Author Topic: How many here have sleep apnea?Anyone sleep w/a compressor? (Read 22505 times)

Brian Williams · « **Reply #50 on:** January 26, 2006, 05:15:59 AM »

Hey guys look for an item called a nasal pad, it is smaller than a mask and just straps to the side of your head and a small tube goes from your ear to your nose and the pads fit right in your nose.

Devon · « **Reply #51 on:** January 26, 2006, 09:26:20 AM »

I had sleep apnea, I would stop breathing avg. 47 times per hour per sleep study results. I used the CPAP machine for ~ 2 years. During that time I used several different style masks before I found one that I could tolerate. Also get a product called AYR, it helps keep your sinuses from getting too dry, the humidifier didn't work for me. I eventually ended up having the corrective surgery so I dont need the CPAP anymore. I dont recommend having the surgery, it's painful, takes a long time to recover, and in my case I had to relearn how to swallow even simple things like water. I still after 5 years post-op have difficulty swallowing water without choking. Best thing is to use the CPAP IMHO.

Devon

280plus · « **Reply #52 on:** January 26, 2006, 10:19:04 AM »

Yes, I use nasal moisturizer before bed and we humidify the room. Dry sinuses lead to nose bleeds. I also have found that those "breathe right" nasal strips used with the CPAP will improve the airflow even more. On those nights when the nose or sinuses are too stuffy I do a small puff of Afrin in each nostril. Only once and only when necessary. I hear the stuff can be addictive.

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #53 on:** January 26, 2006, 11:31:36 AM »

Just thought of something, as I dress for my Dr appt. I have terrible nasal allergies. Not as bad as in CA, where I was stuffed up or running/sneezing 10-11 months out of 12. Here in Oregon, I have a stuffed up nose about 4 months of the year, and runny nose/sneezing for around a month and a half. If I can't breathe through my nose, will the mask still work for me?

TarpleyG · « **Reply #54 on:** January 26, 2006, 12:06:32 PM »

I have a lot of trouble breathing through my nose most times. I blow it real good and use a saline nasal spray just before hosing up at night. It's amazing how much this will open up your nasal passages.

Greg

280plus · « **Reply #55 on:** January 26, 2006, 12:36:35 PM »

Tell the doctor!

And tell us what he/she says! Please!

Cheesy

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #56 on:** January 26, 2006, 03:32:09 PM »

Quote from: TarpleyG

hosing up at night.
Greg

Lol. What an image...

Anyway, The doctor set me up with the lab for a blood test(don't know if that's related or not), and sent in the paperwork for the oxygen test. The way they do it here, is the testing company loans the equipment and to you with instructions, and you do the test at home. After that, I go for the part where they try the mask on me overnight. Didn't ask about the allergies, forgot. The sleep specialist will know more, I'd guess.

brimic · « **Reply #57 on:** January 26, 2006, 04:27:13 PM »

Quote

Anyway, The doctor set me up with the lab for a blood test(don't know if that's related or not),

Maybe to rule out thyroid or liver problems?

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #58 on:** January 26, 2006, 05:45:59 PM »

Could be. I don't argue with blood tests, I figure it can't hurt, and may alert me to something dangerous.
It's one of those where I have to fast for 12 hours prior, so they can test my blood sugar.

brimic · « **Reply #59 on:** February 03, 2006, 12:57:56 AM »

Just got set up with a machine and mask yesterday. Not sure of any improvement yet as I only got about 2.5 hours of sleep before work tonight, I guess I'll get to give it a full test run in a few hours.

TarpleyG · « **Reply #60 on:** February 03, 2006, 02:41:02 AM »

Quote from: brimic

Just got set up with a machine and mask yesterday. Not sure of any improvement yet as I only got about 2.5 hours of sleep before work tonight, I guess I'll get to give it a full test run in a few hours.

It'll take you a few weeks before you start seeing any improvement. Of course, YMMV.

Greg

280plus · « **Reply #61 on:** February 03, 2006, 03:04:38 AM »

Actually, The first night I wore it I DID NOT get up 5-6 times to pee. I thought getting up this many times was normal for someone who drinks a lot of water like I do.

Good luck, hose head!! Don't be afraid to ask questions. I'm sure we'd all be glad to help our newbies. Hell, I'm happy knowing we turned so many on to this! May you all enjoy life a little more!!

