Any one here use a CPAP machine?

T. Erdelyi

T. Erdelyi

Joined
Feb 3, 2001
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5 weeks ago I had a sleep study done for Sleep Apnea, they immediately sent me to a cardiologist and a pulmonologist.

They scared the crap outta when they told me that a normal person while awake has a 90%+ oxygen saturation level, mine while awake was 44%, (they wouldn't tell me waht it was while sleepin', 'cetp they wouldn't let me leave till I had an appointment with both the pulmonoligist and a cardiologist.

They had me on the CPAP the followin' day, well after 5 weeks on the machine, another sleep study and a visit to the pulmonoligist and the cardiologist I was told yesterday that my heart was ok, (my BP and Heart Rate were high) and I didn't have COPD, I was also told that my saturated O2 levels were up to 77% already and I wouldn't need to be put on supplemental O2.

I coulda just about jumped for joy, actually I think I did.

My Doctor told me my sleep apnea was so bad that I was slowly killin' myself and if I didn't get on the machine my chance for heart failure and stroke would just keep increasin'.

Last step now is Gastric Bypass Surgery, which hopefully will happen either the end of the year or the beginnin' of 2011.

Now I'll tell ya all this, I ain't afraid of much but surgery is a big one, when I had my knee replaced 4 years ago I was outta my mind with fear, I was afraid of bein' knocked out, afraid I'd wake up while under the knife, the doctors were gonna mess up, (even though my Orthopedic Surgeon is one of the best sports doctors in the NEPA area) or something was gonna go wrong.

Well it didn't, I was on my feet the same day and outta the hospital in 3 days, still the thought of the upcommin' surgery gives me a severe case of anxiety.

Why am I tellin' ya this?

Because if you have slee apnea and if you've been told by some one ya might have it, ya probably do, if your supposed to be on the machine and ya don't use it, start 'cause you're probably doin' youself a lot of harm.

The machines and masks are a lot better than 5 years ago and I couldn't believe how great my first night was, I slept for 5 hours straight for the fist time in 10 years.

In 5 weeks I'm averagin' about 6 to 6 1/2 hours sleep without wakin' up, (before I was wakin' up I thought 10 to 15 times a night, the doctor told me more like 50 to 70 times a night) and because I'm not stoppin' breathin' at all I feel rested when I get up and I'm not noddin' off everytime I stop doin' anything.

Thanks for readin' my ramblin's, best of health to you all.
 
Sleep apnea is no joke. We have a guy on our department that has it bad. So bad in fact we check on him to make sure he's alive during the night.

I have it as well but not as bad as this guy. I'm going to a sleep study next month to find out my levels and what measure, if any, I need to take.

Good luck on your road to recovery.
 
I didn't think a little snorin' was bad but when he told me I stopped breathin' over 150 times in 6 hours and sometimes I stopped breathin' up to 20-25 seconds some times, I began to take it seriously, everyones tellin' me 150lbs there's a good chane the HBP, apnea and the diabetes will most likely go away and I can back to bein' healthy and doin' the things I miss so much, like workin', playin' in the weeds, walkin' on the beach, lastly bein' there to walk my daughter down the aisle to give her away at the weddin'.

Good luck on your study Ken.
 
Well, I'll start...
A little over one year ago, I had my left hip replaced. In all the pre-op stuff, I guess I had mentioned that I snore and my wife said that sometimes I stop breathing. Well that sent the docs into a slight tizzy, and I got a sleep study ordered and completed in record time. Turns out I needed CPAP in a big way. I remember feeling absolutely GREAT the morning after my sleep study, because they woke me up half way through and put me on the machine right then and there. Was the first time in a long time that I slept soundly apparently.

I have been on the CPAP machine now for over a year, and I am in a much better place health-wise than I was for years prior to it. I do not find it obtrusive to wear during the night.

Before I started the CPAP machine, I used to require multiple cups of coffee every morning, a daily nap at lunch time, and sometimes even in my office during work if there was a lull. I even started to nod off at a red light or two on occasion. I could never sit through an entire football game without falling asleep for at least a quarter. I had seemingly no energy to exercise or much will to go out and socialize. It wasn't until literally the day after my sleep study that I realized what was happening to me. I felt like the energizer bunny that day!

If someone tells you that you snore and have periods where you seem to stop breathing... tell your Doctor. Get a sleep study done. They really aren't that bad... trust me, I thought all sorts of bad thoughts... didn't happen. If they say you need CPAP... get it done! You will be saving your life. You will be improving the daily quality of your life.
 
