Sleep apnea

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I have been on CPAP or AutoPAP since about 1998.

Oh, and add to that other forms of sleep disturbances like:
Restless Legs Syndrome & Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Proctalgia Fugax and Interstitial Cystitis and Fibromyalgia and Plantar Fasciitis and insomnia and urgency/frequency. (I'm sure I left something out?)

I praise Jesus that some day I won't have to worry about this ever again.

 

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Yes, and I'm also in the process of diagnosis. I had a trip to the hospital a while back for an unrelated issue, and while I was all hooked up to the monitors i kept setting off the apnea monitor, and at one point the no respiration alarm, when I falling asleep. My neurologist ordered a home sleep test, and surprise surprise, I have mild apnea with moderate hypoxia. Now I get to go for a full sleep test in September.

The real rub is, I sleep on my stomach, I don't snore, I already lost 60lbs recently, i had my tonsils and adenoids out as a kid, and my ENT said my throat architecture isn't typical for sleep apnea ... so there's a good chance I have central apnea, instead of obstructive apnea.

 

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Not sure the affect of stomach-sleeping, but the full test should settle it. The first test i did, years ago, they did one night without a mask, to set your parameters (i guess). Then they did another with a mask, to adjust the pressures, etc.
My first night was so bad, at midnight the Doc gave them permission to start the mask part of the test, so I only did one night. The next ones, the Medicare re-certs, were one easy night, and less hookups. Maybe it has improved/advanced.
The surgeon panicked (Or maybe the anesthesiologist). I guess they don't like you to stop breathing in the middle of an operation.... (Prejudiced)
I've never seen a hookup like Golden Roadie, not heard of one, either. Hopefully, you don't end up in the same clinic.
Good luck!

 

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@AlasSouth sleeping on your back increases the tendency for your airway to want to collapse. Have you ever heard the advice that is someone is snoring you can try to get them to roll over? It's because if you sleep on your side or your stomach the posture often alleviated the the obstruction itself, but a lot of people move around a lot in their sleep, and won't reliably stay off of their back. I, on the other hand, barely move in my sleep at all, and never sleep in my back, because I find it to be painful. Sleeping hips down in my normal default, and I never deviate from it.

 

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I'm sure that veteran CPAP/APAP users are aware of this, but I hope it helps anyone just getting started. Don't give up!

Everybody is different. That means that you have to be willing and able to try different masks, tubing, and machines. You might have to try many different masks before you find something that works for you. Then, over time, something about you will change and it won't work right anymore. For example, in the beginning, a simple nasal mask was fine for me, but the forehead cushion gave me a headache. So I modified the mask to redistribute the pressure on that point of contact. Ultimately I bought a different mask.

As I lost teeth, my tongue, teeth, and cheeks could no longer form a seal, and that caused the air pressure to blow out of my mouth. That caused "dry mouth" which caused more tooth decay and more loss of teeth. For a while I would stuff a wad of tissues between my back teeth and cheeks to stop the leak. Eventually, my mouth would no longer stay closed while sleeping, so I changed to using full-face masks.

Tip on condensation:
If you use a humidifier in your PAP circuit (and you should), and you sleep in a cold bedroom, water will condense and pool in your tubing and mask. This is known as "rain-out". Quite annoying! Demand that your machine comes with a HEATED TUBE. Those insulated covers that they sell (or that you could make) do not work.

There have been numerous problems that have come along. Sometimes you have to come up with your own solution. Your equipment provider can help, but you will have to be aware of all the equipment you can choose from. Here is a link to a site that I like:

www.cpap.com

They will let you return a mask that doesn't work for you and send you another one to try. I am on their email list to keep aware of new equipment and accessories.

In spite of our many problems, we must NEVER lose faith that Jesus is fully aware of our suffering. Satan will tempt us to blame Him. Don't give in to that temptation! May God bless you all!

 

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MSU Spartan:
Stomach sleeping never worked for me, and when i shift in my sleep, it is never to the stomach. That from my spouse, besides just from me. Everyone is different. I rarely end up on my back: it is painful. My addition issue with stomach is the mask, and now the nasal-type feed. Stomach sleeping disturbs whatever you/I am using for air-intake. It might work for others.
I am aware of those special pillows that allegedly help for stomach and side pillows. Didn't work for me; might work for others.
I have used those jaw-straps, if that's the right work. Keeps your mouth closed. They worked for me after i found the right one. The kind sold by those cheapo catalogues didn't worked for me, did for my brother-in-law. My medical supplier had a adjustable elastic type, wide, no latex.
Hope this helps someone.
Go Spartans!

