My view of Life and Sleep Apnea

[mesenteria]

Ron, when we are young our cell mitochondria, the energy factories, are also young.  They produce unlimited energy, or so it seems, and all we need is what moms know to be unlimited food and drink.

Then, we become late night learners, and then parents, and then we grind at work.  We gain weight, we age, we develop tendencies and behaviours, and latencies inherited begin to assert themselves in ways we don't anticipate, and so on...  We lose muscle mass if we are more the thinking than the realistic types who work with our hands. These and other changes will gang up on so many of us.  We develop chronic disorders that need attention if we are to enjoy being grandparents.

It's too bad about the depression, but should we take it that you are largely controlled now and that it's no longer an issue?  Depression saps us of energy, and one likely outfall will be loss of muscle mass when we find we simply can't bring ourselves to do things that formerly brought us pleasure or robustness.

If it helps, I think the subject of apnea and its treatment is much like Prof Winston Cherry at Waterloo described probability theory to his students long ago: he had yet to meet anyone to whom it comes easily...including himself.  If you struggle to get a grip on apnea and what it takes to manage it effectively, perhaps it might be best to just deal with the advice you are getting for now, and then when/if you start to feel more robust again, you can go back and pick away at the information and try another run at it.  I know it takes me several runs through the more complicated material to understand it.

[Apnearon]

Apnearon, I read your other threads, and actually I think you are working on all of this as a smart problem-solver. You figured out how to get your DME to replace your brick with a great machine, and you figured out how to use Oscar and post charts.

Up next:mask!  It takes many people several tries to find a workable mask, so your experience is not at all unusual.

I think you are right that the next kind of mask to try is a nasal pillow mask, and I recommend the ResMed Airfit P10. It is very minimalist and very quiet.

The headgear comes in two sizes, smaller (pink, For Her) and larger (blue). I hope you can try them on to see which works better for you. The pillows come in small, medium, and large. I hope you can take home a set of all three. Many people find they need to go up a size from where they start.

Mouth leaks are inevitable, especially at the beginning, so you might want to invest in a neck collar and/or chin strap while you’re at it.

If you go this route, please post information about how it works for you. There are lots of tips people could give you, depending on your experience.

 JDormeo

Went yesterday and purchased a Philips-Respironics DreamWear (Medium) nasal pillow mask, and WOW, what a difference in fit and seal of the DreamWear mask over the full face mask, 1 strap, no bottom feeding tube, no getting tangled in the air tube, 99.9% better than the full mask.
Like you said going to have to deal with mouth leaking now, but I think I will be able to fix that.
I really appreciate your help 
Ron

[Apnearon]

Ron, when we are young our cell mitochondria, the energy factories, are also young.  They produce unlimited energy, or so it seems, and all we need is what moms know to be unlimited food and drink.

Then, we become late night learners, and then parents, and then we grind at work.  We gain weight, we age, we develop tendencies and behaviours, and latencies inherited begin to assert themselves in ways we don't anticipate, and so on...  We lose muscle mass if we are more the thinking than the realistic types who work with our hands. These and other changes will gang up on so many of us.  We develop chronic disorders that need attention if we are to enjoy being grandparents.

It's too bad about the depression, but should we take it that you are largely controlled now and that it's no longer an issue?  Depression saps us of energy, and one likely outfall will be loss of muscle mass when we find we simply can't bring ourselves to do things that formerly brought us pleasure or robustness.

If it helps, I think the subject of apnea and its treatment is much like Prof Winston Cherry at Waterloo described probability theory to his students long ago: he had yet to meet anyone to whom it comes easily...including himself.  If you struggle to get a grip on apnea and what it takes to manage it effectively, perhaps it might be best to just deal with the advice you are getting for now, and then when/if you start to feel more robust again, you can go back and pick away at the information and try another run at it.  I know it takes me several runs through the more complicated material to understand it.

