CPAP experiences wanted

[wuzzzer]

My mom and my brother-in-law both use them. My Mom brings hers anywhere she sleeps. We rented a cabin earlier this year and she came up and brought her Darth Vader CPAP machine with. I always laugh when she has it on, I think it should play the Star Wars theme song when you turn it on.

I don't think either of them have had too many problems with theirs. I know my Dad tried one and just couldn't get used to it. He's had the sewn-in tennis ball in the back of a t-shirt trick that he's used for at least 10 years. That works pretty well for him.

[colterphoto1]

nothing like humping Klispch Pro gear around the driveway on a 89 degree day for a few quick pounds off! I worked on MCM's yesterday- whew!

[garymd]

I had a sleep study done about 10 years ago because my wife couldn't stand my snoring. She also said I stop breathing every once in a while. Of course the one night I spent at the hospital, I didn't snore once. They told me I was perfectly normal. I have been putting off a second try for years now and I think it should be it done in my own home.

For me it isn't a weight issue but a partially deviated septum. I have always slept on my side so no tennis balls needed. Since I won't go through with the nose surgery, I should probably go back and get the sleep study done again. Since I quit smoking last year, I wake up at about 4:30 every morning no matter when I fall asleep and I'd like to see if CPAP would help to cure that. It makes late nights very difficult for me. I've heard such great things about the CPAP from my brother-in-law and a few friends who use it. It seems to be life-changing for people who use it successfully.

Congrats Michael on the weight loss! That's AWESOME!!! Keep it up mi amigo and good luck with the CPAP. I hope it works for you. Please keep us posted on your progress.

- Gary

[Z4!]

<snip>

I have been putting off a second try for years now and I think it should be it done in my own home.

<snip>

Many doctors will order overnight pulse oximetry done in the home as a "pre-test" for sleep apnea. The RTs put a clothes-pin like device on your finger that monitors your oxygen saturation during sleep; low oxygen levels are the main reason for instituting CPAP therapy. Many people snore and/or have apneas without the associated oxygen depletion and no therapy is indicated.

[Mr Tech]

No personal experience, but I recently heard about this CPAP mask alternative.

http://nomask.com/

Good luck,

Wade

[Z4!]

No personal experience, but I recently heard about this CPAP mask alternative.

http://nomask.com/

Good luck,

Wade

Thanks for the link Wade; that thing is wild!

Nasal pillows have been an option for non-mask likers since the beginning, but securing the pillows orally is really a great idea!

[colterphoto1]

that does look very workable and would further serve to reduce bruxism (teeth grinding for us highly intense types).

[bodcaw boy]

i just absolutely will not do without mine. i take it everywhere; i even took it to china. i have had one for about 7 years now and before that, i hadn't really slept in 4 years. when i went in to get the "numbers" for my machine, i will never forget how good i had slept that night at the hospital. it had been a long time since i had felt so rested. when i found out it would be 2 weeks before i got my little machine, i wanted to know if i could sleep at the hospital till i got mine.

once you get a good night's sleep, i think that you will not be able to sleep without it as well.

take care,

roy

[colterphoto1]

Thanks Roy, a recommendation coming from you means a lot. I get 'fitted' on Friday.

[LarryC]

For me it isn't a weight issue but a partially deviated septum.

My massage therapist stuck her finger up my nostrils and partially un-deviated my septum! (Broke my nose in high school.) She's a legit MT, too, not the other kind.[] My breathing has been a lot easier since then. A reference is available at your convenience.

[garymd]

My massage therapist stuck her finger up my nostrils

O U C H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LarryC]

O U C H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pretty much my very words, too! But it helped!

At least it was her little finger -- I think[:S]

[tigerwoodKhorns]

nothing like humping Klispch Pro gear around the driveway on a 89 degree day for a few quick pounds off! I worked on MCM's yesterday- whew!

Mike,

Congrats on the weight loss. That is a big achievement. Good luck with the CPAP gear too.

