Sleep apnea, CPAPs and other sleep health solutions.

[tallyho8]

My wife complained that sometimes when I was sleeping I would not breathe for a minute so I went to the doctor to get checked for sleep apnea. I slept overnight at the hospital with all the testing apparatus on and they found I had central sleep apnea and needed a bipap. Since I have been a mouth breather my whole life I needed the full mask that covered my face and nose. Using it for 6 months I went to sleep easier and woke up less times during the night to use the bathroom as I have an enlarged prostate and usually need to go quite often. The bipap started out using low pressure and as you went to sleep used higher pressure to fill your lungs. This higher pressure caused the air to leak out around the sides making a squeaking noise annoying my wife and sometimes waking me up.

I went back to the hospital for a second night check and even though I told the doctor I could not breathe out of my nose at night, he insisted I be tested in a mask that covered only my nose with a strap around my head preventing me from opening my mouth to breathe. It was the worst night in my life as I struggled to breathe. That doctor gave me a prescription for my bipap that increased the pressure to it causing it to squeak even more. After a week I threw it away and haven't used one since. This was 5 years ago.

At times I wish I had my first bipap back so I wouldn't have to get up 4 or 5 times during the night to use the bathroom but even if you have to get up 2 or 3 times, taking it off each time and putting it back on, it is quite a hassle.

All I can think about this experience is that the doctors were "practicing" and that nothing is definite in the field of medicine yet except when they say you are dead, you USUALLY are dead.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

My wife complained that sometimes when I was sleeping I would not breathe for a minute so I went to the doctor to get checked for sleep apnea. I slept overnight at the hospital with all the testing apparatus on and they found I had central sleep apnea and needed a bipap. Since I have been a mouth breather my whole life I needed the full mask that covered my face and nose. Using it for 6 months I went to sleep easier and woke up less times during the night to use the bathroom as I have an enlarged prostate and usually need to go quite often. The bipap started out using low pressure and as you went to sleep used higher pressure to fill your lungs. This higher pressure caused the air to leak out around the sides making a squeaking noise annoying my wife and sometimes waking me up.

I went back to the hospital for a second night check and even though I told the doctor I could not breathe out of my nose at night, he insisted I be tested in a mask that covered only my nose with a strap around my head preventing me from opening my mouth to breathe. It was the worst night in my life as I struggled to breathe. That doctor gave me a prescription for my bipap that increased the pressure to it causing it to squeak even more. After a week I threw it away and haven't used one since. This was 5 years ago.

At times I wish I had my first bipap back so I wouldn't have to get up 4 or 5 times during the night to use the bathroom but even if you have to get up 2 or 3 times, taking it off each time and putting it back on, it is quite a hassle.

All I can think about this experience is that the doctors were "practicing" and that nothing is definite in the field of medicine yet except when they say you are dead, you USUALLY are dead.

You drive home how hard it can be to get life extending sleep even with good equipment options.

Getting up more than once or twice a night seems to reduce how long we qualify to receive Social Security payments.

Going 18 years self treating off of a hunch forced me to really hit the sleep apnea research.

Waking up at work with rolls of xxxxxx, kkkkkkkk, ECT on my monitor or falling asleep while talking was concerning. One night on my way home from the office I woke up going down a long driveway and that scared the daylights out of me because I had ran off the road and narrow missed a telephone pole and was going down a driveway when I came to. I went home with all windows down on a cold night the rest of the way to home.

Fighting with a CPAP machine is no fun but I learned from watching my father die from congestive heart failure and dementia is no fun so working preventing both of those is worth the pain of learning how to use a CPAP machine.

 

[DKCDKC]

I've used a CPAP and BIPAP for 20 years. It made a huge difference when I started and made me feel more rested and energetic than I had for 30 years. I am a steady user and have actually been unable to sleep for any length of time without it. A Medicare screw-up forced me to get a new sleep study last year and I had to do two nights to just get any sleep so that they could assess my apnea. But I have a new ResMed now and am very happy with it. I use a nasal cushion mask with a chin strap. I'd like to use a full face mask but I get the chipmonk-cheek effect constantly and cannot sleep with it. But my rig works fine. I know people who rejected CPAP and had serious medical issues that the doctors attributed to sleep apnea. I've read the research and I think CPAP is a lifesaver for many. I do think anyone dianosed with apnea should do their own research and learn of the options. CPAP is usually not the only option. The oral appliances will work for some with relatively minor apnea. And there is always surgery that clears it up pretty quickly in many cases. If you choose CPAP there is still a lot to learn about how it works and it is worth it to learn. Check out Apnea Board - Sleep Apnea discussion forums, CPAP Manuals and advice for details and to download software that helps you know how you're doing. Once you learn how to use your machine and mask, the rest is easy. And I noticed a few folks who wrote about getting a generator to power the CPAP at night. You can get a battery pack for CPAP that usually lasts a few days in a power outage for about $300, give or take. It's quiet and better for the CPAP - unless you have an inverter.

 

[The Deerslayer]

The TAP sounds interesting, what is the cost and how do they measure you up for one?

The Philips recall was for people who used Ozone cleaners. I am getting a new one from them soon anyway to replace the one I have.

I like the secondwindcpap people as they clean and do checks on the machines before sending them. The two I bought from them over the years were both new, 0 hours on the clock.