 

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@AlasSouth i can sleep comfortably on my side or on my stomach, but on my side my diaper leaks. Like I said, I don't move around in my sleep, I just switch off. I'm hoping when it comes to it that I can find a mask that works for me, in that position.

 

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I totally agree with the sage advice - Don't Give Up! It has taken me almost a year to get the right mask and the right settings. Everyone is different, so keep trying until you get it right. I am also a side/stomach sleeper, and I have found that a nasal pillow works for me. I tend to sleep with my head on the side of the pillow and that is the position that works for me. But, again, everyone is different. Good luck with the search.

 

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My son had his first sleep study and was diagnosed with moderate Obstructive sleep apnea at 6 years old. He did wet the bed every night. He tried CPAP and moved to BIPAP. It took a while to get it figured out, but he is 11 now and has much fewer issues. He has had multiple sleep studies now with all that stuff on, but that first one was a shocker for sure.

 

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I so wish there was more absorbent material added to the front and back side panels. Would sure help us side sleepers

 

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i have sleep apnea and insomnia, i understand about apnea and trying to use cpap device but it is hard when you have 2 different sleep disorder. it hard to mange. i only get may be 3/4 hours a sleep at night, for me to use cpap device i have to get more then 4 hours a night. my other problem is my incontinence sometimes i wet bed even though i wear diapers w/tape-tabs. i would have to get up and change. what do i do about my sleep issues ??? i do have a sleep doctor.

 

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As I said in a previous post:

I have been on CPAP or AutoPAP since about 1998.

Oh, and add to that other forms of sleep disturbances like:
Restless Legs Syndrome & Periodic Limb Movement Disorder and Proctalgia Fugax and Interstitial Cystitis and Fibromyalgia and Plantar Fasciitis and insomnia and urgency/frequency. (I'm sure I left something out?)

I praise Jesus that some day I won't have to worry about this ever again.

If your "sleep doctor" can't help you, maybe try to find a better one.

May the Lord lead you according to your faith in Him.

 

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MRjw48: I agree about getting a better sleep doctor. Or ask the nurse, who is almost always better at communicating, and has more time, often. Thank the Lord for nurses. That "4 hours a night" thing is dictated by Medicare, i understand. One thing i learned is that getting up to pee - interruptions that short - are ignored, and going back to using the mask, immediately, is just counted by my machine as part of the night's use. It displays it, too. If your machine has the feature, check "Periodic Breathing. That may indicate the quality of the sleep - or even whether you were really asleep or not. Check the machines instructions. "If all else fails, read destructions."
Not sure when an interruption is too long for that, so where do naps or sleep during the "day" count?
Ask if they need 4 hours in a 24 hour period, or what the time period is. (as in, what happens at midnight or noon).
I'm trying to help, but am not a medical personnel, so take me with a grain or five of salt.
Good luck!

 

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I wet the bed nearly every night until I was 19, and didn’t completely stop until 23. It came back with a vengeance in my mid 30s. After a few doctor visits couldn’t turn anything up my doctor referred me to a sleep specialist. I did a study and come to find out I had obstructive sleep apnea pretty bad. I got a cpap machine and once I started using it and got adjusted the bed wetting nearly stopped completely.

What’s neat is my machine connects to the internet and uploads data daily to the sleep clinic so if something starts to go bad it will flag it and they can adjust the machine pressures remotely. I have an app that tells me every day how many hours of use, how many times I took the mask off/on at night, how many episodes of apnea I had per hour and if my mask is leaking. I’ve found that when my apnea episodes spike above 5 per hour I will usually wet the bed. Luckily that’s usually once a month or so. It’s been a life changing thing for me. If you’re having issues with sleep please get it checked out. Besides wetting sleep apnea can kill, and that’s no exaggeration.

 

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In the UK if you have sleep apnea you need to be able to prove you use your cpap machine at least four hours a night, or you will loose your driving licence - in fact some people loose their licence between diagnosis and their consultant being happy the treatment is being used and that it is working.

MRjw48: I agree about getting a better sleep doctor. Or ask the nurse, who is almost always better at communicating, and has more time, often. Thank the Lord for nurses. That "4 hours a night" thing is dictated by Medicare, i understand. One thing i learned is that getting up to pee - interruptions that short - are ignored, and going back to using the mask, immediately, is just counted by my machine as part of the night's use. It displays it, too. If your machine has the feature, check "Periodic Breathing. That may indicate the quality of the sleep - or even whether you were really asleep or not. Check the machines instructions. "If all else fails, read destructions."
Not sure when an interruption is too long for that, so where do naps or sleep during the "day" count?
Ask if they need 4 hours in a 24 hour period, or what the time period is. (as in, what happens at midnight or noon).
I'm trying to help, but am not a medical personnel, so take me with a grain or five of salt.
Good luck!