I was put on a CPAP this summer. It makes a big difference with how I feel the next day. I haven't been using it for the past week because of a cold (I can't breathe thru my nose) and I have been wiped out by the end of the day. The Doc says that I really need to drop some weight too. Is your gastric bypass surgery going to be covered by your insurance or will you have to cover the full amount? My wife had the surgery six years ago and it has given her back her life. It's like she's ten years younger! When she had the surgery, our insurance would cover part of the expenses... but not anymore. Now because of health issues and a change to a desk job, I'm losing the battle of the bulge and if I want the surgery, I'll have to cover all of it (I lost the battle… Bulge kicked my ass!).
It's funny... when I was younger; I wanted to be older... Now that I'm older... IT SUCKS! (But it beats the alternative!)
 
surviving_idaho said:
...Is your gastric bypass surgery going to be covered by your insurance or will you have to cover the full amount? My wife had the surgery six years ago and it has given her back her life. It's like she's ten years younger! When she had the surgery, our insurance would cover part of the expenses... but not anymore....I'll have to cover all of it..
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My wife had it about 7 years ago and it was paid by her Health Insurance from work, it was fully covered between her insurance and mine.

Now I'm going and Medicare is payin' 90% and hoefully her Health insurance will take care of the balance.

Did you get a predetermination?

When was the last time ya checked to see if your insurance covered it?

Policies change nearly every year, what wasn't covered last year might be covered this year also if your doctor sends in a script statin' that it's life threatin' they might cover it then.

It can't hurt to ask again.

Best of luck to you
 
Mongo...your story resonated with me. I could've written that myself. My poor wife thought I was dying at night when I would stop breathing. I went through the sleep study and really embraced the whole CPAP thing. I even encouraged a couple of my hunting buddies to get checked out (due to their snoring) and they are now on CPAPs as well.

A huge deal for me turned out to be my weight. I only had a moderate degree of apnea, not nearly to the level of the OP. When I was first prescribed the device I asked the doctor if I could possibly no longer need it if I lost some weight. He said it was possible but many guys will always need it no matter how fit they are. He said it certainly wouldn't hurt me to lose some weight though.

I think the CPAP allowed to feel more rested and gave me the energy I needed to get motivated to exercise. Long story short, I'm now 40 pounds lighter and I no longer snore. I haven't used the CPAP for awhile now and I feel great. Get medical advice before stopping the CPAP.
 
I have been using a Bi-Pap machine for about 18 months. It makes a world of difference in my sleep. I no longer snore, and I rest better than I have for years. I am a nurse and working at the VA, I have had a number of patients die because they refused to wear their masks at night.
I am a mouth breather, so I use a full face mask. If you can't breath through your nose, you can still use a full face mask. Don't not use your machine while you're sleeping.
GOOD LUCK with your health issues. PM me if you have other questions.
 
Well, in any sample I guess there has to be that ~1% for whom treatment is ineffective. That would be me, right here!

I've known that I had sleep apnea for twenty years or so...college was real fun. My roomie would have people over and make bets on how long I'd stop breathing for (the verified, witnessed record was 4 minutes and 37 seconds--it explains a lot about me, doesn't it?!?). My wife, one night when we were still just dating, slept over and had a nightmare that she had woken up next my corpse. She jolted awake and rolled over to hold me for comfort...you guessed it...I wasn't breathing. I wake up to find her hysterical, pounding on my chest :o .

So, fast forward a bit...I've always had the problem that, if I wasn't interested in what I was doing, I'd nod off for a couple of minutes. Nothing big, it was like my body saying, "Hey, nothing's up, you better sleep while you can!" It's gotten progressively worse over the years, though. So, about three years ago, I tell my doctor about it, and was wondering if there was anything I needed to be doing, health-wise. She gives me a "working diagnosis" of Narcolepsy, and sends me off to a sleep study. I go and do my thing...sleep reasonably well, until they come in and put me on "The Machine." From that point, I don't sleep for more than five minutes, when I can GET to sleep. It gets so bad, they come in and tell me that if I can't get to sleep, I'll have to come back and repeat the study. I manage to get to sleep, but I feel like I've been run over by a truck when I wake up. Unsurprisingly, they recommend a c-pap. Now, mind you, the entire experience seemed like a giant marketing tool to get me on this thing. But still, I've heard such wonderful things from my coworkers and friends, I'm willing to give it a shot. Everyone has said what a night and day difference it made, etc...

So, I get on the machine, and it's got that "ramp-up" setting, where I'm supposed to get to sleep as it gradually increases the pressure, until it hits where it's supposed to be at. I wear a full-face mask (as a card-carrying mouth-breather, I might as well be wearing a tinfoil beanie as a nose-mask, :rolleyes:). For four months, I try to use this thing. I'll get to sleep fine, but as soon as the machine hits full pressure, it wakes me right up. Three hours was the maximum sleep time I ever got on that thing. Big surprise, I stopped using it. I'd rather wake up and not notice it and be groggy in the morning without disturbing my wife all night, than get woken up mechanically every time, freak out the wife (she says it's like sleeping with Darth Vader, and I responded, "So, any fantasies about being a slave-girl you'd like to indulge?"--that didn't go over so well...:jerkit:), and kill my back because I normally sleep on my side.

