Ever Too Late?

[DD]

My other problem is that I'm new on this website. I don't know how to get back to the messages I've been exchanging with some others about SleepyHead. Is there a way to get notifications on posts? (a simple yes or no answer will do).
Also, when log in, is there a way to go straight to the forum where I left messages?

Lastly, I tried to make a profile and I get the message that my email address is already active, so I can't make a new profile. I don't know how to get my old username. There's no email contact to the website's administrators, so I'm stumped.

[mystydragonfly]

I keep a bottle of biotene moisturizing mouth spray or (biotene makes gel in a tube as well) on my night stand. You can purchase both items at you local drug stores. I use a few sprays of it before going to sleep
I also use it if I wake up during the night. Seems to help quite a bit.

[BIGsherm7272]

While I am much younger than you (26), I have a similar AHI (34), but my desats got much lower than your's (69%). And while I still have not felt the full benefits of CPAP yet I believe, I will say this:

Listen to the people on this forum. They are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about Sleep Apnea and all the different symptoms/medical conditions that have came with it. They are also pro's when it comes to equipment, becoming and staying compliant to therapy, and also know a whole lot about the things that therapy can benefit you with. They are not doctors, but have ton's of real-life experience with not only CPAP therapy, but also all the medical conditions it may/can cause and how they have been able to cope with it.

And as for you believing it may be too late, just like many other things, it's never too late. But this is especially true with CPAP therapy, because barring an uphill battle with therapy and adjusting to it (as you may experience), it is an extremely effective therapy and many feel much better within days of starting therapy. And while this is not the case for a good portion of us (myself included), even though you may not feel the full benefits for quite some time, your body most definitely benefits (to varying degrees) pretty much instantly, gibe that you have no major issues with your gear/pressure/therapy. And even if you do, if you can manage at least a few hours a night using your machine, trust me, your body will thank you.

And for all those bumps in the road (that you my or my not experience), your doctor and everyone on this forum will do everything in our power to make sure you can optimize your therapy as possible. There is no reason to not give CPAP therapy shot, as you can only gain from it. It may be later than sooner, but as many others will attest to, this has been a life changing experience for them and has allowed them to live a life that they at one point may have believed to no longer be possible. And I still am struggling, but with the support of this forum and others you build, you will only be shown the right path towards freedom from the horrible symptoms/life that can be associated with Sleep Apnea.

I am not a doctor and am in no position to tell you what to do, nor direct you in any direction, but I implore you to at least give CPAP Therapy a shot. You have nothing to lose, but so much to gain, such as freedom from fatigue, poor sleep, health issues, and anything else that my arise due to Sleep Apnea.

[Pugsy]

Theres something up with my browser. I have it in my profile but it doesnt show. I have a PR System One APAP machine.

It's not your browser...it's the link that is broken and that's why it isn't showing up.
Look on the bottom of your blower unit for a 3 digit model number It's likely going to be 550/551 or 560/561.
I suspect a 560/561 if you just got the machine.
The "6" means a 60 series machine and if that is what you have just add it to the comments line in the equipment profile.
Just manually add PR S1 Auto #560 or 561 and we will know what you mean.
You might also change your humidifier chosen...right now it is showing an old discontinued humidifier that won't work with any of the System One machines.
If you do have a 560/561 model machine the correct choice for the humidifier would be
PR System One 60 Series Heated tube humidifier with heated tube (even if you aren't using the optional heated hose at this time).

If your machine is a 50 series then the correct humidifier would be
PR System One Heated humidifier
and that machine link is also broken so you would just add PR S1 model 550 or 551 in that comments section.

If you are using a 60 series machine and unsure about the heated hose or not...the heated hose has a black coupling on the end that attaches to the humidifier.

It's never too late to start cpap therapy just like it is never to late to quit smoking.
We can't do anything about what happened in the past but we can have an effect on what the future holds.

