k_graham Wrote:This is my first post.
A bit early but I think I can label the CPAP a success. I'm from northern Canada and we don't appear to have sleep studies - I visited the doctor at the beginning of the year due to simply feeling really poor. not sleeping well, etc. For some reason they never took a blood pressure test but did blood work and hemoglobin indications had me looking like a heavy smoker - catch is I have never smoked. So they repeated the test. My wife meanwhile had purchased a blood pressure gauge as shes had low blood pressure, one Sunday, I asked her to check mine as I wasn't feeling well and it was 180.
We made a quick trip to emergency where they gave me blood pressuure pill and a few hours later with it down to a more reasonable level I was sent on my way being told to see my doctor - I was able to get in the next day and was promptly underprescribed 1/4 pill a day. However being able to do my own blood pressure I was able to see and up the dosage to control it, a 2nd trip to the doctor for a new prescription and it was upped to 1 pill a day. They finally prescribed me for a Oximetry machine to use overnight which took a week from the hospital and 3 whole weeks later gave me a prescription to try a cpap machine.(for reference - I found out after, instead of using our hospitals Oximetry machine I could have got one via the CPAP supplier and had the results read within a week.
Anyway I was 2 weeks away from a trip to Mexico but did arrange the machine trial which should show in my Signature, now the questionable part. Within a week of being at sea level in southern Mexico near the beach with high humidity, I was able to go off my Blood Pressure pills except 1 day where it went to 140 and I think that was due to getting caught away from my CPAP machine for a couple nights.
I will know for sure after I return to Canada August 1, 2011 . Blood pressure 120/82 - pulse 83
I did not like the settings the supplier chose to begin with, it felt like rebreathed air in a closet. A call from Mexico and they suggested I turn off the humidifier but leave with water in it as apparently humidity is provided by heating the water and if anything I would prefer breathing cool air. Maybe because thats about the time I seemed to reduce my fighting the machine, is when my blood pressure dropped.
I did download the computer program and other than that it wants to access the internet (call home) which I am blocking with Zone Alarm the data looks interesting. It seems even Windows 7 firewall only blocks incoming attempts but not attempts by software to call out, if you are concerned which you should be as Trojans work this way, you should go to http://www.grc.com/lt/leaktest.htm and also use the shields up test there. The advice there includes a suggestion to download at least the free zonealarm program.
The Zonealarm message - ResWare Shell Launcher is trying to access the Internet, application ResScan.exe
I am of the feeling I want control and without the information would be wanting a different machine - with the above program I shall likely pay the price for this machine beyond the trial which is due back upon my return to Canada - I did inform the supplier of this trip in advance.
Another interesting item my monthly index is 1.2 I have the device is set to auto and was at 8 - 16, I decided to try lowering it to 0-16 to see what it would automatically set to, it would only go to 4-16 though but my apnea index last night dropped to .8 makes me wonder but I guess I need a week to see better?
One item I haven't found info about is EPR - its off on my machine - does anyone have it on?
If I am not mistaken EPR is a pressure relief for exhaling and as I am below 10 I assume its not really necessary, correct?
Anyway - now I guess while things are under control will be the time to see if weight loss or specific excercise can help further. Maybe like the coffee haulers in Mexico with a pack on the back held by a strap across the forhead, amazing they can be carrying up to a 100 kilos that way. :-/
Thanks,
Ken
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Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
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02-23-2012, 11:22 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
02-23-2012, 11:22 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
Dave_KC Wrote:I've just been poking around the board, and it look interesting.
02-23-2012, 11:23 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
ttfespe Wrote:Well one month with cpap and I am very pleased. Fully compliant and have had very little problems adjusting. Every night with cpap has brought the best sleep I can remember. No more sleepy days and my memory is getting much better. I know I had serious sleep apnea for along time...just to stubborn to do anything about it...thanks to my Dr for staying after me. My sleep was so poor I was convinced I could never sleep at all with the stuff. The absolute best advice I got was at my sleep study...from the RRT..."don't over think this...just relax and go to sleep". Pretty simple but it works for me!!!! I appreciate this forum as it has really educated me and will continue to do so.
02-23-2012, 11:24 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
mattcaswell Wrote:After I had my heart attack 2 years ago, my dr. kept saying that I had sleep apnea. Well, being a guy, I don't want to know what I don't want to know about. About 4 months ago, after I changed jobs and now sit on my ass doing tech support on the phone, I gained weight and found that I was falling asleep during the day, even nodding out for a few seconds while on the phone.
02-23-2012, 11:25 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
tombarelybreathing Wrote:First I would like to say Thank You!! to all of the apnea members for the information they provide especially Zonk & Supersleeper who were the first to welcome me.
02-23-2012, 11:25 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
decrocus Wrote:Thank you so much for posting the instructions for regulating the pressure on cpap machines. Mine came back from a repair and the pressure was so high I couldn't sleep - I literally couldn't breathe. I used your instructions last night and finally this morning woke up feeling refreshed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
02-23-2012, 11:26 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
Kevin1959 Wrote:Where to begin. My story starts about 10 years ago, with a wicked recording of me snoring made by my wife and turned on in the middle of the night on high volume. After I got over my extreme agitation with the sound of my own logs being cut in the middle of the night I begain the quest to obtain a CPAP. It was not an easy quest almost as hard as pulling the sword from the stone. I had to see my primary physician first to get a "referral" to see an Ear Nose and Throat doctor. Ching Ching 20 bucks. I saw the E, N and T doctor and he put me on this big machine that looked into my throat and into my ears. Thinking of this now it reminds of the scene in "Shrek" where he pulls an "earwax candle" from his ear. My E,N and T doc pulled the same big clot from my ear telling me this may fix my problems but that he was going to refer me to a pulmonolgist! Ching, Ching another 20 bucks. I made an appointment with this awesome pulmonologist from India. Our first meeting he just sat down with me and talked about my life for about 20 mins. He was all ears. He asked a couple of questions about sleepiness during the day, snoring, how I felt, my weight, that sort of thing and determined that a sleep study was in order. Ching Ching another 20 bucks but this time I had a sleep study set up.
02-23-2012, 11:27 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
jinkieskids Wrote:It's a bit early to call this a success story, but given what came before and how immediate the change was, I'm going to be bold.
02-23-2012, 11:28 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
Dolla Bill Wrote:I began studying sleep cycles in the early 1970s. I learned that you have several sleep cycles a night where in each succeeding cycle, you spend more time at an Alpha (REM) level. This is where dreams occur. This is important therapy for the mind as well as the body. Research showed that when people entered the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, they began dreaming and that if they were wakened at that time they remembered a dream.
02-23-2012, 11:30 AM
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here [copied from old forum]
weeble Wrote:Still a bit early for me to be posting sucess stories...only been on CPAP since June, but I have to say from day 1, I had an immediate improvement. Not once have I whipped the mask off during the night, although I did initially have problems with dry throat and lips. I am proud to say I haven't had an afternoon snooze since I started. I do feel like I have more enegy too, although I still have to put that into practice and lose weight, but all my readings are just mind blowing. Each morning I wake up and the first thing I do is look at the AHI settings....the highest reading I have had is 1.3...the lowest, 0.3 I seem to be averaging 0.5 which is way above my expectation! I no longer have panda eyes, although they are still quite puffy (me thinks that is genetic tho) but the black circles have certainly gone. I had another sleep study done and had the pressure bumped up from 9 to 13 (I knew they had the wrong pressure in the first place but it still helped)....oh what a joy to sleep through the night and not feel like "oh just another couple of hours" Happy As!! |
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