I configure the CPAP machines myself. Had a pro set my first one up years ago.

I use OSCAR to read the data from the chip and that gives better detail than most Dr. Software.

The way it worked for me was a referral was made from the sleep disorder doctor to a dentist who specializes in them. They took upper and lower teeth molds for fitting. Then the molds go out and the TAP was manufactured and sent back to the dentist. Final fitting is then done at another appointment. Cost was several grand if I remember correctly. Fortunately, insurance took care of it.

 

[JM7500]

My snoring drove my wife into another bedroom. I tried wedges, sleeping on my side, nose strips, mouth pieces, etc. but nothing worked. So I went to a sleep doctor in 2019. I did the home study and it showed it was bad off and they wanted the overnight study. I got the Phillips and within a few days, my snoring stopped and I had a lot more energy. People at work said I looked better without knowing what was going on. I can't sleep without it now. I put on the mask and my body knows it's time to sleep. If I fall asleep in the recliner without it, I feel terrible when I wake up. It's a hassle to travel with it because of the size and plan to find a smaller one for travel. I don't clean it as much as I should, but I don't use the humidifier or the heated hose, unless it's very cold and dry in the winter. Heart disease runs in my family and I'm trying do what I can to avoid the heart attacks my father, grandfather and great-grandfathers had. My wife makes sure I eat healthy and I get plenty of exercise taking care of my place.

 

[Alan W.]

Before using my bipap I had to keep antacids next to my bed. I would wake up with stomach acid going into my lungs. I told my specialist about the reflux going away after using the machine. She said that was very common that the body would try to breath against the obstruction to the point of squeezing acid from the stomach.
Also almost never have to get up to go to the bathroom while sleeping.

 

[LouNY]

My wife complained that sometimes when I was sleeping I would not breathe for a minute so I went to the doctor to get checked for sleep apnea. I slept overnight at the hospital with all the testing apparatus on and they found I had central sleep apnea and needed a bipap. Since I have been a mouth breather my whole life I needed the full mask that covered my face and nose. Using it for 6 months I went to sleep easier and woke up less times during the night to use the bathroom as I have an enlarged prostate and usually need to go quite often. The bipap started out using low pressure and as you went to sleep used higher pressure to fill your lungs. This higher pressure caused the air to leak out around the sides making a squeaking noise annoying my wife and sometimes waking me up.

I went back to the hospital for a second night check and even though I told the doctor I could not breathe out of my nose at night, he insisted I be tested in a mask that covered only my nose with a strap around my head preventing me from opening my mouth to breathe. It was the worst night in my life as I struggled to breathe. That doctor gave me a prescription for my bipap that increased the pressure to it causing it to squeak even more. After a week I threw it away and haven't used one since. This was 5 years ago.

At times I wish I had my first bipap back so I wouldn't have to get up 4 or 5 times during the night to use the bathroom but even if you have to get up 2 or 3 times, taking it off each time and putting it back on, it is quite a hassle.

All I can think about this experience is that the doctors were "practicing" and that nothing is definite in the field of medicine yet except when they say you are dead, you USUALLY are dead.

I had a very similar situation with my cpap experience and results.
I have used my cpap off and on for several years trying to find a mask that will work for me.
I've had several that would work for 3-4 nights then they start leaking and waking me up several times a night.
Currently I'm using a Philips Respironics Amara View which seems to be working it did start leaking considerably this morning early.
The nice feature of this mask is it has a quick connect air line to the mask, when I have to get up to relieve myself I can leave the mask on by easily removing the airline, and just letting it go the machine then stops its self and then when I reconnect the machine will restart without having to mess with the head gear.

 

[Duds13]

I'd like to add that an AHI of 10 or less is considered good by sleep doctors and in comparison to an AHI of 60 without a CPAP it is much better, but in reality your AHI should really be 2 or less. A friend of mine who also suffers from severe sleep apnea took a look at my data when I first started using a CPAP using Oscar and was shocked at how poorly I was sleeping even with the CPAP. At that time I was waking up at 2 AM and ripping the mask off my face because it was just annoying. The problem? My sleep doctor had set my min and max pressures WAY too low. SO I was still having apnea events all night and it was taking my machine way too long to react. So we dialed up my pressure and ever since then my AHI is much better. So moral of the story is, talk to your sleep doctor about your AHI and your pressure. Or if you have a very smart friend with sleep apnea like I do, talk to them and use Oscar to look at your data.

 

[Yander]

I had my sleep pressure too high for years and fought my mask leaking and tried different masks. Would be fine for a while and then for no apparent reason start to leak. I changed sleep drs. and the technology of the machines was getting better and she prescribed a machine that auto adjusted the pressure. That was a real game changer. I had my pressure at 16 and this machine auto adjusted it to 8.5 based on what I actually needed.

No more mask leak and no more hatred of the CPAP, well I still hate it but it is saving my life and well being so it is a love hate relationship

 

[kenmbz]

I have my CPAP set so it has an auto range. Where I normally run about the middle according to Oscar.
That program is so much better then what the manufacturers give you.
Since you are not a Dr., they won't give you the program that does detailed reporting.
Though I do have an old hacked version of that software and I still like Oscar better.