Titration study - what’s involved?

Finished initial sleep study and its official. Next up a titration study. What’s involved? Do you get to try different masks types? Suspect I will need FFM as mouth breather and have stuffiness.

you get wired up...not 100% what all they look at, but I know one was an EKG and they wired up my legs to check for restless leg...and they monitor your oxygen level, kinda like during your sleep study if you did an in-lab...for me, they asked if I was a mouth breather, i was prior to being diagnosed, they measured me, and went and got the mask they wanted me to try...said they had the best results with that mask for men with facial hair...so in my case, I did not get to try different masks. I got in bed, and they turned on the machine and I went to sleep....mine was pretty uneventful...I did pull the wire lead off one of my legs a couple of times, but other than that, they sent me home the next morning. They called me yesterday and told me that I need a pressure of 14cmH2O...no bilevel machine needed....so now i'm waiting on my prescription, and I was told that I could pick out whichever mask I wanted when I get to my DME.

Thanks AirMech. At this point i am ready to move faster and get started. It probably a another 3 weeks minimum to get my machine depending on study scoring and insurance approval

Initial study is to see how well you sleep...or poorly. If it's poorly, and apnea is indicated, you get referred to a trial of PAP of some appropriate kind during which you should be monitored remotely and adjustments are made to your treatment to get the best/optimal outcomes. This might be several weeks. Then, you get the titration done with the 'best current fit' of treatment to date. You bring your gear and pj's, and you get wired up as before (at least, that's what took place for me). You turn on your gear and go to sleep. The lab tech may make a few tweaks during the night to verify optimal therapy, and that report gets sent to the specialist who will eventually prescribe the actual treatment. From there, your medical supplier calls you in and you get your machine. If you have already established a give 'n take relationship with your supplier/therapist/monitor, you should at least have a conversation about the right kind of equipment if what they attempt to sell you doesn't meet with your expectations. That is to say you have a lot of clout as the payer, especially if you have sound arguments for differing with their selection for you. Ideally, you are both already in close concert with what you should purchase, including why.

I was allowed to use the loaner/titration machine until my insurer gave us the thumbs-up. I purchased and claimed after the fact. Worked quickly, two weeks after I mailed the receipt.

I had those button things with wires attached to my head, my chest, and my leg. Wore a contraption around my chest and a clip on my finger. I could not sleep but it wasnt because of being hooked up. The sleep tech kept insisting I sleep on my back and that makes my back hurt too much. Plus he insisted I sleep with a nose mask so I couldnt breathe. Once he got me a full face mask, and allowed me to lay on my side, things went better. I slept 43 mins.

They hooked me up the same as the first study. I had two mask options - a nasal mask or a full face mask. Since I didn't think I slept with my mouth open, went with nasal mask. Even though I had already bought a Swift FX nasal pillows mask, apparently, they don't do any tests using nasal pillows. . I was originally annoyed that they didn't just do a split test, but I was on the edge for qualification and since the doc isn't present, the tech can't make the switch under those conditions. However, the advantage of the titration study was that it confirmed that I did have RLS, which wasn't present at the first study and that it did wake me up.

The best thing about the study is that I had a chance to try out a sleep number bed and loved it. Considering replacing my current bed with one (but that price, ow!!).

rileyrd22 wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 26, 2018 2:03 pm

Thanks AirMech. At this point i am ready to move faster and get started. It probably a another 3 weeks minimum to get my machine depending on study scoring and insurance approval

yup...i did mine on the 18th of this month, and I still haven't received my prescription....I started my sleep apnea journey in Feb

Sounds like it depends on your doctor/sleep lab. I started with the at-home test, which showed I had mild sleep apnea. Next was an overnight stay at the sleep lab at my local hospital. I was given a choice of full face, nasal mask, or pillows. Since I had no previous experience with masks, I chose the nasal mask. I was fitted with a medium mask and don't remember at all what make of machine was used. I was not restricted to sleeping on my back or any other position, which suited me as I flip from side to side during the night and occasionally wind up on my back. The room was comfortable and more hotel-like than hospital-like.\

I was wired up with sensors from my head to my torso to my legs, then told I could turn out the lights when I was ready to sleep. It felt like I hardly slept at all, but apparently it was enough for them to get the info they needed.\

I was actually sleeping my best in the wee hours (around 5-6 am) when the sleep tech turned on the lights and told me it was time to wake up and get ready to go home. There was a shower in my room and it took a lot of hot water and lathering to remove the goop in my hair. Overall, it wasn't the worst of experiences, and it sounds better than many others have experienced. Best of luck to you.