Can you help me become compliant?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Sonya
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Location: Western Washington

Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Sonya » Tue May 05, 2015 10:12 am

And I got another 7 hours last night! I'm on a roll.

My new hero from this board is sending me a FFM to try!!!!! And I've put in another call to get a larger nasal pillow to try that.

I think the biggest thing for me was hearing you all say to just put on my "big girl panties" and go to bed! It's amazing what a difference that makes.

I'm still pretty unclear on the data I'm getting from SleepyHead. The pressures do seem to go all over the place. I sleep pretty well until the pressures go up above 11 and then I start waking up with the need to take off the mask.

Thanks so much to all of you for all this advice. After that horrible meeting with the sleep clinic, I was feeling all on my own with an insurmountable problem. You all made it seem more manageable and got me on the right track.

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robysue
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by robysue » Tue May 05, 2015 11:13 am

Sonya wrote: I'm still pretty unclear on the data I'm getting from SleepyHead. The pressures do seem to go all over the place. I sleep pretty well until the pressures go up above 11 and then I start waking up with the need to take off the mask.
My tip for dealing with this issue is pretty simple: When you wake up feeling like the pressure is a hurricane force (because it's above 11), just turn the machine OFF and back ON. That will make the pressure return to your minimum pressure setting and you should be comfortable enough to then get back to sleep with the mask on.

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CanadaVoice
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by CanadaVoice » Tue May 05, 2015 12:22 pm

It seems our northern based advice is heating things up here.

With every ounce of respect to all, every side of obtaining compliance can be debated into forever (i.e. putting the mask back on every time it falls off vs. leaving it off and trying it again at the next opportunity vs. other methods.).

The thing we find is that "forcing the issue to be complaint" often backfires, thus creating a new source of stress for the newbie. Our doctor base out here doesn't want additional strain on their patients. So we advise as per the doctor.

Interestingly, we are getting a near 90% compliance rate with the method offered earlier (i.e. leaving the mask off when it first comes off and trying again at the first opportunity, and doing so daily/nightly.) To assume someone just lets the mask fall off and will not try again presumes quite a bit about someone's self-interest to get good sleep. Such an assumption typically isn't true for everyone.

People do have good sense about them, especially when getting used to something (like a CPAP or APAP) and we (as a vendor) are far from demanding any new CPAP user be steadfast on any particular way. When we hear time and time again that gradual use is actually working, it seems "good" to pass on something positive; plus it keeps the doctors happy (in our region, it seems) and there is a persistent gentle approach at work instead of a "do it or else" psychology.

And of course, it seems as usual, all advice should come with a disclaimer, so here it is: be informed and rely on no one particular method, just be open to what might work and adhere to what does.

Skepticism is grand, but dismissing a compliance-focused opportunity based on opinion alone might short-change progress of any kind.

Cheers all (even to the suspicious ones, lol)

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palerider
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by palerider » Tue May 05, 2015 1:14 pm

CanadaVoice wrote:Cheers all (even to the suspicious ones, lol)
we're not suspicious, we're simply saying that your laissez-faire technique will simply get her machine taken away from her. perhaps if she were in canada, it would work better.

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Sonya
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Location: Western Washington

Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Sonya » Tue May 05, 2015 6:32 pm

I'm near Seattle, so I could be in Canada in a few hours, but I'm not sure that will make the machine work better for me.

StephenR
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by StephenR » Tue May 05, 2015 6:44 pm

palerider wrote:
CanadaVoice wrote:Cheers all (even to the suspicious ones, lol)
we're not suspicious, we're simply saying that your laissez-faire technique will simply get her machine taken away from her. perhaps if she were in Canada, it would work better.
Hi there..

Each province in Canada has its own medical rules. Not sure where "canadavoice" is, Ontario maybe, where the province pays for CPAP...In BC, which is where I am, and close to Sonya, the province does not pay for CPAP equipment, although it will pay for DME's to test you, and for sleep studies. So compliance here in BC is very different from compliance in Ontario...

You can visit anytime Sonya, we can do tea...

all the best,

Stephen

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ephraimh
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by ephraimh » Wed May 06, 2015 12:12 am

Sonya wrote:I'm near Seattle,.......
Is your DME by any chance Apria with its office in Redmond? If so, do not imagine for 1/10th of a second that their techs know anything. If I could use another DME, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Apria is my HMO's only DME for respiratory equipment.

