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90 compliance period almost up??
#11
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
My sleep doctor wanted a modem installed on my unit and they required me to send the modem back after the compliance period. If I remember right they stopped monitoring after a couple of months since I was 100% compliant. I received a phone call from the DME and given instructions on how to return the modem. I then received a phone call from my health provider, about that time, and was asked if the treatment was working, I said yes and they told me the machine was mine and keep up the good work. I started my treatment last November, been 100% compliant since.
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#12
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
Popriv/Steve,

SO glad you are sticking with the APAP/CPAP!!

It may be hard to "feel" any differences right away - it might seem as if there are no improvements or only minimal improvements and think "Is it REALLY worth the effort?".

Answer: YES it is worth it!

There are several analogies to look at with APAP/CPAP treatment:
= as the respiratory therapist told our APAP/CPAP class - the damage to your body is at the cellular level; and it will take weeks, months, maybe years for the body to repair or replace the damaged cells.
= sleep apnea is not like someone simply being sleep depraved for a few days where a few days of good sleep will correct the problem
= sleep apnea is prolonged injury to the body, it deprives the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and every part of your body of the needed oxygen to sustain life, think, breath, move, and repair injuries to the body

Yes, I DO get passionate about the need for those with sleep apnea to use their APAP/CPAP: I speak from personal experience. My father caused himself brain damage, which resulted in dementia, and damaged his heart to the point that he needed a valve replacement via open heart surgery - all because he refused to use ANY APAP/CPAP/mask that was tried with him. It is heart breaking to see one's father go from being an active retired electrical engineer to being a falling asleep father, even during a phone conversation (just try waking someone while on a long distance phone call!) who takes 45 minutes to open a container of yogurt and he eventually used a knife and a pair of pliers. And to KNOW it was preventable...heart wrenching.
Evpraxia in the Pacific Northwest USA
Diagnosed: 44 AHI when supine, O2 down to 82%
Treated since 20 Sept 2014:: 0.7 AHI, Settings 7-15, EPR on Full Time at Level 3
Better living through CPAP/APAP machines!
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#13
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
(10-16-2014, 10:29 AM)Evpraxia Wrote: = sleep apnea is not like someone simply being sleep depraved for a few days where a few days of good sleep will correct the problem

"Sleep depraved". Was that a Freudian slip of the keystroke? I think that might ber a good description of some of us. Laugh-a-lot

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#14
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
On my first machine, my DME called me every month for my compliance numbers. As I was working in a place where I couldn't answer my phone on the floor, I asked if we could do things via email - no problem. That lasted for about 3 months and then I stopped hearing from them. Found out they filed for liquidation. I have had my current machine for over two years and have never been asked for compliance info. I figure my insurer feels if I have been using it this long, I am still using it. I do bring a printout from SleepyHead to my sleep doc every time I see him. He actually takes the time to look over the numbers with me.

Homer

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#15
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
(10-16-2014, 02:25 AM)Popriv Wrote: Still sceptical of the whole cpap thing but willing to keep trying.

Steve

A famous philosopher once said "There is no try. There is only do, or not do."

.......so do!

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#16
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
A famous green philosopher??

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#17
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
(10-16-2014, 11:41 AM)PaytonA Wrote:
(10-16-2014, 10:29 AM)Evpraxia Wrote: = sleep apnea is not like someone simply being sleep depraved for a few days where a few days of good sleep will correct the problem

"Sleep depraved". Was that a Freudian slip of the keystroke? I think that might ber a good description of some of us. Laugh-a-lot

OOPS! Ah, well...Deprived! That's it! Or, maybe I DID mean depraved...I will have to think about it.
Evpraxia in the Pacific Northwest USA
Diagnosed: 44 AHI when supine, O2 down to 82%
Treated since 20 Sept 2014:: 0.7 AHI, Settings 7-15, EPR on Full Time at Level 3
Better living through CPAP/APAP machines!
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#18
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
(10-16-2014, 01:23 PM)retired_guy Wrote:
(10-16-2014, 02:25 AM)Popriv Wrote: Still sceptical of the whole cpap thing but willing to keep trying.

Steve

A famous philosopher once said "There is no try. There is only do, or not do."

.......so do!

R_G@ Great!

Steve@ Suggest you go and read this thread - all of it.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...7#pid81917
Note that these are from actual patients, not some paid hacks with an ax to grind.

There is plenty to criticize about the field of sleep medicine, and its practices and delivery: ignorant doctors and Respiratory techs, dishonest DME, etc. But CPAP therapy itself has made GREAT strides since it was invented, and for those who make the effort to be involved in and understand their condition and it's treatment, most will adapt well and find substantial rewards.

A.Becker
PAPing in NE Ohio, with a pack of Cairn terriers
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#19
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
Yeah its worth it. I was one of the lucky ones in that I had experience with masks from types of work and Hazmat team, fire dept so that aspect didnt bother me at all. Except Cpap masks leak easily and SCBA etc masks dont. But that was no biggie.

I felt like a new person the first morning after being on the machine. Course my O2 levels drop into the 60s without it so I was pretty much a zombie pumpkin for about 4 hours after getting up before.

But there is also this to consider. Even if you dont feel better right off or even for a good while, you at very least arent being damaged by SA further. I was. Cardiac issues etc. Some of which disappeared after a week. Others will take longer but already show improvement. Talking physical changes like Left Ventricle wall thickening that is lessening slightly.

So even if you dont feel better right off you are preventing actual physical remodeling of your heart and some nasty long term even deadly problems down the road. That by itself is worth it.


But you will feel better if you stay with it. Four hours of good sleep a night and your still going to feel tired. If I happen to sit up late and get up early for something getting four hours only of sleep I feel tired too. Thats natural. Its not enough sleep if you didnt have SA. The thing aint no turbo charger that lets you run like the energizer bunny for 20 hrs a day and sleep 4 LOL.
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#20
RE: 90 compliance period almost up??
Whether you believe you will succeed or you believe you will fail, you will be 100% right. I always prefer to believe I will succeed. I also prefer to believe you will too. The longer you use the machine the easier it gets, once you acclimate you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. I'm 7 months in, and a totally different person.

"There is no try, there is only do and doo doo" Big Grin

Best of luck stick with it, it will pay off in the end. If it hasn't yet paid off, then it isn't the end.
If everyone thinks alike, then someone isn't thinking.
Everyone knows something, together we could know everything.
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