It is a good feeling when you are asked
for information about something, in this case obstructive sleep
apnea. I had written about this here. Since this happened, the
family and I have exchanged several emails about the progress of
their son and how he is doing with his VPAP machine. The parents are
happy that no surgery was required and that I have been able to
direct them to more web sites about sleep apnea.
In the three weeks their son has been
using the VPAP, they have added the mask liners (the son has both the
nasal mask and a full-face mask) and report that this has helped
dramatically reduce the air leaks and he is using the VPAP every
night now. The father reports that the entire family now exercises
and the son has lost five pounds in the three weeks since starting.
With the snow, they just add snowshoes and keep moving.
I was told that the number of apneas
during the sleep study had varied from 76 to 92 apneas per hour. The
doctor did find a way to work them in the next day because of the
distance for travel. This has to be a doctor with much kindness in
his heart. The mother reported that the doctor took his time to
explain the two masks to them and the fitting of the masks. When
asked about the mask liners, the doctor was unfamiliar with them, but
took his time to go to the web site and after research, offered a
prescription if they needed it.
Both parents have expressed their
happiness that surgery is the last option the doctor wants to
consider. They did obtain the VPAP machine and masks from a local
supplier approved by their insurance. The doctor had also issued a
prescription for a second disk for them to use and mail him the first
disk to read the results for the first 30 days. Then he will mail it
back to them for them to use when they mail the second disk for
reading the next 30 days.
I told them this was normal and the
doctor would be looking for the amount of time on a daily basis that
the machine was being used and if there happened to be sleep
problems. In addition, the insurance company would receive a report
from the doctor about the results. If problems showed up, this could
indicate a need to adjust the pressure and may require a second visit
to the doctor. If the results show normal or near normal, the disk
mailing might stop or happen at an infrequent interval, just to
monitor the results.
The son even reported that his sister
likes to tease him about looking like an alien with his mask on. He
said he told her he does not care as he is getting a good night's
sleep every night and feels so much better. He also said his grades
are improving and he is more alert in school.
We do continue to communicate about
questions they have and questions they should ask their doctor or
equipment supplier. They are happily surprised about the support
they have received from their medical insurance and this is a big
plus. Their insurance had questioned both the nasal and full-face
mask, but when the doctor explained his reasons, the insurance
company did allow both.
This blog is the first of four blogs
about sleep apnea this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment