Apnea solutions for someone off the charts?

[TheArgus]

Hello all

About a year ago I attempted to use the CPAP machine after having a sleep study done that found I had sever Apnea. On my side they said I needed a pressure of 12 and on my back I needed a pressure beyond the 20 limit of the machine (not really sure what all this means)

I tried it for a few weeks and couldn't regulate my breathing or something, kept waking up choking to death, covered in drool, girlfriend ready to kill me etc... So I gave up on it and now I'm looking for alternatives.

Has anyone tried anything like Provent for their Apnea or know of any other new breakthoughs? What about surgery is it even an option?

Thanks for your time, wish I had of found this community when I was attempting CPAP, maybe I would have kept using it.

[BlackSpinner]

Hello all

About a year ago I attempted to use the CPAP machine after having a sleep study done that found I had sever Apnea. On my side they said I needed a pressure of 12 and on my back I needed a pressure beyond the 20 limit of the machine (not really sure what all this means)

I tried it for a few weeks and couldn't regulate my breathing or something, kept waking up choking to death, covered in drool, girlfriend ready to kill me etc... So I gave up on it and now I'm looking for alternatives.

Has anyone tried anything like Provent for their Apnea or know of any other new breakthoughs? What about surgery is it even an option?

Thanks for your time, wish I had of found this community when I was attempting CPAP, maybe I would have kept using it.

Your girl friend did try to kill you if she wasn't supportive over this.

Enter your machine and masks you use and people will try to help you save your life.

Provent only works for certain types of apnea. Same with surgery (and it isn't often successful re - apnea)

[Lizistired]

Do you still have your equipment?
You can get help here to resolve your problems.
Please register and list your equipment in the user control panel, in TEXT please.

[Mary Z]

Hello all

About a year ago I attempted to use the CPAP machine after having a sleep study done that found I had sever Apnea. On my side they said I needed a pressure of 12 and on my back I needed a pressure beyond the 20 limit of the machine (not really sure what all this means)

I tried it for a few weeks and couldn't regulate my breathing or something, kept waking up choking to death, covered in drool, girlfriend ready to kill me etc... So I gave up on it and now I'm looking for alternatives.

Has anyone tried anything like Provent for their Apnea or know of any other new breakthoughs? What about surgery is it even an option?

Thanks for your time, wish I had of found this community when I was attempting CPAP, maybe I would have kept using it.

You should not have to regulate your breathing- the machine shoulde follow your lead- that is where this forum or a good DME/doc comes in handy to make necessary adjustments. It's not too late to pull your machine out and to to start over. The machine you have only would provide 20 cm of pressure- there are machines that go up to 25 and even 30. Provent or a dental device are options. I would not consider surgery until I had exhausted al other options, including a second trial of CPAP. It's not too late for the forum to guide you through problems. You could also see your sleep doc and explain the problems you were having and explore the options.
Also, since your pressure needs are so much higher when sleeping on your back I would try to avoid that sleeping position.
Whatever you do, get on some type of therapy. I do highly advise talking to your sleep specialist again- you may need a new sleep study. The problems you were having can be dealt with. As to the girlfriend, I don't know what was aggravating her so much, but your health is the priority here. Good luck, keep us posted.

[nanwilson]

I hope you have dumped the non-supportive girlfriend. Cpap is the gold standard for this disease, I know its not fun but you must persevere and keep using it to make any difference. I too was diagnosed with "way off the chart" apneas when on my back............soooooo...I don't sleep on my back, I sleep on my side. Put your hose back on tonight and use it all night, every night....you will feel much better soon. If you can't stay off your back, consider sewing a tennis ball to your shirt or wear a fanny pack...or use a pillow against your back...anything to stay off of it.
Good luck

[Axxel]

Hello all

About a year ago I attempted to use the CPAP machine after having a sleep study done that found I had sever Apnea. On my side they said I needed a pressure of 12 and on my back I needed a pressure beyond the 20 limit of the machine (not really sure what all this means)

I tried it for a few weeks and couldn't regulate my breathing or something, kept waking up choking to death, covered in drool, girlfriend ready to kill me etc... So I gave up on it and now I'm looking for alternatives.

Has anyone tried anything like Provent for their Apnea or know of any other new breakthoughs? What about surgery is it even an option?

Thanks for your time, wish I had of found this community when I was attempting CPAP, maybe I would have kept using it.

At the very minimum, avoid back sleeping since your apnea was evidently much worse on your back. I sleep with a backpack on with a football in it to prevent me from back sleeping. The tennis ball thing in shirt didnt work for me. Dont give up man

[TheDreamer]

BiPAPs are capable of much higher pressure (I've heard as high as 40cm), but usually insurance requires you to 'fail' CPAP first.

[Pugsy]

Regarding Provent...from what I have heard...best numbers are that it might provide a 50% reduction in AHI and even then not for everyone. It has been discussed here on the forum. I saw one report from someone who tried it. Not happy. Hard to exhale against those plugs.
I suppose that any reduction is better than nothing (not using the machine) at all. But apparently they are not as easy to use and the promos say they are.

Some people surgery might help but only if they have some very specific physical conditions that would be markedly improved with surgery and then only if those improvements happened to reduce the OSA. Lots of ifs there.
Also "success" is not often measured by the same standards...ie the goal of significantly reducing the obstructive events.

I would second the advice given by others here.. dust off the machine and work on solving the solutions caused by whatever problems you had that caused you to give up.

[chunkyfrog]

The guy trying to sell you Provent--Was he wearing white shoes; and did he have a gold tooth?
My suggestion, FWIW, is to wear a small backpack to bed with a football in it (either kind)--
And get a mask that fits--I suspect you are working with a mask that does not fit properly.

[ameriken]

a) Stick to CPAP and do whatever it takes to make it work, that is by far your best option, period.
b) Talk to your sleep doc about the issues you were having and about the pressures on the machine. You may need another sleep study and perhaps a new machine.
c) Find a new girlfriend. If she's seriously that unsupportive, then are you sure she's really a 'friend'? If you get off CPAP because of her, the sleep apnea will eventually kill you. You choose.

[moresleep]

I'm not going to blame the girlfriend--in my experience, even many nice people get cranky when you interrupt their sleep--but you have to work around her. The advice above is all good. For you, it is apparently vital that you sleep on your side. As an alternative to the backpack approach, some people have found that sleeping on a couch, against its back, is a comfortable way to sleep on the side. You can also buy wedges for the bed to accomplish the same thing. The trick is simply keeping at it until you find something that works for you. Please post your machine and other information as soon as you can.