jorjen Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Thought this would be a good topic to pull out of the other thread once I saw how many folks have sleep issues. I had a sleep study done at the suggestion of my Doctor about 8 years ago. I was quickly diagnosed with severe Apnea. Do not remember the numbers but recall thinking, how in the Hell is that even possible to stop breathing that many times? Got a ResMed CPAP, mask, etc. The hose comes out the bottom of the mask where the nose is. I am a stomach sleeper of sixty years and cannot/will not change that. I have NEVER been able to wear the damn mask more than 20 minutes. I rip it off my face and throw it on the floor and go to sleep. I want to use the machine and fully grasp the benefit but I cannot. I recently ran across the mask at the link below and am thinking of trying it because the hose comes out the top. What do you folks think? https://www.easybreathe.com/-p4440.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgrKi_Ofo1AIVD5t-Ch0H0g0IEAQYASABEgKzYPD_BwE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 5 minutes ago, jorjen said: Thought this would be a good topic to pull out of the other thread once I saw how many folks have sleep issues. I had a sleep study done at the suggestion of my Doctor about 8 years ago. I was quickly diagnosed with severe Apnea. Do not remember the numbers but recall thinking, how in the Hell is that even possible to stop breathing that many times? Got a ResMed CPAP, mask, etc. The hose comes out the bottom of the mask where the nose is. I am a stomach sleeper of sixty years and cannot/will not change that. I have NEVER been able to wear the damn mask more than 20 minutes. I rip it off my face and throw it on the floor and go to sleep. I want to use the machine and fully grasp the benefit but I cannot. I recently ran across the mask at the link below and am thinking of trying it because the hose comes out the top. What do you folks think? https://www.easybreathe.com/-p4440.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgrKi_Ofo1AIVD5t-Ch0H0g0IEAQYASABEgKzYPD_BwE All I know is the one that is supplied in this area is pretty crappy. Don't know about this particular model. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted July 1, 2017 Author Share Posted July 1, 2017 17 minutes ago, JJkizak said: All I know is the one that is supplied in this area is pretty crappy. Don't know about this particular model. JJK It just seems like something I may be able to live with. IDK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Did the sleep study, moderate apnea. Was told insurance would cover cpap; I paid $800 out of pocket and the supply place kept forcing 'consumables' monthly at $$$$. I couldn't wear the contraption so I threw it away and bought an adjustable foundation bed. Slight head up and I am good. MUCH better than hoses on the head and no snoring 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Head elevation works well for me, three pillows. If plugged up I sit in a chair for 15 minutes and everything gets unplugged. Old age ain't for sissies. JJK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I use a CPAP machine and sleep partly on my left side, and partly on my stomach, with the electric bed tilted up at the top. It works for me. Taking some consciously controlled deep breathes at first, and blowing them out my mouth to keep stale air from building up in the tube, just for the first couple of minutes seems to help. Then I make sure the chin strap is tight enough to keep my mouth from opening (especially a problem for men), and then hope to fall asleep soon. I usually do. A benefit of this is that I wake up feeling marvelously fresh, much more so than before the CPAP & the Apnea. The alternate version might work -- give it a try. It's important to get something to work, because Sleep Apnea is correlated with Afib. Whether it causes Afib, or is caused by Afib, or both are caused by something else is not known. I had my Afib before I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. Afib is quite manageable, but you need to take blood thinners. I've had both for several years, now, and neither one limits my life. Of course, I'm not a jogger, just a walker. Don't despair. The sleep study people may be able to help you find a way. Our sleep study center has several helpful and well informed people, and, of course, the inevitable idiot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I've been on a cpap since 1998. I would not be here had I not made that move. I'd have either had a heart attack or fell asleep at the wheel and killed myself. Stay on it somehow if you indeed have severe apnea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomR Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Has anybody used a mouth piece instead of the cpap machine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I have bad Sleep Apnea...REALLY BAD! I have a love/hate relationship with my CPAP set-up. I love that it works solving my issues with Sleep Apnea....I hate that I have to wear it. I opted for the longer hose the last time I ordered supplies and that makes things somewhat better. I have always fallen asleep with SOMETHING ON...TV, radio, whatever...I have been that way since before I ever started school...and am still that way. I normally just put in a DVD or BlueRay movie and watch it for a few minutes before I drift off to sleep...but I hate the mask on my face while I am trying to watch something for the few minutes I remain awake after laying down before drifting off to sleep, because I cannot get good stereo vision with the mask on and my head tilted to the side. It is what it is...seems there is no real way to eliminate some kind of issue when you NEED to have a hose hooked up to your face while sleeping. I have lost over 60 lbs over the past year and a half (was weighing about 265 when I started)...lost about 55 first and let that loss stabilize for about 8 months, now am on the loss program again and heading towards my goal of 165-175 max weight. I was healthiest at that weight and want to