Anyone use a CPAP machine?

[pontifex]

As title says...
I have severe sleep apnea according to the neurologist. They had me do 2 sleep studies q without and 1 with a cpap machine. I've had my machine since Thursday and its a real bitch. Its more comfortable than the lab but i hate wearing it.

I have a resmed airsense 10 and a philips respironics nasal pillow mask. My main issues right now is that i find myself waking up with my mouth open and i get dry mouth. I have a chin strap but it slipped off the 1st night i used it, plus i dont think it works very well. I also find it uncomfortable to keep my mouth closed all the time like that.

The other side issue is the straps for the mask are uncomfortable. Have a cloth version of the same mask coming as my free 30 day exchange. Ihope it feels better.

I tried a nasal mask and nasal and mouth mask at the lab. The nasal/mouth one was horrible. Felt hot and to restrictive. Nasal mask was better but not by much.

My machine has a humidifier but not sure how well it works. Had it on highest setting last night and didn't notice a difference until morning when there was a ton of condensation in the tube.

What tips do you guys have for using these things?

 

[keird]

I really recommend that you stick with it for at least a couple of weeks. My job relies on getting people to use these things and I have some anecdotes from people that use CPAP. The two people that I'm going to use to illustrate are fit guys. The first is a former USMC sniper who switched to the US Army and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He brings it out in the woods and uses whatever power source is available in order to sleep. The second person is my former Commander who's a thin guy. He deployed to Afghanistan with a nice CPAP unit that lets him sleep with the various electrical sources available.

I used these two guys as examples that aren't your typical obstructive sleep apnea patients. They're just genetically predisposed to obstructing. They took a couple of weeks to adjust to it and now will always use CPAP in their sleep plans. They're well rested and alert during the day. They're not my patients but I served with them and saw them use CPAP nightly.

The humidification isn't completely necessary but it will lessen irritated mucosa (nose/mouth). Use distilled or sterile water, not tap. Clean the hose as necessary using the manufacturers instructions. Although it's not super warm in the hoses of home CPAP units it can become a breeding ground for germs. We change our disposable tubes weekly in the hospital.

 

[Ns1]

I have severe apnea. Used a CPAP for 4 months, hated it, sold it.

Had a few times where the mask slipped off and I woke up in a panic. Ridiculous feeling, do not want.

Gotta go back to see what other machines they have.

 

[zinfamous]

Dad has one now that is very small and completely silent. He can't live without the thing. He's been doing it for over a decade now--started off as Darth Vader and no one could be in the room, but now he has the "bleeding edge" of CPAP devices.

Maybe it's an issue with the practitioner, and what they have available. FWIW: working with a group like Mayo clinic, and you are set.

Other tips for sleep apnea: lose weight. Fast, diet, exercise, screw whores, heroin, etc.
:\

 

[Ns1]

Medical marijuana doesn't help btw.




But it sure feels great.

 

[zinfamous]

Medical marijuana doesn't help btw.




But it sure feels great.

It's because of the Funion-themed "after party."

 

[Ns1]

I'm taking pepperoni and mushroom supplements.

 

[waggy]

Dad has one now that is very small and completely silent. He can't live without the thing. He's been doing it for over a decade now--started off as Darth Vader and no one could be in the room, but now he has the "bleeding edge" of CPAP devices.

Maybe it's an issue with the practitioner, and what they have available. FWIW: working with a group like Mayo clinic, and you are set.

Other tips for sleep apnea: lose weight. Fast, diet, exercise, screw whores, heroin, etc.
:\

Now i'm no doctor but i think that perhaps Heroin may not be a good idea. but hell i could be wrong!

