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Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
#61
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
(08-12-2015, 02:33 PM)mogulman Wrote: I don't think he is a data guy. Should I, or he care about compliance? Not sure why I care about that? I see that a lot in the resmed literature, usleep, etc.. I'm not being forced to use it, so what is compliance?


Should you care about compliance? Only if you have to depend on insurance to keep paying for your machine. If that is not the case and you paid for your machine outright, then compliance is meaningless to you.

If your doctor sees a low AHI number, and you tell him you feel good, then he is not going to care about seeing your data. If you want him to look at your data and advise you on pressure settings, then bring the same concerns to him or her that you have brought to this forum.


OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



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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#62
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
Like I said. They prefer to throw a machine at you with some hoses
and basically could not care less after that.
Most doctors are interested in turnover. More $$ vs time.
Spending time educating the patient on how to get the most out of their hardware?
Pfft.
So far the only good docs I have run into are on this forum.

Sad but true.

Ohwell

"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." - Thomas Foxwell Buxton

Cool
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#63
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
My insurance coverage doesn't depend on compliance. Yeah. I doubt my doc cares about the machine settings. Probably just AHI.
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#64
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
(07-28-2015, 07:17 PM)mogulman Wrote: I got diagnosed with an AHI of 70. Although I'm not sure if the study was correct. The sleep study person had me sleep in my back without CPAP. Then she had me sleep on my back with CPAP full mask. I couldn't sleep. Then I tried the nose mask and couldn't sleep. Finally she let me sleep on my side and I slept for a few hours.

. . .

Anyway, I am pretty skeptical about a CPAP helping with anything. I didn't have symptoms as far as I can tell. I'm not sleepy during the day. I don't feel tired.
. . .

I got a Resmed Autosense 10 autoset last week. I tried it with the Phillips Wisp nose mask. I couldn't sleep 4 of the nights I used it. I did get about 7 hours last night, but had already set up an appointment to try another mask. So I got a Resmed P10.

I'll probably try for another week or so, but am still not sold on CPAP. I think, even if I get used to it, if I don't notice any difference in how I feel, I may return it.

Anyway. Any other advice, other than lose weight?

Hi mogulman! Many of us started off being skeptical. Talk with your doc. He had a reason for sending you for sleep tests. The results verify his judgment. Many of us do not see noticeable difference during the day, especially at the beginning and for some time thereafter. But the improved sleep does have important health benefits to us anyway, VERY important health benefits that I will allow others to step in and discuss.

The Autoset is an excellent machine and it collects data that you can learn to monitor. It will give you a good handle on how you are progressing. I used one. I also use the Airfit P10, a great nasal "pillow" mask. Give it a few weeks time. Go to bed when you're dog tired. That will help a lot in "bypassing" the newness and strangeness of the mask and blowing machine. Best of luck to you. -- Papit
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#65
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
If you cant do pillows try an Eson nasal mask.
Creme de la crem of nasal masks by far.
If you drop your pap treatment now, a few years down tbe road uou WILL pay for it in cardiac issues and host of other goodies alot of us can attest to.
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#66
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
compliance is 4 hours a night for 30 days in a row over the last 90 days. I heard about this only here, not from DME or doctor. If I am not compliant my insurance company will take the machine back.
Does the doctor care, if your insurance company cares, your doctor cares.
I doubt many doctors have the time to pour over a bunch of plots, they have enough paper work to do.
As Ghost said above about other health issues: 3 years ago diabetes type II, last December double bypass, January 2 stents. Told all this was from undiagnosed sleep apnea. 30 days on the machine here. Even while in the hospital for the bypass I was told "gee your O2 levels are pretty low when you sleep" and nothing about sleep apnea.

CPAP is the gold standard for fixing this and preventing damage. Some of the "pros" here are your best resource. The doctor will write scripts for what you need. At my last visit just yesterday, the Doc just looked at me and asked what I needed Smile, scheduled an new sleep study for a BiPAP machine.

As for not feeling anything, I was fine until the ambulance ride to the hospital. You sure you want to go that route? The professionals have told you that you have sleep apnea, if it were me I would trust them.
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#67
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
Hi Mogul,

PoolQ is right.
I was one of the lucky ones in that I was able to recognize the bad situation and act on it.
Had I not, I would surely be dead by now, just another "Fell asleep at the wheel" statistic.

