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Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
I was given an overnight sleep study back in August 0f 2013.
After it was over i was told to go see my lung specialist immediately.
And by the end of that day i had a Philips Respironics REMstar Pro  Cflex+ system one CPAP machine.
I not only have sleep apnea and asthma I also have a lung condition called Pulmonary Sarcoidosis.
The next morning I had discovered I had taken the mask off in the middle of the night and shut the machine off without even realizing it.
So I had decided right then and there that  I hated this confounded machine as it was noisy and the mask leaves marks and dents on my face.
But my sister and nephew both have machines and with constant harassment I decided I would try again.
it took a week or so before i was able to sleep thru the whole night with the mask but then i realized something.
In the morning after cussing out the machine and removing the mask I got out of bed and noticed the grand piano i usually had tied to my butt was gone !
I wasn't ready to jump up n down or go run a marathon but my eyes were actually open all the way and the fog i thought was permanently affixed in my mind was gone ! 
Could it be that this contraption actually made a difference ? 
well 4 and a half years later I could not even imagine going to sleep without my CPAP.
If i go stay at someone house the CPAP comes with me.
I have gotten used to the marks on my face left by the mask but they go away after a few hours.
Because of my Sarcoid I can no longer work as I haven't found an understanding enough employer but I still get by.
I have just recently discovered i can read my own data from the CPAP so I am entering a whole new chapter and look to figure out the software and the data in hopes I can fine tune my therapy on my own as my Lung doctor doesn't seem interested in the data part of my CPAP therapy.
So now I hope to investigate all the new terms and definitions  of the data and sleep software to get a better understanding of the CPAP world
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
I haven't succeeded in curing my condition yet, AHI is still higher than 10. But It has been feeling better since I have been using the CPAP machine. At least no need to take an excessive sleep.
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Cool 
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hey folks, I had and sleep study done recently at the advice from a surgeon,  I was doing it on the operating table!  So the study said I stopped breathing 60 times in a hour or every minute, the therapist set me up with and company for a machine 3-4 weeks later they were said waiting on my insurance to pay for a machine. So I started looking on craigs list and found this web site and bought and set up my own machine took a while of monkeying around with the settings but found my right spot. I no longer snore, my heart doesn't wake me up beating out of my chest, and I can tell I'm better rested. i wash my mask and face before use, sanitize everything weekly. I have tried not using it one night and felt so tied the next day so I've come to use the machine every night thanks for this great web site!    Sleep-well
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Averaging lower than an AHI 1 has been a really encouraging sign for my part.
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
It has been 4 months now since I started my CPAP therapy. I am happy with it, as I seem to be getting my health back. I am sleeping better, sleeping all night mostly without waking, and having more energy during the day.

I had problems with: low air pressure, full mask, and chin strap. I ended up with: raised air pressure from original by 14%, using the Aloha nasal air pillow.

Sleepyhead helped me to resolve issues, because I was able to load my CPAP data and view daily AHI status and other details. This helped me to see where I was and what direction I needed to go (like a map) without having to rely just on what the doctor said, and I was able to have a knowledgeable conversation with the doctor. One additional thing that helped was my Oximeter which helped to show what worked and what didn't in regard to blood oxygen level.

Problems resolved: 
1. Sleepyhead showed me that my AHI was too high, and I was getting too many snoring events. I emailed my doctor about it, and subequently took the SIMM into the clinic, and the pressure was changed from 7 to 8, which helped (I'm still using it at 8).
2. For the humidifier, I ended up with setting of 2 because of moisture buildup. Occasionally the air humidity gets higher which worsens the moisture that gets into my nose and awakens me, and I have to clear the nasal pillow, at which time I set the humidifier to 1 or 0 (or leave it at 2 - it depends on how long it took to get there).
3. Chin strap - I no longer use one. I tried the narrow type and the wide type. The narrow type tended to pull my chin toward my throat, which caused more obstruction. The wide type tended to choke me which caused obstruction. I abandoned the chin strap idea completely and found that my O2 level was much better without them. I originally used the chin strap because I am a mouth-breather which I have no control over.
4. Because of mouth-breathing, I tried taping my mouth shut for awhile. Although it seemed to work (to keep my mouth shut) at least half of the days, I discovered that it did not help at all in regard to O2 levels, so I abandoned the mouth tape.
5. I tried both the full mask and the nasal pillow. For some unknown reason the full mask gave me consistently lower O2 levels. The only speculation from the doctor was leakage, but Sleepyhead was telling me there wasn't any more leakage from the full mask than the nasal pillow, and I did not detect any excessive leaks. I decided to abandon the full mask and use the nasal pillow exclusively, even during sinus trouble. I found that the nasal pillow was better for me in every respect.