 

[SunnyD]

Sleep apnea is the new "in thing" I guess for doctors to suck money out of insurance companies' coffers.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

 

[slag]

Sleep apnea is the new "in thing" I guess for doctors to suck money out of insurance companies' coffers.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

No, we weren't as fat even just 20 years ago. I have one and used it extensively when i was severely overweight. Made all the difference in the world. I have a post somewhere about it on this forum. Went from being tired all the time and falling asleep at my desk and on my way home from work to being alert and awake all the time, even with just 6 hours of sleep. The difference was I was actually sleeping and resting instead of waking up multiple times and not ever getting to REM and deep sleep.

Now that I've lost 90 lbs, I don't need to use it but still do sometimes just to see if it makes a difference. keeping your mouth closed is just one of those things some people can do and some cant. I never had a problem keeping it closed while lying on my back.

Summary: If it works for you, its better than any drug out there. If you fight it or it doesn't work for you, you won't enjoy the benefits and are better off with a mouth guard type tool or possibly surgery. I have a RESMED S9 autoset with humidification and go through an entire container of water every night.

 

[Xonim]

I've had one since early-mid May this year. I will NOT even try sleep without it, the difference is remarkable.

If the nasal pillows are giving you problems, try getting a full face mask (nose & mouth covered). They don't like to recommend them because they say the larger size makes them more likely to get dislodged in the middle of the night, but not having dry mouth AND being able to still use it when you've got a cold makes them totally worth it. I've never had a problem with it being dislodged, so...yeah.

My wife got one a couple months ago also, and she's been having a really hard time actually using it. She hates it. Mine doesn't bother me whatsoever.

 

[Rakehellion]

I use a CRAP machine every morning. Sometime 2 or 3 times a day depending on what I've eaten. I don't think it's a big deal.

 

[umbrella39]

Sleep apnea is the new "in thing" I guess for doctors to suck money out of insurance companies' coffers.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

Wrong. You HAVE to have a sleep study done at an approved lab to be diagnosed and treated for such. Doctors don't diagnose OSA by sight. In my hospital we first must perform an overnight trend where you are hooked up to continuous pulse oximetry overnight. In the am the results are run through a computer program and if there is a sufficient amount of nocturnal desaturations, a sleep study is ordered.

Sleep apnea isn't about snoring and being inconvenienced by it.

It's upper airway obstructions and about stopping breathing and desatting while sleeping which causing numerous problems some very serious to the people they affect.

There is also central sleep apnea which has NOTHING to do with snoring. It's a neurological condition affecting millions of people where the brain does not signal you to inhale while sleeping.

Hints that you might not know what you are talking about: Insurance companies don't just pay for a sleep study and provide a CPAP/BIPAP machine unless there is medically documented proof of need and after sleep studies are done. Not all fat people have OSA. OSA does not only affect fat people. OSA isn't about snoring. Not all OSA patient snore. OSA is about not breathing while you sleep and your oxygen levels falling so low that you wake up in some cases hundreds of times a night. CSA pts do not even have a snoring component.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical inoculations came along? Oh yeah... die.

 

[DCal430]

I use a CPAP. I use a simple nasal pillow "mask". I don't really have an issue with keeping my mouth shut. I know some people try the tape method, but I read doctors advise against this.

FYI I use my CPAP each night, during the sleep study my oxygen level fell to 70% without it. Scary to think I was doing actual damage to my body each night with such low Oxygen levels.

 

[interchange]

Sleep apnea is the new "in thing" I guess for doctors to suck money out of insurance companies' coffers.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

Explain to me the mechanism by which a doctor who refers a patient for a sleep study receives financial benefit for doing so. I'd like to know. I'm a doctor and I'd love to have more money.

This is the same as a patient won't take anti-hypertensive scenario. Yeah doc, I feel fine even though my blood pressure is 186/102. I don't need that crap. Then they have a stroke. If you have severe sleep apnea, you need treatment or you are playing dice with your health.

 

[Rakehellion]

Sleep apnea is the new "in thing" I guess for doctors to suck money out of insurance companies' coffers.

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

Waaaah! Corporations are doing stuff!

 

[AdamK47]

It would seem like proper diet and exercise would be a better path. Not only would it alleviate this problem, it would also lessen a long list of other problems. That's hard work though. Who has time and energy for that?

