Newbie here saying hi!

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
SarahB
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Newbie here saying hi!

Post by SarahB » Thu Jan 18, 2018 1:21 pm

Hello everyone. I've finally been diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea ten months after first complaining to my doctor of tiredness and am now waiting for an appointment to have a CPAP machine fitted. I can't wait - I'm so desperate for sleep! Hope to find the answer to lots of questions on this forum. Thanks in anticipation for your help.
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Berks
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Berks » Thu Jan 18, 2018 2:19 pm

welcome - I'm brand new too and just found this place... so far it's been INSANELY helpful... hope it is for you too!

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Okie bipap
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Okie bipap » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:11 pm

Welcome to the forum. You can find a lot of information and help here. When you get a machine you want to make sure it a full data machine. Some machines only give compliance numbers without giving any useful information. The two most highly recommended machines are the ResMed Air Sense S10 auto and the Phillips Responics Dreamstation auto. Both of these machines offer full data and can be set to a range of pressures instead of a single pressure. Many people find their pressure requirements vary from night to night and often hour to hour or minute to minute.

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nicholasjh1
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by nicholasjh1 » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:14 pm

Don't be surprised if you don't sleep that well at first... but remember it's also a non-breathing disease. One of the major changes having CPAP Therapy effects is your brain repairing itself! Many doctors do there patients a disservice by intimating that you'll necessarily sleep better. In fact for me before CPAP therapy, it felt like I slept through every night!.... but that was because I was blacking out from too low oxygen!
Instead of Sleep apnea it should be called "Sleep deprivation, starving of oxygen, being poisoned by high CO2 levels, damaging the body and brain while it's supposed to be healing so that you constantly get worse and can never get healthy Apnea"

Stardustor
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Stardustor » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:59 pm

https://imgur.com/a/nOVCm

Hi Newbie, You sound just like how I felt a year ago when I initially received my Sleep Study results. Bewildered and apprehensive.

Throughout the following ordeal, there were many ups & downs. Fortunately, I discovered this forum...!! Immediately, many of the forum participants were very forthcoming with advice, pointers, hints and sharing their own experiences. Truly a Gold Mine of pertinent information...!!

My advice to you, ....spend as much time as possible reading the experiences of others, exploring Forum FAQ's, writing about your own concerns, listening to your Dr(s) and other close advisers. Download SleepyHead.com and work at trying to figure out how it works. It won't be long before you're discovering what works best for you. It won't be long until you notice that you're beginning to feel better. It won't be long until you begin to realize that, to a very large extent, you are responsible for your own progress and well-being.

It sounds like a 'Tall Order', ...but you're in the right place.

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SarahB
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Location: Scotland

Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by SarahB » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:13 pm

Okie bipap wrote:Welcome to the forum. You can find a lot of information and help here. When you get a machine you want to make sure it a full data machine. Some machines only give compliance numbers without giving any useful information. The two most highly recommended machines are the ResMed Air Sense S10 auto and the Phillips Responics Dreamstation auto. Both of these machines offer full data and can be set to a range of pressures instead of a single pressure. Many people find their pressure requirements vary from night to night and often hour to hour or minute to minute.
Wow! I've got so much technical information to learn! I won't have a choice of machines; it will just be whatever model they give out here in Scotland - ResMed I think. If I can swot up on all these features I'll be able to ask intelligent questions.
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Jas_williams
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Jas_williams » Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:12 pm

You may end up with a resmed Brick I was given a Resmed S9 escape cpap machine new and shiny but no data and fixed pressure this was from the nhs UK I ended up buying my own machine.

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SarahB
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by SarahB » Sun Jan 21, 2018 11:21 am

Jas_williams wrote:You may end up with a resmed Brick I was given a Resmed S9 escape cpap machine new and shiny but no data and fixed pressure this was from the nhs UK I ended up buying my own machine.
Apparently there's a data card which I send in after a month so they can see how I'm doing. Is that what you mean by data?

I'd like to get my own small one with battery pack so I can continue to go camping with my tent or hammock in places with no electrical power supply.
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Pugsy
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Pugsy » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:06 pm

Welcome to the forum.
SarahB wrote:Apparently there's a data card which I send in after a month so they can see how I'm doing. Is that what you mean by data?
Pretty much all the machines have SD data cards but not all machines gather useful data to see how you are really doing.
Some just put hours of use on that SD card or maybe some extremely limited data that really isn't all that helpful if you are running into problems.
So not all data is equal.

Exactly which brand and model name are you using?

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USMCVet
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by USMCVet » Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:11 pm

SarahB wrote:
Jas_williams wrote:You may end up with a resmed Brick I was given a Resmed S9 escape cpap machine new and shiny but no data and fixed pressure this was from the nhs UK I ended up buying my own machine.
Apparently there's a data card which I send in after a month so they can see how I'm doing. Is that what you mean by data?

I'd like to get my own small one with battery pack so I can continue to go camping with my tent or hammock in places with no electrical power supply.
Should start a thread on hammock camping. I love camping as well and haven't done it yet with CPAP.

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CapnLoki
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by CapnLoki » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:13 am

SarahB wrote:Apparently there's a data card which I send in after a month so they can see how I'm doing. Is that what you mean by data?
As Pugsy said, the basic cpaps only record how many hours you used the machine, and this is all they care about; we call these units "bricks." The slightly more expensive units record every breath and allow you to fine tune for the best performance. If you have any influence on the selection avoid the brick!
SarahB wrote:I'd like to get my own small one with battery pack so I can continue to go camping with my tent or hammock in places with no electrical power supply.
Don't rush out to buy one of the small "travel" units - there are many options for camping and battery power with the "normal" units. Wait until you've become used to the one you get from the NHS and learn more from this forum.

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SarahB
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by SarahB » Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:36 pm

Pugsy wrote:Welcome to the forum.
SarahB wrote:Apparently there's a data card which I send in after a month so they can see how I'm doing. Is that what you mean by data?
Pretty much all the machines have SD data cards but not all machines gather useful data to see how you are really doing.
Some just put hours of use on that SD card or maybe some extremely limited data that really isn't all that helpful if you are running into problems.
So not all data is equal.

Exactly which brand and model name are you using?
I don't know yet. I have an appointment on 9th Feb to be given a machine. However, the data they get back after a month will decide whether I can reapply for my driving licence so they must surely get more information from it than just the number of hours used. This is all speculation at the moment though as I don't know what machine I'll be given.
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Pugsy
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Re: Newbie here saying hi!

Post by Pugsy » Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:12 pm

SarahB wrote: I don't know yet. I have an appointment on 9th Feb to be given a machine. However, the data they get back after a month will decide whether I can reapply for my driving licence so they must surely get more information from it than just the number of hours used. This is all speculation at the moment though as I don't know what machine I'll be given.
I have no idea what the drivers license requirements might be in Scotland in terms of cpap use or effective therapy...and hours of use doesn't necessarily mean "effective".. A person could use it 8 hours a night forever but it not be effective. Sad to say but it can and does happen.
Here in the US the bulk of the people with drivers license regulations pertaining to cpap use are the over the road truck drivers and for many years the only requirement was proof of 4 hours a night...nothing proving effectiveness but they are just now changing over more to hours of use and proof of effectiveness.

Once you get your machine we can tell you how much data it does or doesn't collect by knowing which model you have.

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