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Back to cpap
#1
Back to cpap
Well I never really got started.  I was allowed to try one 6 years ago for a few weeks and it didn't help me because I couldn't deal with it.  Now my MAS wore out after 5 years so the doctor said you must use the "gold standard".  I think that term gold is a load of $$$$.  We will see what happens.  I am willing to try it but I won't be suprised if I drop the rental off at the supply place in a month.
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#2
RE: Back to cpap
it's gold to the purveyors because it costs us a lot :-)

well, good on you for trying again. however, why not just save yourself the trouble. venting is fine and where better to do it in a place like this where everyone understands exactly what you are going through. however, if you maintain that attitude, I predict (as you do) it'll end in a self-fulfilling defeat.

we have to be open minded, willing to try, try and try again and adapt to the less than pleasant experience of being tethered to a machine every night. the medical establishment has an abysmal record of supporting cpap users. many people that come here do so after previously giving up. the symptoms get too severe to ignore. and you've come to the right place.

I had a lifetime of untreated apnea and I can tell you the symptoms get debilitating. I didn't get cpap until I was 61. 3 years in and I still feel less than well. with cpap, it's a daily struggle for most for a while to figure out the best mask, hose management, pillow type, sleeping position, and optimum machine settings. cpap is what most apneacs have to endure to feel better. I think I'm an extreme example of how long it can take but the point is that it takes some effort. effort that won't come easily from the doctor, dme provider and insurance company.

the quickest and best way to get there is right here on this website. download OSCAR software, post your data, ask a lot of questions. our cpap user peers have a great track record of getting people the most out of their machine and the greatest comfort to enable us to tolerate and accept cpap. eventually we feel better. while I'm not up to par yet, I'm infinitely better than 3 years ago. IDK how long it takes to recover from a lifetime of sleep deprivation. IDK if it's even possible. I do know that I have a better chance of surviving apnea and sleep deprivation and all their horrible negative effects by using the machine.

it's a pita but give it the old college try. hang around here for the month you're willing to give it, ask questions and try out the suggestions offered by other cpapers. even with the knowledge and experience found here, there's a fair amount of trial and error involved (hence why the medical establishment fails). millions of people figure out how to make it work. I'll bet you can handle it too.
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#3
RE: Back to cpap
I agree the medical professional saying its gold standard is not helpful. They should observe you sleep first then make a judgement. Getting an at home test tells you nothing. I am almost 40. Little overweight but I have had apnea all my life. I struggled in school from an early age and was probably misdiagnosed with ADD. Its probably this disgusting condition.
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#4
RE: Back to cpap
I'm in agreement with sheepless. If armed with info from posted OSCAR charts, we've got a number of AB members that can give suggestions on how to make your therapy the best it can be. This increases your odds of success.

Besides OSCAR charts, updating your left panel data and if you've had a sleep study, redacted detailed screenshots of that would assist in helping us to help you succeed.
INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEBSITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: Back to cpap
(11-15-2019, 03:24 PM)Wanttosleep80 Wrote: Well I never really got started.  I was allowed to try one 6 years ago for a few weeks and it didn't help me because I couldn't deal with it.  Now my MAS wore out after 5 years so the doctor said you must use the "gold standard".  I think that term gold is a load of $$$$.  We will see what happens.  I am willing to try it but I won't be suprised if I drop the rental off at the supply place in a month.

Give yourself the best shot at it, and ask for a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset.  It's the best machine out there with the best comfort features and highest success rate. That machine has full data and we can help you get where you need to be.  FWIW, a positive attitude helps, and your lack of confidence is telling us you expect to fail.  Not if you work with us.
Sleeprider
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com

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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#6
RE: Back to cpap
(11-15-2019, 10:02 PM)Wanttosleep80 Wrote: I agree the medical professional saying its gold standard is not helpful.  They should observe you sleep first then make a judgement.  Getting an at home test tells you nothing.  I am almost 40.  Little overweight but I have had apnea all my life.  I struggled in school from an early age and was probably misdiagnosed with ADD.  Its probably this disgusting condition.

I do not agree that an in hospital overnight sleep is needed, depending on the equipment used a home study can give a high level of confidence that a patient has OSA or not. I have had two overnight studies and all they did was confirm the readings from my Resmed that I had issues a waste of time, resources and money.
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#7
RE: Back to cpap
I will also encourage you to get an APAP (Auto) machine with data. With an APAP you can pretty much do a basic titration every night. There are super knowledgable people here, myself excluded, that won’t cost you $$$$, who can get you through this.

I’ve been at this for almost 2 decades and as time goes on and you get everything dialed in, it becomes second nature. Don’t look at it as something that is static because untreated it only gets worse.

John
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#8
RE: Back to cpap
I ended up using a CPAP because I fell asleep passing through the small town next to ours. The one and only crosswalk in town had kids in it and an older VW Golf stopped so the kids could cross and I rear-ended the Golf with my Prius rear license to rear license plates. Only injuries were the rear bumper of the VW and the front bumper of my Prius, plus painful bruises from my seat belt to remind me of my error. Kids saw I wasn't stopping and jumped back to the curb. I'd had problems over the years getting sleepy while driving and had two close calls over a 20 year period where I woke up before going off the road. My doctor had suggested a sleep test but I blew him off. My husband was on CPAP and I certainly didn't have the symptoms he had--breathing stopped for seconds at a time, gasping for breath, and snoring-- he didn't have any problems with sleepiness while driving. I had no choice but to have a sleep test because I lost my driver's license. I didn't under stand sleep apnea enough at the time and was in denial, and after an overnight test showed severe apnea (30.8 AHI, I found myself staring at a black box on my bedside table which I didn't touch for 2 days--still in denial. It wasn't easy at first and I didn't get much sleep, but did keep the mask on every night for the full night. I soon discovered this wonderful forum and changed my attitude to one of negativity to one of positivity and did a lot of research on the harm apnea can do to your body and it scared me straight--I became determined to give thanks I WAS diagnosed both to improve my health and not to get in an accident that might kill me or some other person. Things started getting easier at that point and following suggestions on the forum helped me take control of my treatment. I was 74 when I started CPAP a little more than 4 years ago and have become a crusader for getting checked. Sleephead and now OSCAR have bee a great tool. I send good thoughts that you can get a positive attitude and give yourself a chance to live a longer, happier life.
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#9
RE: Back to cpap
Apnea isn't "disgusting," it's just something, like nearsightedness, that we have to deal with. See if you recognize any of this from my pre-treatment experience. I had no spring in my step, zero energy. I felt stupid, groping for words, talking slowly, losing my train of thought. I felt gloomy, assuming the worst, expecting the worst. I was short-tempered and irritable, constantly having to bite my tongue at work and at home.

If that sounds like your experience at all, then please realize that your pessimism about treatment may itself be a symptom of your apnea. Just promise yourself that you will give it a try and see how it goes. Remember, something is different this time: you have a whole community here to turn to for advice about every aspect of your adjustment to treatment.
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#10
RE: Back to cpap
They gave me the resmed thing.  I have tried it 2 nights so far and did 3.5 and 2.5 hours.  I am renting the device because purchasing makes no sense right now.  

I am keeping an open mind but I need 8 hours of sleep and I really need it now.  It breaks my heart that I am so tired all i can do is get to work.  I am 5'8" 190 with a frame and enjoy exercising.  Unfortunately I miss the gym a lot and feel sad.  

I am going to ask for a mask fitting since the provider didn't have time the day I picked up.  I also have take to other providers but they wanted me to purchase.
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