Can't Get More than 4-5 Hours

[Debjax]

CPAP is not a CURE ALL.

You are absolutely right. CPAP is NOT a cure all. However, it is, like a wheelchair for a paraplegic; hearings aids or cochlear implants for the deaf; or insulin for a diabetic; a tool that is used by many of use to resume and extend a normal or nearly normal life. My "placebo" has enabled me, for the first time in at least a decade and probably longer, to get a full night's sleep without having to get up several times to go to the bathroom, to wake up in the morning and actually BE awake, and most of all, has alleviated most of my cardiac symptoms.

I'll take the "placebo" any day. It is my new lifetime companion.

[efpat]

Jay, Thanks to you and the other helpful replies. I ignored the silly distractions. Even though I've been involved with CPAP for a while, I realize I dont' know very much. I've been dealing with, and learning a lot about some other health problems. Now its time to focus on this one. By the way, I use the Ultra Mirage mask too. I tried nasal pillows but it was not comfortable. Thanks. efpat

[efpat]

Debjax, THanks for the reply. What cardiac symptoms improved. I have myopathy with a EF that has ranged from 25-40. It improved with regular CPAP and I am trying to see if it gets better now that I am using CPAP regularly again. efpat

[ozij]

I agree, the mind (brain, body...) has to be trained to sleep more. Especially if you're used to unrefreshing sleep, and suddenly you're sleeping better - the complex organism that you are figures "OK, I've slept enough" and wakes you up.

And that's the the to put the most advanced part of you brain to work:

You're awake, its 2 or 3 AM. You don't get into a state of annoyance at the mere fact of being awake. You say a gentle "Hi there" and lie listening to your body, try to figure out what it was that woke you. You appreciate the fact that you're not choking, gasping, sweat soaked, that your heart it not banging in panic against your ribs. You ask your body/self/mind "Are you confused by being rested? Do you want to get up for a bit and do something nice and relaxing?" If the answer is yes, you do that. You don't start fretting about the effect this will have on tomorrowws work day - simply because fretting and getting upset will do nothing at all to solve the problem - and may make it worse. Concentrate on the here and now - because the here and now is where the problem has to be solved.

You get up and so something relaxing if you want to. And then you go back to bed, and put the mask on again. Because part of the deal with yourself has to be: no attempts to sleep in bed without the mask. Ever.

The reason is simple: if you don't put the mask on again, you're teaching your unconcious that waking you up in the middle of the night is a sure way if getting rid of this weird thing strapped to your face. And being a rather short term, instant gratification oriented creature, your unconcious loves the idea of going back to sleep barefaced, like its been doing for years and years...

O.

[Spitups!]

That is an interesting way of putting it. Bob does not even try half of the time. He goes downstairs a lot and watches TV, and he likes to watch TV. I doubt it is relaxing for him and if it is, he falls asleep on the couch. As a result of this forum he now watches TV UPSTAIRS, and has to put the mask on at the end of the show. Shitty for me, but I can deal.

[Boroguy]

I was diagnosed with this stupid thing call sleep apnea. The specialist I saw put me on a CPAP machine, don't ask me name or anything about the stupid machine because I don't know what it is.
At first I tried the stupid machine but my throat kept getting dried out.
Was told to change to a different machine along with changing masks.
My throat still gets dried out. I am to the point that I don't use the machine like the Doc wants me to.
I have found that I sleep as much or is that as little without the machine as I do with the machine.
I find that when I wear that stupid mask, my upper lip starts sweeling up after I take the mask off.
There are nights that I have actually ripped the mask off of my face while I was sleeping.
Before I was put on that stupid machine, the doc tried scaring me into using the machine when he showed me a chart of my alledged sleeping habits. He tried telling me that I wasn't breathing at night.
But when I replied that "if I am not breathing, then why am I still alive". He had no answer to my question.
The doc also got upset when I told him that his statisticts can easily be turned around and used against him.
See I did learn something in Grad. School.
The doc finally had to admit that the machines won't work on everyone. My question is, does this Doc try to stick every patient who sees him on a Crap machine er I mean CPAP. He stuck my wife on it before he saw me.
My wife swears by her machine and in my case I swear at the machine that I got saddled with. But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

[cflame1]

I think that what all of us want to know Boroguy... is do you want to learn and be helped... or do you just want to get angry about it all (and probably quit from what I'm reading in between the lines)? Because if you're open to learning... this is a good place. But if you're just here to vent and get angry... then why'd you post at all?

