hmm... No wonder we didn't have a Christmas party this year. Oh wait, our division never does. In North America we have a saying about Philips and how it treats it's employees - If you ain't Dutch, You ain't much. We've had lots of layoffs since we've become Philips. They are intensely bottom line o...

The first machine was a stripped down model. I think I had one of the F&P masks. The pressure ramped from 4.5 up to 10. I fell asleep with the mask on after a few nights, but awoke not being able to exhale. It panicked me. I reset the ramp up, fell asleep again, and again, awoke. When I called to as...

Thank you Jim. I'll make myself a note to ask for the APAP type of machine. The first time, I had no idea what was going on and no one really talked to me about options or choices in masks. And of course, I didn't know enough to ask any questions, so I just took what they gave me and when I called t...

APAP is the machine that gives relief upon exhaling, right? I am going to make an appointment with one of the other docs that my Rhuemy suggested. He was disappointed that he'd sent me to someone as disinterested as the first one. He also said that Rhuemy's in general are finding that more and more ...

OK. Well, thank you for your kind and generous response, Dreamstalker.

I wish you and yours a great Holiday season and wonderful New Year! Cheers!

OK. It's me again. I gave up on this CPAP thing a while ago, but I just got back from my rhuematologist (who sent me for the study in the first place) and he happily gave me my study results. First time I'm seeing them. He said he couldn't really help me with this as it's not his area. What does thi...

Please see a chiropractor. I couldn't sleep either. I kept waking and tossing and turning. It turned out that I did not have apnea, but had 2 discs out of place in my neck. After about 4 or 5 visits to my chiropractor, I could sleep! It was the first time in 5 years. I was taking Sonata every night,...

I posted here a while ago. I was diagnosed with apnea, but didn't think I really had it because I didn't have the symptoms (snoring, not breathing, etc.). I went to my GP, had a study done in the hospital this time - and I don't have it. Did the sleep clinic's doctor need money for his kid's college...

Why not design a machine that uses the little oxygen cannulas? Then there's no fitting of masks, no bruising, no headgear, and we'd be able to read, talk, watch t.v., and roll over. Regulate the sleep labs. I did not even see the sleep doc! Everyone's experience with the labs has been so vastly diff...

Andyomega - Have you tried 'Mindful Meditation' (Jon Zinns)? My mind works overtime at night, too. It's a technique that teaches you how to relax and when a "thought" comes into your head, to dismiss it. You acknowledge the thought and then release it. Don't just try to ignore it. Another little tri...

It's interesting that you say that about the sleep lab. I'm beginning to think the same thing myself of this one. I think that this is nothing more than a low budget operation that brings in a huge profit for somebody. I've been thinking about my original study and there are some things that are bot...

Yes, I'm freaked. I'm freaked because I don't know a thing about the sleep center I was sent to and don't know how reliable they are, I'm freaked because I don't know enough about machines to make an informed decision, I'm freaked because I got (literally) a 2 minute tutorial on a machine I'm suppos...

Got into the set up mode on the machine last night and turned down the pressure to 5.0. I still cannot exhale sufficiently to relax. After 2 hours of trying, I took the mask off. I had a horrible headache!! I took 2 ibuprofen, put on a Breathe Right strip, and slept like a baby! I called the clinic ...

Thanks. I'll probably try this again tonight, but I'll have to sleep in the other room. There's no sense in both of us being up all night again. Any tips on how to roll over without having to come almost into a sitting position to do so? Also, do you use your regular pillow? How do you know what mas...

Ok. Ok. I tried the machine for 2 nights. Both times I had to stop it after 2 - 2 1/2 hours of torture. See, I don't fall asleep very quickly. It's documented on my sleep studies. It took 39 minutes the first night and 43 minutes the second night for me to fall asleep. It very difficult to just lie ...