MR

Anyone else here use a CPAP/BiPAP machine? If so, I'd like to hear your stories.

I had a sleep study last August/September and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I got a CPAP machine shortly thereafter and used it for a couple of hours or so the first night. I then developed a nasty sinus infection and therefore didn't use it for awhile. When I did try to use it again, I must have developed a bit of claustrophobia because I just couldn't keep the mask on my face for more than a few seconds without ripping it off. After that first night, I don't think I made it for longer than maybe 5-10 minutes at the most. I ended up having to turn the machine in since I wasn't meeting my insurance's requirements of at least four hours a night. That was as of November/December.

I finally went back to the neurologist a few weeks ago and discussed it with him and he recommended getting a BiPAP machine this time and to use the nasal pillows mask instead of one that goes over the nose or the nose and mouth. I got the new machine on Wednesday and didn't use it that night. I just turned it on next to the bed and messed around with it a bit, turned it off and went to sleep. Last night, I moved it out here to the living room and hooked it up next to the couch and just held the mask up against my nose for about 15 minutes. I've got the mask strapped on right and have had it on for about 15 minutes. I'm going to try to make it for a half hour tonight, then try an hour tomorrow and work up from there.

Breathing IN with the mask on is no problem at all. Breathing OUT is where it seems like it's a real effort. I can tell it's feeling much easier the longer I have it on.

Any other stories, encouragement, etc?

What in THE fuck, are you talking about?

Is this some sort of military decoder, like Enigma was for the fucking Crouts?

Rockindeano wrote:What in THE fuk, are you talking about?

Is this some sort of military decoder, like Enigma was for the fucking Crouts?

People that stop breathing too many times during the night use a CPAP or BiPAP machine. It cycles air through a hose into a mask that fits over your mouth & nose, just over your nose, or a nasal pillow mask. The air pressure forces your airways to stay open when they would normally collapse while you are sleeping.

Most people only stop breathing a handful of times or less in a typical hour's worth of sleep. In my case, I was tested at about 70 times in an hour, which is fairly high. The pressure can be set as high as 18. Mine is set at 11 (6 when I breathe out). The oxygen level in my blood also went down to near 70% while I was asleep. It's not supposed to go below 90% and should be up near 98% or higher.

Sleep apnea causes you to feel like total crap in the morning, like you've barely slept even if you were "asleep" for eight hours. The apnea keeps you from entering the deepest stage of sleep as often as you should. Your brain doesn't get enough oxygen, so you feel pretty "foggy" in the morning. I know for me, the skin under my fingernails is sometimes purple, like I wasn't getting enough oxygen, which I wasn't. It also puts you at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, etc. Scary stuff.

I'd had it for so long, I thought it was normal to wake up feeling like that. I'm looking forward to getting used to this thing so I can get a good night's sleep for the first time in a LONG time (probably 15-20 years). The night I had my second sleep study at the lab with the mask on all night was the best I'd felt in the morning in literally YEARS.

Here's a link explaining sleep apnea... Sleep apnea

Here's a pic of a dude with a nasal pillow mask...



...and a pic of a BiPAP machine (the air hose attaches in the upper left corner of the picture)...

All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

I just spewed beer. Nice.

Rockindeano wrote:

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

I just spewed beer. Nice.

BUWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

The dog does sleep in our room but he is usually at the foot of the bed and not on the floor or near my nightstand.

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

Rockindeano wrote:

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

I just spewed beer. Nice.

Thought you'd appreciate it.

conversationpc wrote:

Rockindeano wrote:

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

I just spewed beer. Nice.

BUWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

The dog does sleep in our room but he is usually at the foot of the bed and not on the floor or near my nightstand.

Well, having said that, it did make a huge difference to how he slept. Went from talking in his sleep half the night and waking up looking like a wreck to sleeping almost straight through the night. His blood pressure dropped for the first time in years, he lost weight without doing anything special, his memory improved and he stopped getting sick every month or so. I seem to recall it took him about a month to adjust to sleeping with it, though; he complained about the breathing out thing too.

Arianddu wrote:Well, having said that, it did make a huge difference to how he slept. Went from talking in his sleep half the night and waking up looking like a wreck to sleeping almost straight through the night. His blood pressure dropped for the first time in years, he lost weight without doing anything special, his memory improved and he stopped getting sick every month or so. I seem to recall it took him about a month to adjust to sleeping with it, though; he complained about the breathing out thing too.