[Guest]

Please don't give up. I am pre-diabetic and this is probably related to sleep apnea. It also runs in my family. However, since I have been getting a good night's sleep and doing yard and housework I have lost 20 pounds without dieting. I have read where there is a connection between diabetes and sleep apnea. Using your cap will no doubt help with you current health issues. Please keep trying.
Try not to think of yourself being stupid for not using it. Today is a new day, so start again. Hope this helps!

I definetly wont give up, thats for sure. I actually can't cuz Im on Medicare so I have to use it at least 4 hours a night or they wont pay for it. lol! Gonna try and get some exercise but im still a dead man walking.

[Guest]

I'm in my 60's too and started the CPAP about 7 years ago and it's been MISERABLE wearing it but I didn't want to ASK for trouble by not wearing it. SOMETIMES I struggle with the gear in my sleep. Last night I woke up without wanting to, to check to see if my mouth was too dry (it's been a problem for me). ALSO, I started to wear a chin strap to make sure I'm not opening my mouth to cause it, but the strap is awful (slides off my head while sleeping). My DME said they don't carry anyone with TWO straps on top. Frustrating!

My other problem is that I'm new on this website. I don't know how to get back to the messages I've been exchanging with some others about SleepyHead. Is there a way to get notifications on posts? (a simple yes or no answer will do).
Also, when log in, is there a way to go straight to the forum where I left messages?

Thanks. By the way, I made a makeshift chinstrap out of some stretchable material. I hope my homemade chinstrap works. I can't stand it when I lose sleep *because* of the CPAP. It wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a lifelong difficulty. Parenthetically, there's an article on this site saying they're trying to make a pill for people with sleep apnea. I WANT TO BE FIRST IN LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Thanks for listening.

Im gonna see about a chinstrap today. I woke up this morning with flegm in my mouth and a dry mouth with my tongue kinda stuck to the top. lol Maybe the humidifier is clearing my nose or something?

I think there is a way to do what you asked on this forum, I just havent learned it all either.

Mark

[BrandyMB]

Theres something up with my browser. I have it in my profile but it doesnt show. I have a PR System One APAP machine.

It's not your browser...it's the link that is broken and that's why it isn't showing up.
Look on the bottom of your blower unit for a 3 digit model number It's likely going to be 550/551 or 560/561.
I suspect a 560/561 if you just got the machine.
The "6" means a 60 series machine and if that is what you have just add it to the comments line in the equipment profile.
Just manually add PR S1 Auto #560 or 561 and we will know what you mean.
You might also change your humidifier chosen...right now it is showing an old discontinued humidifier that won't work with any of the System One machines.
If you do have a 560/561 model machine the correct choice for the humidifier would be
PR System One 60 Series Heated tube humidifier with heated tube (even if you aren't using the optional heated hose at this time).

If your machine is a 50 series then the correct humidifier would be
PR System One Heated humidifier
and that machine link is also broken so you would just add PR S1 model 550 or 551 in that comments section.

If you are using a 60 series machine and unsure about the heated hose or not...the heated hose has a black coupling on the end that attaches to the humidifier.

It's never too late to start cpap therapy just like it is never to late to quit smoking.
We can't do anything about what happened in the past but we can have an effect on what the future holds.

Damn thing. My last post came in as GUEST cuz I didnt log in. Anyway, I have a PR System One series 60 Model 560P with the attached humidifier, no heated hose.

Thanks for the info.
Mark

[Pugsy]

You still have the wrong humidifier showing...click on the link and you will see that it looks nothing like what you are using.
This is the only humidifier choice in the equipment menu that will work with your machine so you have to choose it even though you aren't using the optional heated hose.
PR System One 60 Series Heated Tube Humidifier with heated tube

[chunkyfrog]

I'm in my 60's too and started the CPAP about 7 years ago and it's been MISERABLE wearing it but I didn't want to ASK for trouble by not wearing it. SOMETIMES I struggle with the gear in my sleep. Last night I woke up without wanting to, to check to see if my mouth was too dry (it's been a problem for me). ALSO, I started to wear a chin strap to make sure I'm not opening my mouth to cause it, but the strap is awful (slides off my head while sleeping). My DME said they don't carry anyone with TWO straps on top. Frustrating!

