DIY Suggestions?

[Neleh70]

Hello Folks

A family member had a sleep study.  Half way through the night, they put her on a CPAP machine.  Technician there said she has sleep apnea, which was predicted by a heart doctor who ordered the test   But it will be a while til her doctor gets the results (they say 7-10 days).  She's been getting worse for sometime, and she gets winded after taking 5 steps.  Does anyone know how to make a CPAP-like device to help her get through til she can get an actual machine?  So far, all the guidance she's had has been to sleep sitting up, and use a humidifier.  She thinks Idaho is not dry enough for a humidifier to make a difference.  Advice would sure be appreciated.

Thank you!

[Sleeprider]

I would not try to recreate something like today's advanced CPAP machines. Look on Craigslist or SearchTempest.com for available Resmed machine. Ideally you want a Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset. I see one in Sunnydale for $450 which isn't too bad considering the recent Philips recall that has made the machines scarce. Nearly all machines now come with integrated humidifier, and I would not do without.

If she has big clusters of apnea, it may be positional and could be helped with a soft cervical collar better than sitting up. My signature has a link to the soft cervical collar wiki. For many people, apnea happens because of chin-tucking and sitting up makes it worse. You can try this yourself. Sit comfortably and allow your chin to relax into your chest. If you notice it is more difficult to breathe, that is a common result. A soft cervical collar supports the chin and prevents positional obstruction of the airway.