Concerning O2 level: before the CPAP, my O2 levels averaged 80-90 with minimums at 70-75. Now I consistently get averages of 92-93 with minimum of 90. It took 3 months of experimenting with different equipment and configurations, but in the past few weeks I have been feeling a noticeable health and energy improvement, and consistent AHI levels of less than 3. Before CPAP (from lab test), my AHI was 25. With the CPAP, but before I got the CPAP under control, my AHI levels averaged around 3, with maximums 6-9. Now I get consistent levels of 1-2 with maximum of less than 3. The past month average was 1.29.

Hope this helps.
Smile sm
sm
There is no one more concerned about your health than you.
 Banana
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
One thing I forgot to add to my above post:
Concerning the nasal pillow, I have a sensitive nose, and the pillow was making it sore. To alleviate that, I use Zinc Oxide. I tried vaseline, but it doesn't seem to be good enough. It is easy enough to clean off the nasal pillow. I use a Q-tip dipped in the soapy cleaning water, then rub it clean in the water with my fingers. After that there is no residual.
Smile sm
sm
There is no one more concerned about your health than you.
 Banana
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Hi Everyone. I'm new here.

Got my machine on Friday, and spent Saturday and Sunday in a "sleep debt" funk, just tired all the time. My PCP said this would happen, and described it as parts of my body were shutting down when they became oxygen starved, which now would stay awake and burn energy. Not sure how to think of it, but I'm getting over it. Feel way different, too. Like I have all the energy I need, but can finally just sit and rest--no more fighting to stay awake during the day. It's nice.

I'm experimenting with settings, and have found that I do better with FLEX turned off, and program instead a fast breath turnaround time (Ti =1). Lots still to learn, but thanks to the Board I got right on top of reviewing my night's sleep (EncorePro 2) and figuring new settings to help.  Last night was 1.3.

I got complex apnea when I moved to Texas in my 20's, then moved back up to altitude (4750 ft). OSA normally, CSA on CPAP, so I'm on an ASV machine.

Bruce
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
I have read your personnel success story but I could not translate all your abbreviations, sorry about that. Not all of us are as litterate and I need some help?
Thank you
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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
(03-13-2018, 11:35 AM)billekens Wrote: I have read your personnel success story but I could not translate all your abbreviations, sorry about that. Not all of us are as litterate and I need some help?
Thank you

I hope these links will help.
Wiki Glossary of Terms
Wiki List of Acronyms
Crimson Nape
Apnea Board Moderator
www.ApneaBoard.com
___________________________________
Useful Links -or- When All Else Fails:
The Guide to Understanding OSCAR
OSCAR Chart Organization
Attaching Images and Files on Apnea Board
Apnea Helpful Tips

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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RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Good Morning...yeah, it is a good morning!
I am at day 51 of my OSA management journey and have a deep interest in getting the best numbers I can in regard to apneas. I tried a bit of experimentation during the CPAP trial period but found the change to be counter to what I needed. The technician working with me explained the reasons the initial numbers were chosen and enlightened me to the values they looked for which are lower than MyAir results. By the way, the MyAir reports were pretty good but Sleepyhead showed some room for improvement.
They (the local respiratory clinic) have since passed me on to their "long term support group" for ongoing therapy monitoring and I will work with them to make some small adjustments to the machine settings (ResMed S10 Elite, manual setting 10 cmh) to fine tune my results.
I just had my first night  using both a cervical collar to keep my chin up and my mouth closed and a wedge pillow to raise my torso.. I was happy to see an AHI reading of 1.97 this morning. My readings have been mostly (67%) below 4.0 which is the target suggested by the sleep tech but I am keen to get it below 2.0 as much as possible.
I did struggle during the first 2-3 weeks with the pressure on my face but now that is behind me and the collar and wedge are the next steps to getting the results where I would like to see them.
I am pumped with today's numbers and am looking forward to consistent results.
I can say the afternoon tiredness is improved but have been advised that I can expect 3-6 months before I feel real change using CPAP. 
I look at my journey as a challenge and a reward. The challenge is getting "dressed up" at bed time but the reward is feeling better and hopefully, making up ground lost due to poor diet, shiftwork and lack of exercise that all contributed to a heart attack in 2010. I was told that diligent use of CPAP Therapy can contribute to improved cardiac health and add years to my life. Good news indeed.
Yeah...it is a good morning!
Take care.

GordK
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