So, if any of you have any thoughts on ways to actually make this thing work, please advise, because it SUCKS being the guy on the sideline, cheering how great y'all's life is with c-pap, while I'm yawning...



Oh, and on a final note, I went for a second study, wherein they recommended a bi-pap ("Oh, that didn't work? Well, for another $1500 we'll try something else! MAYBE it'll be better."). Again, shocker, I chose not to go for that one. The study didn't go all that much better...it seems like the problem is that respire on an unusually slow cycle when I sleep (about 8-10 seconds to inhale, then 3-4 seconds, then 10-20 seconds to exhale, then 5-10 seconds before my next breath), and the machine can't be set that way. My body doesn't seem to want to adjust, either...:(. Bugger!
 
I too, put the sleep study off for years. Apparently, I've had it since child hood. It is such a change for the better. i can actually sleep now. Don't put it off. Get the study and be well!
 
So is the CPAP a temporary treatment? Or do you use it for life?
 
5.56 said:
So is the CPAP a temporary treatment? Or do you use it for life?
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Dependin' on what the cause of the sleep apnea is, if it's weight related losin' weight could be the solution, some people gettin' their tonsils removed is the solution and for some it's a life long thing.

Kalindras, I have all the same problems, I'm a very shallow breather, a light sleeper and most of my life I've gotten by on 2-3 hours of sleep a night.

Now I get 4-5 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night and I do feel more rested, if your insurance pays for it I'd try again, I wouldn't get my tonsils out, (although I already had mine out as a kid) I always get bronchitis when I get sick 'cause I ain't got no tonsils.

Is losin' weight an option?
 
Been on a bi-pap for about 8 years, I think I set a clinic record at the time for averaging 106 stoppages per hour. I was at the point of being able to snore and tell you the score of the ballgame in the same breath. Obviously I was not getting much sleep.

T. Erdelyi, check into lapband surgery instead of the gastric bypass, much less invasive and has the same results. I'm currently fighting my insurance to get the procedure.

Leadfoot
 
If you just THINK you have sleep apnea, you should have it checked out. I have a good friend from my childhood, and we have known each other 42 years.

He was finally checked out for his sleep disorder at a clinic and they immediately checked him in to a hospital!

They tested him over a couple of nights there, where he averaged over 200 times a night (you read it right.... TWO HUNDRED!!) of waking up, stopping his breathing, choking, etc. He had no idea, just thought it was odd he snored so loud he woke himself up. The bottom line for him was that he did PERMANENT damage to his heart from all the choking, and has inflicted other physical problems as well upon himself. His heart damage is manageable, but irreparable as this has been going on for 30 years. They told him he was lucky he didn't die!

With the CPAP machine, his life has changed quite a bit. He is much more relaxed, much more well rested, and in short, a different person altogether. As his disease hit its stride, he was impossible for anyone to be around him. Now he is almost his old self.

I would say that if there is just an inkling of apnea, anyone that thinks they may have it should get to a clinic for testing.

Robert
 
I've got bad sleep apnea, but gave up on the cpap machine. I hated it. I would wake up about a half hour before my alarm clock went off, peel the mask off, and not get up on time. I need to get back on it. I've been using nasal strips, and they are a complete improvement, but I'm still not getting the sleep I was with my cpap machine. Moral of this story, don't give up on the cpap machine.
 
Good thread... you've all convinced me that I need to go for the sleep study that I've been avoiding.
 
I've had sleep apnea since at least 1988 and I've been on CPAP since 1993. It makes a world of difference. Especially when you would have thought I was drunk if you saw me driving to work in the morning without CPAP.

As far as the stuffy nose. Lay down and barely (and I do mean barely) dribble a drop or Afrin or the otc/generic euqivalent into each nostril. A little bit really goes a long way. Sniffle it in and out gently until your sinus starts to clear and then blow your nose and get rid of it. You cna use a few more drops if needed but if you get to much in there it will run down the back of your throat and give you a chemical burn.

YMMV (oh, and I run a setting of 16 and cannot do the "ramp".)

Also, if you don't have a heated bypass humidifyer that may make a world of difference too!
 
I had gallbladder surgery last June. The anesthesiologist came in to see me afterwards and flipped me a business card for the Pulmonary Associates' Sleep Center and she told me I needed to see them for a sleep study. I held on to the card but never called them.

After reading this thread I dug out the card and made an appointment.
 
timcsaw said:
Good thread... you've all convinced me that I need to go for the sleep study that I've been avoiding.
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mycroftt said:
I had gallbladder surgery last June. The anesthesiologist came in to see me afterwards and flipped me a business card for the Pulmonary Associates' Sleep Center and she told me I needed to see them for a sleep study. I held on to the card but never called them.

After reading this thread I dug out the card and made an appointment.
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I'm glad to see these posts. Sleep apnea is some serious stuff. Mycroft... I'm surprised they let you go thru surgery first, unless it was emergency. Anesthesiologists do NOT like apneic patients... it greatly increases the risk for "problems".
 
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