CPAP

[not2old]

It only took one experience of being woken up by a horn blaring and finding I was three feet over the white line while on the highway to make me pay more attention to how tired I am while driving. Since that happened, I will open a window to get blasted with cold air or pull over for a short nap before continuing.

 

[etpm]

It is neither foolish or stubborn if you cannot mentally handle the idea of the thing on your face, in my case it set off my claustrophobia BIG TIME and could not get it off fast enough. If you are not claustrophobic you DON'T know what it is like. This is a PERSONAL decision of what you can or cannot live with, not one that you have to agree or disagree with, ESPECIALLY if you do not know all the background.

I know all about claustrophobia. Over the last year I had it really bad, worse than usual. I had to start sleeping outside it got so bad. I could not use my CPAP because of the claustrophobia. But I need it to sleep. I finally went to see my doc and she prescribed buspiron. This remarkable medication relieved most of my anxiety about being inside and allowed me to use my CPAP again. Taking the stuff broke the cycle I was going through. I only took the buspiron for about a month. I am now much less claustrophobic.
Eric

 

[pmsmechanic]

Up here the CPAP technicians seem to think that the ordinary person doesn't know anything. When I mentioned that I thought my pressure was too high they wouldn't reduce it because a DR. had prescribed it. I finally got upset and looked up on the internet how to change the pressure. The history was amazing. Before lowering the pressure the mask was leaking regularly. After it basically stayed at the same pressure all night with no mask leakage.

What would happen is the mask would leak a little and the CPAP would increase the pressure to compensate. Then the mask would leak more. Very irritating. I went from having a dried out mouth just about every night to only about slightly dried once a week or so.

My take on it is so what if I do have short moments of apnea once in a while. I shift around enough in my sleep and it's all good again vs waking up with a dried out mouth and being thoroughly ticked off at the CPAP.

I sleep a lot better since I took over the settings on my machine.

 

[Redbug]

New CPAP user here...about 5 months. I used to snore a lot and would wake myself up at times. I would be groggy in the morning, too.

I talked to the doctor about it and took the home sleep study...with the app on my cell phone to send the data to the doctor. The doctor recommended getting a CPAP machine.

With the CPAP I sleep well at night...but usually wake up around 3am to pee. I look at the app on my phone every morning to see the night's results. I average maybe 1 or 2 events an hour. I sleep a lot on my sides and sometimes on my stomach.

Before I got the CPAP I investigated the headgear and chose what I wanted. I am using a Resmed Airsense11 and AirFitP30i with the nasal pillows. I like putting it on because my breathing puts me to sleep.

I dream like crazy now...and never did much before.

Getting old sucks but you have to adjust to it.

 

[John0829]

Without a doubt claustrophobia hits each person differently. I consider myself pretty claustrophobic. I have to take something to do an MRI otherwise you won't get me in the tube. BTDT! Yet I could squeeze under a machine without issue usually unless it was enclosed. Crawl space under a house.....NO THANK YOU! A face mask doesn't bother me though. Wearing a mask was part of my job and had to be fit test yearly. Silica dust is not something you want to breathe in as are several other types of dust.

They do offer nose plugs for those that can't do a mask so maybe that would be an option for you. A friend of the wife's had a surgical procedure done with some sort of "device" added that now she doesn't have to use a CPap because of it. So there is that as well.

Boy have you hit the nail on the head, same here I cannot and will not go into an MRI machine, it MUST be an open machine or it ain't happening. Like you squeezing under a car or machine no biggie, crawl space like you, it ain't happening. Wearing a paint mask or dust filter no problem and I can climb ladders, walk steel beams no problem yet when SWMBO and I were on the coast and she wanted to go up a light house, nope, nada happening after a dozen steps my head got to spinning so much I was not sure I could make it back down. Hard to tell what will or will not have an affect you.

I tried a full mask, partial mask and the nose plugs could not take any of them. I really think it was the air pressure that was causing my reaction.

 

[ponytug]

Boy have you hit the nail on the head, same here I cannot and will not go into an MRI machine, it MUST be an open machine or it ain't happening. Like you squeezing under a car or machine no biggie, crawl space like you, it ain't happening. Wearing a paint mask or dust filter no problem and I can climb ladders, walk steel beams no problem yet when SWMBO and I were on the coast and she wanted to go up a light house, nope, nada happening after a dozen steps my head got to spinning so much I was not sure I could make it back down. Hard to tell what will or will not have an affect you.

I tried a full mask, partial mask and the nose plugs could not take any of them. I really think it was the air pressure that was causing my reaction.