I don't get sick that often but my blood pressure is moderately high. I'm SO looking forward now to waking up feeling refreshed instead of feeling like rolling back over and going to sleep again for a few hours. I always feel like I have what I call "foggy brain syndrome" for a couple of hours or so after I wake up.

Keep up trying to get used to the bi-pap. It's probably the best and most effective treatment. Weight loss may also help as this disorder often affects the obese. Sleep Apnea is a serious disorder that can be deadly. Obstructive Sleep Apnea was determined to be the cause of death for NFL great Reggie White.

Westchester, IL -- The untimely and tragic death last weekend of National Football League legend Reggie White serves as a warning of the grave consequences of untreated sleep apnea, which is reported to have contributed in part to Mr. White’s death.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a very common sleep disorder which not only has a debilitating effect on sleep, but it is also detrimental to overall health and quality of life.

“Mr. White’s premature and sad death is a sad reminder of the toll that is taken by this prevalent condition,” said Michael J. Sateia, M.D., president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and medical director of the sleep center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. “However, this disorder is readily treatable.”

Data show that obstructive sleep apnea affects approximately 15 to 20 million Americans, and a majority of individuals suffering from obstructive sleep apnea remain undiagnosed and untreated. Additionally, men are twice as likely as women to have obstructive sleep apnea.

Additional published studies report the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among professional football players to be 14 percent and as high as 34 percent in offensive and defensive linemen such as White.

Obstructive sleep apnea consists of repeated episodes of partial or complete upper airway obstruction in sleep, due to relaxation of the muscles that support the upper airway. These episodes of obstruction are associated with repeated arousals from sleep (of which the sleeper is typically unaware) and declines in blood oxygen levels. The pauses in breathing are brief and usually last 10 to 30 seconds; an individual can cease breathing hundreds of times in one night.

According to Sateia, obstructive sleep apnea is most easily recognized by cardinal symptoms.

“Loud snoring and daytime sleepiness, manifest primarily by drowsiness and involuntary dozing in sedentary situations, are the primary indicators of obstructive sleep apnea,” said Sateia.

Obstructive sleep apnea is also predicted by an individual’s body mass index and neck size.

Sateia also detailed the effects of obstructive sleep apnea.

“In addition to the potentially devastating effects on daytime alertness, mood, memory and performance, obstructive sleep apnea is associated with cardiovascular complications, most notably increased risk for high blood pressure,” he said. “Untreated apnea is also associated with higher rates of stroke and heart attack. Some individuals, particularly those with existing lung disease, may develop severe declines in oxygen levels and heart failure.”

Moreover, according to Sateia, obstructive sleep apnea affects the sleep of the bed partner, roommate or others.

“Bed partners are often aware of the repeated episodes of disrupted or absent breathing, and the repeated nighttime awakenings caused by the cessation of breathing and loud snoring also disrupt their sleep,” he said.

Individuals with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea or another sleep related breathing disorder should consult their primary physician and discuss referral to an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center or laboratory for treatment.

Dr. Sateia notes there are many treatment options available for obstructive sleep apnea.

“The most effective immediate treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a device that provides a continuous flow of air pressure within the upper airway, preventing collapse and obstruction,” he said. “Weight reduction, where applicable, is a key long-term strategy and should also be considered in treatment.”

Peartree12249 wrote:Obstructive Sleep Apnea was determined to be the cause of death for NFL great Reggie White.

I hadn't heard that. Reggie White wasn't really in all that bad of shape. I think I remember his playing weight was around 280-290. A big dude but a lot more muscle than fat. Of course, not all people with sleep apnea are fat. A friend of mine has it as well and he is about 6'5" and only weighs about 200 pounds.

“Loud snoring and daytime sleepiness, manifest primarily by drowsiness and involuntary dozing in sedentary situations, are the primary indicators of obstructive sleep apnea,” said Sateia.

I have the snoring certainly but none of the other symptoms that the doctor asked about.

"Reggie had tried conventional therapy to treat sleep apnea, which consists of wearing a facemask that delivers oxygen to the patient during the night. "Reggie was unable to wear the facemask because he was claustrophobic," explains Sara. Although considered one of the best treatments for Obstructive Sleep Apnea, many patients (up to 87% in some studies) are unable to wear the facemask. Oral appliances, such as those prescribed by dentists, can be used for those who are mask-intolerant .They also can be used as a first-line therapy in treating mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnea, according to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. "If Reggie would have known about oral appliances he might still be alive today," says Sara White.

