Sleep Apnea...CPAP machines

[Chuck50]

RE: Sleep Apnea...Palatal Implant System

 

see above

[+ Gar1eth]

RE: Sleep Apnea...Palatal Implant System

 

>I Have not had a good experience with CPAP. Many friends and

>Bro in law has, so dont give up. My sleep docotor says that

>downt for eeryone some people cant handle the face around the

>mask but if you can it great. I struggled twice, I would like

>to know more about the Dental Plate that was mentioned. HUGS

>Chuck

 

 

It took me about 8 weeks on and off to get used to the mask and as I said in my previous post, I tried at least 3 different masks before finding one I liked.

 

Also you should try BIPAP as opposed to CPAP.

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

RE: Sleep Apnea...Palatal Implant System

 

>I Have not had a good experience with CPAP. Many friends and

>Bro in law has, so dont give up. My sleep docotor says that

>downt for eeryone some people cant handle the face around the

>mask but if you can it great. I struggled twice, I would like

>to know more about the Dental Plate that was mentioned. HUGS

>Chuck

 

 

It took me about 8 weeks on and off to get used to the mask and as I said in my previous post, I tried at least 3 different masks before finding one I liked.

 

Also you should try BIPAP as opposed to CPAP.

 

Gman

[edjames]

A friend was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was in terrible physical shape as a result of the condition. She got a machine and it improved her health and saved her life.

 

Based on the overwhelming amount of positive replies to your initial post, I urge you to reconsider and explore the various devices and how people cope with this.

 

Good luck.

 

ED

[edjames]

A friend was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was in terrible physical shape as a result of the condition. She got a machine and it improved her health and saved her life.

 

Based on the overwhelming amount of positive replies to your initial post, I urge you to reconsider and explore the various devices and how people cope with this.

 

Good luck.

 

ED

[OneFinger]

I apologize in advance for "resurrecting" this post. But, the info here has recently become very relevant in my life. When I searched for this post I found so much good information.

 

About 3 weeks ago my Dr. strongly recommended another sleep study. I recently started falling asleep at my computer at night (hope I didn't post something in my sleep). Actually fell asleep a couple of time while talking on the phone.

 

In short, I knew something was very wrong and I was very afraid I might fall asleep while driving.

 

The sleep study showed that I averaged 27 non-breathing episodes per hour during non-REM sleep. During REM sleep I averages 73 non-breathing incidents per hour.

 

Went through a second sleep study where they put me on a CPAP (complete with all the usual sleep study monitors / wires). They then changed the pressure levels during the night to find the best levels for me.

 

I picked up my CPAP machine yesterday and can't believe how well I slept last night. I use the full mouth / nose mask and had no problems at all getting used to it. The machine is so quiet that I don't even hear it. (Maybe I need hearing aids, too??)

 

My machine is very small and lightweight. It has the heated humidifier that attaches to the front of the machine. The humidifier can also be detached if I don't want to pack it around when I travel. The CPAP is also programmed to begin with a lighter-level of pressure (for the first 20 minutes) then increases to my prescribed level after I fall asleep.

 

The bottom line is that I had forgotten what it felt like to get a good night's sleep. Wish I had done this years ago.

[jackhammer91406]

Tried to respond to this earlier and it appears I did not hit the correct button. Well, pushing buttons has not always been my strong suit, (though some might disagree).

 

No worries IMHO for resurrecting this thread. If even one more person is helped by it's contents, then it is of value.

One of the great aspects of this MC is that it contains so much helpful information on a variety of topics.

[KentuckyBoy]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and was prescribed a CPAP machine. I never could sleep with the noisey and puffing contraption. (It was a good CPAP model. After 30 minutes, it eventually reached a prescribed max air pressure setting on the CPAP machine.) I asked my GP for sleeping pills so I could sleep with the CPAP machine. The pills did not help. In fact, they made matters worse. In frustration, I googled CPAP, sleep apnea and sleeping bills. According to what I read on the web, sleeping pills are a dangerous combination with sleep apnea and CPAP machines. You have to wake-up at some level to start breathing with sleep apnea. So, if you are heavily sedated, you may not wake up with or without the machine. The same day that I googled and on my own, I went cold turkey on the both the sleep medication and the CPAC, hired a trainer, went on a diet and lost 35 lbs. The weight loss corrected the problem. I am, however, some two years later gaining some weight back which I am trying to lose. Hope that my experience helps you.

[foxy]

Since I started this thread a while back I thought I should do a follow up.

 

I hated the first doctor I saw. I made such a stink I got to see the head of the department. I went in armed with blood pressure readings and all the results from my last physical including my EKG. Untreated sleep apnea can lead to heart problems none of which surfaced in any tests I'd had in the past. Also, I'm asymptomatic. Never sleepy during the day, waking up feeling perfectly refreshed, etc.

 

I've also been using a dental appliance which completely stopped my snoring. I use it every night and find it no trouble to use.

 

The doctor looked down my throat and said I had no uvula and asked if I had surgery. I didn't. Sometimes the uvula can be the cause of snoring and contribute to sleep apnea. The weird thing is that I don't have one. Go figure. Probably helps my gag reflex which is important as we all know.

 

He said I was an unusual case. I made a joke about that but he didn't laugh. He said that the dental appliance probably won't stop the apneas even though it stopped the snoring. I'm not sure I buy that.

 

I asked if I should be re-tested, come back for a follow up visit or do anything else? He said "no" to all that. You're done..."goodbye".

 

There's a part of me that wonders if this whole sleep apnea thing is some made up condidtion to sell CPAP machines but I realize they are beneficial to others and I'm glad of that. I'm happy not to be using one however.

[Guest]

>I hated the first doctor I saw. I made such a stink I got to

>see the head of the department. I went in armed with blood

>pressure readings and all the results from my last physical

>including my EKG.

 

The term "armed" seems a little bizarre when talking about an MD appointment. Presumably, even a doctor with a lousy bedside manner is trying to help you, although sometimes doctors with bad bedside manners simply use these bad manners to hide a lack of skills. Other times doctors get frustrated by poorly compliant patients. If you cannot communicate effectively with a doctor, simply switch and provide your old records to be helpful, not because you're ready to do battle.

 

>Also, I'm asymptomatic. Never sleepy during the day,

>waking up feeling perfectly refreshed, etc.

>

It's possible you snore but don't have sleep apnea. Those are different things (although the two often go together). The cardiac damage comes from sleep apnea, not from snoring.

 

 

>There's a part of me that wonders if this whole sleep apnea

>thing is some made up condidtion to sell CPAP machines but I

>realize they are beneficial to others and I'm glad of that.

>I'm happy not to be using one however.

>

The arteries going to the lungs (Pulmonary Arteries) clamp down in areas receiving low oxygen flow, in order to preferentially send circulation to parts of the lung with better gas exchange. When the entire lung, however, gets poor oxygen flow due to sleep apnea, they all clamp down, causing Pulmonary Hypertension. Over time, this can cause enlargement and weaking of the right part of the heart, which can eventually lead to failiure (Cor Pulmonale). The goal of treatment of sleep apnea is to avoid pulmonary hypertension and therefore Cor Pulmonale.

[+ Lucky]

Unicorn- thanks for the information. I didn't know that sleep apnea could ultimately affect the heart. Just the other day I was reading about COPD at the bookstore and learned that most people with that don't die from lung problems but from heart failure as the heart works too hard due to the lung problem. All kinds of things out there waiting to cause us problems, so this site is doing a good service for others when you provide this information.