If you are serious about the weight loss, join a gym and do some reading on nutrition. From experience, an obsessive person who is into working out and exercise can acheive amazing results that you probably never though that you could do. Just need to get fixated and start to see some small results and you are then hooked. The health benefits are huge too.

[theplummer]

Way to go Colter,

I've had mixed results with my CPAP. I've tried numerous headgears over the years. I had one that had jell in the forehead pad and I got a rash from that one. I've had several that have made my front teeth sore from having the straps so tight, just to seal them up properly (I can't stand leaking aiar around the nosepiece. I've begged my supplier to set me up with a nasal canula style headgear, but they've constantly refused. I eventually gave up on the D.A.M.N. thing and have been living with the estimated 70 times per hour apneas.

I'm changing this behavior though, as I've been advised by my M.D. that continued, untreated apnea causes scarring of the lungs and therefore just as damaging as a life long smoker.

The mouthpiece canula style headgear seems appealing to me, although, I've found that if the air hose is directed over my forehead and over the headboard and routed to the machine, I do much better, as I can roll over and not roll onto the hose.

I hope you have better results than I.

[Z4!]

theplummer, there is no reason (other than financial) that your DME company should not let you try the nasal pillows. If they refuse, go back to your sleep doctor and ask him to write a script for the nasal pillows...the DME company will have to follow his directions! I'd look for another DME company if I were you...yours does not seem to put the patient first!

[colterphoto1]

DME = ?? Medical Equipment???

My fitting is tomorrow 3:45, anything particular to ask for? How many tries to do I get with different machines/headpieces etc before insurance company complains?

[colterphoto1]

Thanks TWK- I'm already on diet for diabetes- everything seems to be falling apart at once! LOL

White foods are the enemy!

[theplummer]

theplummer, there is no reason (other than financial) that your DME company should not let you try the nasal pillows. If they refuse, go back to your sleep doctor and ask him to write a script for the nasal pillows...the DME company will have to follow his directions! I'd look for another DME company if I were you...yours does not seem to put the patient first!

Z4,

You don't even know the half of it. My employers medical insurance carrier made me pay $117 per month for my CPAP unit for the first 12 months of my possession, not ownership, then it turns into a lifetime free rental. The odd thing was after I had made 10 payments, my employer changed insurance carriers, therefore I had to start all over again with the year of payments, I think the payment went down to $78 per month though. I nearly took it back and told them to stick it, but instead I swallowed my pride and wrote the checks anyway.

To top it all off, the first CPAP unit I got was absolutely unusable. I tried to wear the thing the first night and could not even stand the smell for 30 seconds. It stunk like the humidifier had been used as an ashtray.

When I questioned the guy who set me up, he admitted that I was given a "USED" unit, and he'd be happy to replace it with a new one. What an A hole.

Now I have to pay for the first $200 in CPAP supplies before my insurance offeres any help.

[fini]

DME = ?? Medical Equipment???

My fitting is tomorrow 3:45, anything particular to ask for? How many tries to do I get with different machines/headpieces etc before insurance company complains?

Mike, the "D" is for Durable.

[oscarsear]

A few thoughts. 1st lung scarring per se is not a long term consequence of sleep apnea. The long term consequences are to the heart and the vascular system in the lungs which is still not good news, but it is more accurate. DME companies should be your advocate for a workable system NOT your impediment. If your DME vendor is not working to provide you with proper service or product then advise the insurance carrier and your physician. In that vein users can procure some of these products on their own outside of their DME vendor. They will still require a prescription but you can purchase them elsewhere and sometimes cheaper (it is a competitive market like diabetic supplies). Nasal Pillows can be obtained for around $100. There is also another mechanical mode entitled Bi-PAP for bi-level positive airway pressure. That machine offers variable flowrates during your respiratory cycle which can be more effective and some consider more comfortable. Insofar as funding for these things insurance companies find ways to minimize there costs. The key thing is that if you need one get one that will work and one that you can and WILL use. Do not settle for anything less.