Sleep Apnea

[NewLondon88]

I tried for about 6 months. Never actually got to sleep while wearing the gear. I've had severe apnea since I was a teen

 

[sbwertz]

My husband has a combination of central sleep apnea and obstructive sleep apnea. The Central Apnea is an aftereffect of West Nile Encephalitis in 2004. He just stops breathing. He will breath shallower and shallower until he just stops for up to a minute, then takes a big breath and pants for several breaths, then repeats the procedure. Several times a night his tongue will fall back when he stops breathing and blocks his breathing so that when he tries to take that first breath he can't, and it wakes him up.

He is on a combination of a CPAP for the blockage, and oxygen for the central apnea. The oxygen doesn't prevent him from stopping breathing, but it keeps his blood oxygen high enough that it doesn't drop below 90 percent when he does stop. The CPAP prevents the blockages.

It took a while to get used to, but he has had good results. He now sleeps pretty much through the night. He used to get up to go to the bathroom about every hour and a half because he was never getting deeply enough asleep for his kidneys to shut down for the night. (Normally your kidneys stop functioning when you are deeply asleep, so your bladder doesn't fill up until near morning when you are sleeping more shallowly.) He is 73.

 

[sbwertz]

I have a CPAP device which I packed away in a closet 10 minutes after getting it. my problem is I wake often needing to pee and unhooking the Cpap takes long enough for me to start leaking before getting to toilet. To me it is worthless.

You may find that using the CPAP prevents that! When you have apnea, you don't get deeply enough asleep for your kidneys to "sleep" too. If you can persevere until you get used to the CPAP so that you can really get into a deep sleep, you should find you don't have to go to the bathroom more than once or so during the night.

 

[sbwertz]

I've had mine now for about 15 years. I have had sleep apnea since I was a small kid. We were just to dumb to know what it was. But now I use my CPAP...and the only problem I have with it is that my nasal passages feel like they are clogged and I am unable to breathe. I blow my nose and nothing comes out...so I figure that my nasal tissues are irritated and swelled. But what do I do about that?

Does your CPAP have a built in humidifier? It helps a lot.

 

[lorbay]

Well it's been almost a week since I got this machine and I must say it is getting easier and easier every night.
I too used to have go pee at least once a night and also drink 1/2 a glass of water during the night ( just to make things worse) well now I don't need to get up for a pee.
As this machine has humidification I have never woke wanting a drink, I have the nose device so you have to keep your mouth shut so I guess I don't get dry mouth anymore.
I feel so much better during the day, where before I used to come home after work and have a snooze for an hour, not any more. I have 30 days to see whether I like it or not, so if it feels this good after a week it should be good after 30 days.

Lin.

 

[wizard]

I debated whether or not to post this as this site is normally my escape and stress relief from my practice of medicine. However, I felt this was important enough to comment on.

A portion of my medical practice is devoted to sleep medicine. I order sleep studies, interpret them and order the appropriate equipment for my patients and monitor their progress which includes downloading data cards from their machines monthly.

What I want to share is that sleep apnea is undiagnosed in many people.
It is a large contributing factor to weight gain, adult onset diabetes, hypertension, strokes, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and death. The excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue causes lost time with loved ones, lost productivity at work and motor vehicle accidents. The chronic nightly lack of oxygen causes cognitive problems with deficits in memory, attention, concentration, decision making, depressive symptoms and now even thought to contribute to the onset of dementia.

Please do everything you can do to get adequate oxygen to your brain at night. The latest research shows that some of the brain damage caused by a chronic lack of oxygen from nightly sleep apnea is irreversible. Please do whatever you can to work with your doctor in order to be compliant with your CPAP/BiPAP/VPAP therapy. Doc...Ok.... now I'll be quiet and go make a pen...

 

[danrs]

How often do you have to get titrated again? Is it necessary to get titrated again if off for a while or if you get a new machine?

 

[Robert111]

I debated whether or not to post this as this site is normally my escape and stress relief from my practice of medicine. However, I felt this was important enough to comment on.

A portion of my medical practice is devoted to sleep medicine. I order sleep studies, interpret them and order the appropriate equipment for my patients and monitor their progress which includes downloading data cards from their machines monthly.

What I want to share is that sleep apnea is undiagnosed in many people.
It is a large contributing factor to weight gain, adult onset diabetes, hypertension, strokes, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction and death. The excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue causes lost time with loved ones, lost productivity at work and motor vehicle accidents. The chronic nightly lack of oxygen causes cognitive problems with deficits in memory, attention, concentration, decision making, depressive symptoms and now even thought to contribute to the onset of dementia.

Please do everything you can do to get adequate oxygen to your brain at night. The latest research shows that some of the brain damage caused by a chronic lack of oxygen from nightly sleep apnea is irreversible. Please do whatever you can to work with your doctor in order to be compliant with your CPAP/BiPAP/VPAP therapy. Doc...Ok.... now I'll be quiet and go make a pen...

I love it when a pen maker is also a doc.

 

[Robert111]

I have had apnea for 18 years now. I started off with a CPAP but after my third bout of cellulitus (sp) on my forehead, (the first so bad I almost lost an eye)I was put on a TAP TAP® - Thornton Adjustable Positioner :: The TAP® prevents snoring and sleep apnea.

I imagine since loosing over 80 pounds I could sleep without it but I don't want to, I have gone from sleeping at stop lights and signs, to riding centuries on my bike.

The Apnea diagnosis was the third best thing that has ever happened in my life. (My lovely wife is first and my son is second.)
TAP® - Thornton Adjustable Positioner :: The TAP® prevents snoring and sleep apnea.

Does your mouth dry out?

It will if it opens in your sleep. Man, mine really dries out! Fortunately it doesn't happen much. The nasal pillow device I have forces you to keep your mouth closed or you'll get air coming out your mouth making a racket that should wake you. In my case, sometimes it doesn't though.

 

[ctubbs]

I've had mine for 5 or so years now and my bride is so glad! Before the machine, I would rattle the windows with my snoring. I have found that wearing dentures can have an effect on how the mask fits so be sure and tell the person that fits you about your teeth situation.
As for 'DryMouth', they have a chin strap that will hold your mouth shut. I haven't used one yet, I just keep a glass of water by the bed.
CPAP is a God send. I use mine every night.
Charles