CPAP experiences wanted

[Daddy Dee]

I have on occasion purchased my own CPAP stuff because it was a hassle to deal with insurance. You can be sure that your DME provider will bill your insurance the MRSP, outrageous numbers, IMO for CPAP gear.

There are internet sellers of CPAP gear which is available for half or less than the MSRP. Also, though I have probably purchased 6 or 8 masks/headgear in this manner, I have never had to provide a prescription.

[BLSamuel]

White foods are the enemy!

Well, not all white foods.... but yes, overly refined white flour which has been bleached and had the bran removed (I think) removing a lot of the healthiest parts of the wheat and sugar in any number of forms included standard granular table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and probably several other names for sugar in some form.

If we're to believe Dr Atkins, and I think his approach did / does work for some people, the overly simplified carbs are the worst. I did read the first few chapters of his first diet book, the version before Dr Atkins became such an overly commercial brand, and the simple carbohydrates are the worst, primarily white flour and simple sugars if my memory is correct. Read the labels and way too many prepared foods consist primarily of white flour and sugar in various forms. And way too much salt.

I think Dr Atkins also claimed, and again my memory may be failing me, that the human body converts simple carbohydrates to fat in the body much faster than it does fat.

As usual eating sensibly and exercise is the real key. I type after going out to celebrate my wifes birthday last night and polishing off a grouper and pasta dish for 2 (probably 3 or 4 [:$] ) though I think it was John Tesh on the radio on the way home saying something about restaurant pasta dishes with 8 servings.... and do I get a box and put half away for lunch the next day? ....nnnnnooooo, I eat it all [:$].... but I did pass on dessert though my wife and younger daughter did each get an order of chocolate creme brulee - very yummy (it better be at $5.50 a pop and I did have a couple of bites). I've been holding pretty well but need to dial back the carbs or I'm going to start gaining weight. My oldest daughter did leave me some tasty looking grilled chicken and fettucine alfredo for lunch tomorrow. And we had chicken and noodles for dinner the night before.... and may have another lunch left. Time to get back on the minimal carb wagon for a while.

[tigerwoodKhorns]

White foods are the enemy!

Well, not all white foods.... but yes, overly refined white flour which has been bleached and had the bran removed (I think) removing a lot of the healthiest parts of the wheat and sugar in any number of forms included standard granular table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and probably several other names for sugar in some form.

If we're to believe Dr Atkins, and I think his approach did / does work for some people, the overly simplified carbs are the worst. I did read the first few chapters of his first diet book, the version before Dr Atkins became such an overly commercial brand, and the simple carbohydrates are the worst, primarily white flour and simple sugars if my memory is correct. Read the labels and way too many prepared foods consist primarily of white flour and sugar in various forms. And way too much salt.

I think Dr Atkins also claimed, and again my memory may be failing me, that the human body converts simple carbohydrates to fat in the body much faster than it does fat.

As usual eating sensibly and exercise is the real key. I type after going out to celebrate my wifes birthday last night and polishing off a grouper and pasta dish for 2 (probably 3 or 4 ) though I think it was John Tesh on the radio on the way home saying something about restaurant pasta dishes with 8 servings.... and do I get a box and put half away for lunch the next day? ....nnnnnooooo, I eat it all .... but I did pass on dessert though my wife and younger daughter did each get an order of chocolate creme brulee - very yummy (it better be at $5.50 a pop and I did have a couple of bites). I've been holding pretty well but need to dial back the carbs or I'm going to start gaining weight. My oldest daughter did leave me some tasty looking grilled chicken and fettucine alfredo for lunch tomorrow. And we had chicken and noodles for dinner the night before.... and may have another lunch left. Time to get back on the minimal carb wagon for a while.

Avoid fad diets. In the 1980's I read a book by Arnold Schwarzenegger whe I was getting into weight lifting. His comments on diet were very simple. He said that you already know what to eat and what not to eat. Eat healthy food and generally follow the pyramid and you will be fine.

