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Sleep Apnea folks....who's using a CPAP and how goes it?

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Originally posted by: Narse
I could never do without my CPAP now, I have been on it for about 2 years now and it was one of the best things I ever did. The difference in quality of sleep is downright amazing.
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QFMFT

I use one, the first 2 weeks are the hardest but if you are consistant you get past it. It will change your life. I prefer full facemasks to the over the nose crap but TRY A LOT OF MASKS and don't take shit from your DME/Respritory therapist about not being able to exchange masks until you find one that works for you. If you don't sleep on your back you'll be more uncomfortable in the short term but you learn to adjust. I myself am a stomach sleeper and even now I get in to the occasional fight with my mask.

I've been using mine for over 2 years and it was litterly night and day the difference it made.
 
Originally posted by: Brainonska511
Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
lose weight.
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It's not always about being fat. My father has sleep apnea completely unrelated to weight (he's 5'9", ~150lbs).
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Yep. I'm not overweight either. 6'2, 190lbs and I've been exercising pretty regularly. When I had it bad in college, I was skinny as hell at 170lbs.
 
My wife tells me I stop breathing in my sleep sometimes, but I don't ever wake up. I should probably get checked out. Maybe I'll try to setup a sleep study after I get back from Vegas.
 
Originally posted by: joshsquall
My wife tells me I stop breathing in my sleep sometimes, but I don't ever wake up. I should probably get checked out. Maybe I'll try to setup a sleep study after I get back from Vegas.
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From my endocrinology class that I took, you generally don't wake up to consciousness, but your brainwave patterns start to move in that direction during apnea events (not breathing). It causes long term problems on hormonal levels and what not too, so do get that checked out. If you do have sleep apnea, you'll probably feel much better in the long run if you get it treated.
 
My father uses one now. No more snoring, which good for my mother, and he actually RESTS at night so his brain has the necessary deep sleep required to sift through and organize all that data it collected throughout the day. Deep sleep is kind of like the defrag/disk-cleanup for our brains. Granted, he's been in IT running a site development wing of his company for over a decade just fine, but he's been less tired after the day and he's been even MORE productive in general. Could you imagine the difference this would make for someone like him, who manages to be a HIGHLY productive person WITH sleep apnea and WITHOUT a good nights rest? Night and day, he says.
 
Originally posted by: manowar821
My father uses one now. No more snoring, which good for my mother, and he actually RESTS at night so his brain has the necessary deep sleep required to sift through and organize all that data it collected throughout the day. Deep sleep is kind of like the defrag/disk-cleanup for our brains. Granted, he's been in IT running a site development wing of his company for over a decade just fine, but he's been less tired after the day and he's been even MORE productive in general. Could you imagine the difference this would make for someone like him, who manages to be a HIGHLY productive person WITH sleep apnea and WITHOUT a good nights rest? Night and day, he says.
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It's not just about re-organizing data. Growth hormone is only released during stage 4 sleep, other pituitary hormones also work at night. Poor sleep leads to physical stess, etc....
 
Originally posted by: joshsquall
My wife tells me I stop breathing in my sleep sometimes, but I don't ever wake up. I should probably get checked out. Maybe I'll try to setup a sleep study after I get back from Vegas.
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You do wake up. In-fact, I'm willing to bet you don't ever really sleep. It's just not visible from her side. There are many layers of consciousness.
 
I had a sleep study done. Turns out it wasn't sleep apnea, and thank god. Wearing that thing for even 10 minutes was annoying as hell.
 
I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea... approximately 900 hypopnea events per hour. Hypopnea event is when you stop breathing.

I was put onto a CPAP.. received mine from my insurance 3 days later.
I was lucky.. at the time, my insurance covered Sleep Apnea 100% .. all i had to pay for was the mask and hose every six months.

Mask & Hose is about $30 .. they say to replace it every six months.. but i've gone for 2+ years on a single mask ... if it doesnt develop leaks.. i'm not replacing it.


It does take a little bit to get used to a nasal mask... and it REALLY sucks when you have a cold and stuffy nose. I've learned a few tricks to try to keep my nasal passages open so i can breathe.


THIS is the CPAP machine i have.

THIS is the mask i use.

If you have any questions.. drop me a PM.

 
Originally posted by: guyver01
I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea... approximately 900 hypopnea events per hour. Hypopnea event is when you stop breathing.

I was put onto a CPAP.. received mine from my insurance 3 days later.
I was lucky.. at the time, my insurance covered Sleep Apnea 100% .. all i had to pay for was the mask and hose every six months.

Mask & Hose is about $30 .. they say to replace it every six months.. but i've gone for 2+ years on a single mask ... if it doesnt develop leaks.. i'm not replacing it.


It does take a little bit to get used to a nasal mask... and it REALLY sucks when you have a cold and stuffy nose. I've learned a few tricks to try to keep my nasal passages open so i can breathe.


THIS is the CPAP machine i have.

THIS is the mask i use.

If you have any questions.. drop me a PM.
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900?!?! Mine was 93 and that is considered severe sleep anea. :shocked:

I have the same setup! :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: Terabyte
900?!?! Mine was 93 and that is considered severe sleep anea. :shocked:
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yup..