That sounds tough. Can you swim, snorkel, or dive?

All the best, Peter

 

[Alan W.]

My BiPap machine has an auto setting that detects how Im breathing and adjust both pressure levels as needed.
When I was first prescribed it the pressures were set by the Neurologist and it constantly pushed air into my stomach which came out the other end in the morning. Im sure I hold a couple of world records.

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

Boy have you hit the nail on the head, same here I cannot and will not go into an MRI machine, it MUST be an open machine or it ain't happening. Like you squeezing under a car or machine no biggie, crawl space like you, it ain't happening. Wearing a paint mask or dust filter no problem and I can climb ladders, walk steel beams no problem yet when SWMBO and I were on the coast and she wanted to go up a light house, nope, nada happening after a dozen steps my head got to spinning so much I was not sure I could make it back down. Hard to tell what will or will not have an affect you.

I tried a full mask, partial mask and the nose plugs could not take any of them. I really think it was the air pressure that was causing my reaction.

Isn't our mind a strange thing. I can climb some things as well just fine and then you get me trying to walk a log across a creek....Nope. I still remember a crawler loader I was working on. Dropped the belly pan to get at a hydraulic leak. Cloudy gray day and it was just tight enough that I couldn't turn over without crawling back out. I suddenly hit my limit, picked up tools and said see you Monday. Went back, sun was shining and I finished without a problem.

When one of several new pipelines went through and I was working near by I visited with some of the crews at different times. Being close to the Mississippi river the crew that specialized in the horizontal boring was there doing their thing. I'm not talking about a Vermeer or Ditchwitch either. I'm not even positive what drives this system. The pipe was either 36 or 42 inches in diameter. As they go under the river they keep adding sections of pipe on. There was an inspector that went inside the pipe every couple sections and inspected the welds. He was on his back on a sort of modified skate board with a rope tied on it. When he was ready he would let them know and they would pull him back out with the rope. I don't know how far he went into the pipe. It's approaching 20 years now. However the bore went about a mile or a little over and was about 30 feet below the bottom of the river. I believe the companies name was Michelman's and they were out of the Milwaukee Wisconsin area. You wouldn't get me in that tube either.

 

[Redbug]

Isn't our mind a strange thing. I can climb some things as well just fine and then you get me trying to walk a log across a creek....Nope. I still remember a crawler loader I was working on. Dropped the belly pan to get at a hydraulic leak. Cloudy gray day and it was just tight enough that I couldn't turn over without crawling back out. I suddenly hit my limit, picked up tools and said see you Monday. Went back, sun was shining and I finished without a problem.

When one of several new pipelines went through and I was working near by I visited with some of the crews at different times. Being close to the Mississippi river the crew that specialized in the horizontal boring was there doing their thing. I'm not talking about a Vermeer or Ditchwitch either. I'm not even positive what drives this system. The pipe was either 36 or 42 inches in diameter. As they go under the river they keep adding sections of pipe on. There was an inspector that went inside the pipe every couple sections and inspected the welds. He was on his back on a sort of modified skate board with a rope tied on it. When he was ready he would let them know and they would pull him back out with the rope. I don't know how far he went into the pipe. It's approaching 20 years now. However the bore went about a mile or a little over and was about 30 feet below the bottom of the river. I believe the companies name was Michelman's and they were out of the Milwaukee Wisconsin area. You wouldn't get me in that tube either.

To me that's worse than mining.

 

[John0829]

That sounds tough. Can you swim, snorkel, or dive?

All the best, Peter

Yep can swim and snorkel just fine, never been any place I could try diving and at this age doubt I ever will. Like was said the mind is a strange thing and mine is stranger than most

 

[QRTRHRS]

For those that cannot tolerate a face mask or for whom who's sleep apnea is not controlled with a machine, check into Inspire. It is an implanted device. I do not have personal experiance with them other than to inquire about them with our ENT specialist. Even though I have leakage from the high pressure, my apnea is well controlled so Medicare will not cover the device for me. Like any medical device, there are pro's and con's. Do a search, lot's of info on line.

 

[gstrom99]

For those new to CPAP, a warning about those cleaning devices if they are still on the market. My wife also uses a CPAP. We bought two of those ozone cleaners and hated the smell. My wife tried it one time and stopped. I persevered about a week then sold both of them.

To top it off, we had bought them from our device provider, not the mask cleaning company so their money back guarentee did not apply.

I like my nasal pillows from ResMed. They fit my new hoses (diff brand) too. Cleaning very important!