I was diagnosed with this stupid thing call sleep apnea. The specialist I saw put me on a CPAP machine, don't ask me name or anything about the stupid machine because I don't know what it is.
At first I tried the stupid machine but my throat kept getting dried out.
Was told to change to a different machine along with changing masks.
My throat still gets dried out. I am to the point that I don't use the machine like the Doc wants me to.
I have found that I sleep as much or is that as little without the machine as I do with the machine.
I find that when I wear that stupid mask, my upper lip starts sweeling up after I take the mask off.
There are nights that I have actually ripped the mask off of my face while I was sleeping.
Before I was put on that stupid machine, the doc tried scaring me into using the machine when he showed me a chart of my alledged sleeping habits. He tried telling me that I wasn't breathing at night.
But when I replied that "if I am not breathing, then why am I still alive". He had no answer to my question.
The doc also got upset when I told him that his statisticts can easily be turned around and used against him.
See I did learn something in Grad. School.
The doc finally had to admit that the machines won't work on everyone. My question is, does this Doc try to stick every patient who sees him on a Crap machine er I mean CPAP. He stuck my wife on it before he saw me.
My wife swears by her machine and in my case I swear at the machine that I got saddled with. But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

[roster]

...... The specialist I saw put me on a CPAP machine, don't ask me name or anything about the stupid machine because I don't know what it is.
.........

Just give it up. Help to reduce the Social Security burden.

[plr66]

.....But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

Yup. And you can have somone put that on your grave, or you can quit whining and put some of that wasted energy into solving some of your problems with it.

[Guest]

.....But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

Yup. And you can have somone put that on your grave, or you can quit whining and put some of that wasted energy into solving some of your problems with it.

Look I just came here to state my own personal opinion. My opinion is that in my case the crap er I mean cpap machines don't work. I will state that I have learned that my doc does not like it when a patient speaks up and expressess an opinion that is not showing any favorable light on the Specialist who alledgedly diagnoised me with sleep apenea.
I gather now that if a person posts an opinion about what I call crap machines but are actually known as cpap machines, that is against others beliefs, you will come under fire from those who love the stupid machines.
I am just laying out a point that maybe the specialist had one prognosis for what he felt was wrong with me and in reality there could be something totally different in a final diagnosis.
Just remember that if one doesn't breathe, then the blood does not get oxygenaited which could possibly lead to problems with other internal organs such as say the heart, the liver and the spleen.
You want to take that into consideration and then you might want to talk to someone who has portal hypertension, which is caused an enlarged spleen in which the spleen eats up a good number of the platelets thus causing a persons platelet to be low.
Another thing to look at is a disease call Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis which is also know by it's initals of HASH or also known as fatty liver disease. What this disease means is that one has non-viral hepatitis in there system also with a disease known as Non-Alcoholic Chirroiss of The Liver, in which your liver is starting to become useless and cirroissed and that could lead to ESLD, which is End Stage Liver Disease where in your only last hope is for a liver transplant.
If you think about it CPAP machines may not always be of assistance for those who I previously mentioned.
If you think that I have not put any energy into this, you are far from mistaken as you could be the patient who has just be diagnosied with Portal Hypertension or for that matter the patient who just got told that they have Non Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis.
My final saying on the above is that I know from experience about all of the above because as I have stated eariler, I have been told that I have sleep apenea but I also have the dreaded Portal Hypertension and yes I also have NASH and have been told by the speciaist that there is a scale of 1-4 with 1 being your not to bad to 4 being pray for a transplant as you are on the list and hope it comes before time runs out. Well in my case I am in the middle of that I am a 2.5 at this point I rest.

[roster]

...............
I gather now that if a person posts an opinion about what I call crap machines but are actually known as cpap machines, that is against others beliefs, you will come under fire from those who love the stupid machines.
...............

Boroguy,

You have it backwards.

The good members here know there are many problems with this primitive CPAP therapy.

And that is why they are here. To help people overcome these problems.

CPAP is the only thing that we have to save 95% of us.

Rooster

[spitintheocean]

I was diagnosed with this stupid thing call sleep apnea. The specialist I saw put me on a CPAP machine, don't ask me name or anything about the stupid machine because I don't know what it is.
At first I tried the stupid machine but my throat kept getting dried out.
Was told to change to a different machine along with changing masks.
My throat still gets dried out. I am to the point that I don't use the machine like the Doc wants me to.
I have found that I sleep as much or is that as little without the machine as I do with the machine.
I find that when I wear that stupid mask, my upper lip starts sweeling up after I take the mask off.
There are nights that I have actually ripped the mask off of my face while I was sleeping.
Before I was put on that stupid machine, the doc tried scaring me into using the machine when he showed me a chart of my alledged sleeping habits. He tried telling me that I wasn't breathing at night.
But when I replied that "if I am not breathing, then why am I still alive". He had no answer to my question.
The doc also got upset when I told him that his statisticts can easily be turned around and used against him.
See I did learn something in Grad. School.
The doc finally had to admit that the machines won't work on everyone. My question is, does this Doc try to stick every patient who sees him on a Crap machine er I mean CPAP. He stuck my wife on it before he saw me.
My wife swears by her machine and in my case I swear at the machine that I got saddled with. But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

It's pretty clear from your tone that you're unhappy and suffering, but equally clear that you're angry and dismissive of the suggestion that sleep apnea is contributing to your misery. "if I am not breathing, then why am I still alive" followed up with "See I did learn something in Grad. School." just tells me the quality of education today really has taken a turn for the worse.

