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+--- Thread: Another Newby (/Thread-Another-Newby)
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Another Newby - Zorki1c - 06-04-2013
Hello all. This looks like a place for some good information and support.
A little background: I'm currently waiting for my Medicare Advantage provider to approve me so I can get my machine (my doc likes the P&K Icon Auto+). Hopefully that's going to happen before the end of the week. I'm starting with nasal pillow.
I haven't slept well in years. I'm 68 and about 20 lbs overweight. My wife had CPAP for six or seven years and was never terribly happy with it and I didn't think I could sleep hooked to a machine. She recently switched to a mouthpiece. I decided that was something I could live with so I went in for a sleep study. Turns out I have severe obstructive apnea and am not a good candidate for the mouthpiece. My wife's apnea is slight to moderate.
Anyway, I don't think I ever realized how tired I was until I got an official report. Now I can't wait to get going. I know several people who use CPAP and all of them (but my mate) talk about how it has changed their lives. I think the reason my wife has had problems is her doctor basically set her up with one machine and one type of nose mask and said "live with it." No attempt was ever made to make the experience more comfortable for her.
I see people posting about anxiety when starting CPAP. Hopefully the fact that I'm looking forward to it rather than dreading it will help. I'm sure I'll have some questions for the veterans. Nice to find this place.
RE: Another Newby - Shastzi - 06-04-2013
Wow......you are getting a rough deal there Zork.
They just throw a machine at you with what ever mask they have on the shelf and tell you to "deal with it"!
I say: UNACCEPTABLE!!!
If it was me I would storm back in there and demand they set me up with an ResMed S9 Autoset (costs about the same) and several masks to try out for comfort sake.
Then you can come back here and get going with some SleepyHead software and start managing your therapy.
You don't have to take what they give you anymore.
RE: Another Newby - zonk - 06-04-2013
(06-04-2013, 03:43 PM)Zorki1c Wrote: Hello all. This looks like a place for some good information and support.Welcome to the forum
A little background: I'm currently waiting for my Medicare Advantage provider to approve me so I can get my machine (my doc likes the P&K Icon Auto+).
Why the doctor like F&P Icon, is it because he use one or have shares with the company
Most folk here who uses autoPAP, use either ResMed S9 AutoSet or Phillips Respironcis System One Auto model number 560
Both machines are supported by free available software and heaps of information available about the machines
F&P don,t put up much information about their machines and the software is not readily available
Normally there is an adjustment period but you just got hang in there, there are solutions to most problems
RE: Another Newby - Zorki1c - 06-04-2013
Not me that had the "Deal with it" problems. That was the treatment my wife got. From a different doctor. I do anticipate I may want to try a different mask although the nasal pillows worked well in the test (I have always slept with my mouth closed). As for the Icon Auto+ there are some features the others have that seem good but I do like its compact one-piece construction rather than the separate CPAP and humidifier units. As for messing with the software, I've already got plenty of hobbies without monitoring my every sleeping moment (unless there's an app for my Iphone.
(06-04-2013, 03:56 PM)Shastzi Wrote:
Wow......you are getting a rough deal there Zork.
They just throw a machine at you with what ever mask they have on the shelf and tell you to "deal with it"!
I say: UNACCEPTABLE!!!
If it was me I would storm back in there and demand they set me up with an ResMed S9 Autoset (costs about the same) and several masks to try out for comfort sake.
Then you can come back here and get going with some SleepyHead software and start managing your therapy.
You don't have to take what they give you anymore.
RE: Another Newby - trish6hundred - 06-04-2013
Hi Zorki1c,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
I'm sorry your wife had such a problem with her CPAP therapy; that's disgusting that her Dr. wasn't any more attentive than that, (just one mask and telling her to just live with it, wow,) we have heard these stories before here on the board.
Hopefully you will have much better success. Hang in there for more responses to your post and best of luck with your therapy.
RE: Another Newby - cbramsey - 06-04-2013
Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!
There is a lot of great info here so don't be shy in looking around.
RE: Another Newby - Tez62 - 06-04-2013
Zorki1c, welcome, going back to your first post, I believe a positive attitude towards CPAP will get you 80-90% of the way, the rest is getting the right mask, the machine does the rest for you. I do agree with Zonk, about the different CPAPs, a lot of people don't understand at the start how important taking your treatment into you own hands is. You don't have to look at the data daily, I check mine once a week and it takes me 5 mins, it's just one way of knowing the treatment is working. The other way is how you feel each day. Anyway good luck with it.
RE: Another Newby - PaulaO2 - 06-04-2013
The Icon is a decent machine. I believe you can view the data via SleepyHead.
But I have to address you not wanting to view the sleep data. Think of it this way:
Let's say you have diabetes. Your doctor gives you the diagnosis and gives you medication to take. You cut down on your calories and carbs and take your medication. But you never check your blood glucose again. Why should you? You're feeling good, you're eating good, taking your medication like a good boy. But meanwhile, without knowing if the blood glucose is truly where it needs to be, you don't know if treatment is working. Instead, you could be slowly dying. First your feet start feeling funny. Maybe your tongue and finger tips, too. You don't know what is wrong because you've never tested your blood glucose. This scenario works the same as with hypertension and a myriad of other illnesses, diseases, and conditions. Without proper monitoring, you are just slowly killing yourself and it won't be pretty.
With sleep apnea, it's the same thing. It's not that you need to know the exact numbers for each night, not like you need to know exact numbers for your blood glucose, but without those numbers, you have no clue if it is working the best it can. The data is simple to understand. You want your AHI to be less than 5 each night. Some nights, it may be 3.8. Other nights, 2.0. But you'll know that your range (we call it "trend") is between those two. And six months from now, you may notice that you don't hit that 2 very often and that upper "limit" of 3.8 is rising slowly. You can contact your doc and give him the information. He'll probably want to raise your pressure a little bit. And you see the AHI go back down.
That's called empowerment and taking care of yourself. It's not a hobby. It's part of the treatment. All it takes is a glance at the screen each morning and taking physical or mental note of the numbers. You may want to download it to your computer so you have a continual record of it. So take charge of your own treatment and know what is going on with it.
RE: Another Newby - Bompa - 06-05-2013
Once again Welcome Aboard.
I agree with Paula02 by 100%.
I felt the same as you at first than joined the forum. I could see what people were able to do to help their therapy by keeping track of their data.
It can make a big difference.
RE: Another Newby - Shastzi - 06-05-2013
What Paula said.
Monitoring your sleep events is not a hobby. It's part of your therapy and
without it you are flying blind.