For more information on sleep apnea or DOSA, call 888.285.3244 or visit www.apneadocs.com.

If you can't get used to the mask, you might try looking into the oral appliance Sara White referred to.

Peartree12249 wrote:Oral appliances, such as those prescribed by dentists, can be used for those who are mask-intolerant.

Good advice.

I have the same condition CPC and I didn't like the mask either.

This works for me - and it's only $70:





Sleep studies cost thousands, and that is exactly why they push them. This thing is only the price of a nice dinner out and a movie. Try it for 30 days and get a refund if it doesn't work. It works for me.

http://puresleep.com

Sleep apnea is a very common ailment, and most people don't even know they have it. If you snore and you find yourself being awakened by your snoring, you probably have it. It is a pre-cursor to stroke and heart attack due to the lack of oxygen when your airway is constricted. It's something that can cause death if it is not addressed.

Rockindeano wrote:

Arianddu wrote:All I can suggest is don't let the dogs sleep in your room. My ex needed a CPAP machine, and one of the dogs slept on the floor on his side of the bed (so he couldn't get up without her knowing). She'd fart in her sleep, right under the intake valve of the machine. Aparantly concentrated dog fart directly applied to the nose with pressure is its own special brand of nasty.

I just spewed beer. Nice.

Mine was coffee.

conversationpc wrote:

Arianddu wrote:Well, having said that, it did make a huge difference to how he slept. Went from talking in his sleep half the night and waking up looking like a wreck to sleeping almost straight through the night. His blood pressure dropped for the first time in years, he lost weight without doing anything special, his memory improved and he stopped getting sick every month or so. I seem to recall it took him about a month to adjust to sleeping with it, though; he complained about the breathing out thing too.

I don't get sick that often but my blood pressure is moderately high. I'm SO looking forward now to waking up feeling refreshed instead of feeling like rolling back over and going to sleep again for a few hours. I always feel like I have what I call "foggy brain syndrome" for a couple of hours or so after I wake up.

Use it & you will feel much better.

Dave...I hope you can forgive my bluntness here....because it can be termed as blunt and nasty.

Assuming you and your doctors have determined that your apnea is not correctable by surgery (i.e. deviated septum, etc)....there's only one fix to this problem.

Lose weight!


There are very few people that suffer from non-correctable obstructive sleep apnea who aren't overweight.


I was prescribed a cpap machine about 7 years ago. It was the single worst medically prescribed thing I've ever had to deal with or watch others deal with...seriously. I *never* got used to the air getting jammed into my nose and mouth...and whatever sleep I regained from the machine due to my apnea going away, was lost because I would wake every 10 minutes readjusting the mask, yanking it off gasping for real air, etc.....it was awful.

In the end, I lost weight and threw the fucking evil machine into a box and it's collecting dust in the corner of the attic, never to return. I will *never* use that thing again. I'd rather fight to stay fit than have to deal with that machine ever again.


One lasting evil of the cpap machine, is that it has left me with permanant psoriasis in the areas of my face where the mask pressed against my skin. I will likely have to apply cream to those areas of my face for the rest of my life to prevent my skin from turning red and flaking.


Seriously. Apnea, for a large percentage of the folks out there who suffer from it....is a correctable *symptom* of an underlying condition. The underlying condition is excess weight/obesity.

It's sorta like type 2 diabetes. There are a ton of people out there that suffer from what is refered to as type 2 diabetes...and are forced to yank prickers into their fingers, test their blood, carry around insulin just in case, etc, etc...and they are told by their doctors that they are diabetics...The diabetes isnt the condition...it's the symptom.


I hate to sound off like this...because I can see some people taking this the wrong way and calling me a calous bastard. But these are the facts. You're never going to get used to a machine shoving air into your mouth and nose.....you will be far better off if you make a concentrated effort to get yourself down to a weight where the apnea goes away....and it will.

Babyblue wrote:Use it & you will feel much better.

When you get home.

strangegrey wrote:Dave...I hope you can forgive my bluntness here....because it can be termed as blunt and nasty.

Assuming you and your doctors have determined that your apnea is not correctable by surgery (i.e. deviated septum, etc)....there's only one fix to this problem.

Lose weight!

There are very few people that suffer from non-correctable obstructive sleep apnea who aren't overweight.

You're correct. No need to apologize. Doctors love giving expensive tests and sleep studies to fat people. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose if they tell their patients what the proper cure is:

Little Richard Simmons wrote:Good golly Miss Molly, you're fat as a hog.
Well, you better start runnin cuz it's much too late to jog.

strangegrey wrote:Dave...I hope you can forgive my bluntness here....because it can be termed as blunt and nasty.