get back to it...but then again, I was working out in the martial arts and average of 4 days a week, 3-4 hours each day, in those days, too. I can still do that, but joints and such don't like it. So once I get to around 185-190, I will combine a LEASSER martial arts workout with swimming and speed-walking (MOSTLY swimming, though, since it is the LEAST unfavorable towards my knee and hip issues!). I will most likely start to gain weight at that time (FOR a time!), but that would just be muscle mass replacing body fat causing that increase...until that, too,stabilizes then the weight will drop again. I understand how working-out affects the body, so I expect that to happen. My current job situation is the thing that keeps me from doing what I really need to be doing for the work-outs and such...but that will soon be solved...since I will soon be in "total" retirement and not tied to anybody's schedule but the one I create for myself...which I fully intend to be a VERY FLEXIBLE schedule...LOL! I recently found out that I am able to take a short nap without the CPAP involved, and not wake up myself with my own snoring, anymore...not sure if that is a permanent thing, tied to the weight loss, or is a side-effect of using the CPAP every night since 2011-12 time frame...but it would be nice if it was permanent. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Initially my cpap was set at a higher flow than I liked. They would not adjust without Dr's prescription; googgole was my friend. Mine was the Fisher and Paykel with humidifier and heater.http://www.apneaboard.com/adjust-cpap-pressure/change-cpap-pressure-settings-adjusting-your-machine-with-a-clinician-setup-manual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holtrp Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Man, you need to do something to make it work. I have been on my CPAP for about a year and a half now and it has been life altering. I have probably not used it maybe 7 days since I got it, those few nights have shown me how terrible my sleep was for years. After having one and getting used to a full nights rest, I couldn't ever go back. The nodding off at the wheel was really scary and what prompted me to finally get treatment, but feeling refreshed and focused is really worth it. Do whatever it takes to use the machine. Sorry I don't have any practical advice about what equipment to use, but your sleep center / doctor should be able to help you find equipment and bed / pillow combination that will work for you. Just remember, the hardest part is to get into a habit, keep trying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyrc Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 My CPAP is made by Phillips, the company that makes great recordings, pretty good loudspeakers, TVs, light bulbs, the Norelco shaver and the marvelous 70 mm 6 track projectors. The trick may be to fall asleep during the first 20 minutes or so. When I have insomnia, I don't count sheep, I visualize one of those glorious Phillips 70 mm projectors whirring and clicking away, showing the good people 2001: A Space Odyssey. But that's me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 I literally love mine so much that sometimes I'll leave it on for a while even I wake up in the morning. It's like an old friend. I kept my machine from Dec '98 until 2 months ago. Yes it ran almost 19 YEARS, never serviced. It did have a high pitched whine so my wife mandated a new one. I bought a Phillips dreamstation that auto adjusts. That thing is virtually silent. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvu80 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 On 7/1/2017 at 4:06 PM, jorjen said: I recently ran across the mask at the link below and am thinking of trying it because the hose comes out the top. What do you folks think? I use the Whisp by Repironics. I like it better than the Dreamwear you linked to because I don't like those masks with a nasal canal style. It sounds like a tornado in my head. The Whisp has a Velcro strap at the top like you mentioned. I don't use it that way because I like the flexibility of having the air blown to the side I choose. It is also flat on the side so you can turn your head and it is perfectly comfortable. It also seals better than my previous mask and is very lightweight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstrickland1 Posted July 2, 2017 Share Posted July 2, 2017 Looks cool but I just love the trueblue gel mask. I got used to that style day one and now it's just like my blankey or something lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 I have been told I snore and stop breathing on occasion but I haven't noticed . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 Every morning for the last 12 years I wake up feeling like I got hit by a truck. My life changed considerably since my first wife passed away....12 years ago. It's been so long since I've woke up in the morning feeling totally refreshed.My wife now....says I snore big time. She says it was worse when I ate a lot of ice cream! Not sure if I stop breathing but she thinks I do.Her mom is 80+ and uses a CPAP. I need to look into this. Good thread.Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 How does one initiate a sleep study? My guess is to start with my internist, is that correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtmudd Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-cross/sleep-apnea_b_4400610.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted July 3, 2017 Author Share Posted July 3, 2017 1 hour ago, DizRotus said: How does one initiate a sleep study? My guess is to start with my internist, is that correct? If your health insurance provider requires a referral Neil then yes, see your regular Doctor and just tell him you believe you suffer from Sleep Apnea and would like to see a sleep specialist. If a referral is not required, find a sleep specialist/clinic in your area and make the appointment directly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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