Cheesy

Brian Williams · « **Reply #62 on:** February 03, 2006, 03:16:31 AM »

I talked with a friend who uses one of these yesterday and he was telling me about the Swift system, it uses a smaller tube and comes along side his head and had a pillow like arrangement for his nose, it is a lot smaller than a normal tube system.

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #63 on:** February 04, 2006, 03:53:58 PM »

Well, the blood test came back. Glucose is fine, Cholesterol is ok, but bad cholesterol is a little elevated. Guess I need to eat more Cheerios, and lay off the bacon for a while.
I picked up the machine for measuring my oxygen level yesterday. Decided to sleep on my back, as it seems that would be the worst position. My wife was listening, though, and says I actually snore and stop breathing more on my side. I'm a little concerned the machine wasn't working right. I had a heck of a time getting ti set up right. It would run for a few minutes, then stop reading. So, I may have to do this again. I hope not. Awful, absolutely awful sleep last night! Once I finally got the danged thing to work right(after two hours), I couldn't get comfortable. My wife said I snored horribly, and was stopping my breathing so often it scared her. I kept forgetting thwe machine was there, and turning over on my stomach, so I was lying on top of the machine. I finally took it off after 10 hours, and slep four hours over my normal wakeup this morning.
So, I trun the machine in Monday, then make a Dr appointment for a referral to the sleep clinic. At this point, I'm afraid the doctor will say nothing's wrong, that it's all in my head. If so, I'll have to see another doc. At this point, having learned about sleep apnea, it's worse than before. Now I feel as though there's a chance at a normal life, without constant exhaustion. I've caught myself fantisizing about a good night's sleep with the machine, LOL!
Well, wish me luck!

M14rick · « **Reply #64 on:** February 05, 2006, 10:08:43 AM »

I have been on the machine now for +3 months. I have no problems with the machine, a Respironics Remstar Pro2 with CFLEX (pressure automatically drops on exhalation) and heated humidifier. The mask, on the other hand (Respironics Comfort Classic) is not easy for me to get along with...I would like to try the Respironics Comfort Curve interface. I do get a better nights sleep, was getting up 2-4 times to pee, but not any more. I didn't experience any weight loss, until I was let go from a high stress job. Now I eat more sensibly, and am losing weight. I wish my wife would go and get a sleep study, since the main reason I went was to stop her nagging about my snoring....it worked for me, but I still hear her snoring, and she does stop breathing sometimes. She gripes about being tired all the time, too. I guess if she got the machine it would eliminate her favorite excuse for denying maritial bliss!
I do dream now, it had been a long time since I had dreams, and they were usually nightmares...I am an alcoholic, and stopped drinking in '98.
Go with CPAP if you need it, I am glad I did!

InfidelSerf · « **Reply #65 on:** February 05, 2006, 11:15:12 AM »

Ok after reading over this thread, I found that I experience many of the symptoms you hoseheads experienced before going on treatment.
A couple of comments/questions though...
First, I don't have any health insurance, so all expenses in seeking treatment would be on my own.
Second, do you HAVE to have a DR. referall just to get in for a sleep test.
And third, since I know that increased oxygen during sleep would benefit me, why would I even bother spending $3200 on a study just to tell me that "Yep you have so many arousals per hour, you need a CPAP machine."
Why not just shell out $300-500 on one of those machines and start the treatment on myself.

I don't really see any NEGATIVE effects of increasing the air flow during sleep. So even if I didn't need it it wouldn't hurt me. Right?

-edit- after some further research is seems that an auto adjusting CPAP machine would be the choice without a sleeptest.

TarpleyG · « **Reply #66 on:** February 05, 2006, 12:38:22 PM »

Well, you'd have to know what level to set your machine at to start with. Not sure what would happen if you were using the wrong pressure. Probably not much if it were too low but maybe a bunch if it were too high. If the autoadjust CPAP (BIPAP?) would do this automatically, shoudl be no biggie. I am sure there are plenty of folks self-diagnosing like you but maybe not so many willing to openly discuss on the Internet. Buying equipment will be the major hurdle. It's all going to be secon-hand stuff which is okay I guess. E-bay should be a start.

Greg

InfidelSerf · « **Reply #67 on:** February 05, 2006, 06:34:15 PM »

Quote

It's all going to be secon-hand stuff which is okay I guess.

Why would only second hand equipment be available?
This site seems to be selling new with no requirement of a Dr. referal http://www.cpap.com/
Perhaps I'm missing something.