Assuming you and your doctors have determined that your apnea is not correctable by surgery (i.e. deviated septum, etc)....there's only one fix to this problem.

Lose weight!

Frank...No problem at all. I do have a deviated septum but it's never caused a problem with my breathing. I'm sure mine is all weight-related and I have a lot of weight to lose.

There are very few people that suffer from non-correctable obstructive sleep apnea who aren't overweight.

I have a friend who is about 6'5" and weighs about 200 pounds. He's in pretty good shape, bikes to work every day, etc. He has mild sleep apnea and I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a deviated septum. At least he's not mentioned it to me. That being said, you're right, most sleep apnea is weight-related.

I was prescribed a cpap machine about 7 years ago. It was the single worst medically prescribed thing I've ever had to deal with or watch others deal with...seriously. I *never* got used to the air getting jammed into my nose and mouth...and whatever sleep I regained from the machine due to my apnea going away, was lost because I would wake every 10 minutes readjusting the mask, yanking it off gasping for real air, etc.....it was awful.

I actually did OK last night. Slept for about four hours. I'm using the nasal pillows instead of the nose or nose & mouth mask. it stayed in place pretty well and didn't cause any soreness. Anyway, I don't want to use it for the rest of my life regardless.

I hate to sound off like this...because I can see some people taking this the wrong way and calling me a calous bastard. But these are the facts. You're never going to get used to a machine shoving air into your mouth and nose.....you will be far better off if you make a concentrated effort to get yourself down to a weight where the apnea goes away....and it will.

That's what I'm doing. Until then, and it'll take a while with the amount of weight I have to lose, I'd rather use this thing temporarily than die from heart disease, stroke, etc.

Anyway, no offense taken.

Voyager wrote:You're correct. No need to apologize. Doctors love giving expensive tests and sleep studies to fat people. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose if they tell their patients what the proper cure is:

Most doctors don't give tests just to make money. You sound like Obama here. Most fat people with sleep apnea ALREADY KNOW their problem is caused by their weight. They don't need a doctor to tell them that. The sleep study, however, is necessary to see if their sleeplessness is bad enough to require a CPAP or if it's correctible by some other means.

conversationpc wrote:

Voyager wrote:You're correct. No need to apologize. Doctors love giving expensive tests and sleep studies to fat people. They have nothing to gain and everything to lose if they tell their patients what the proper cure is:

Most doctors don't give tests just to make money. You sound like Obama here. Most fat people with sleep apnea ALREADY KNOW their problem is caused by their weight. They don't need a doctor to tell them that. The sleep study, however, is necessary to see if their sleeplessness is bad enough to require a CPAP or if it's correctible by some other means.

I know, I took one, and it came back inconclusive because I kept waking up. Go figure. They tried to bill me for a second one but I saw the game.

I am overweight, and I know if I got off my ass and worked out I could probably heal myself. But I am too lulled into the American couch potato lifestyle to give a fuck right now. Who knows, that could change by next week. I need to do what my avatar is doing - LOL!

As far as trusting doctors goes - forget it. Greed will ruin even the most ethical person's morals. If government regulations are not enforced on doctors, the majority of them will gouge the fuck out of you and your insurance company. How do I know this? Because my mom who recently got diagnosed with stage 4 "inoperable" lung cancer (or so they said) just got done getting manipulated into three unneccesary surgeries at a total cost of over $100,000.00 - only for the cancer doctors to tell us... again... "We're sorry, but we were right - it's inoperable."

Or how about the time they wanted to give my wife a $15,000.00 heart cath when she had dizziness from being post menopausal? These greedy fucks will rape you for every dime you will give them. That is human nature my friend.

You will never know how you will react to big money until you get it. Then when you get that $10,000.00 monthly mortgage, you will have to do 20 surgeries a month to make the mortgage payment - or your kids get moved out of the posh subdivision and into the urban public schools. That scenario has a way of driving people into greedy practices.

Voyager, you are not entirely correct. Many, many times doctors have no financial interest in the facility that complete the tests they order-sometimes they do and this is something that's important to know. There are laws against these things and there are safeguards in place with most insurance companies as well. If the test doesn't seem appropriate to an insurance company they'll ask for information to justify the test.

