CPAP experiences wanted

[colterphoto1]

It turns out that not only do I get a morning wake up call at 4 am, but that I quit breathing 48 times a night per my recent sleep study. I had the titration night a week ago and get fitted up for the Darth Vader suit this Friday.

Can anyone share their experiences with the machinery and a good night's sleep? I'm a bit anxious about being hooked up. Thanks!

[djk]

They work but..................

If you lose weight you may not need it.

While you lose weight you can sew a tennis ball on the back of a nightshirt to prevent you from sleeping on your back, this may be enough (most apnea is position sensitive).

Once you start using one you pretty much can't quit using one. You sleep somewhere else, it goes with you.

[colterphoto1]

"Once you start using one you pretty much can't quit using one. "

is this true???

[Daddy Dee]

I've been sleeping with CPAP for eight years. Sleeping with the brain getting oxygen is the really nice thing about CPAP. Aside from feeling better with more energy there are a number of health risks associated with sleep apnea that are mitigated with CPAP therapy. The little bit of inconvenience is small compared to the benefit, IMO. I haven't had any difficulty tolerating CPAP. In fact, I find it sort of reassuring. I tried a few different headgear types before I found what I liked best. It's a subjective thing, but I prefer a headgear with nothing resting on my forehead. Of course, as always, mine is the minority report.

Hope all goes well for you, Michael.

[fini]

I tried one, but I felt like I was suffocating, especially as I was just starting to drift off. I gave up on it, but Dee's right: I probably could have found equipment that worked for me. I think it was right about the time my Mom was going through her health decline, and I was not concentrating on myself much...[*-)]

[Z4!]

Many people get used to using the CPAP rather easily, once they (and their body) benefit from its use. Experimenting with different types of masks and headgear go a long way in actually making CPAP use comfortable. Hopefully your DME company will be a good one and give you lots of options and support.

Good luck Michael and keep us posted on your progress!

[colterphoto1]

Thanks guys. I've shucked 23 pounds since being diagnosed Diabetes II two months ago. Still a long way to go, but IRON Mike is appearing! The anti-carb diet is going well and it helps to be way from the sedentary lifestyle and active during these summer months.

I have a bit of mental hang-up about being attached to a breathing machine. My dear Mom had COPD, spent several months on a ventilator then had to have oxygen from some source for the last three years of her life. In my head I know it's not at all the same thing, but still....I had nightmares both nights of the sleep study. I think I scared one technician half to death.

Any more success or trouble stories about the machinery and results? So you mean that everyone doesn't wake up with killer headaches one or two days a week? Who would've thought it?

M

[BLSamuel]

23 lbs in 2 months. Congratulations IRON Mike.

No personal CPAP experience here. I did have the sleep test and they said I didn't stop breathing during my test, or not enough to matter, though my wife thinks I have a few times. I took a nap test and found that I nap off much quicker than normal people but thankfully not narcolepsy just drift into sleep very quickly and easily.

My father-out-law has been using CPAP for several years and it really made a big difference for him. My mother-out-law has one and it helps her but don't think she uses it full time.

I've also heard that for some patients an oral retainer like device can treat the sleep apnea if you just can't stand the CPAP but it probably only works for a very small amount of sleep apnea sufferers and may not work as well as the CPAP. Might be something to discuss with your Doctor if you cant adjust to the CPAP.

[colterphoto1]

A study I have read says that if you can just use it 4 hours of the night, that the effect of keeping your airway lingers substantially through the rest of the night. I can imagine getting sick of not being able to move around (I'm a side sleeper and a roller), that ripping it off at 3 am for some 'normal' unaided sleep might be helpful.

Now if you'll 'scuse me, I'm going outside to move some MCM stacks around. (loading drivers today which requires unstacking and flipping the MWM bins on their back sides) ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH

M

[dtel]

Glad to hear about the 23 pounds, I need to loose some for sure. About the sleep, I never tried that although I probably should get checked, I sleep like a rock but snore loudly, Christy checked it once with a DB meter and it was around 75 DB ! [:|] Probably loud enough to cause me more hearing loss at 8 hours a night !

Give it a try it may help, I know you have had a problem sleeping for a long time now, that has got to wear you out over time. I like the Iron Mike thing, good attitude, especially when you have to deal with anything medical, just don't have heart failure when you see the bill !

[michael hurd]

"Christy checked it once with a DB meter and it was around 75 DB ! " You might be an audio geek when ... LOL... ! D'oh... anyone check any other bodily functions on a meter? [6]

[dtel]

"Christy checked it once with a DB meter and it was around 75 DB ! " You might be an audio geek when ... LOL... ! D'oh... anyone check any other bodily functions on a meter?

Never thought about it like that, [:$]

[fini]

Do they make a smell-o-meter? According to Cathy's reactions, I'm off the charts...

[BigStewMan]

Hi Michael,

I have sleep apnea too. I wake up at least a dozen times each night; but, i don't feel tired in the morning or through the day.

