Anyone here have a CPAP(Continuous positive airway pressure) machine? For those unfamiliar with the term " CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. ... Patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with CPAP wear a face mask during sleep which is connected to a pump (CPAPmachine) that forces air into the nasal passages at pressures high enough to overcome obstructions in the airway and stimulate normal breathing." I was having trouble sleeping and would often wake up gasping. I also knew I had sleep apnea because my wife worried that I would sometimes just stop breathing for a few seconds at night. My Doctor referred me to a respiratory therapist and she sent me home with a recording CPAP machine for a few nights of sleep tests which confirmed the condition. She recommended that I buy a CPAP machine to alleviate the the problem. They range in price from several hundred to a couple of thousand so I was a bit skeptical but she let me continue using her CPAP machine for a few weeks. I was getting much better sleep and as a consequence, felt much better so I decided to buy one. I've had the machine for thee years now and use it all night, every night. No problems at all with the machine and it's use. The only issue is the type of mask. Originally I opted for the nasal mask that just fits over the nose. My mouth would often drop open in sleep rendering the machine useless so I made a chinstrap out of wide elastic to keep my mouth shut. I was still having trouble with the nose mask as I was swearing under the mask and that itched. I finally bought a unique mask that just sealed against my nostrils and the swiveling hose connection was on top of my head. That worked great and allows me to sleep on my stomach.
My DH had one. Medicare paid the monthly cost for his. His mask just covered his nose. He said it never bothered him.
On BiPap since 2010. Among the many benefits is not having to get up for that late night stroll to the bathroom. I had the physiology of why... explained to me by a female doctor (cardiologist), in layman's terms, which was kinda funny.
Every animal on this planet has sleep apnea that is when you stop breathing for a longer than normal time. What governs the breathing is when the CO2 in your lungs get high enough it send a message to your brain to breath and if that CO2 is not high enough you stop breathing. The medical system love finding a disease where there is none. Next year they will probably bring out a machine for hiccups. .
My doctor noticed I had a damaged heart valve and sent me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist had me wear an oximeter which indicated a severe depletion during sleep. From their it was for a sleep study, which indicated significant loss of oxygen during sleep and prescribed a Cpap and then a BiPap. My oxygen had been falling to as low as 80%, during the night and anything below 88% is considered detrimental to organs. It now stays above 94%. There has been no more deterioration of the heart valve.
Thanks! The problem with sleep apnea is a lot of people think it is about snoring, and often gets advertised in that realm. However, it is about oxygen levels and something called oxygen debt, which creates multiple issues, which can be misdiagnosed as something else, etc. The medical community is now researching the impact of oxygen debt and dementia, alzheimers, etc. - due to loss of cognitive skills, which is also a known byproduct of sleep apnea. A couple of long stories made short... My son in law's brother was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 5 years ago and refused to wear the mask. His cognitive function deteriorated to the point he wanted to sleep all the time and everyone assumed he was in advanced dementia. He died this past spring at the ripe old age of 50. My brother was diagnosed with dementia a few years back, placed in a nursing home and was hooked up to bipap in the nursing home. Within 6 months his memory and alertness changed dramatically.
@Ted Richards Don't believe I have apnea, but my mouth does gape open when asleep (my wife confirms this; I have no feel of it). This dries my mouth and throat excessively, and I drink water once or twice a night. I've wondered about fashioning a cut-off strip of old tire innertube, to make a mouth closer, as you describe. Regarding use of a mask as described, I am not sure I could tolerate it. I can barely stand having a shirt on, which twists around and restricts my sleep movement. Frank
The CPAPs are truly life saving machines. The doctor told my DH that every time he stopped breathing, it put a terrible strain on his heart and other organs. Eventually, the heart just gives up and stops.
Greetings. I am new on this site but am really impressed at the quantity and quality of medical advice and comments. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea a few years ago. My doctor wanted me to use it at the 11 level. I tired to do that but it pumped air into my stomach. I woke up in a "air bloat crisis". And it truly is a crisis. I tried the nasal mask and everything else but nothing worked. So I looked up information on the internet how to bypass the program chip and set the pressures manually. I had to set it down to level 6. I am probably not getting the full benefits but don't know what else to do? I stopped going to the doctor because he kept insisting on the level 11 which I cannot do.
If they do, I will make a gazzion dollars from curing hiccups. The hardest case took me about 20 seconds to cure and the easiest took about 5.
Hi Ted. I really like your picture. I am a strong believer in puppet power. They have so much potential to do good things for people. And they brighten up the world when they are present. My post on CPAP's is below.
I think CPAP machines DO completely change lives in some cases, but I think they are prescribed many times to people who don't truly need them. I don't think I know anyone who has gone in for a sleep study and come out of it not needing a CPAP. They are wonderful fro people who need them, but they were invented for people who had trouble breathing on their own. I was first exposed to them in Neonatal Intensive Care in the 1970s with very premature infants. It would keep them breathing without a respirator. Just like other medical devices, if Medicare or insurance will cover it, everybody needs it.
My doctor wanted me to buy the supplies through his provider. Even the copay was more than the product should cost. I just wash my own and if I need to buy I get it off eBay or something. And yes. There is too much incentive for the doctors to get people on the machines.
It would be about blood oxygen levels during sleep. If it is above 90%, you probably don't need it. If it is below that number... well, the choice is yours, imo.