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[CPAP] 3 days in use of machine
#1
Sad 
3 days in use of machine
Hola im new and SCARED¡¡¡¡
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#2
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place. This site is the only one that enables users to get clinical manuals and manage their own care.
Elle, it IS scary. Something we take for granted- breathing- is failing you night after night. The good news is that with CPAP we can live normal lives and reduce the effects of sleep apnea on our health. It's natural to go through the stages of grief until you come to acceptance. Proper treatment means (IMHO) getting good sleep- deep and REM sleep- when our bodies repair the damage of the day. Next is getting used to wearing the mask and using the machine 100% of sleep time, including naps.
Some people start out slow and work up to using the machine all night. If you can use it all night right away you will be off to a good start
This is the place to ask questions, any questions about sleep and treatment. The doctors, techs, and DME (Durable Medical Equipment Provider- you get your machine and supplies from them) don't seem to cover all situations and questions we may have. They usually don't tell you if your mask is not working out in the first 30 days you can switch to another style. Many insurances require that you use the machine at least four hours every night during the first 30-90 nights or they will not pay.

You're in the right place. Relax and enjoy the fact that you're doing something that will make you feel better during the day, reduce apneas during the night, and preserve your health for the future.
You got a good machine and mask- I use a Respironics machine and alternate the FX FFM (full face mask) with a nasal mask.

Research into treatment has come up some new and novel treatments such as Provent and the Winx. One day there may be a pill. We won't necessarily have to use the machine for the rest of our lives.
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#3
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Hi there and welcome. Don' be scared. And if you are, what is scaring you, exactly? We're here to help. I also use a Philips brick and like it very much. Download Sleepyhead software from our software section and it will allow you to read out your data more easily and monitor your progress. Above all, don't let the need to wear a mask freak you out - they are safe to use long term, and the adjustment time for the mask varies from person to person, as does the amount of time before you start to feel better and more energetic. And if you need help understanding anything, just ask, or search through the topics and fora first, your question may already be answered elsewhere here.

Above all, don't let the mask freak you out. You can get comfortable with it if you give it a chance, and normally the rate of "recovery" with this set up is pretty good, so once your body gets to re-establish a normal sleep cycle (it takes a few weeks) you will feel much more nergised and ready to take on the world.
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#4
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Hello Elle,
WELCOME! to the forum,! you've come to the right place for a wealth of knowledge, and there are lots of great people here, too.
I encourage you to stick with CPAP therapy. It can take time to get used to it. Tell us what is scaring you, maybe we can help you work toward getting through it.
I would just say to you, try not to rebel against the machine butrelax into it.
Best of luck to you.
trish6hundred
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#5
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Well thank you so so much for all the info and responding to me . I'm so excited someone is even taking the time to listen thanks again. I'm so glad I found this place. Ok I was of course recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and well SCARED because I stop breathing . I'm having problems falling asleep because now I fear that I will stop BREATHING..... But I must say I'm not having any problems with wearing or using the machine in fact I wear it all night since day 1 but it dose take me about 2 or 3 hours before I can actually fall to sleep.... Will this machine keep me from not BREATHING ??? My husband has even embraced the fact that I have to wear and use this machine.... Could be his way of saying thank god no more snoring just kidding he does really worry he says he doesn't sleep well because he spends most of his time checking if I'm breathing bless his heart.. I need to put his and my mind at ease any suggestions..... Wink
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#6
RE: 3 days in use of machine
It sounds like you have gotten over one of the first hurdles: Acceptance by spouse. It's rarely a real effect, but we imagine that we'll be seen as some kind of freak because have to use a machine to perform one of the basic functions of life: sleep.

It would help us answer some of your questions if you tell us what kind of machine you have. You have a Philips Respironics, probably a REMstar, but which model? If it's the REMstar Pro it's data capable and you can look at the data and see a graph of every single breath you take while you're sleep.

You can also look at your machine's on-screen menu and see if you can find a number called the AHI. This'll tell you how many times you stop breathing at night.

The other thing you can do is just ask your husband. Ask him if he ever notices that you stop breathing. He's probably asleep a lot more now because your snoring no longer keeps him awake. Wink

Just keep in mind that it's normal to stop breathing up to five times per hour, so even if you do stop breathing every once in a while it's no big deal.

At my sleep study my AHI was 23 (stopped breathing 23 times per hour). Now with CPAP therapy it's less than 2.
Sleepster

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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#7
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Sleepster thanks I use the REMstar C-Flex+ and my nose mask is the ResMed soft edge Mirage FX
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#8
RE: 3 days in use of machine
The machine makes an air splint in your airway. By keeping your airway open it prevents you from having apnea/hypopnea (reduction in airflow) events that are caused by collapse of the soft tissues of the throat. Some people have a big deduction in the number of events, some not as dramatic. An AHI (apnea/hypopnea index) of 5 or less is considered "normal". Don't expect success overnight. Though some people experience that some of us take longer to adjust. Bravo to your spouse. We occasionally get posts from disgruntled wives (never husbands, LOL) who do not tolerate the noise from the machine. It's really a shame when your spouse's health is not your first priority. Sleep without fear, Elle, and tell your husband to relax also. Just found my previous post on this thread so thanks for the update and please keep us posted.
Mary
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#9
RE: 3 days in use of machine
Don't be afraid of stopping breathing - that is what was happening because your throat collapsed (probably) and your self preservation reflex kicked in and woke you up enough to re-establish your breathing cycle. The CPAP keeps the throat from collapsing as much, and so prevents the breathing stoppages, but everyone has breathing cessation at night to some extent - it is a normal thing - just that you have it to greater extent and for other reasons than normal is why you need to go on the machine. BTW, the Philips machine monitors your breathing - if you take too long between breaths it will send an extra puff of air up your nose to kick start you into what it thinks is your normal breathing pattern - for me that was a real problem because years of scuba diving made me into a skip breather, meaning that I take one breath to most people's two. It took me ages to figure out the correct timing to keep the machine from doing that at an inopportune moment, like when I was just starting to nod off.

With the CPAP, you should be breathing better all night, and in time you will feel much better. Now is the time to let the scared go, and instead be glad that you have a solution, and one that both works and is actually very simple and safe.
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#10
RE: 3 days in use of machine
(02-23-2013, 01:26 PM)ElleGonzalez Wrote: Sleepster thanks I use the REMstar C-Flex+ and my nose mask is the ResMed soft edge Mirage FX

Yeah, but which one? If it doesn't say REMstar Plus or REMstar Pro, check the model number. It's likely 150 or something like that.

After removing the water tank, look on the bottom of the machine.
Sleepster

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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