Doing tests is the only way to diagnose most of the time and in this litigious society doctors have to protect themselves. If a person who was obese went to their physician and reported symptoms or problems that are consistent with sleep apnea and the doctor simply told them to lose weight then that person died, the doctor could be sued for malpractice. The plantiffs attorney would rip the doctor apart with questions about why he didn't test and treat for sleep apnea and "I told him to lose weight" would not cut it.

Angel wrote:Voyager, you are not entirely correct. Many, many times doctors have no financial interest in the facility that complete the tests they order-sometimes they do and this is something that's important to know. There are laws against these things and there are safeguards in place with most insurance companies as well. If the test doesn't seem appropriate to an insurance company they'll ask for information to justify the test.

Doing tests is the only way to diagnose most of the time and in this litigious society doctors have to protect themselves. If a person who was obese went to their physician and reported symptoms or problems that are consistent with sleep apnea and the doctor simply told them to lose weight then that person died, the doctor could be sued for malpractice. The plantiffs attorney would rip the doctor apart with questions about why he didn't test and treat for sleep apnea and "I told him to lose weight" would not cut it.

Explain my mom's three unnessesary surgeries then. If they deemed it inoperable, how could they be sued for malpractice by not giving her THREE unneccesary operations? How can they justify doing these surgeries other than greed?

Most doctors are driven by greed on a daily basis. That is because they have access to your checkbook and your insurance company's checkbook. Doctors are not some breed of super human that is not susceptible to greed. If given the chance, most of them will rip you off just like a crack addict would. It's just done under the guise of "physician care".

Voyager wrote:I know, I took one, and it came back inconclusive because I kept waking up. Go figure. They tried to bill me for a second one but I saw the game.

I am overweight, and I know if I got off my ass and worked out I could probably heal myself. But I am too lulled into the American couch potato lifestyle to give a fuck right now. Who knows, that could change by next week. I need to do what my avatar is doing - LOL!

As far as trusting doctors goes - forget it. Greed will ruin even the most ethical person's morals. If government regulations are not enforced on doctors, the majority of them will gouge the fuck out of you and your insurance company. How do I know this? Because my mom who recently got diagnosed with stage 4 "inoperable" lung cancer (or so they said) just got done getting manipulated into three unneccesary surgeries at a total cost of over $100,000.00 - only for the cancer doctors to tell us... again... "We're sorry, but we were right - it's inoperable."

Or how about the time they wanted to give my wife a $15,000.00 heart cath when she had dizziness from being post menopausal? These greedy fucks will rape you for every dime you will give them. That is human nature my friend.

You will never know how you will react to big money until you get it. Then when you get that $10,000.00 monthly mortgage, you will have to do 20 surgeries a month to make the mortgage payment - or your kids get moved out of the posh subdivision and into the urban public schools. That scenario has a way of driving people into greedy practices.

There's much here I disagree with. However, the only thing I'll comment on is the quote in bold. I've been alive long enough to know that greed doesn't control everyone and not everyone will compromise their standards for material gain.

conversationpc wrote:I've been alive long enough to know that greed doesn't control everyone and not everyone will compromise their standards for material gain.

Maybe not everyone... but the controlling greedy people want power, and money means power. A lot of these people end up as politicians, doctors, judges, and lawyers. The more manipulative ones end up as leaders more often because they know how to intimidate people through fear.

Whether it is a government, a prison, or a doctor's office - people will be controlled and taken advantage of by other humans who are greedy and controlling. It's human nature. Without accountability, oversight, and regulations - any institution has the potential to turn into a controlling dictatorship.

Now how the hell did we turn your CPAP thread into a political philosophical discourse?

Voyager wrote:Now how the hell did we turn your CPAP thread into a political philosophical discourse?

I don't know but I would NEVER do something like that.

conversationpc wrote:Anyone else here use a CPAP/BiPAP machine? If so, I'd like to hear your stories.

I had a sleep study last August/September and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.

Ditto mate. Had my night in hospital last week. Still awaiting the full data/result. Haven't been relaxed when waking up in years!

strangegrey wrote:There are very few people that suffer from non-correctable obstructive sleep apnea who aren't overweight.

I'm not overweight by any means, but since I did my back in I have added a few pounds and the snoring has got worse. I'll see where this goes I guess.

conversationpc wrote:I don't get sick that often but my blood pressure is moderately high. I'm SO looking forward now to waking up feeling refreshed instead of feeling like rolling back over and going to sleep again for a few hours. I always feel like I have what I call "foggy brain syndrome" for a couple of hours or so after I wake up.

Seriously, try a B-12 supplement.