I use this hospital grade solution:

Amazon.com

 

[pmsmechanic]

I like my nasal pillows from ResMed. They fit my new hoses (diff brand) too. Cleaning very important!

I use this hospital grade solution:

On my previous CPAP which I had for 10 years I cleaned the hose once. I said never again. It took too long for the soap smell to disappear.

 

[JasperFrank]

Wife is using a POC unit. It goes into alarm mode if it can't sense breathing. I don't know what is worse any more with this little nightmare of an insomnia machine, waiting till 3 am to go into alarm mode.

 

[Duds13]

I took have been using a CPAP for quite a few years. I could not function without it. I do have two issues with it. One, my pulmonologist insists that I need the high setting at 20 and it's blowing so hard that the leakage disturbs my sleep even if I tighten the mask beyond comfortable. Second, the water reservoir is to small. I cannot run my machine setting on auto or i run out of water and wake up with a severely dry mouth. I recently got a new Resmed machine and I think that the reservoir may be ever smaller than the previous design?

My machine is maxed out as well. I solved mask leakage by adding a mask line from pad-a-cheek. Makes the mask much more comfortable and almost eliminates the face fart noises.

 

[Racer4]

On my previous CPAP which I had for 10 years I cleaned the hose once. I said never again. It took too long for the soap smell to disappear.

I don’t clean mine either. And for the same reason. I get sent a new one every 6 months. Change the mask and filter every month.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I've been having a Phillips Respironics CPAP machine for about 10 years. I use it every night, and it helps me sleep. I have not seen my sleep doctor in 9 years.
My complaint about the machine is that the initial cost was so high. My overnight sleep study in a sleep lab was about $3000 and the machine cost about $1300 ten years ago. Of course, with high-deductible insurance, all of that cost was 'out of pocket'.
Today, I can order a sleep study for about $150, but the machines are still around $1200 or so.
Now that I am on Medicare, I will ask my regular doctor about it again next month when I go for my regular visit. Hopefully, Medicare will pay for a new updated machine.
I use the nasal mask, and the headgear causes irritation on my skin behind my ears. This is probably because I am allergic to leather and the headgear is some sort of leather material.

 

[Yander]

My sleep study had me doing the same thing only I was over 60 times in an hour, basically once a minute. Still do not have a CPAP machine, when I went to be "fitted" for it the thing it was suffocating, no way I was ever gong to wear that thing. I will just have to die in my sleep because there is no way I will ever have that thing on.

I read afterwards that a very high percentage of people that get a CPAP stop using them after about 6 months so I figure I am in good company.

Friend, you won't be alive long if you don't treat it. The life you do live won't be quality either. We all pretty much hate them. But I'll tell you what, you don't want to be around us if we don't use them. I was a mess before CPAP.

The trick is to put the mask on, sit, and watch TV with it, and turn it on. Don't try to sleep with it until you get over the phobia of the mask suffocating you.

I also had to switch to a full-face mask. Nothing else works well for me. You have to fiddle with it until you get the setup right, and it can take a while. I've been using mine since 2010.

 

[Yander]

I've been having a Phillips Respironics CPAP machine for about 10 years. I use it every night, and it helps me sleep. I have not seen my sleep doctor in 9 years.
My complaint about the machine is that the initial cost was so high. My overnight sleep study in a sleep lab was about $3000 and the machine cost about $1300 ten years ago. Of course, with high-deductible insurance, all of that cost was 'out of pocket'.
Today, I can order a sleep study for about $150, but the machines are still around $1200 or so.
Now that I am on Medicare, I will ask my regular doctor about it again next month when I go for my regular visit. Hopefully, Medicare will pay for a new updated machine.
I use the nasal mask, and the headgear causes irritation on my skin behind my ears. This is probably because I am allergic to leather and the headgear is some sort of leather material.

I've bought multiple machines used. Since there are so many people who get them and don't use them. They are pretty plentiful. Just get your sleep study results and program it yourself using info from youtube. I've not needed a CPAP programmed for many years. I use an auto-sense machine so it knows what to put the pressure at.

You can get in a CPAP with supplies for under $600 easily. No need for a sleep study or a sleep dr. But I would advise both.

 

[1 Old Man]

Complete Turf Care, please check out

Explained: The voluntary Philips Respironics sleep and respiratory care devices recall | Philips

This page is intended to provide you with a general explanation of the Philips Respironics voluntary recall notification / field safety notice.

www.philips.com

Maybe update with your Dr. My Dr. got me away from Philips asap.