When you get a new machine or a new rx, make them program it in your presence.

use all the good advice from people here but do not hesitate to doubt Apria's people or equipment. A machine they lent me broke in 3 days. Another was dead before it came out of the box. One of their techs did not know the common sense way to refill the water chamber. I know nothing about any of their other offices but their Redmond office is loony.

To quote one of their morons, "You're right. I looked it up."

To quote my MD, "Anyone but Apria. I hate Apria. They know what I think of them."

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Sonya
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Location: Western Washington

Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Sonya » Wed May 06, 2015 10:26 am

ephraimh wrote:Is your DME by any chance Apria with its office in Redmond?
No, they warned me about Apria. I'm using Sound Oxygen Service in Poulsbo as I'm on this side of the water.

Sonya
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Joined: Fri May 01, 2015 11:22 am
Location: Western Washington

Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Sonya » Wed May 06, 2015 10:27 am

robysue wrote:My tip for dealing with this issue is pretty simple: When you wake up feeling like the pressure is a hurricane force (because it's above 11), just turn the machine OFF and back ON. That will make the pressure return to your minimum pressure setting and you should be comfortable enough to then get back to sleep with the mask on.
Interesting. I've been pressing the ramp button to restart the ramp. Is this giving me the same result? Or would off/on do something different?

Only 5.5 hours last night. Still over 4 hours, which is my goal, but I don't feel as good today as I did when I got 7+ hours.

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Tatooed Lady
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Tatooed Lady » Wed May 06, 2015 12:02 pm

FWIW, when I raised my minimum pressure, I found that I started to panic, and feel like I couldn't POSSIBLY exhale against the higher pressure...and it's not that high. I then found that MY issue was that I had been doing shallow breathing, always closer to empty lungs than full. Once I let my body take in more air, and stop fighting, it got really easy. Sort of like when I rode motorcycle. If you allow the rushing air to flow naturally, it's no effort at all to breathe.
Probably I just explained poorly...but I'm a bit off today. Good luck!

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palerider
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by palerider » Wed May 06, 2015 1:07 pm

Sonya wrote:Interesting. I've been pressing the ramp button to restart the ramp. Is this giving me the same result? Or would off/on do something different?
pressing the ramp button does restart the ramp, some machines, however, don't have a ramp button, so you have to stop and restart them

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Accounts to put on the foe list: dataq1, clownbell, gearchange, lynninnj, mper!?, DreamDiver, Geer1, almostadoctor, sleepgeek, ajack, stom, mogy, D.H., They often post misleading, timewasting stuff.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by chunkyfrog » Wed May 06, 2015 1:18 pm

Breathing on Cpap IS a lot like breathing while riding a motorcycle.
I never thought of it like that.

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Gasper62
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Gasper62 » Wed May 06, 2015 1:53 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:Breathing on Cpap IS a lot like breathing while riding a motorcycle.
I never thought of it like that.
Fewer bugs stuck in yer teeth, though.

bknight
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Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by bknight » Wed May 06, 2015 4:51 pm

The use it or loose it policy appears to be a way for insurance companies to stretch the equipment purchase over two deductible periods and save a lot of money. I have always been fully compliant and I had to spend a lot more money on my equipment because of this BS.

Just use it. It will only hurt you if you drop it on your head or don't use it (I am not sugar coating my words).

There is an adjustment period at first. I never give my machine a second thought and I have not pressed the ramp button for years.

Wear it when you are reading or watching TV before you go to sleep as others have suggested.

Sonya
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Location: Western Washington

Re: Can you help me become compliant?

Post by Sonya » Wed May 06, 2015 7:07 pm

Tatooed Lady wrote:I then found that MY issue was that I had been doing shallow breathing, always closer to empty lungs than full.
I'm sorry you're feeling off, but I understood perfectly. I had someone at physical therapy ask me if I ever noticed how shallowly I breathe. She, of course - she's a PT, gave me some exercises to do. I guess I should take her more seriously and believe that breathing will help the other stuff too.

You all have been so great! I feel so much more in control of this process now. I'm still not loving the experience of sleeping with the CPAP on, but knowledge is power and I have WAY more power now. Thanks.