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[Health] Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
#1
Sad 
Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2017. I was first using a mouth guard when I slept, but it didn't work, so I switched to a CPAP machine. It does keep the apneas down, but it's a lot of work to care for the machine. Every morning I have to wipe off the mask (full of saliva from sleeping on my side, which is supposed to help keep the apneas down - and not very comfortable). Then every night I have to empty the water from the filter tank and refill it with fresh water and reassemble the mask. Not to mention the extra clean up of the machine I have to do once a week - washing out the hose and tank with soap, and washing the headgear with soap (I usually do that Saturday mornings). It does take a lot of time. Now I usually have to start getting ready for bed ridiculously early. I now have very little time during the day, and so many things to do. I can't manage my schedule anymore.
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#2
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
It won't be as bad the longer you're at it. For me, routine maintenance is simple and quick. When I initially started CPAP Therapy, I was all about doing this & that as told. But, a couple of months here as a member, and I was enlightened quickly. 

My mask (AirFit F30) comes apart easily and is easy to clean, w/o taking it apart. Emptying the water reservoir in the morning and wiping it dry takes all of a minute or two. The air hose and headgear get washed about every 2-3 weeks or so. 

The actual machine itself requires no maintenance as far as I know. I'll be the 1st to admit, I'm not 100% compliant. But.....I'm working on it, and my numbers when I do gear up, are very good. 

I do wish that I was feeling better and all that, cause I'm not. But, I'm keeping at it.
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#3
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
I only wipe my mask with wet tissue every morning and wash it and hose every other month or so.
I don’t wash machine at all. Do you even do that? Especially after recall lol

Anyway I thought my life will change a lot and it did, but only in positive way.
Using CPAP is almost not bothersome. Almost, because I tape my mouth and not being able to speak afterwards is pain sometimes lol
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#4
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
My mask has a quick coupler on it.  In the morning I take the mask off and the humidifier in to the bathroom. I have a disinfectant spray and I spray the mask wipe it down, dump the excess water and leave both to dry. When I go to bed fill the tank up and put the humidifier back in , put on the mask and go to bed. 

It takes hardly no time. I never do anything with the machine except put in a new filter once a month. 

I’m sorry you feel it takes you so much time - I’ve been doing this for about 30 years.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#5
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
The cleaning thing is a racket to get you to overhandle your mask cushion and tear it (so you spend money on a new one sooner!)

The water tank is impossible to empty completely... I do use distilled because my tap water has LOTS of minerals (it eats my faucets, kills water heaters, washing machines, etc.) About once a month I scrub tank & mask with handsoap and an old toothbrush. The mask doesn't ever seal as well the first night or two after I wash it.

I have a ResMed machine that blows air through the hose to dry it when the machine turns off, and the air only goes one way, so I'm on my original hose since 2014. (Machine came with an unheated hose, and I got the heated hose I've been using about a month later. Sometimes in the spring and fall when the weather is perfect I'll turn off the humidifier and use the unheated hose.)
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#6
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
I guess it depends on what angle you're looking at it, positively and focusing on increasing health and better sleep, or negatively as you are now, about the extra work and cleaning the mask, and the extra time it takes to put a mask on.

Since we have not yet seen an OSCAR chart, there's very little we can do to help. The DreamStation brand you're using takes effort from you to make it work effectively. Your doctor isn't going to do much for you. Apnea therapy requires patient self advocating or there's very little success to be found. Load OSCAR, show us a chart, and we'll be glad to help make therapy the best it can. But if you're not interested in doing the necessary self advocacy, there's little we can do.
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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#7
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
The water tank is impossible to empty completely...

I couldn't help but notice what you said. I have a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet, and emptying the water tank is a breeze. I have no problems or issue at all with it. Matter-of-fact, it's one of the easiest pieces of equipment for me to maintain. 

I'm still using the original once that came in my machine. That was back in Sept. of 2018. It still looks like new. 

Anyways, what you said has me curious.  Eat-popcorn
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#8
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
(06-16-2021, 09:43 PM)Big Guy Wrote: The water tank is impossible to empty completely...

I couldn't help but notice what you said. I have a ResMed AirSense 10 AutoSet, and emptying the water tank is a breeze. I have no problems or issue at all with it. Matter-of-fact, it's one of the easiest pieces of equipment for me to maintain. 

I'm still using the original once that came in my machine. That was back in Sept. of 2018. It still looks like new. 

Anyways, what you said has me curious.  Eat-popcorn

All the crazy nooks and crannies with the water tank means that getting the soap out takes a gazillion rinses.

I learned in science lab that you don't ever wipe anything to dry it -- it just makes it dirty again! It takes more than a day for the tank to air dry because I can't get all the rinse water out ever.

I was more commenting on the silliness of being all paranoid about using distilled water rather than tap, and doing more than just dumping out the remaining water every morning. After all, the jug of distilled water is no longer sterile the moment you open it. 

There's this stereotype of the housewife who is constantly wiping down the kitchen with the dishrag. Which is getting more and more filthy until she's adding more crud back than she's picking up! A lot on the pseudo-medical rigamarole around CPAP cleaning is just silly. Nobody is keeping operating-room sterile standards, and whatever dirt is in the air in your bedroom is dirt you would be breathing in with or without a cpap machine.

The way that the ResMed machines are engineered to blow themselves dry after you turn them off is very clever. Keeping the inside of the machine dry is the best way to make it inhospitable to things growing...
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#9
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
I just use a paper towel and it works great. I spent some time in the military, so a germ here or there doesn't bother me in the least. 

After wiping the tank dry, I let it air dry for a couple of hours. Every now & then, some scale or mineral build-up occurs, and I use White Vinegar. That does a marvelous job. 15-20 minutes of soaking and it's gone. 

I stopped using distilled water within a few months of starting therapy. Tap water works just as well, IMHO. 

It's been my experience that if you try too hard to be clean & sterile, that's when you get sick. I use Clorox wet wipes on my mask and cushion, and hose joint. Cheap, easy & fast.  Cool
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#10
RE: Sleep apnea has ruined my life.
(06-16-2021, 10:26 PM)Big Guy Wrote: I just use a paper towel and it works great. I spent some time in the military, so a germ here or there doesn't bother me in the least. 

After wiping the tank dry, I let it air dry for a couple of hours. Every now & then, some scale or mineral build-up occurs, and I use White Vinegar. That does a marvelous job. 15-20 minutes of soaking and it's gone. 

I stopped using distilled water within a few months of starting therapy. Tap water works just as well, IMHO. 

It's been my experience that if you try too hard to be clean & sterile, that's when you get sick. I use Clorox wet wipes on my mask and cushion, and hose joint. Cheap, easy & fast.  Cool

You are Mister Clean compared to me LOL. My only special thing is the distilled water, and that's because my tap water is extra chewy!

(When we first moved into our house we spent ~$800 replacing practically every faucet in the house. I had a bathtub spout that had a hole in the middle that was almost as big as the hole at the end. A water heater lasts about 7 years. The water mains in the streets blow out all the time. I figure I would have stalactites and stalagmites in my water tank if I used tap, LOL)
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