Why don't you google "causes effects of low blood oxygen saturation"? I wouldn't doubt that you have several other ailments as well. But you're not alone, many members of this website also report that their overall health has been compromised by other diseases or unwanted conditions that further complicate their lives and reduce the quality of life. They haven't given up treating their sleep apnea though even if CPAP is intrusive since the medical establishment has reported little success with the alternatives.

As for the CPAP drying out your throat, with integrated or even add-on humidifiers, there's simply no reason why a properly connected, properly set up machine would leave you with a dry throat; the common complaint on this website is dealing with too much moisture in their hose compared to the ambient temperature of the bedroom air, known as rain out. If you want to use it as a planter, try out african violets or other tropical plants that thrive on humidity.

I'm unsure whather "sweeling up" means sweating or swelling but it suggests that you have either an improperly fitted mask or simply the wrong type for your face. It's the single most important piece of paraphernalia in your CPAP treatment ....... if you can't get the mask right, the therapy won't work properly, resulting in frustration and abandonment of the treatment. Everyone here has has their own tale of woe with respect to finding a suitable mask that works for their unique facial structure and particular sleeping patterns. The trick is to stay with it and find the correct mask for you.

If you were really interested in making your treatment work as opposed to mounting your pity pot and condemning cpap therapy on a forum dedicated to its success, you would ask for help as opposed to presuming your personal failure was a new benchmark for the rest of us.

Paul

[ChrisC]

.....But then I have discovered that there could be a good use for the tank, you turn it on its side and leave distilled water in it and you can have a flower vase.

Yup. And you can have somone put that on your grave, or you can quit whining and put some of that wasted energy into solving some of your problems with it.

Look I just came here to state my own personal opinion. My opinion is that in my case the crap er I mean cpap machines don't work. I will state that I have learned that my doc does not like it when a patient speaks up and expressess an opinion that is not showing any favorable light on the Specialist who alledgedly diagnoised me with sleep apenea.
I gather now that if a person posts an opinion about what I call crap machines but are actually known as cpap machines, that is against others beliefs, you will come under fire from those who love the stupid machines.
I am just laying out a point that maybe the specialist had one prognosis for what he felt was wrong with me and in reality there could be something totally different in a final diagnosis.
Just remember that if one doesn't breathe, then the blood does not get oxygenaited which could possibly lead to problems with other internal organs such as say the heart, the liver and the spleen.
You want to take that into consideration and then you might want to talk to someone who has portal hypertension, which is caused an enlarged spleen in which the spleen eats up a good number of the platelets thus causing a persons platelet to be low.
Another thing to look at is a disease call Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatitis which is also know by it's initals of HASH or also known as fatty liver disease. What this disease means is that one has non-viral hepatitis in there system also with a disease known as Non-Alcoholic Chirroiss of The Liver, in which your liver is starting to become useless and cirroissed and that could lead to ESLD, which is End Stage Liver Disease where in your only last hope is for a liver transplant.
If you think about it CPAP machines may not always be of assistance for those who I previously mentioned.
If you think that I have not put any energy into this, you are far from mistaken as you could be the patient who has just be diagnosied with Portal Hypertension or for that matter the patient who just got told that they have Non Alcoholic Steato-Hepatitis.
My final saying on the above is that I know from experience about all of the above because as I have stated eariler, I have been told that I have sleep apenea but I also have the dreaded Portal Hypertension and yes I also have NASH and have been told by the speciaist that there is a scale of 1-4 with 1 being your not to bad to 4 being pray for a transplant as you are on the list and hope it comes before time runs out. Well in my case I am in the middle of that I am a 2.5 at this point I rest.

I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that you put this much effort into your posts because you DO want help, but it's easier for you to ask for it in a passive-aggressive tone so others feel sorry and beg you to reconsider your therapy. Unfortunately, if this is the case, you've come to the wrong place. Everyone on this forum has been through trials with their therapy and have either gotten through these with persistence, or given up and left (or died). The people who actively post here are the people who have been through problems like yours, and have invested the time and energy to try to solve the problems. Because they've walked in your shoes, they have earned the right to challenge your statements and opinions.

Your doctor didn't "get upset" because you stumped him, and provided a brilliant retort to the data he was presenting to you.. he "got upset" because you were being downright ignorant when he was trying to help you. Thinking that not breathing during sleep isn't a problem because you're "still alive" is akin to thinking that smoking won't kill someone because they're "still alive". Unfortunately, the people in both situations who "aren't alive" can't come back to offer their $.02.

It's unfortunate that you're channeling wasted time and effort on being combative and argumentative. If you want help, stay. If you don't, then sell your machine on CPAPauction.com, use the money for a down payment on a headstone, and move on from here. If you're willing to reconsider your stance and you want help, just swallow some humble pie and ask for it.

[cflame1]

****Stands up and cheers for ChrisC****

[ChrisC]

Oops. I posted before reading the thread. Sorry to those who echoed my sentiments before me. Wait, I guess I echoed THEIR sentiments.