordy but I wanted to give you as much to go on as possible, so please, please, advise how I should approach my Doctor regarding this matter. Thank you for taking the time to help.

Jerry K in

Madison, WI

[Wulfman]

In my opinion....."Yes", they can be inaccurate in varying degrees. We don't sleep the same from night to night and sleep studies are just a few hours of one night.
Have you actually had a meeting with your doctor yet? (or just the say-so of the sleep lab?)
I would definitely be asking for a copy of the sleep study.


Den

[hobbs]

Yes. Wife's study said 9. While waiting for equipment I set her up with my Autoset Vantage and her 95% pressure was 11.8 with a average daily AHI of 2-3. Her study was a cluster f*ck from the beginning and should have been done a second time. My study on the other hand was spot on. YMMV.

[Goofproof]

Yes, sleep studies can be wrong, so can teachers, lawyers, judges and your next door mother-in-law ! Most Sleep Labs won't even talk with you, it's not their job, they are hired help, last week they may have been burning your french fries. They are to provide the data to your doctor, he gets paid to make the call. If you have went as far as having the sleep study, you probably know if you have a sleep problem or not.

We have to count of the people that treat us to be knowledgeble and honest, sometimes they are, sometimes they fail badly. that's why for our health, we have to get informed about our own bodies, and oversee our health.

with XPAP that can be done better, by only taking a XPAP machine that records FULL data, and aquiring the software needed to read the data it picks up, the other option is to blindly except what the medical provider say and sell you, smile and say thank you. Jim

[CollegeGirl]

Yes they can! I went for a sleep test at age 18, barely slept at all that night. They said they had "seen enough" to know I didn't have sleep apnea. Despite the fact I was falling asleep driving, snoring, choking in my sleep... I believed them because they were the experts. Six years later I was diagnosed with an AHI of over 100... Try to get another sleep study if you can. I really wish I had.

P.S. - My titration study was very wrong, too, after my second sleep study. I just don't do well in sleep labs.

[madtownzombie]

Thank you all for your advice. I will be able to speak with my primary tomorrow and hopefully get going in the right direction. Thank you again,

Jerry

[roster]

I don't have time to find the quote now, but Dr. Barry Krakow has said false negatives are a big problem for sleep studies attempting to diagnose sleep-disordered breathing. He reported it was common to do three nights of sleep studies in his lab and only on the third night get a diagnosis.

Also, Dr. Mack Jones, in his book Deadly Sleep, describes his own case in which false negatives were obtained for more than one night in the sleep lab. In the meantime he was certain he had sleep-disordered breathing and was suffering greatly. To make a long story short, he eventually had a PSG which confirmed his problem and then had a skin-lined tracheotomy which is a cure.

Good luck to you.

[SleepingUgly]

Yes, there can be false negatives (my history is full of them!). Take this article to your doctor:

http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/conte ... l.pdf+html

As someone said, get a copy of your report. You could also ask for your sleep study on DVD so that you'll have the raw data and could have another doctor read it, if necessary. Once you've reviewed your report, you can decide whether to have another sleep study done elsewhere, or whether to ask this doctor or another one for an empiric trial of APAP.

I don't understand this business about RLS... Do you mean Periodic Limb Movements (PLMS)? RLS is a clinical diagnosis made based on your report of sensations you experience in your legs. You may have behaved in such a manner as to suggest to them that you have this sensation, but unless you endorsed these sensations, I don't see how they could diagnose you with RLS.

[DaveMunson]

Yes. The sleep study can be wrong. Get a copy and compare that with what your partner knows about how you sleep.

[elena88]

Yes, I do believe they can be wrong

If you feel this was not a typical night for you, stand your ground and let your doctor know that..

familiarize yourself with the sleep study terminology before you meet with him/her.

I learned I had restless leg syndrome. My symptoms are a burning sensation on my legs and arms, and all over my body.
Just a hot burning feeling. That is my only symptom.Other people might report different symptoms such as a crawling, or creeping vibrating sensation,
This is NOT periodic limb movement however..

PERIOD LIMB MOVEMENT can be a component of Restless leg syndrome.. but you can have RLS without any PLM..
In my sleep study I had ZERO PLM, and dont have it any other time

In your study they must have picked up PLM.. Have you been tested with an oximeter? If not, ask the doctor to send you
home with one to check your oxygen sats during the night..

Your oxygen might drop while you are asleep at home. Has your wife counted how many seconds you stop breathing, and how many times per hour?
If you stopped breathing for more than ten seconds more than five times an hour, I think you would qualify for having mild apnea.. and if you
had some centrals tossed in, you might have a few more.. The big thing is HOW YOU FEEL..
If you FEEL SOMETHING IS WRONG, OR SOMETHING IS GOING ON, IT PROBABLY IS..
so dont give up..
I have not heard of anyone not being given a machine who needed one, however I have heard that they have been given machines,
they didnt feel would benefit them as much as another different machine might have.
I think if your test showed enough apneas, you would have been woken up to be titrated with a machine..
This was just one night, another night you might have been much worse..
Hang in there.. good luck, dont give up..