I eat rice and bread every day. Sandwich at lunch and rice, grileld chicken and beans in a tortilla with salsa. Lots of yogert and cereal too. I am careful of ingredients. I buy the 10 calorie mustard instead of the 60 calorie mustard. I grill food instead of cooking in oil, etc. Calories in and calories out is what you need to concentrate on. If you exercise more, you need to eat more. I also noticed that I generally feel pretty good, but if I eat at restaurants alot I start feeling bad and sluggish.

We have three dogs that I feed every night. The inactive one eats about 2/3 to 1/2 what the more active one the same size eats and they both maintain their weight about the same.

My wife's undergrad degree is a combination of sports medicine and nutrition. She confirmed. Your body does bad things when you cut out a balanced diet. This is especially true if you have other health problems that are diet related such as diabeties. Please be careful.

[Mooncreaturesdog]

My kids threatoned to hook me up to the centrale vacume!

[colterphoto1]

I got the blasted thing last Monday and haven't had a good night's sleep since. Except when I went camping last weekend without it. I usually do ok getting to sleep, bur feel that despite it's features of heat and humidity and Cflex exhalation that I'm too aware of my breathing, especially exhaling. I've been yanking it off after a couple of hours. Not a good night's sleep since. Called the DME company and she offered some tips on setup like cranking the Cflew all the way and putting socks around the hose to keep condensation from happening.

3:36 and I'm back to trying it again. Been sleeping on the recliner since I hate going to bed now....

[BigStewMan]

I got the blasted thing last Monday and haven't had a good night's sleep since. Except when I went camping last weekend without it. I usually do ok getting to sleep, bur feel that despite it's features of heat and humidity and Cflex exhalation that I'm too aware of my breathing, especially exhaling. I've been yanking it off after a couple of hours. Not a good night's sleep since. Called the DME company and she offered some tips on setup like cranking the Cflew all the way and putting socks around the hose to keep condensation from happening.

3:36 and I'm back to trying it again. Been sleeping on the recliner since I hate going to bed now....

I feel for you Michael. i just can't use that blasted machine. probably not the wisest decision; but, i gave up on it. without it, atleast i sleep.

[Z4!]

I got the blasted thing last Monday and haven't had a good night's sleep since. Except when I went camping last weekend without it. I usually do ok getting to sleep, bur feel that despite it's features of heat and humidity and Cflex exhalation that I'm too aware of my breathing, especially exhaling. I've been yanking it off after a couple of hours. Not a good night's sleep since. Called the DME company and she offered some tips on setup like cranking the Cflew all the way and putting socks around the hose to keep condensation from happening.

3:36 and I'm back to trying it again. Been sleeping on the recliner since I hate going to bed now....

Do you have a heated humidifier? If you are getting condensation try turning down the heat; you can also try just using the humidifier cold (not plugging it in). You also want to keep the humidifier level with or below the level of your head in bed, if the humidifier is above your head the condensation can go down the hose into your mask. Try to keep the hose from dipping low toward the floor, the higher off the floor the less condensation you will get (it is better not to have a U shape in the hose between the humidifier and you)!

At what pressure is your CPAP set? What brand of mask and headgear are you using?

When you are first starting out it is better to go to sleep with the machine and take it off during the night than not using it at all; you hopefully will get used to it over time. I have had many patients use the CPAP machine while watching TV or reading to get used to the pressure while you are awake, it makes it easier to relax with the machine while you are trying to get to sleep with it.

Good luck and don't give up too quickly!

[colterphoto1]

I have humidity, heat set only at 1 or 2, socks wrapped around about 1/2 of the hose. Machine level to head but I'll lower it. I have the hose looped over the head board but there may be a lower loop so I'll tie it up there.

I'm using a nasal pillow which feels pretty good, but when the pressure ramps up from 4-9 it feels like I wake up with air blowing all over my face. Probably need to look into a full mask, ugh. Thanks for the tips.

[GaryO75]

I had a CPAP unit, and used it for a month, trying to get used to the it. I didn't get a good nights sleep in that time frame; woke up every couple hours, then try to go back to sleep. Finally said to hell with it, unplugged the machine and put it away. Haven't had the thing out since then.

[bodcaw boy]

i put my mask on and in less than two minutes, i am snoozing. i can't sleep without my little papper.

[colterphoto1]

Roy, can you describe the process of getting adjusted and acclimated? I know I need this but am having trouble.

