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+--- Thread: [Diagnosis] Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea (/Thread-Diagnosis-Undiagnosed-Sleep-Apnea)
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Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - SleepyJohnson - 08-24-2023
Hi all,
Back in March I had an operation on my foot and it was done under GA. After the op the anaesthetist asked if I'd ever been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I hadn't but my wife had often said I should get checked out as I snore really loudly and at times she had commented that I would sound like I was choking. I've never been a good sleeper, I can't remember the last time I stayed asleep all night and often wake in the night, sometimes I just give up and get up at 2-3am as it can be quite frustrating trying to get back to sleep again.
So after the anaesthetist mentioned this (I don't know why he asked as I had just started to come round and was a bit groggy still) I got an appointment with my GP who is quite confident it is and they then referred me to a sleep clinic. That was back in March and still waiting for an appointment and it's likely to be another 3-6 months before I get one.
I'm thinking of buying a second hand CPAP machine and just starting therapy now. Is this a bad idea, is it even possible to just plug it in and put on the mask and go? I would just like to feel less tired tbh.
Be interested to hear people's advice and, if it's possible, how I go about getting myself set up while I await an appointment.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - OpalRose - 08-24-2023
Six months is a long time to wait, but seems to be the norm these days.
If it were myself, I would search for a slightly used AirSense 10 AutoSet, unless you can afford a new one.
Search Supplier #2, as they sometimes have slightly used or open box cpaps.
Also, compare prices on places like your local Marketplace. Always ask to see machine hours on a used unit.
If you do move forward with a machine, come back here and we will help you get it set up.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - SleepyJohnson - 08-24-2023
Well, in between posting and seeing your reply, I had a reply from a seller on Gumtree classifieds and bought one. Got an airsense 10 autoset with around 2000 hours on the clock.
Should arrive tomorrow. It is coming with a philips mask which looking at the pictures looks like an Amara. No humidifier but I've ordered one from Amazon which is also due tomorrow.
Would be really grateful for any set up tips.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - OpalRose - 08-24-2023
Basic start pressures to try are Minimum set to 7cm, Maximum set at 15cm.
Set EPR to 3.
Expect changes.
Repost after a day or two. We can go from there.
Replace the Air Filter.
Note: You should clear the "user" hours (not machine hrs) before using.
Order a Clinicians Manual Here.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - SleepyJohnson - 08-26-2023
Hi, so first night with the cpap machine last night. It came with everything reset and the settings were at low pressure 4 and high at 15.
I didn't have any issues with falling to sleep with the mask on, and according to the myair app I wore it for 5h 46, good mask seal, 0.3 events per hour. Woke up once in the night when my mouth was really dry so had a quick swig out of my bottle and fell back to sleep quickly.
At the moment, I've only got a work laptop so I can't download OSCAR , but I'm looking to get a 2nd hand laptop just so I can use it.
The biggest bonus with last night is how well I felt I slept, I'm always pretty restless and wake up multiple times in the night and often struggle to get back to sleep again and spend a lot of time tossing and turning in bed, but didn't have any of that.
Also used the snorelab app and my previous score was 152 but last night it was only 12! My poor wife can't believe the difference.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - OpalRose - 08-26-2023
Great job on setting up your machine, although in time you may find a minimum setting of 4cm may cause you to feel "air starved". If that happens, work your way up to a minimum of at least 7cm. If you feel it becomes hard to breathe out against pressure, utilize the EPR setting.
But for now, it sounds like you're off to a good start.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - SleepyJohnson - 08-29-2023
Hello again,
Made the mistake of tinkering with the fitting yesterday and in the night I was woken by the air leaking out of the mask. I tried tightening the straps but still sounded like it was leaking from somewhere, so ended up taking it off as I was too tired to try and sort it out. I've adjusted the straps again this morning and did a fit test and all was ok but noticed there was air escaping from the front of the mask, between the cushion and the plastic of the mask itself. It is a steady stream of air and not sure if it's normal and I just hadn't noticed it before or if it was the result or the cause of my issues last night? I've attached a picture of the mask and cushion and circled where I can feel the air is escaping from. It's not so noticeable when the machine is ramping up which is why I'm wondering if I just hadn't noticed it before as I'm usually asleep by the time it's running properly?
[attachment=53758]
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - jwest - 08-30-2023
Brutal man. Sorry that you're having to deal with socialist medicine.
This thread brings joy to my heart. A patient success story of taking treatment into their own hands because the bureaucrats are slow-to-move.
You should still follow through with the appropriate tests, because 1) insurance/documentation purposes; 2) valuable data; 3) we can see how bad your sleep is with a highly sensitive and informative test.
It would be bad practice to slam the gavel, but when it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it probably is a duck. In other words, everything points to you having sleep-disordered breathing and the PAP providing relief.
To your picture: those are just CO2 vents to expel the CO2 you exhale so that you don't re-breathe what you breathe out. There may be another one somewhere on the mask. It's nothing to worry about/it serves an important function.
Get us some OSCAR charts when you have a chance. Congrats.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - SleepyJohnson - 08-30-2023
Thanks for the reply. It's very sad for me to see how much the NHS is currently struggling here in the UK and the knock on effect is taking matters into your own hands or having to look at if you can afford to go private.
I do get private healthcare with my employer, but they only cover up to the diagnosis of sleep disorders and will not cover ongoing treatment. I have managed to now get an appointment with an ENT consultant next Monday, so I will let them know what I've done so far and see what help I can get that way.
I think the issue I have had with the mask could be due to me turning the humidity up, I noticed last night my face was quite moist and I think the cushion of the mask wasn't sealing around the side of my face, I also have a short beard. I have turned the humidity down 1 and will see how I get on with it tonight.
RE: Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea - jwest - 08-31-2023
glad to help.
The NHS isn't alone, sadly.
Awesome, circle back here and update us when you have more information, and drop some charts here too from OSCAR if you're feeling up to it.