“Zac S. on what to expect during your Sleep Apnea Treatment
So my name’s Zac, I am the sleep coordinator here, so I handle everything sleep related. So from when the patient comes in to when they leave at the end with their appliance, I’m handling everything there. As far as what a patient can expect on their first visit is a 30 to 45 minute conversation with me, just trying to get an understanding of what they go through. So sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy is really symptom based. So what we’re looking for is symptom relief, so that first appointment, getting that full understanding is very important for them. We have that quick conversation, I make the connections of what they’re going through to the potential of having sleep apnea, and then they leave the appointment with a home sleep test to take in their own home.
Good sleep is very important for just quality of life and longevity, so lack of oxygen connects to every part of your body. Every single part of us needs that oxygen, so when we’re not getting it, they start to shut down. So main two things connected are your heart, number one, and your brain, number two. So getting good sleep is just making sure that those are working properly along with every other part of your body. So a patient should look out for snoring. They should look out for their spouse letting them know that they have complications with just their natural breathing process during their sleep. So some other things that they can notice are daytime fatigue.
We could notice acid reflux as a large thing and lastly, something that most people don’t notice is dry mouth. So if you’re getting consistent dry mouth, it’s a sign that you’re either snoring or mouth breathing at night, which is a sign of an obstruction of your natural passage of breath. Yeah, so I make a patient’s experience as comfortable as possible for just taking care of everything for them. So when they come in here, they don’t have to worry about getting scripts, getting paperwork, going to eight different doctors. Everything happens here, and as far as behind the scenes, I take care of everything for them. So when they come in, they get my cell phone number, so we can have open communication. They are completely free to reach out to me anytime of day, and I’m just texting them, calling them back.
Just that open communication, helping them through their process is probably what I do most. Yeah, so I mean, the first thing that you got to do is just come and talk to us. So setting up our complimentary consultation, having that 30 minute talk, letting me get that understanding. When I know what’s going on, I’m able to put you in the right direction. So whether you need a home sleep test, whether you need to do something special because of Medicare, go into a polysomnogram and the in-lab will make sure that you’re set up the right way, even if it isn’t through our office. So just getting them into testing, and getting them into the treatment they need. I’m looking forward to meeting you and to helping you get good sleep again.