[bodcaw boy]

i honestly don't know what to say. from the very first night, i had no trouble sleeping with the machine. i guess i was just so tired and i knew that i needed sleep and that the machine would help. after awhile, i did find it somewhat uncomfortable so i adjusted the machine and myself. i found that if moved the hose to come from above my head that help (the hose comes from the headboard). i also found out that i was using the mask a little incorrectly. the bottom strap goes around my neck and the top strap doesn't necessarily go around the top of head but around the crown of my head. then i tightened them up so that i could roll over and sleep on my sides or straight up. what i ended up adjusting on my part was not sleeping on my stomach anymore.

i will say that i go into the bed, relax and start to doze off (about 5 minutes) then i put the head gear and am off to sleepy sleepy land.

if you want me to be more specific let me know on what part. i really consider my little papper to be quite the lifesaver; red even.

[Daddy Dee]

I have humidity, heat set only at 1 or 2, socks wrapped around about 1/2 of the hose. Machine level to head but I'll lower it. I have the hose looped over the head board but there may be a lower loop so I'll tie it up there.

I'm using a nasal pillow which feels pretty good, but when the pressure ramps up from 4-9 it feels like I wake up with air blowing all over my face. Probably need to look into a full mask, ugh. Thanks for the tips.

Michael,

You might do OK with a nasal mask. I think a nasal mask is easier to seal than nasal pillows. As long as you are breathing through your nose and moving enough air that is probably preferable to a whole face mask. I started using a full face mask when I had alot of nasal congestion and just couldn't move enough air. I also have a strong preference for a mask with no forhead fittings, but that's a subjective preference. The Mirage Vista mask has been my favorite nasal mask. I also do OK with a full face mask, it could be that this will be what works for you.

It's also a subjective thing, but whwen using a nasal mask, I don't use a humidifier.

Does ramping up the air seem helpful for you? It's a feature lots of folks like, but I just crank mine up and get the mask right.

Hang in there bro. Making this transition is something that will be a huge help for your health.

I don't even take a nap without the CPAP. Thinking of CPAP as something I'm doing for good rest and health it's almost like a security blanket. I can sense myself starting to relax when I hear it start up.

[colterphoto1]

I have the full mask now and still can't sleep with this thing. Now I can't sleep without it, can't sleep with it.

I've been sleep deprived for quite some time now. The good news is that I can fall asleep at stop lights though.

Not looking forward to even going to bed any more. Mostly I just fall asleep in my recliner for 2 hours at a time. ugh....

[BLSamuel]

Dang. You need to get a good night's sleep. I often feel sleep deprived but not terribly and thankfully I don't need CPAP according to my sleep doctor when I had the sleep test and then the nap test a while back. The nap test revealed I fall asleep into REM sleep a lot quicker than a normal person but not quite narcolepsy.

You might ask your sleep doctor if you'd be a candidate for a retainer like devise to treat your sleep apnea. Naturally it doesn't work for all types of sleep apnea but it can work for some. My father-out-law swears by his CPAP machine. I'm not sure my mother-out-law even uses hers but I don't recall either one of them saying anything about a retainer like device. I probably wouldn't know about it except a member of the Kokomo Table Tennis Club makes a few in his retainter business.

I don't think sleeping with a retainer like device would be optimal either but may be easier to adapt to than a CPAP machine.

Good luck. Let me know and I'll ask Mike if he knows any sleep doctors in the Indianapolis area who use that method. I'm not sure it's real common but may only work for a small number of sleep apnea sufferers.

[mark1101]

I have a bad snoring problem to the point that my wife recorded me snoring on the livingroom chair with her office dictaphone machine and played it for me and the kids one night. It was a seriously embarassing moment and I searched far and wide for a solution. It was HORRIBLE to listen to.

I wound up purchasing a mouth piece type device called a RIP Snore that holds the bottom jaw slightly forward during sleep. On the very first night it COMPLETELY stopped my snoring. Problem resolved. Everyone is happy. I feel great in the morning.

I can't believe that the people who live in my home had to listen to THAT for all those years. The product says it is NOT a cure for obstructive sleep apnea but other similar products say they ARE. Same devices. This device might be a something to consider based on a doctor's opinion of course.