One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
She Who Must be Obeyed was at work last night (she's an ER nurse) so I was sleeping alone. Woke up this morning with my machine turned off and my mask neatly placed on my bedside table. I felt horrible - headache, backache, brain full of fog. The whole day I've just been hanging round the house doing not much of anything, yawning my head off.
When I checked the data I see I only got about 30 minutes therapy all night. I had a stuffy nose when I went to bed, and obviously turned the thing off after half an hour. With no bed partner to give me a nudge, I didn't notice until this morning.
This experience brings back how I must have felt all the time before, without realising how bad apnea was. (My untreated AHI was 62, so I had it pretty bad).
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
You just have to train the mind/body to accept the air pressure and not allow yourself to sleep without the therapy. Recently I went to bed dead-tired and couldn't get to sleep. It took me a while to realize I hadn't put on my mask; once on, I was out like a light.
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: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
(01-18-2014, 05:23 AM)DeepBreathing Wrote: I had a stuffy nose when I went to bed, and obviously turned the thing off after half an hour.
For stuffy nose, I find sinus rinse (squeezy bottle) is godsend, cheap and does the job. I get either Neilmed (US made) or Flo (Aussie made), both good products, guess which one is cheaper
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
Heh - a nice reminder of how important it is to use your machine
Imagine if you had to work today! What would you do then, call off sick? This is why I was so worried til I got some kind of a backup machine - going even a day or two while waiting just won't work for me.
*I* am not a DOCTOR or any type of Health Care Professional. My thoughts/suggestions/ideas are strictly only my opinions.
"Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you. Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your Soul, the other for your Freedom."
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
(01-18-2014, 07:31 PM)Peter_C Wrote: Imagine if you had to work today! What would you do then, call off sick?
Exactly - I used to call in sick at least one (and often two) days a week. Luckily I followed the first adage of success - Surround yourself with good people - and they were able to accommodate my irregularity.
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
Be nice if there was a built in alarm if we take our mask off without turning off the machine first.
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
I have been at this for two months and had heard of others finding their masks off in the night. I hadn't had anything like that happen. Then, last week, I woke up to find mine completely off. I must have done it but don't remember. I don't think it had been off long though. The sound of gushing air woke me and there was no elevated leakage showing on my machine. Last couple weeks have been tiring following some stressful time with my Dad's health and working and keeping up with needs for my elderly parents. This morning my mask was half off my head and gushing air again. The velcro on the strap pulled loose this time and I was a bit tangled in the hose. I do have it draped over a post on the headboard to keep it above my head but I still managed to get tangled. Hoping no more of that happens. I don't want to have it off and interrupt therapy. Don't want to feel lousy especially now that I am feeling improvements.
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
(01-18-2014, 09:21 PM)me50 Wrote: Be nice if there was a built in alarm if we take our mask off without turning off the machine first.
There is an alarm, which I never hear but SWMBO usually does. However my subconscious brain reaches over and hits the off button before the mask comes off, so quite often the alarm never sounds.
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
(01-18-2014, 09:42 PM)ImaSurvivor Wrote: I have been at this for two months and had heard of others finding their masks off in the night. I hadn't had anything like that happen. Then, last week, I woke up to find mine completely off. I must have done it but don't remember. I don't think it had been off long though. The sound of gushing air woke me and there was no elevated leakage showing on my machine. Last couple weeks have been tiring following some stressful time with my Dad's health and working and keeping up with needs for my elderly parents. This morning my mask was half off my head and gushing air again. The velcro on the strap pulled loose this time and I was a bit tangled in the hose. I do have it draped over a post on the headboard to keep it above my head but I still managed to get tangled. Hoping no more of that happens. I don't want to have it off and interrupt therapy. Don't want to feel lousy especially now that I am feeling improvements.
It is a very difficult time when our parents get old and need to be looked after.
If you're pulling your mask off at night you might benefit by setting the high leak alarm. You have to turn off the autostart function though - you can't have both at once. As I mentioned above, I somehow manage to turn the blower off before removing the mask, so the alarm doesn't sound very often.
RE: One night without CPAP and I feel like c*ap
I did know about the high leak alarm. I was just wondering if there might be a way to have an alarm when the mask is removed when the machine is on (I am a light sleeper so I would probably notice it as I know when the air is blowing in my eyes) for those that are sound sleepers.
For you Paul, I can see where it would be a problem if you turn your machine off and then remove the mask. Just wondering what causes you to turn the machine off. Is it that you woke up to get a drink, go pee, etc. and then fall back asleep before your mask goes back on or your wake up for whatever reason and fall back asleep before putting the mask on? I don't know...just throwing stuff out there to see if we can come up with some ideas to help you when your wife is working while you are sleeping.
