I'm just wondering how many other HBTers have sleep apnea and use a CPAP. I've been on it for two months, and frankly I'm not impressed. I (consciously) wake up even more often than before, and any "positive" effects I'm beginning to think are due to the placebo effect. I'm still exhausted 9 days out of 10. The doc said my apnea score was off the charts severe, so I don't know what to do. Do you ever get used to having something strapped to your face while you sleep?
CPAP experience?
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shafferpilot
Well-Known Member
sounds to me like you really need a bi-pap. Instead of only pushing one pressure, it holds a positive pressure all the time AND pushes harder when you breathe in. Ask your doc if that would be a better choice for your severe case.
People I know who use one say it's been amazing for them. I wish I knew more about it.
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curlyfat
Well-Known Member
That's actually an excellent suggestion. I'd forgot all about bi-Pap. I will discuss that with my doctor. Although, that probably means another night in that g-dam sleep lab.
That's what I'd heard from several people as well. I had such high hopes, and really really wanted it to work. At first I thought it was helping slightly, but I'm sure it was just placebo effect.
I've been using it for 3 years now. Took a few months and several masks to get used to it. Finally went with the one that just covers the nose. SWMBO won't let me sleep without it. I sleep well with it now. If I go without in I wake up after a few hours and could swear I've slept all night. Then feel like **** the next day. At least I'm waking up in the morning!
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curlyfat
Well-Known Member
I'm on my second mask. I started with the "nose pillows" that just sort of rest in your nostrils, but my mouth kept coming open, and that would wake me up. Now I have the full face mask, which seems to work a little better, but everytime I move around in my sleep it still wakes me up. Good to hear someone that it works for, but just took some time. I'm still going to make an appointment to talk with my doc.
mr_goodwrench
Well-Known Member
I have sleep apnea also. I tried cpap but couldn't tolerate it... had the same issues as you and tried a couple different masks.
My doctor suggested I try the oral appliance. I am a pretty skinny guy with a small neck and my issue is my tongue falling back and blocking the airway. Basically, it has an upper and lower plate that mechanically moves the lower jaw forward ever so slightly thus holding the tongue away from the airway. When I was first diagnosed, the only guy in the area that made them was a dentist so I would have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed which I wasn't prepared to do. Last year, I went to an ENT appointment with my wife and while talking to the doc, I found out that he had started making them.
It has made a world of difference. He made me a Somnomed mouthpiece and it is awesome. I recently had to stop using it due to a broken tooth and I can really tell the difference. Not everyone with SA is a candidate for it but if you are, it is worth a shot depending on what your insurance covers.
My doctor suggested I try the oral appliance. I am a pretty skinny guy with a small neck and my issue is my tongue falling back and blocking the airway. Basically, it has an upper and lower plate that mechanically moves the lower jaw forward ever so slightly thus holding the tongue away from the airway. When I was first diagnosed, the only guy in the area that made them was a dentist so I would have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed which I wasn't prepared to do. Last year, I went to an ENT appointment with my wife and while talking to the doc, I found out that he had started making them.
It has made a world of difference. He made me a Somnomed mouthpiece and it is awesome. I recently had to stop using it due to a broken tooth and I can really tell the difference. Not everyone with SA is a candidate for it but if you are, it is worth a shot depending on what your insurance covers.
I have moderate obstructive sleep apnea and I tried the cpap but couldn't sleep with it. I have bad seasonal allergies, so I had to use the full face mask since I don't breath through my nose for 2-3 months out of the year. I have an appointment with an ENT to talk about other options. FWIW my doctor didn't even know that an ENT might have other options I had to find that out myself (thank God for the internet), seek second opinions when it comes to SA treatment. It is likely however that my insurance will require me to use the cpap machine for 2-3 months before considering paying for other options.
I've been doing a lot of lung working cardio recently which seems to be helping overcome the SA a bit, though I'll still be keeping my appointment.
I've been doing a lot of lung working cardio recently which seems to be helping overcome the SA a bit, though I'll still be keeping my appointment.
7 years now, I hate the device but it is essential for me. I'm on my 3rd machine, countless masks and head straps and hoses.
My wife is a lot happier since I started with the machine, now she can sleep at night. My issues with it are sealing over my beard, or falling asleep without it. That gets the big elbow in the ribs from her.
