Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here

[sndraco]

Thanks Dormeo, and its encouraging that this board exists and the help is fantastic here, quite frustrating that from the sleep Dr's help is a lot less and they really don't work to optimize therapy once AHI is under 5 though at least in my case there is I think lots of improvement/optimization that can be done. 

Shri

[SleepyPrince]

Congratulations on your success story. I'm a new user and this is my first post

I was recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea with AHI 67. I do not have server symptoms but lose my temper quite a lot. 

I started using CPAP for the past 1 week and Im noticing few positive differences in me. I do not have mood swings lately and much more focused.
 The point about your spouse is so true. My wife is so much relieved in a fact that this will make me healthy and also she can sleep now without any disturbances .

Even though my AHI currently is 5-6, I tend to use the machine regularly and will try to reduce it eventually. 

These Stories inspire me. Thanks for sharing. Cheers.

[Dormeo]

SleepyPrince, congratulations on starting treatment for your severe apnea! Better sleep certainly helps improve mood, as I've noticed in myself.

Feel free to start a new thread asking for suggestions about getting your AHI down further. If you don't already use the Oscar software, I encourage you to start. Feel free to ask for help with that if you need it. The people on this forum are very nice and aim to be very helpful, so don't hesitate.

[factor]

Even though my AHI currently is 5-6, I tend to use the machine regularly and will try to reduce it eventually. 

These Stories inspire me. Thanks for sharing. Cheers.

I agree with Dormeo.

I would get OSCAR and start a Treatment thread.  With you AHI still being 5 or 6 you therapy is not fully optimized.  Down for 67 yes and that is good.

[NelsonM]

Hey there, another new CPAP user. And absolutely thrilled, it's made an instant and enormous improvement in my life.

In retrospect I've probably had severe OSA for at least a year and a half and problems going much longer than that. I'm an overweight middle aged male, I fit the profile. When Covid hit I started taking naps in the afternoon (nothing else to do!). And then longer naps, and longer. At some point I realized I was sleeping 8 hours at night, 2 hours in the day, and was still exhausted and sleepy all the time. Finally talked to my doctor about it, got a sleep specialist referral, and now here I am two weeks with APAP therapy and full of energy.

Very grateful to Apnea Board and other resources for taking charge of my own health. While I was waiting for the medical system to help me I got an O2ring pulse oximeter and started measuring myself at night. What I found terrified me; my SpO2 was dropping radically every 50 seconds, all night every night. So then I set up a camera and videoed myself and that was even more terrifying, my body literally lurching off the mattress as I was gasping for breath about once a minute. I don't have any memory of that, as far as I knew I was sleeping OK. Really it's remarkable I'm even still alive after suffocating like that. Anyway, all that made me realize I had a serious problem. While I was waiting on doctors I got a wedge pillow which helped some, I'd get 2-3 hours of clear sleep at least and my energy started coming back.

Nothing but frustration with the US medical system though. It took me three months to get a diagnosis. Several weeks waiting for the sleep doctor appointment. Six weeks waiting for my turn to borrow home sleep test equipment from my doctor's clinic. A week and a half waiting for results. Fortunately I can afford to bypass waiting on my insurance company's approval for things; the moment I had the prescription I took it to an online DME and paid for the APAP and mask out of pocket. (BTW this process is very confusing for first time patients; the online shops really need a "so you're new to CPAP treatment" guide.) Still relying on insurance to negotiate prices for service though. The sleep clinic I did the test at billed me $3000 for one night of at home study. Compare ~$400 for a mail order test or a local low-rent clinic. At least the ACA means that my diagnosis doesn't make it impossible for me to get health insurance next year.

Anyway I finally got the Resmed 10 and the very first night it worked wonders. AHI down from over 60 to under 4 every night. My SpO2 sensor tells me I'm getting oxygenated normally now and OSCAR gives me a full picture of how the machine is working with me. I've been using the APAP for two weeks with very little problems other than being woken up sometimes when the pressure gets so high it blows the mask off me. Still adjusting all that.