 

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I also have restless leg snyderdrom and anxiety too.i'm thinking of going to a another doctor. I do have to go to work early like 5am. When I get home from work I am tried.i might rest my eyes for a few. I get what you're saying but it is not that easy to do. I. Did sleep ok last night but I had wet my diaper to where it almost leak so I got up to change and went back to bed for a short time.

 

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It's always been interesting to me when I hear about people not realizing they have sleep apnea until they have a test. Regardless, I'm sure happy that they discovered it so they can save their lives.

In my case I started waking up gasping for air! I was literally in a panic. Since I had heard about SA I immediately got checked out and it was confirmed. The process actually took a long time. The night of the study the nurse told me I really had it. The strange thing is that it took several weeks for the report to be written and sent to my doctor. Then I had to make another appointment with him. Then he wrote a prescription for the equipment. Then I had to make an appointment to be fitted. So, it all took about 2-3 months before I had my equipment at home.

That was while I was still working and on a private insurance plan. When I retired and went on our socialized medical system - called "Medicare". Things really got worse. Layers of bureaucracy were added to everything. Prices of everything went up and turnaround times are much slower. Socialism and freedom don't mix.

 

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Hi, Sylvia: That's great; certainly encouraging. That kind of CPAP sure helps, especially with the bluetooth connection to the clinic. For those without medical insurance, it is pricey, but I think it is worth it. I've had trouble installing the software you are talking about - Apple's Macs don't seem to take kindly to it, and the manufacturer of the machine/software is apparently reluctant to bother with Mac users, but I have heard of Mac users who get it to work. Might depend on which MAC-X version you have.
That's for sharing. It's bound to help others, too.

 

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Look. It's time to speak up about the charge of "Socialized".
Sorry, but you need know what your democratically elected congress-people did to sabotage Medicare for the big Pharma & the giant medical industry. Medicare is forbidden by law (passed separately from when Medicare was established) to be allowed to put prescription drugs and medical equipment out to bid - like Big Pharma and the private insurance industry does. Keeps the private (non-governmental) insurance from having to compete with Medicare, to keep their obscene profits up. Do you know what Insulin costs if you have to pay for it and how many times the price has gone up in the last few years. People are dying. You do know we have the highest costs of medical care of all the industrial countries, by a big margin? That our medical system is no longer the best in the world? That child deaths (Babies & toddlers) statistics are horrifying, compared to death-rates 30 years ago? This is democracy at work, darn it.
The hospital accidently sent me a bill for the full cost of an operation and care, the price before the discounts negotiated by my Insurance company. Then i got the EOBs from the Insurance company. Wow. It was at least 25% lower. Certain things were about 40% lower. Now I'm retired, with Insurance, but still have to bill Medicare first. Medicare pays a really really low percentage, private insurance pays the rest (prior to the deductible, of course), and my EOBs indicate that. Most times, the Docs and the clinics & hospitals accept "The Medicare-dictated amount"). I'm darned lucky. That's why Docs are so reluctant to deal with Medicare, I think. Considering how important doctors and nurses are, that's just wrong.
The US Congress passed the "Paperwork Reduction Act". I swear it increased the forms and paper, (Now only partially electronic) enough to cut down another forest. Docs. nurses and doctor's Receptionists & Billing all tell me the same. In spite of the electronic age, the government dictates certain forms have to be printed and physically handed to us. Why? It adds to the costs. We should be able to sign on one of those electronic pads.
Granted this is one of my hot-button issues. I'm not a socialist or communist, contrary to the beliefs of the extreme right. If i don't have the right to speak up, then this is NOT a democracy.
If you are not a "flat-earther" or a "denier of Immunizations", then please do your research. I'm really not trying to be personal, just trying to just speak up. This effects a lot of us struggling to pay for doctors and procedures and buying the drugs and the machines like CPAPs. Just read some more of the posts, on here.
Thank you for contributing to this forum.

 

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I have sleep apnea and have worn a full face mask for probably ten years or more. I also wear protective briefs or pull on underwear to bed. I also keep a urinal by my bed. I sleep in an adjustable bed and usually elevate my feet. At home I wear cloth diapers and plastic pants because I don't wet every night. When we are on the road in our RV, I wear disposables at night. this works for me. We're in colorado now.

My pet peeve is Medicare will get me a new mask every six months whether I want it or not. The harness usually stretches out before that. There's nothing on a mask that can wear out. The cushions and head harness yes. But I don't need at $600 mask, just the accesories which I can't get without the mask
So I give the extra masks to a food bank.