During my sleep study, the doctor said that i'm a very restless sleeper and didn't remain in one position longer than 30 minutes. I stop breathing if i fall asleep on my back or even sitting in a chair (so much for sleeping on long car or plane trips). with the cpap machine at the sleep lab, they said i only got 45 minutes of "quality" sleep that entire night WITH the machine.

since i'm a mouth breather, they told me that i had to get the mask that covers the nose and mouth. i used the machine only once. i woke up the following morning with my asthma in high gear (which lasted several days). my asthma is so horrible that i decided that i wasn't going to use the machine again. in hindsight, i think i may have had the humidifer dial set too high (I only had it on 2 of 5), i think maybe it was too much moisture and my lungs got mad at me.

i definately see the benefits of the machine if you can tolerate it.

i should have went to my doctor and discussed this; but, haven't.

sadly, dropping 25 pounds (i'm down to 209) helped with my blood pressure; but, didn't resolve the apnea. my doctor also told me that instead of the machine there is a mouthpiece that works; however, it is about $2000 and not covered by my insurance.

i wish you well my friend.

Steve

[oscarsear]

CPAP is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Using the nasal mask they keep enough back pressure inside your nasopharynx so that it remains open. It is not that you "stop" breathing at night but that when you sleep that the structures in your upper airway collapse on inhalation and obstruct breathing. So this back pressure aims to keep that from happening. NO, it is not easy to adjust to. Be prepared to be accommodating but do ask the questions. The bias flow in the circuit has got to be high enough to sustain the pressure and meet peak inspiratory demands. If the flow is too low then you might feel undersupplied and like you're suffocating. Hopefully you will have a technician who has done this a lot. It is not at all the same as what your mother went through. She suffered from COPD which is a primary lung disease. She required mechanical support and supplemental oxygen because she literally lost enough lung tissue to keep going alone. (A warning I keep trying to convey to tobacco users on this forum and others.) All you have is a sloppy upper airway that needs some help staying patent while you sleep. Just relax and do what you're told. There's no pain. It goes on and comes off fairly easily. If one brand of machinery doesn't suit you there are others. The same with masks and head gear. It's an adventure.

[Z4!]

As far as sleeping on the side or rolling over, the hose has a swivel at the mask end (you can have a swivel at both ends of the hose if necessary). The RT who sets up your equipment should help you find a solution to meet your needs.

Many people start out the night using the CPAP and take it off sometime during the night, especially when you are getting used to it. If your titration was performed properly and you give the CPAP a good trial, your body will tell you if it is working or not. Even mouth breathers can get used to a nasal mask (much easier to fit and maintain a seal) rather than a full face mask.

IMO you really don't need to worry about peak flowrates unless your pressure is very low; then weight loss and other modalities (oral appliances etc.) may work as well or better than CPAP. BiPap machines (NIPPV) have more flexibility in adjusting flow rates and I/E ratios...but normally that does not come into play!

[mungkiman]

In addition to the weight loss (congrats!), limit or eliminate alcohol.

[colterphoto1]

Alcohol has been off the list for some time.

Yes, I'm a mouth breather, but found during the titration night that with the high pressure the CPAP gave me (I think he had it cranked pretty open), it's an uncomfortable feeling if the mouth is open- kind of like Steve Tyler mouth! LOL. So if I'm determined to be a nose breather, the smaller mask may be useful (but we didn't try that on titration night).

The amazing this about this new science is that after a brief visit with my primary care doctor, there has been two nights with probably two dozen electrodes and sensors attached to me, and my diagnosis is 'you need a CPAP machine' without any discussion of the findings in detail, what we hope to gain, or anything. I have not had a single visit with anyone with an MD since the initial assay that I had apnea. Apparently the insurance only covers a single follow-up visit and that is done 30-60 days after CPAP is applied. That's a LOT of testing and apparatus for very little time with a physician. This is a money maker for the medical industry the likes of which we've yet to see.

I'm buying stock in some of these outfits. They're going to have everyone on a CPAP, insurance covers it, and the costs are minimal being mainly technician time. It's a gold mine for the industry. I'm not sold on it. How's that for paranoia?

[seti]

Thanks guys. I've shucked 23 pounds since being diagnosed Diabetes II two months ago. Still a long way to go, but IRON Mike is appearing! The anti-carb diet is going well and it helps to be way from the sedentary lifestyle and active during these summer months.

I have a bit of mental hang-up about being attached to a breathing machine. My dear Mom had COPD, spent several months on a ventilator then had to have oxygen from some source for the last three years of her life. In my head I know it's not at all the same thing, but still....I had nightmares both nights of the sleep study. I think I scared one technician half to death.

Any more success or trouble stories about the machinery and results? So you mean that everyone doesn't wake up with killer headaches one or two days a week? Who would've thought it?

M

Dude that is awesome!!!! That is no small task. I have shucked 50lbs twice but I keep finding it again. I am on try #4 this time. It is best to turn it into a life style which has been my downfall but I'll get there. When I drop weight I feel better sleep better and have more energy. Now I feel slow.

[DrWho]

I had a friend from college that got started on a CPAP machine....he says it's the best thing he's ever done. It was a bit weird for his wife at first, sleeping next to darth vader and all, but apparently they both got used to it pretty fast like.

When we go on martial arts trips, he's always got his machine with him, so we make him sleep in the corner of the gym away from the rest of us so we don't have to hear it. I gotta say though, he started owning it up at the seminars after being on that machine....I guess being rested up for a change gave him tons more energy.

He's only been on it for like a year now so I can't really comment on any long term effects or dependencies or whatever, but so far it's been good for him.

Btw, top notch on the weight loss....you're gonna be passing me up here pretty soon like! []