Wearing a sleep apnea mask?

[downsizingnow48]

After listening to family complaints about my snoring, I went through the apnea diagnosis and they said I had it really bad. So, I've used the apnea machine for 4 years now. Sleep better, feel lots better during the day. My wife is much happier too. Apnea can apparently be a contributing factor to more serious health problems. If people complain about your snoring it is worth checking out.

 

[impdaddy]

This was a revealing thread showing the widespread use of the masks. More healthier people as a result. The only advantage that was not addressed was the air filtering aspect of the mask. In other words when you fart in bed you can't smell it.:laughing::laughing:

 

[MNBobcat]

This is an IMPORTANT TIP - the sleep labs or whoever sells you the cpap machine get paid a flat fee from the insurance company which means they get paid the same amount if they give you the cheapest machine they have or if they give you a decent machine. Don't just settle for whatever machine they hand you. They'll give you the cheap machine. Better machines log how many events you have in a night and you can get reports to see how the therapy is working for you. I have a cheap machine...no reports...learned the hard way.

 

[Bird]

This is an IMPORTANT TIP - the sleep labs or whoever sells you the cpap machine get paid a flat fee from the insurance company which means they get paid the same amount if they give you the cheapest machine they have or if they give you a decent machine. Don't just settle for whatever machine they hand you. They'll give you the cheap machine. Better machines log how many events you have in a night and you can get reports to see how the therapy is working for you. I have a cheap machine...no reports...learned the hard way.

As far as I know . . . the sleep institute sent a report to my primary doctor, who was the one who scheduled the test. I don't know whether he selected the particular machine and/or the supplier, but maybe I'll ask him Tuesday when I see him. But anyway, the medical supply place called for me to make an appointment to pick up the machine. I wondered why I needed an appointment, and I learned that the young lady went over a lot of the features and instructions, and she had an assortment of masks on display on dummy heads, offered me the option of trying on different ones to pick the one I thought I'd like best. And she showed me that my machine has an SD card in it, and it came with a wireless modem attached. She said the modem would sent reports to her computer for a month and then they'd want the modem back; that I could either bring it in (which I did) or they'd send me a box to ship it back. She said the doctor may request reports from the SD card and if or when he did, they'd contact me to bring or mail the SD card to them to read it and send a report to the doctor.

Since it's only about 3 miles to their office, when I took the modem to them, I took the SD card along also (she had shown me how to remove and put back the SD card and the modem), but they said they had all the info they needed via the modem, so to just put the SD card back in the machine. So I assume, a report can be generated at any time for my doctor.

So apparently I got the kind of machine you are recommending; a Philips Respironics REMstar Pro C-Flex+ with a Philip Respironics System One Heated Humidifier. It'll put out 4 cm H2O to 20 cm H2O and she had it set to put out 11 cm, but with a button you can press to drop it to 4 cm, in which case it'll gradually go back up to 11 cm in 10 minutes (or maybe it's 20 minutes) and at any time, you can press the button again to go back to 4 cm. The idea being that if you think it's blowing the air up your nose too hard, you drop it to 4 cm and go to sleep before it gets back up there to 11 cm. I tried that feature just once to see how it worked, but I'm happy to just let it blow the 11 cm from the get go.

Now I asked her how I could adjust that 11 cm setting and she told me I couldn't do that because it's set the way my doctor prescribed and there was no way I could change that. Now I have no intention of changing it, but . . . I was reading all the manuals and such and found the "Provider Guide" with the first line saying "Remove this guide before giving the device to the patient. Only medical professionals should adjust pressure settings.":laughing: And it continues with 15 pages of instructions for programming it.:laughing: She obviously forgot to remove the Provider Guide.

As for insurance, I have Medicare and the AARP (United Healthcare) supplement. The machine (I guess they prefer "device" to "machine") is rented, but if I keep it 13 months, I'll own it. And I have every intention of continuing to keep and USE it.

Tuesday, my wife had a little surgery scheduled for 2:10 p.m., but the doctor had a little problem with one ahead of her, so she didn't go to the operating room until 7 p.m., then into a room for the night at 9 p.m. and I stayed with her. She wasn't in much pain; just not sleepy and didn't sleep at all Tuesday night, so that meant she kept me up all night, too, and I'd gotten up at 4 a.m..:laughing: So yesterday we came home before noon, but after nearly 39 hours, I went to bed shortly before 7 p.m. last night, turned on my CPAP machine and didn't get up until 5 a.m. this morning.:laughing:

 

[timster2]

Went through the two sleep studies and sure enough I have sleep apnea. Picked up my machine yesterday and used it for the first time last night. I was told I was getting a gel mask, however, that is not the one that the technician had delivered to her. Has anyone had experience with a gel mask over a standard one? Better, worse?