That being attended to, the stroke, heart attack / damage, major organ failures headed your way are Lu-Lu's

From that perspective APAP is only a minor inconvenience that you can learn to live with.

*off the soap box*

Wishing you the best of luck and hope you'll keep working on slaying the dragons.
(eventually you WILL solve all the problems! Your persistance pays off! )

Wink


"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." - Thomas Foxwell Buxton

Cool
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#68
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
Yeah..I had 3 back surgeries from 2010 to 2013. All of them said my oxygen levels were low when I slept, so even when I was recovering I had to stay on oxygen.

I have done better the last 2 nights. 7 hours or more each night. Still feel more tired than sleeping without the CPAP. My right nostril does have some irritation. I've been using some Aquiphor, but it is petroleum based and heard that this might not be good for the silicone. Is there a particular lotion brand that I can purchase at Walgreens or my local grocery that would work better? I don't want to have to look on the ingredients for every one.

I also noticed that my throat has been kind of dry when I wake up. I have the humidifier set on auto. I'm in CO which is pretty dry anyway. Should I change anything? is it ok for my throat to be dry like this? Will I get used to it?
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#69
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
(08-14-2015, 10:34 AM)mogulman Wrote: Yeah..I had 3 back surgeries from 2010 to 2013. All of them said my oxygen levels were low when I slept, so even when I was recovering I had to stay on oxygen.

I have done better the last 2 nights. 7 hours or more each night. Still feel more tired than sleeping without the CPAP. My right nostril does have some irritation. I've been using some Aquiphor, but it is petroleum based and heard that this might not be good for the silicone. Is there a particular lotion brand that I can purchase at Walgreens or my local grocery that would work better? I don't want to have to look on the ingredients for every one.

I also noticed that my throat has been kind of dry when I wake up. I have the humidifier set on auto. I'm in CO which is pretty dry anyway. Should I change anything? is it ok for my throat to be dry like this? Will I get used to it?

mogulman,
Look for Lanolin Cream, I thinks its called Lamosil, but could be wrong.
It would be found in the baby department, most any drug store.
Nursing mothers use it. You are right, it's not good to use anything petroleum based.

If your humidifer is set correctly, your throat shouldn't be dry. Try turning it up a notch. Before I put my mask on, I rinse with either Biotene mouth rinse or Act Total Care Dry Mouth rinse. Either one does a good job at keeping your mouth moist.

OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

_______________________
OSCAR Chart Organization
How to Attach Images and Files.
OSCAR - The Guide
Soft Cervical Collar
Optimizing therapy
OSCAR supported machines
Mask Primer



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.
Post Reply Post Reply
#70
RE: Newbie. Not sure if I'll be using a CPAP long term
(08-14-2015, 10:34 AM)mogulman Wrote: Yeah..I had 3 back surgeries from 2010 to 2013. All of them said my oxygen levels were low when I slept, so even when I was recovering I had to stay on oxygen.

I have done better the last 2 nights. 7 hours or more each night. Still feel more tired than sleeping without the CPAP. My right nostril does have some irritation. I've been using some Aquiphor, but it is petroleum based and heard that this might not be good for the silicone. Is there a particular lotion brand that I can purchase at Walgreens or my local grocery that would work better? I don't want to have to look on the ingredients for every one.

I also noticed that my throat has been kind of dry when I wake up. I have the humidifier set on auto. I'm in CO which is pretty dry anyway. Should I change anything? is it ok for my throat to be dry like this? Will I get used to it?


I haven't been using mine for very long but I had the same issue with the dryness on auto as well. I changed mine to manual only last night and set it to 5 and climate line at 81 degrees F and didn't have that issue this morning, but caused "rain out" from the condensation. Im going to try adjusting the temp of my climate line to try and get rid of the condensation tonight.

I'm still tweaking things to get them just right, but every time I take a step in the right direction, it get more and more comfortable.

As for the petroleum based products, from what my doctor and the dme told me, it is not only bad for the mask but bad for your health. The petroleum floats on the surface of your skin and can get inhaled, and with prolonged use, creating petroleum deposits in your lungs, reducing your ability to absorb oxygen into your bloodstream. I'm by no means a doctor, just passing on what mine told me. He gave me some water based products to try and I'll post what they are when I get home from work and can look at them.

The people on here are very helpful and there is a lot of first hand knowledge. They will help you get it to where it is most comfortable so you can get the most out of your therapy.
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