My other problem is that I'm new on this website. I don't know how to get back to the messages I've been exchanging with some others about SleepyHead. Is there a way to get notifications on posts? (a simple yes or no answer will do).
Also, when log in, is there a way to go straight to the forum where I left messages?

Thanks. By the way, I made a makeshift chinstrap out of some stretchable material. I hope my homemade chinstrap works. I can't stand it when I lose sleep *because* of the CPAP. It wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a lifelong difficulty. Parenthetically, there's an article on this site saying they're trying to make a pill for people with sleep apnea. I WANT TO BE FIRST IN LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Thanks for listening.

You need to be logged in to access your private messages, and to edit and view your profile.
Homemade accessories often are the ones that work best.
I got one of those "useless" one strap chinstraps, and SPLIT it into two skinny straps
from the ends down to about an inch above my ears. It actually worked then.
If your mask is making you miserable, you should try others until you find one that you can bear.

[tiredandscared]

I'm not an old timer. I'm just beginning therapy. But I still want to give me 2 cents. I think if you value what's left of your life. I'd definitely do everything in my power to get set up and fix it. If only because you can make your life quality increase significantly, and because in the future there are regenerative advancements in medical technology that ameliorate lot of issues, including the medical issues that you listed, even repair some or most of the brain damage done by different conditions. Namely stem cells.

I'm in the same boat, my cognition has declined a lot over the past year, I constantly feel anxious and depressed and I feel ready to give up. But there is a slim chance, i'll get back my brain and fine motor skills to 100% or close to it. So i'm working my hardest to make this work. I think you should try this too, if you want to keep living.

[BrandyMB]

I'm in my 60's too and started the CPAP about 7 years ago and it's been MISERABLE wearing it but I didn't want to ASK for trouble by not wearing it. SOMETIMES I struggle with the gear in my sleep. Last night I woke up without wanting to, to check to see if my mouth was too dry (it's been a problem for me). ALSO, I started to wear a chin strap to make sure I'm not opening my mouth to cause it, but the strap is awful (slides off my head while sleeping). My DME said they don't carry anyone with TWO straps on top. Frustrating!

My other problem is that I'm new on this website. I don't know how to get back to the messages I've been exchanging with some others about SleepyHead. Is there a way to get notifications on posts? (a simple yes or no answer will do).
Also, when log in, is there a way to go straight to the forum where I left messages?

Thanks. By the way, I made a makeshift chinstrap out of some stretchable material. I hope my homemade chinstrap works. I can't stand it when I lose sleep *because* of the CPAP. It wouldn't surprise me if this becomes a lifelong difficulty. Parenthetically, there's an article on this site saying they're trying to make a pill for people with sleep apnea. I WANT TO BE FIRST IN LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Thanks for listening.

You need to be logged in to access your private messages, and to edit and view your profile.
Homemade accessories often are the ones that work best.
I got one of those "useless" one strap chinstraps, and SPLIT it into two skinny straps
from the ends down to about an inch above my ears. It actually worked then.
If your mask is making you miserable, you should try others until you find one that you can bear.

LOL! Yeah, I know about the login issues, just forgot. Being a retired network systems analyst, I shouldnt make such mistakes!

Picked up a chinstrap today and will try it tonight.

Mark

[herefishy]

If your store bought chinstrap doesn't work, try just winding a panty hose around your head - and try not to laugh while you're doing it.

[BrandyMB]

If your store bought chinstrap doesn't work, try just winding a panty hose around your head - and try not to laugh while you're doing it.

I may be able to not laugh, but my wife.. thats an impossibility.

[bwexler]

If you still look down at the grass it's not to late.
If you are looking up at the grass, you wouldn't be posting here.
I discovered my OSA when I was 65. But now that I am aware, I can recognize the symptoms going back many years.
I have a variety of medical issues which may be related to OSA, but at 70 now I have no intention of giving up any time soon.
We can talk in 20 years and compare our progress.

Of course you will need to get Sleepyhead software and learn to use it, so we will know what we are comparing.

[DD]

When I tried to fill out my profile,