 

[Bird]

Went through the two sleep studies and sure enough I have sleep apnea. Picked up my machine yesterday and used it for the first time last night. I was told I was getting a gel mask, however, that is not the one that the technician had delivered to her. Has anyone had experience with a gel mask over a standard one? Better, worse?

I'm not sure what "standard" means in this case, since there are so MANY different masks, but yes, I'm using a Philips Respironics True Blue nasal mask that has a gel cushion and flap. For me, it's far superior to either of the masks they used (and I still have) at the sleep institute. But I assume that's not the case for everyone or they wouldn't keep making all those others.

 

[DennisArrow]

With all this business of knocking the VA and the care they give, I really gotta praise what help I got/get from the Tennessee Valley VA system. Did the sleep study in Murfreesboro on an overnight and the next morning the tech handed me a RESmed best they make device. It starts low and increases as you need it...........
Almost 2 years later and am on the same machine. I get a new mask every 6 months as recommended and can really tell the difference. Recently, I was complaining to the tech about the leakage waking me up and I had to reach over and reset the machine to get it to start the cycle over again. He issued me a couple of boxes of the liners someone mentioned above that makes his own out of T shirts. ALL the difference in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!.............Now am not awakened 2 or 3 times per night with the air blowing the mask off my face...........

Am still getting up at least twice a night for urine breaks but that is another thread entirely I guess??????................I have a full beard and use a Resmed mask that works really well for me.......lol....the only kind I have ever used.......What I do notice as that I must not be thrashing around in the bed as much; because without it I used to really tear up the covers, but now it's like I am not moving all night...............
I have also noticed more vivid dreams, sleeping at least a full 8 hours where it used to be 5 or 6, my BP is down, and 02 level is in the high 90's all day and in the night when I feel like checking it just to see......................THANKS VA......you do me right.......God bless.......Dennis

 

[BobRip]

With all this business of knocking the VA and the care they give, I really gotta praise what help I got/get from the Tennessee Valley VA system. Did the sleep study in Murfreesboro on an overnight and the next morning the tech handed me a RESmed best they make device. It starts low and increases as you need it...........
Almost 2 years later and am on the same machine. I get a new mask every 6 months as recommended and can really tell the difference. Recently, I was complaining to the tech about the leakage waking me up and I had to reach over and reset the machine to get it to start the cycle over again. He issued me a couple of boxes of the liners someone mentioned above that makes his own out of T shirts. ALL the difference in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!.............Now am not awakened 2 or 3 times per night with the air blowing the mask off my face...........

Am still getting up at least twice a night for urine breaks but that is another thread entirely I guess??????................I have a full beard and use a Resmed mask that works really well for me.......lol....the only kind I have ever used.......What I do notice as that I must not be thrashing around in the bed as much; because without it I used to really tear up the covers, but now it's like I am not moving all night...............
I have also noticed more vivid dreams, sleeping at least a full 8 hours where it used to be 5 or 6, my BP is down, and 02 level is in the high 90's all day and in the night when I feel like checking it just to see......................THANKS VA......you do me right.......God bless.......Dennis

I am glad to hear some good news about the VA. Glad it worked for you.

 

[Bird]

Dennis, I have two brothers who were in the Air Force during the Vietnam era, and they've been happy with the VA doctors in both Texas and Washington state.

 

[Alan L.]

Looks like I may be next in line. I am scheduled for a sleep study Wednesday night 7/16. I had an in home study where I wore a clip on my finger that recorded pulse and oxygen levels. The results were that my oxgen got as low as 85 and pulse 42. My doc seemed more concerned about the pulse so he order a 24 hear monitor and set me an appointment with my cardiologist. The monitor results weren't in when I went to see the cardiologist but he was not concerned about the pulse at all, said it is pretty normal during sleep. But did say I should get the full blown sleep study.

For about 2 years I have just not felt good, mostly I tired and weak, sometimes sleepy. I know I snore some, but not that much. My biggest problem is that I act out dreams. My wife says I holler and kick and punch her. One night was was dreaming I was running a race and actually got out of bed and ran smack into a window and bloodied my nose and put a knot on my head. Once before I was crawling around on the floor and ran my face into a night stand. Pretty scary.....

Those of you reporting vivid dreams with the CPAP kind of scares me...vivid dreams are part of my problem. The doc says lack of oxygen to the brain can cause the episodes. I read where people that act out dreams are more likely to end up with Parkinsons or Alzheimers. I hope it is "just" sleep apnea that can be controlled.

I am little bit leary of the test, I doubt seriously that I will be able to get off to sleep without some major sleep medication. Somehow trying to go to sleep in the hospital when I'n not sick and people are watching me does not lend itself to relaxation.

Given the way I have felt one test less than a year ago was an ultra sound that found a tennis ball size solid tumor on my kidney. Figured that had been my problem all along - they took out my kidney and fortunately the tumor was benign. So after a full recovery we are now back on the original quest to figure out why I have not felt up to snuff. Hope this sleep study does something good for me.