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I have just started with my CPAP therapy just one month ago. What a difference in my life. I was diagnosed with very severe sleep apnea. I cannot tell you yet about my present data as I have not received my smart cart reader that I have in my CPAP. As soon as I have the data I will post it. The smart card reader is coming from China so I will have to be patient.
My doctor send me to a sleep clinic after I fell asleep in his office while I was waiting for him finishing his phone call. It was a little embarrassing but also a blessing in disguise.
My AHI on the prescription was 56.1 I am very curious to find out what it is now. I am using an APAP M type machine. It is old but it works very well. I am prescribed 15 cm H20 but the technician turned it down to 10 cm as I had to much leakage through my mouth and I ended up with balloon cheeks when I was using a chin strap. I still have a little leakage now what causes me to have dry mouth. I have tried a full face mask but that was worse with leakage than the nose mask that I use now. I have also used the nose pillow but as of now I prefer the nose mask. After I get my data I will come back with a update.
10-30-2015, 04:41 PM (This post was last modified: 10-30-2015, 04:44 PM by ginzo.)
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
I Think I finally can call my therapy a success story.
A little history:
Diagnosed with severe apnea 2007, I had every symptom. Falling asleep, overweight, snoring, stop breathing, driving off the road, you name it, I had it. I threatened to make a .pdf out of my 2 original studies to show what severe is, I will, haven't yet.
Started therapy in 2007 and WOW what a difference. didn't know anything about numbers , AHI's, leaks etc. Just felt a ton better overall. I was so exhausted when I started therapy that I slept in the "mummy" position for almost 3 weeks and never moved, rolled over, nothing. It took that long to "catch up" and feel human again.
Fast forward to July 2015 and Apnea board:
Hadn't seen my Dr. until June 2015, LARGE LEAKS was my enemy said the Doc. Got a new up to date machine, still had leak issues. Keep in mind I'm still feeling good, sleeping good etc. Well that Dr. got me thinking, did some research, found out what the hell a LL was, found Apnea Board and it was off to the races.
Before and after results are listed below.
1. How is CPAP therapy making a positive difference in your life? What impact has it made upon your health & happiness?
I'm healthy, lost a ton of weight, sleep like a baby, look forward to going to bed. My family is no longer afraid to get in the car with me driving.
2. Have you had any problems with CPAP that you solved with a positive outcome? If so, what did you do to solve the problem?
Ok, I talked about LL's. I'm lucky, I don't fight any other issues, so I can zero in on this.
Here are the results since the Dr. got me thinking. I found this forum, and decided to "own" my therapy, this is from July 2015 through today:
1st 35 days under "Drs." therapy settings of CPAP set at 16 cm H2O, then 2 days later I begged him to lower it, he did to 14 cm H2O,
Leak: Med 95% Max
11.4 63.6 79.8
My setting in APAP or "autoset" mode 10cm H2O-14cm H2O,
Last 66 days, to date:
Leak: Med 95% Max
0.0 12.0 30.0
Press:
9.6 10.8 11.2
So, I'm inclined to call this a success story, although I still am in "test mode" trying to get even better.
Thanks for letting me tell my story, and thank everyone here for giving me their knowledge, experience, and advice so freely as to give me the courage to help myself get even better then I was before!
Greetings All, this is my First Posting...Day One on Forum:
I've suffered with Sleep Apnea for about 4 years, and for two of those years I've been using the CPAP and feeling SO much better. I was falling asleep suddenly, sometimes briefly when driving...very scary...and then finally caved in and started using the CPAP.
I'm still dialing it in, and when allergies affect me, or I'm congested, it's miserable since I have only the Nasal Mask.
I just downloaded the SleepyHead Software and uploaded my Data - WOW! That's some impressive representation of what's happening: - total sleep time, interrupted or constant...AHI is 1.87, but improving since I've virtually eliminated alcohol, etc., etc.