The Sleep Tech said their equipment picked up loss of breath every 4 seconds or so.


 
I have one as well. I'm 29 years old now, and I've had it for about 1.5 years. It's taken me a long time to get used to wearing it, but now I can sometimes go all night with it on. I had to take a lot of precautions to prevent moisture from being created and waking me up. For a long while, I was taking it off in my sleep.

I like sleeping with it now, as my body associates it with sleep, and I am more relaxed after I put it on. Sometimes it just doesn't work out to where I can wear it though.

I actually have two--one from civilian doctors, and another from the VA (I was with civies when I was working full time. Now that I'm part-time, I switched everything over to VA, and it was the best thing I ever did).
 
Originally posted by: Narse
I could never do without my CPAP now, I have been on it for about 2 years now and it was one of the best things I ever did. The difference in quality of sleep is downright amazing.
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Same here.
 
Originally posted by: Tobolo
I got a CPAP a month or two ago and have absolutely hated it. I am not about to give up on it yet though. My problem is the face mask that I have leaks air around the seal and blows air in to my face.

I am waiting for my insurance time frame to come back up so I can get a new one. Hopefully, this will solve my problem and it will be awesome.
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I had this problem as well. I find that I have to adjust the straps on it as well as stay somewhat clean shaven in order for the seal to work properly. Nothing worse than it leaking into an eye...
 
So is there any way around the CPAP for sleep apnea? I almost certinaly have it, I have horrible adenoid and nasal problems.
 
Originally posted by: guyver01
Originally posted by: Chaotic42
So is there any way around the CPAP for sleep apnea?
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surgery... they remove the back of your tongue.. and some throat thickness
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I've been told that the surgery only works about 35% to 45% of the time where the success rate for a compliant CPAP user is in the 75% to 85% range.
 
I am supposed to use it.

However, when sleeping on my side, I get leakages and end up tossingthe unit in the middle of the night.

Wife appreciates that lack of snoring; however, the noise the machine makes is like sleeping beside a vacumcleaner.

I should talk to the supply house and try the half mask rather than the full mask
 
I have been wearing one for over 3 years now. Actually I am so used to I have a hard time sleeping without one. One time I had a power outage right before I went to bed and I couldn't go to sleep. It is kind of a pain when you are one a airplane because it is another bag that you have to deal with going through security and they always put the CPAP through the secondary check. The wife loves it because I no longer snore.
 
Originally posted by: Brovane
It is kind of a pain when you are one a airplane because it is another bag that you have to deal with going through security and they always put the CPAP through the secondary check. The wife loves it because I no longer snore.
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The CPAP is a medical device and as such it has never been advisable to check it as luggage (it may be damaged or lost), and it is important to your health to use the CPAP every night, even if you will be away from home for even just one night.

The limit of one carry-on bag and one personal bag (e.g., purse or briefcase) for each traveler does not apply to medical supplies and/or assistive devices .

The official word from the TSA is that "CPAP machines respirators" are permitted beyond security checkpoints. You can read about this at
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/a...pecialneeds/index.shtm.

On my CPAP machine case, i have THIS tag. It reads:

MEDICAL ALERT - RESPIRATORY EQUIPMENT

CPAP/BiPAP/VPAP/AUTOPAP This respiratory therapy device is a medical necessity and should be kept with the patient at all times. It should not be stored away from the passenger and does not count as carry-on luggage. This device provides life support for people with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

DOT (Department of Transportation) Rules State Respiratory therapy devices (i.e. CPAP) brought into the cabin by an individual with a disability shall not count towards the limit on carry-on items. TSA (Transportation Security Administration) Rules State Respiratory therapy devices may be inspected at any and all check-in points but should not be separated from the prescribed owner.
 
They got some sort of scam going on here in NY (go figure). I was diagnosed with Apnea early this year and was told it was going to cost me $1000 out of pocket. Seems my insurance only pays for 50% of the equipment and, it seems to me, that the only way that the sleep center I went to will allow you to use a machine is if you get it from them, which is a $2000 machine. I asked about getting a different one, but she immediately said that the one they offer they can monitor from the sleep center remotely.

So I'm sort of stuck between dropping a grand or getting the Respironics REMStar. Or I may just go to a different sleep center and see what they ahve to say. Talked to a dental tech after my son's exam this week. She opted for the surgery and she says that she'd do it again. They took out her uvula, tonsils and scraped the back of her throat to open up the passageway.
 
What's the deal with the mouth piece that pulls your jaw forward? Is this a "prescription" device or can I buy it at CVS or whatever?

I really hate the idea of taking a sleep machine with me everywhere I go. I'm trying to simplify my life, not complicate it.
 
Originally posted by: Sentrosi2121
They got some sort of scam going on here in NY (go figure).
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Don't blame NY.. blame your insurance company.

I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea over 6 years ago.. was living in NYC at the time.

I went to the Sleep Center at John Mather Hospital, in Port Jefferson.

As i posted earlier, my insurance covered the machine 100% ... and i could choose any machine i wanted. Of course, at the time, i had no clue about what machine i could use.. so they sent me one that the sleep center chose..



 
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