Thanks mesenteria
Well said and so true, my Depression is mainly under control now, I’m beginning to think getting no good sleep for so many years is the major cause of the Depression.
Thanks again [b]mesenteria[/b]

[Dormeo]

Apnearon, excellent news about the mask! Let us know if/when you would like to discuss “mouth leaks, prevention of.”

[Apnearon]

Apnearon, excellent news about the mask!  Let us know if/when you would like to discuss “mouth leaks, prevention of.”

Thanks Dormeo
Mouth leaks, Yes sounds good to me, I open for suggestions as how to prevent it.

[Dormeo]

There are three main approaches: using neck collar to keep your lower jaw up, using a chip strap for the same purpose, and using tape to keep your lips closed. Any guesses about where you want to start experimenting?

Also, with any of these, you can start practicing using your tongue to control leaks. Basically you want to put the tip of you tongue behind your top front teeth, then use a little suction to place the rest of your tongue against your upper palate. You can also practice this during the day.

[CHanlon]

Ron - I think you'll find a few things happen when you get the CPAP mastered - your depression will ease, you'll feel sharper than you have in years, and the blood pressure and diabetes will become more manageable. When you make up that sleep deficit that it sounds like you've been building for decades, and have more focus and energy, you'll become more active... and activity and the resulting ability to lose weight will help manage your other issues.

OSA is *really* hard on a person. There are linkages to all sorts of other ailments. Treatment isn't a miracle cure-all, but mitigating OSA is a big step towards stepping back other problems.

[Apnearon]

Ron - I think you'll find a few things happen when you get the CPAP mastered - your depression will ease, you'll feel sharper than you have in years, and the blood pressure and diabetes will become more manageable.  When you make up that sleep deficit that it sounds like you've been building for decades, and have more focus and energy, you'll become more active... and activity and the resulting ability to lose weight will help manage your other issues.

OSA is *really* hard on a person.  There are linkages to all sorts of other ailments.  Treatment isn't a miracle cure-all, but mitigating OSA is a big step towards stepping back other problems.

Thanks CHanlon that is what I’m praying for, I have always wondered why, I was always different from everybody else and I always knew that something was wrong with me but didn’t know what it was, and believe me I’ve search my whole life to figure what it was that was wrong with me, never did find the answer, so, I just excepted it for what it was.
Now I’m searching again with great hope that I’ve found what’s wrong, Sleep Apnea, if this turns out to be another wild goose chase, then I’m done trying to figure out anything ever again and just except life as it is, I’m getting to old to spend anymore time searching for an answer that may not even exist.
Thanks again for the encouragement 
Ron

[Bubba45]

Ron, it took me a full year to get used to wearing a mask! I went through the same thing you are going through now. I even went through two sleep studies, which were horrible for me.


I tried about 5 or 6 different full face masks and a few nasal pillows. I tried lots of different gadgets to help me get comfortable wearing a mask. I gave up on CPAP about 4 times, but I kept coming back to it because I was determined to make it work. I knew it would help me like it has helped others.

Keep at it, don't give up. Try different things. Experiment. Come here for advice and encouragement. But don't give up. You will get used to it. It took me a long time, but it was worth it. I'm 99% compliant now with AHI less than 4 every month. I think I can get better sleep, but things are way better now than they used to be.

[Apnearon]

Ron, it took me a full year to get used to wearing a mask! I went through the same thing you are going through now. I even went through two sleep studies, which were horrible for me.


I tried about 5 or 6 different full face masks and a few nasal pillows. I tried lots of different gadgets to help me get comfortable wearing a mask. I gave up on CPAP about 4 times, but I kept coming back to it because I was determined to make it work. I knew it would help me like it has helped others.

Keep at it, don't give up. Try different things. Experiment. Come here for advice and encouragement. But don't give up. You will get used to it. It took me a long time, but it was worth it. I'm 99% compliant now with AHI less than 4 every month. I think I can get better sleep, but things are way better now than they used to be.

Thanks Bubba45 I’m not going to give up just yet, I believe the mind is still in panic mode from the invasion of the mask.