I never thought I was an alcoholic, but Sleep Apnea and Regular Drinking of Beers even in celebration is a prescription for a downward spiral of health. It got to the point where I was sweating profusely and walking was making me short of breath...so, time to change!
I'm getting better, but need the input of this forum to encourage me to continue the improvement. Exercise daily is making me feel much better, and my sleep is continuous and over 6 hours...energy is improving and my workouts are getting longer.
2. Still struggling with Ideal Settings for pressure...APAP vs. CPAP (difficult to entirely exhale), but the software should improve that response with settings changes.
I honestly hate being a hose-head...and my love life seems to have disappeared (wife seems to find reasons for not being in bed with me in AM on weekends, also now is tired earlier than ever before)...so I'll just have to improve to the point of rediscovering that aspect of my life, right?
I was diagnosed around 2008 with sleep apnea and had a CPAP. My husband died in March 2013 and he was very sick for several years before that. During that time, the humidifier on my CPAP machine went out. I took it in for repair four times but each time I got it home it did not work. I was so tied up with looking after my husband that I stopped using my CPAP machine because I could not stand the cold air. 2015 has been hard on me medically. I started losing my energy, and feeling terrible. I am in kidney disease stage 3. Kidney specalist noticed an irregular heartbeat. 24hr EKG showed paroxymal atrial fib. Heart doctor told me that sleep apnea and afib were connected and sent me back to sleep apnea dr. In the meantime I went on U Tube and got my humidfier working. Dr. ordered a new CPap machine. I had been waking up between 4:00A.M and 6:00A.M. with my heart beatilng so fast it frightened me. Since I have been back on the CPAP I now sleep through about 7:00A.M. and my blood pressure is better. I never realized how much the CPAP helps your sleep apnea, or how sleep apnea affects other parts of your body, I am now a believer and use my CPAP every single night. The new DreamMachine Auto is wonderful and so quiet.
11-01-2015, 05:04 PM (This post was last modified: 11-01-2015, 05:06 PM by ginzo.)
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
Amazing how much sleep therapy can help your health.
Sorry for your loss, and good health to you in the future. Keep fighting!!!
I always forget:
(11-01-2015, 12:18 PM)Mary Loar Wrote: I was diagnosed around 2008 with sleep apnea and had a CPAP. My husband died in March 2013 and he was very sick for several years before that. During that time, the humidifier on my CPAP machine went out. I took it in for repair four times but each time I got it home it did not work. I was so tied up with looking after my husband that I stopped using my CPAP machine because I could not stand the cold air. 2015 has been hard on me medically. I started losing my energy, and feeling terrible. I am in kidney disease stage 3. Kidney specalist noticed an irregular heartbeat. 24hr EKG showed paroxymal atrial fib. Heart doctor told me that sleep apnea and afib were connected and sent me back to sleep apnea dr. In the meantime I went on U Tube and got my humidfier working. Dr. ordered a new CPap machine. I had been waking up between 4:00A.M and 6:00A.M. with my heart beatilng so fast it frightened me. Since I have been back on the CPAP I now sleep through about 7:00A.M. and my blood pressure is better. I never realized how much the CPAP helps your sleep apnea, or how sleep apnea affects other parts of your body, I am now a believer and use my CPAP every single night. The new DreamMachine Auto is wonderful and so quiet.
11-02-2015, 03:43 AM (This post was last modified: 11-02-2015, 03:45 AM by vivaldi.)
RE: Your Personal CPAP Success Story - Post Here
1. How is CPAP therapy making a positive difference in your life? What impact has it made upon your health & happiness?
I have finally been able to wake up with ease and energy every morning! It's like I'm a completely different person. Before CPAP I was cranky and tired almost every morning. I would often doze off in the middle of the day at work causing me much embarrassment and performance issues that likely hurt my career. Not any more!
Now I feel strong and alive and much happier. My depression has lifted and I feel like I have hope again.
2. Have you had any problems with CPAP that you solved with a positive outcome? If so, what did you do to solve the problem?