[The family snorer]

I had a sleep study done on a Sunday night. I didn't sleep Friday or Saturday night due to a knee injury. At the hospital sleep center I was initially put in a room similar to a bedroom. Then after I had prepared for bed, they moved me to a small room that had a loud rattling bathroom fan two feet from the bed. I insisted they move me or reschedule. I have to sleep in solid quiet, no tv, no dripping water, etc., I took several meds to help me sleep, I woke up a couple of times to go to the restroom. The tech was in training and took well over an hour to connect everything. I was told the next morning I didn't have sleep apnea, and didn't snore. I have woke myself up snoring, my family complains about my snoring, and my sister has seen me stop breathing. I have awakened, during the night coughing and gasping for air, and have a headache every morning of my life. If the young girl had told me I didn't have sleep apnea but did snore, that would have been fine. I don't want that diagnosis. It runs in my family, and I am aware that it can lead to stroke and even heart attacks. But when she said I didn't snore even when I was on my back, no way. I'm 54 and it's the first time since I've been in my early 20's that I didn't snore.

[ChicagoGranny]

I had a sleep study done on a Sunday night. I didn't sleep Friday or Saturday night due to a knee injury. At the hospital sleep center I was initially put in a room similar to a bedroom. Then after I had prepared for bed, they moved me to a small room that had a loud rattling bathroom fan two feet from the bed. I insisted they move me or reschedule. I have to sleep in solid quiet, no tv, no dripping water, etc., I took several meds to help me sleep, I woke up a couple of times to go to the restroom. The tech was in training and took well over an hour to connect everything. I was told the next morning I didn't have sleep apnea, and didn't snore. I have woke myself up snoring, my family complains about my snoring, and my sister has seen me stop breathing. I have awakened, during the night coughing and gasping for air, and have a headache every morning of my life. If the young girl had told me I didn't have sleep apnea but did snore, that would have been fine. I don't want that diagnosis. It runs in my family, and I am aware that it can lead to stroke and even heart attacks. But when she said I didn't snore even when I was on my back, no way. I'm 54 and it's the first time since I've been in my early 20's that I didn't snore.

I would write this in a letter to your insurance company. Ask for another study at an accredited lab (http://www.aasmnet.org/accreditation.aspx).

If you paid anything to the first lab, ask in a letter for your money back. They may offer you a second study free of charge and have a supervisor present.

I took several meds to help me sleep

Several? This sounds bad. What were they?

[chunkyfrog]

Sounds like an HMO to me.
I had a FAKE sleep study over 20 years ago, and suffered for YEARS because of it.
If I knew who was responsible, I would probably be in prison now.

[diane.1299]

I just had one done last night, and I'm furious. Sure, I have lost 25 lbs, but the last time I had the study done, they set me on 17 pounds of pressure on my C-PAP. That was 10 years ago. I have slept like a baby with my machine...I'm asleep in about 2 minutes and wake up refreshed. Last nite, they tested me without a machine. I tossed, turned, coughed a lot, and my throat flap keep closing and I had to keep swallowing to get the flap to move away from my airway. I felt like I couldn't hardly breathe all nite and only got 2 hours of sleep. They told me I don't have sleep apnea, just that I snore. I said, "Doesn't the C-PAP stand for continuous airway pressure, so that the flap doesn't close off? Because when I sleep with my machine, the flap NEVER closes off my airway, I don't snore, I don't cough, I am not restless, I sleep wonderfully." That wasn't good enough for them and I probably won't get a new machine. I came home, put my level 17 C-PAP on and slept immediately and it was great. If I don't have a serious sleep apnea problem anymore, why would a level 17 work wonderfully? They are full of crap.

[zoocrewphoto]

I just had one done last night, and I'm furious. Sure, I have lost 25 lbs, but the last time I had the study done, they set me on 17 pounds of pressure on my C-PAP. That was 10 years ago. I have slept like a baby with my machine...I'm asleep in about 2 minutes and wake up refreshed. Last nite, they tested me without a machine. I tossed, turned, coughed a lot, and my throat flap keep closing and I had to keep swallowing to get the flap to move away from my airway. I felt like I couldn't hardly breathe all nite and only got 2 hours of sleep. They told me I don't have sleep apnea, just that I snore. I said, "Doesn't the C-PAP stand for continuous airway pressure, so that the flap doesn't close off? Because when I sleep with my machine, the flap NEVER closes off my airway, I don't snore, I don't cough, I am not restless, I sleep wonderfully." That wasn't good enough for them and I probably won't get a new machine. I came home, put my level 17 C-PAP on and slept immediately and it was great. If I don't have a serious sleep apnea problem anymore, why would a level 17 work wonderfully? They are full of crap.

I would recommend you start a new topic as you are responding to an old topic.

Also, add your equipment to your profile and why you were doing a new sleep study.