It's also a real pain to travel with. Recently I had a BI-PAP die while I was traveling and had to finish the trip without it, and my mask got crushed in my suitcase last month so I went a week without it since you can't just go to the CPAP store and pick one up.
I'd like to try the mouthpiece thing. How expensive is it?
My wife is a lot happier since I started with the machine, now she can sleep at night. My issues with it are sealing over my beard, or falling asleep without it. That gets the big elbow in the ribs from her.
It's also a real pain to travel with. Recently I had a BI-PAP die while I was traveling and had to finish the trip without it, and my mask got crushed in my suitcase last month so I went a week without it since you can't just go to the CPAP store and pick one up.
I'd like to try the mouthpiece thing. How expensive is it?
nyer
Well-Known Member
I tried using one but couldn't get used to it, I think I had the bipap. I could barely breath through my nose so it didn't work for me. I finally decided to have surgery. They fixed a deviated septum, bone spur, turbinate reduction, tonsils removed (HUGE tonsils), uvula removed and reshaped palate. I was out of work for 3 weeks and the recovery sucked big time. I had to use a ton of vicoden to make it through it. I have never felt pain like that before and I swore I was dying for the first couple of days. After all that I don't regret doing it at all. I sleep great and don't snore any more. I couldn't believe how cool it was to breathe through my nose and to actually go to sleep and wake up rested. The only negative is 3 years later and one nostril is closing off from scar tissue but it's still way better than before the surgery.
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curlyfat
Well-Known Member
Ug. I'm glad that worked for you, but I certainly would like to avoid that option if at all possible. Doc said that besides my airway closing, I also have the type of SA where my brain occasionally just stops telling me to breathe while sleeping. It doesn't sound like surgery will help with that (and I'll probably have to accept that I'll wear this mask the rest of my life).
RIBeer
Well-Known Member
nyer - I had the exact same surgery a couple of years ago with the same big suck recovery. To make it even more fun, I had a full bleed from one of the tonsil pockets a week after the surgery - woke up at 3am choking on my own blood. Thought I was going to bleed to death. They had to put me back under and cauterize the pocket to get the bleeding to stop. I honestly can't say that I really feel like I can breathe much easier, and I still snore, though not as badly as before. I have noticed that I don't get as many sinus infections, but seem to get Strep just as frequently, though it's not quite as painful.
In that case you should definitely look into Bipap. Regular CPAP will only make central sleep apnea worse. There's even more advanced options like AutoSV for central apnea that is resistant to treatment. I'd venture to say that if you're not feeling any benefits, you may very well not be at a therapeutic pressure yet. Spending some time on an AutoPAP machine may be an option if you don't want to have another sleep study.
first time post from a sleep tech and future home brewer.
skullbaby1974
Member
I use one.....for months I couldnt get used to it...would wake me up often. Til one day I just couldnt sleep without it. If my SA went away I may still need to use it just because it has become so routine.
WTF_Brewing
Well-Known Member
My SA was off the charts and I was on a biPap, but the pressures were so high, the mask had to be so tight it rubbed blisters on my face. Then I had the UPPP (same surgery as nyer). After 3 weeks of suck, I still have SA, but its nowhere near as bad. Now I use a CPAP, but the pressure is very low and easy to live with. The mask fits loose but still seals up. I wake up much more rested. Before the surgery, I needed about 9 hours of sleep just to function. Now I do fine on about 6 hours sleep with the mask.
nyer
Well-Known Member
I had to sit upright in a chair for the first week with my head leaning forward so the blood would drain from the nose tubes. I couldn't sleep more than an hour at a time because I had to change the bandage so often. How about when they pulled the tubes out? I almost passed out for the first one and by the time I started to regain my composure he yanked the second one. I thought about killing him until I realized I was breathing from my nose for the first time in my life.
nyer
Well-Known Member
In that case you should definitely look into Bipap. Regular CPAP will only make central sleep apnea worse. There's even more advanced options like AutoSV for central apnea that is resistant to treatment. I'd venture to say that if you're not feeling any benefits, you may very well not be at a therapeutic pressure yet. Spending some time on an AutoPAP machine may be an option if you don't want to have another sleep study.
first time post from a sleep tech and future home brewer.
You are one of those bastards
Do you think you could possibly glue one more wire to persons head? I could barely sleep with all that stuff glued and tied to my body. I did the sleep study 5 timesSimilar threads