I actually got a CPAP over three years ago. I was very excited to get it. I spent months researching machines and masks and was ready to give it a shot. My wife and I couldn't sleep in the same room or even in rooms next to each other because my snoring could wake the dead. I thought I found the answer.
I had a full face mask because I knew I often would breath through my mouth when snoring and thought I would need it. I wore the machine for like four hours the first night and didn't sleep at all. I just kept waiting to fall asleep and never could. The mask and the pressure was just too uncomfortable. I tried adjusting settings. Increasing and decreasing pressures. Using the ramp. Turning off the ramp. I bought a different style of full face mask to see if that might be the problem.
I tried for months to use the machine and I think I had only two nights where I woke up with mask on after a night of sleep. So like many others I became non-compliant and just quit using the machine.
I never had a sleep study to begin with because I didn't have insurance and couldn't afford it. I had a friend that is a sleep doc and he prescribed the machine so I could buy a used CPAP and got all my supplies for just a few hundred dollars instead of the thousands a sleep study would cost me.
The problem is I didn't really know how bad my apnea was. I just knew I snored really loud and could wake up the neighbors. I finally bought a recording Oximeter a few months ago and HOLY SMOKES! The first night I tried it my SP02 levels were dropping to 60% hundreds of times per night! I read that below 90% is not good. Below 70% and you risk organ failure! I was scared! And I was bound and determined to get back on the CPAP and figure out how to make it work.
I looked up different types of nasal masks and I bought a nasal pillows mask and a Sleepweaver cloth nasal mask. Both of them worked great! I slept through the night the very first night using both of them. My SP02 levels stayed above 90% all night and averaged 97%! And most of all I felt great in the morning and not tired.
Both of my nasal masks can cause irritation and small sores on my nostrils or just under them, so I switch back and forth between the two masks every few days to give my nose time to heal. It's not perfect, but pretty darn close. I'm hoping that soon my skin around my nose will toughen up a bit and not get irritated. But even if it doesn't, it's a small price to pay for the way I feel now.
If you're having trouble with your CPAP, do not give up! Talk to a doctor or someone on this forum and make some changes and try try again. Eventually you should be able to find the combination of machine, mask, and settings that works for you. We're all different and have different needs.
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.
In June i was diagnosed with afib and my Heart Doc suggested i have a sleep study done because sometimes afib is caused by not sleeping correctly huh who would of thought! So to everyone out there please take your sleep apnea very seriously!
I started with my equipment September 25th 2015. I had 3 sleep studies done because i could not sleep with cpap or bipap and asv was required for my centrals. With 52 events an hour of me stop breathing for 22 seconds each time on average and now with my equipment i rarely have up to one event per hour and in the short time i have had i have had eleven 0's so i think my treatment is working very well. I did go through 8 different masks (Very Frustrating) ended up with sores on my nose and upper lip, masks leaking (face mask)and the hole bit but now i have found the DreamWear for the last 2 weeks to be the best mask ever!!! On average i sleep about 7 hours a night and feel very rested.
Welcome to Apnea Board notsleep!
You've pretty much summed up what we repeatedly tell folk here, especially those that want to give up early in their therapy is: "take your sleep apnea very seriously"
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.
(10-29-2015, 11:34 AM)billekens Wrote: My AHI on the prescription was 56.1 I am very curious to find out what it is now. I am using an APAP M type machine. It is old but it works very well. I am prescribed 15 cm H20 but the technician turned it down to 10 cm as I had to much leakage through my mouth and I ended up with balloon cheeks when I was using a chin strap. I still have a little leakage now what causes me to have dry mouth. I have tried a full face mask but that was worse with leakage than the nose mask that I use now. I have also used the nose pillow but as of now I prefer the nose mask. After I get my data I will come back with a update.
I have got my data about the AHI and it is 4.6/h for the last month. A far cry from the 56.1 so I should be happy.
Greetings, Bill