I've read a lot of stories of folks who can't tolerate CPAP therapy and hate their machines. I'm glad to be one of the lucky ones who doesn't mind it too much. It helps that it has made such an enormous positive difference immediately. The first morning with the APAP I woke up I was literally dancing to music while making my breakfast. The morning before I had been fighting to stay awake.

I'll end with a question: should I be using a wedge pillow if the APAP is keeping my AHIs under 5? I know the pillow helps keep my airway open in some positions. OTOH it's a nuisance and causes me pain in my hips.

[factor]

Welcome NelsonM and sounds like you are on your way.  Like in My Story you most likely become a New Person..  AHI of less than 5 is great but i bet if you post some data we can make it even better.

What most do is start a treatment thread "NelsonM treatment" thread in the main forum.

Try to post some F12 screen shots form OSCAR.  How to here http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...4#pid65514 

[Dormeo]

NelsonM, congratulations on the dramatic positive results of your apnea treatment!

Your post does a great job of describing what happens to us during the night when we have apnea. Truly awful!

In your place, I'd try sleeping without the wedge. Pain is not conducive to sound sleep (as I know all too well), so it'd be well worth experimenting. Even if your AHI ticks up a little, give it a few nights before you draw any conclusions.

And as factor says, you shouldn't hesitate to start a new thread to get some help tweaking your settings. It's great you're already using Oscar, so just go ahead and post a screenshot per factor's guidance.

[method115]

So apparently I had my CPAP machine settings as AB Filter: No. When I in fact do have a filter on. Not sure why I set that to no. Changing it to yes though was a massive change. It damn near felt like it was going to blow my mask off. I had to turn down my pressure settings from 8 to 6 and even that still felt a bit strong.

[Crimson Nape]

method115 - Are using the Anti-Bacterial filter that attaches inline on your air hose? The little rectangle hypoallergenic filters are not the AB filter that the menu option is referring to.

[DaveL]

method115  - With the F30, just use the quick-release clip that disconnects the tube from the front of the mask. Then you don't have to faff around with the mask fit and straps etc, you can just pop off the tube, do your thing, get back into bed and pop it back on.

My success story:  I am an inveterate mouth breather. I always have been, and I figured I always would be, so I was stuck with full face masks. And I don't hate them I actually really love the AirTouch F20. But I struggle to get it to seal on my small face, especially as my jaw drops when I'm asleep, hence the mouth breathing. In order to keep me from experiencing either chipmunk cheeks or massive leaks, it ended up being snug enough to cause a pressure sore on the bridge of my nose that WOULD not heal. I had previously tried an F30 which had been a disaster - but I couldn't bear to wear the F20 because of the sore. No amount of Gecko pads, Duoderm or padding was helping.

In desperation, and during the sale, I ordered a P10. This is a huge deal because a) the whole jaw dropping part and b) I have major allergies to medical tape, as well as my skin tears really badly removing any kind of adhesive dressing. The idea of taping my mouth was not something I seriously considered for that reason but desperate times call for desperate measures.

So, with a roll of Transpore and a chin strap, I carefully taped up my lips and tried the pillows. My cheeks popped out like a hamster in a peanut factory every time I started to doze off, promptly waking me up. In addition, although the pillows were the most comfortable size of the three options in the pack, I felt like I was short of breath. So I swapped to the next size up pillows, applied the chin strap, and tried again. It was like night and day.

Y'all... I love this mask. It's so light and it doesn't even leak that badly - more steadily than the F20, yes, but not the sudden, noisy, disturbing leaks that would wake me up. Even the louder venting wasn't enough to disturb me. I'm pretty sure I could tighten up the mask a little more, but it's working and comfortable. I feel like I get enough air. My cheeks barely pop. And (so far) my lips aren't screaming at me. The tape issue means I can't make this a full-time option... but I'm so glad that I've managed to make this a success - even if it's just to give the bridge of my nose a rest and prevent the pressure sore from reoccurring by having another option now.

I truly appreciate your post. I've never tried the P10.  Recnt attempts with the F30i didn't work.  
I would love to find a full face mask that didn't leak. And helped me keep my numbers low.