 

[vi edit]

It would seem like proper diet and exercise would be a better path. Not only would it alleviate this problem, it would also lessen a long list of other problems. That's hard work though. Who has time and energy for that?

Devils advocate...there's no energy to actually exercise if you aren't able to sleep and recover.

 

[slag]

It would seem like proper diet and exercise would be a better path. Not only would it alleviate this problem, it would also lessen a long list of other problems. That's hard work though. Who has time and energy for that?

You can be thin and in shape and still have sleep apnea. While the trend is that more overweight or heavier people have it, sleep apnea can affect any body size or type.

 

[interchange]

It would seem like proper diet and exercise would be a better path. Not only would it alleviate this problem, it would also lessen a long list of other problems. That's hard work though. Who has time and energy for that?

Gosh, that's brilliant. I was having this argument with my mom the other day. She was saying there's no way we should be giving away guns in school to minors. I said if they receive proper training on gun safety then that will mitigate the risk. Most of them will go ahead and nip that in the bud if we just recommend it to them, right? They're responsible enough. I figure by age 18 they'll have figured it out. And gun accidents are pretty rare. So, age 15 would be a good age to give them the guns right?!

 

[pontifex]

my oxygen was down to like 72% or 74% when i did my first sleep study without the machine and they said I was waking up 34 times an hour because of it.

the study with the machine showed me at like 95% oxygen and much lower instances of waking up.

I'm going to try to stick with it, but its rough going. for something so personal with comfort, they really need to do a better job with allowing more trial periods or something.

I tired 4 different masks at the office where I got my machine. 2 nasal pillows and 2 nasal masks. I hated the full face mask at the sleep study so we didn't even try one of those at the office. the 1 nasal mask felt the most comfortable at the time at the office.

i believe i get 1 free exchange of masks within 30 days but then I think I have to wait 90 days for insurance to pay for another mask. I could buy my own mask but they are expensive. I've already used up my 30 day exchange for the same nasal pillow but with cloth straps.

I also have lots of nasal congestion all year long so they are thinking a full face mask would be better for me since i want to open my mouth when sleeping.

 

[pontifex]

It would seem like proper diet and exercise would be a better path. Not only would it alleviate this problem, it would also lessen a long list of other problems. That's hard work though. Who has time and energy for that?

oh yeah sure, i'll just go out and drop 50 lbs overnight. i'll get right on that!

i love how people always say "just lose weight"

while i have been working on that and I have lost over 50 lbs since mid-april, its not a quick or easy process.

 

[interchange]

Back on topic, sorry you're having problems. Insurance companies do not do us much favors in terms of getting people equipment that works best for them quickly, and often they are suffering pretty badly in the process. However, absolutely stick with it and jump through any hoops you have to. My experience with patients is that the large majority adjust after a few months use and often switch over to "can't live without it" due to improved sleep quality. That adjustment period is rough, and full of very anxiety provoking bodily sensations which condition us to say "NO". Realize, however, that your body did that same adjustment to lack of oxygen just over a much longer period of time. Good luck!

 

[mikeford]

Sleep study totally freaked me out. I'm normally up a couple hours past midnight, sleep study starts at like 9pm or so. I absolutely can't sleep on my back with a normal pillow. I start to fall asleep and breathing obstructs immediately and I wake up gasping. The combo of 9pm and flat on my back did not work.

After this not only could I not tolerate a cpap mask, for two years I couldn't tolerate being outside with any wind in my face without starting a panic about breathing.

My experience is typical of about 25% who have a sleep study.

I bought a 14" lift wedge pillow and that combined with a thick normal pillow seems to work fairly well.

 

[tcsenter]

I mean whatever did we do before all of these medical intervention devices came along? Oh yeah... snore.

Same thing as people today who have uncontrolled or unrecognized sleep apnea - develop hypertension, cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia, premature heart disease, heart attacks, or died prematurely.