01-23-2014, 08:59 PM
dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
I am pretty sure that my husband has sleep apnea and he refuses to go get tested. I suggested that he use my old cpap machine. I will adjust the pressure and lower it for him. He says he wont try it because 300 people die each year from using a cpap machine. I have never heard of anyone dying from using a cpap only from not getting treating. Is there any truth in what he says. I have had my machine for 15 years and have never had any problems with it.
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
Welcome, Chrissy, your right and your husband is wrong, I can send you a link of people that have had loved ones that have died from either not knowing they had SA or wouldn't use a CPAP, I have never heard of anyone dying from it. What your doing is ok but you don't know what pressure he should be on so maybe not getting the correct treatment. If you are using an auto CPAP you could try managing it through sleepyhead or ResScan software. I would suggest he gets a proper sleep study done to confirm it and if he needs a CPAP then you get the correct pressures, good luck because it sounds like he is in denial and negative towards it, the two worse things possible.
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
Not a good idea for several reasons. (None of which involve dying!)
I do see a pattern, though. He refuses to be tested. He refuses to use a CPAP machine. His excuse about people dying is just that, an excuse.
Perhaps he could be convinced that not treating sleep apnea can cause all kinds of problems, such as cardiovascular disease and an early death. Unfortunately, just as it is with spouses who over eat, drink too much, or gamble; there is nothing that can be done unless and until they become convinced that they have a problem.
Sleepster
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.
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
Hi chrissy98me,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I've never heard of anyone dying from CPAP usage.
Hang in there for more suggestions to help you and best of luck.
trish6hundred
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
Maybe 300 people get into a full bathtub with a plugged in CPAP every year???
45,432,873,564 statistics are fabricated daily!
If he is afraid of it, challenge him to try to use it to blow up a balloon.
The danger is in having apnea that is untreated...or insufficiently treated. The problem isn't that the CPAP could hurt him (it can't), it is that it might not help him if it isn't adjusted right. A recording pulse oximeter can be bought without an Rx and it might just open up his eyes if he can see that the oxygen level in his blood dropping while he sleeps, then would come in handy to help determine a good pressure setting.
01-24-2014, 02:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-24-2014, 02:49 AM by big_dave.)
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
(01-23-2014, 08:59 PM)chrissy98me Wrote: I am pretty sure that my husband has sleep apnea and he refuses to go get tested. I suggested that he use my old cpap machine. I will adjust the pressure and lower it for him. He says he wont try it because 300 people die each year from using a cpap machine. I have never heard of anyone dying from using a cpap only from not getting treating. Is there any truth in what he says. I have had my machine for 15 years and have never had any problems with it.
Your husband really needs professional assistance getting set up with CPAP. A motivated patient can learn enough from the forum to do their own setup and manage their own treatment. However, the key is
motivated. I lost my insurance after my diagnostic study and before I got a machine, forcing me to go the DIY route. CPAP is now working very well for me, but getting there was a lot of work. A patient who is in denial about sleep apnea could never learn from the forum and cannot manage their own treatment. If you try to manage his treatment for him, he won't be able to tell you how well CPAP is working for him in enough detail to help him. I would be at a loss to manage another patient's treatment even if they had the motivation to succeed.
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
(01-23-2014, 08:59 PM)chrissy98me Wrote: I am pretty sure that my husband has sleep apnea and he refuses to go get tested.
Let him watch this video, he might change his mind
Understanding disordered breathing
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._%28SDB%29
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
Please tell him My father who was never diagnosed but had severe apnea (he would stop breathing to the point we all looked at him waiting for him to breathe again.)went to sleep one night and never woke up at the age of 69.
It worked for me
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
The husband of the couple we hang out with has been on a cpap for several years. His wife decided one night to try using one of his older machines to see if it would improve her sleep. Once she realized she was sleeping better, she went to the sleep doc had the tests done and now has her own, prescribed machine.
On a related note, chrissy, why haven't you gotten a newer machine? Insurance companies (and Medicare) usually will let you get a new machine every 5 years.
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.
RE: dangers of using a cpap if not prescribed
(01-24-2014, 03:26 AM)zonk Wrote: (01-23-2014, 08:59 PM)chrissy98me Wrote: I am pretty sure that my husband has sleep apnea and he refuses to go get tested.
Let him watch this video, he might change his mind
Understanding disordered breathing http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php..._%28SDB%29
Really helpful video, thanks!