Sergeant Bob · « **Reply #68 on:** February 05, 2006, 07:56:15 PM »

Quote from: veloce851

Quote

It's all going to be secon-hand stuff which is okay I guess.

Why would only second hand equipment be available?
This site seems to be selling new with no requirement of a Dr. referal http://www.cpap.com/
Perhaps I'm missing something.

That's an excellant site to buy your XPAP equipment however, you will need a presription to buy from them.
If I was going to buy equipment without using insurance that is where I would buy it from.
You'll not likely find XPAP equipment on EBay because it does require a script. People do list equipment on there but it is removed once they find out.

If you can get a prescription from a doctor (any doctor) you can buy from cpap.com. Many people have administered their own treatment by buying an APAP machine (Automatic Positive Airway Pressure). With an APAP you really don't have to worry about doing it wrong and it will allow you to monitor your progress and make the necessary adjustments to improve your treatment.

You need to get educated on how to treat OSA, and you can learn more by going to the forums at cpap.com than you are likely to learn from most doctors.
There are alot of different machines, and alot of different masks you can buy. There is no such thing as one mask which works for everyone. There is alot more to it than just slapping on a mask and cranking up a machine. It's not real hard to treat but, if you don't know anything about it you'll waste alot time and money without getting the full benefit of the treatment.

InfidelSerf · « **Reply #69 on:** February 10, 2006, 06:35:53 AM »

Thanks Sgt. Bob, and TarpleyG for the feedback.

I will have to do more research and see if its worth acquiring a machine.

Trebor · « **Reply #70 on:** February 10, 2006, 10:45:20 PM »

Thanks for the links to CPAPTALK and the othe forums. I posted there on the problems I'm having. Basically, I have a machine that I never use because I couldn't get used to it. I decided to try it again and gettting more info looks like it might help.

brimic · « **Reply #71 on:** February 10, 2006, 10:51:47 PM »

I take to my machine like a duck to water. I sleep during the day because of my job and now I have the added bonus of pulling the covers over my head to block out sunlight without having the feeling of suffocating. It takes me about 5 minutes of fidgeting to get comfortable, after that, its all good. I'm not sleeping nearly as much either. I find that after sleeping 5 hours on the machine, I want to get out of bed and do things, the longest I've slept so far on the machine was 6 1/2 hours, but I suppose I'm getting far more rested in that much time than if I sleep 9 hours without it.

Sergeant Bob · « **Reply #72 on:** February 11, 2006, 06:05:50 AM »

Quote from: Trebor

Thanks for the links to CPAPTALK and the othe forums. I posted there on the problems I'm having. Basically, I have a machine that I never use because I couldn't get used to it. I decided to try it again and gettting more info looks like it might help.

They are a great resource for info on CPAP. There are people there who have been on CPAP since it began and know more about it than most any doctor. I'm glad it was helpful.

Quote from: veloce851

Thanks Sgt. Bob, and TarpleyG for the feedback.

Quote

I will have to do more research and see if its worth acquiring a machine.

My pleasure. I had a sleep study myself ($3,200 worth) and all I learned there was that I had OSA. Not much about how to treat it. Through those forums I learned enough to have at least some knowledge of machines and masks, and how to make it all work.
Many people go into it blind, and when it doesn't work for them they just give up, not getting the benefit of the treatment. I firmly believe in the treatment is beneficial.
Before I started, I would get sleepy while driving, drift off while reading or in classes, woke up at night about every 2 hours to use the bathroom, would wake up in a puddle of sweat. Now all of that is over.

Quote from: brimic

I take to my machine like a duck to water. I sleep during the day because of my job and now I have the added bonus of pulling the covers over my head to block out sunlight without having the feeling of suffocating.

Me too! I call my machine and mask my SCUBA (Self Contained Undercover Breathing Apparatus) gear.

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #73 on:** February 22, 2006, 05:00:15 PM »

Fjolnirsson · « **Reply #74 on:** February 22, 2006, 05:35:02 PM »

Hmmmmm...
I don't know where the rest of that last post went. Anyway, I went back to the doctor, after they finally got in the results of the oxygen level test I did. So, I do have apnea, and now I'm waiting to hear back from the sleep center to schedule my appt for the overnight stay.

News:

Author Topic: How many here have sleep apnea?Anyone sleep w/a compressor? (Read 22505 times)