They Tell Me I Need This Machine

[Cardsfan]

Yes Chevie- I stand by my comment 100 percent. The Dr.- or someone qualified in the medical field- should teach us how to operate the equipment we are sent home with. If it wasn't for this great forum, I wouldn't have a clue what was going on with my machine, how to get into the clinical settings, etc. And my cpap settings would certainly not be where it is now, which is optimal.

[ckeith]

CKeith,

Welcome to the forum.
Unlike most people on this site, I feel anger is a perfectly acceptable emotion considering everything you have gone through.

Having said that, in order to help you move forward, we need the information that Julie asked for in order to best help you.
And her advice to see your MD about the meds possibly causing insomnia is definitely one to follow. Metoprolol might be one of the culprits:

http://www.aarp.org/health/drugs-supple ... omnia.html.

One step at a time.

49er

Thank You for the LINK Checking it out

I find my Meds
Tamsulosin - Alpha Blocker - can cause Insomnia
Meteprolol - Beta Blocker - can cause Insomnia
alternative benzothiazepine calcium channel blockers

Rosuvostatin - Statins - can cause Insomnia
-------------------------------------------

Found this on Eliquis on this LINK:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2015/01/ ... de-effect/

SEVERE exhaustion. Couldn’t even walk to the mailbox.
SEVERE breathlessness.
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Blurred vision.
SEVERE cognitive failure. Felt like my head was stuffed with cotton.
Periods of rapid heart beat.
Insomnia.
BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia)
Ravenous appetite; absolutely craved carbs. Would have to get up in the middle of the night and eat.”
------------------------------------------------

So They Tell Me I Need This Machine
... They Tell Me I Need These Meds

No Bloody Wonder I'm a mental & physical Wreck ! - What to do ???

.

[ckeith]

......The inability to sleep is much more likely to be caused by your sleep apnea. What were the results of your sleep study?
You said "severe", but how severe? My measured AHI was 80, so that means I stopped breathing, on average, 80 times per hour.
What did they find in your study? My minimum pressure is 13 and I have seen it hit 18 during the night.

They never mentioned AHI that I can remember - but that's not saying much
They simply said I had severe sleep apnea and that my Oxygen dropped to 78 %

I will ask about AHI as soon as I see or have the opportunity to talk to one of my physicians

What means AHI ?

[Gasper62]

......The inability to sleep is much more likely to be caused by your sleep apnea. What were the results of your sleep study?
You said "severe", but how severe? My measured AHI was 80, so that means I stopped breathing, on average, 80 times per hour.
What did they find in your study? My minimum pressure is 13 and I have seen it hit 18 during the night.

They never mentioned AHI that I can remember - but that's not saying much
They simply said I had severe sleep apnea and that my Oxygen dropped to 78 %

I will ask about AHI as soon as I see or have the opportunity to talk to one of my physicians

What means AHI ?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=AHI

[Chevie]

Yes Chevie- I stand by my comment 100 percent. The Dr.- or someone qualified in the medical field

Hey Cardie, Once you put that "or" in, you are no longer 100 percent. More like 0.001 percent.

Work on the chapter on decimals.

[Cardsfan]

I second taking a look at the Swift FX And Swift FX Nano- the headgear is less cumbersome. It slips on and off like a headband. The Swift FX is pillows( just fits up against nostrils) and the Swift FX Nano is a nasal mask. Both use the same headgear.
Another one that slips on and off easily is the Dreamwear.

I have tried the Wisp, and I felt claustrophobic wearing it. It was comfortable enough, and fit properly. I didn't like the headgear and all the velcro closures you had to deal with to get it on and off.

It just takes time and effort to get the right mask. Try diff. ones and see what works for you. We've all been through numerous masks.

[Cardsfan]

Chevie- are you here to nitpick or help? You got my idea. Teach the patient how to operate the equipment.

[Chevie]

Chevie- are you here to nitpick or help? You got my idea. Teach the patient how to operate the equipment.

It's not nitpicking - it's a major issue. Our country faces a shortage of doctors. We don't need to be using doctors to teach patients how to use CPAP.

[Sylvia54]

Chevie- are you here to nitpick or help? You got my idea. Teach the patient how to operate the equipment.

It's not nitpicking - it's a major issue. Our country faces a shortage of doctors. We don't need to be using doctors to teach patients how to use CPAP.

No, not a doctor but they could be using sleep techs to do that.
All I got was very minimal instruction from an RP at the DME and I think he was new.
(I've gotten better help from the DME admin assistant who uses cpap herself).
The RP set Ramp at 4 cm for 30 min. when most people can't get any air from that.
He "fitted" me with two masks that were too large (I have a small face).
After fighting the leaks, I found AirFit P10 For Her nasal mask and ordered from cpap.com.

Since then I've read that the patient should lying down while trying out a mask.

[Chevie]

DME admin assistant

That's more like it.

[Sylvia54]

Hi cKeith; Sorry for all that you're going through. I can't relate to most of your medical problems and I take very little medication.
But finally after 4 yrs of chronic insomnia (most of the time), and then nerve problems that started 2 yrs ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea.
I was told by my sleep doctor that sleep apnea causes my insomnia, restless legs, jerking awake, etc. I started cpap in April.

Most important of all is to keep trying. I try with cpap every night but some nights I still slip back to my old habit of falling asleep in my recliner and then
getting up after an hr or so to get on the machine. I get more sleep by doing that but I'm cheating myself out of therapy every time. Progress for me has
been intermittent but it's there. I'm now feeling sleepy some evenings whereas before cpap, I was always just wired and tired from the apnea. It did help me to read on
this board and take advice to change my minimum pressure from a Fixed 7cm (most clinics start you on fixed) to 8cm with variable pressure. That was in July and since then I've gotten more nights of 5.5 hrs on the machine and for me, that's a big deal. I feel more clear headed the next day. My sleep clinic NP approved the change in pressure.

Sometimes I feel like I'm choking for air - Sometimes I feel like "I'm being blown away

If your ramp is on 4 or 5, you're probably starting out with not enough air. Try setting ramp to 7.
The ResMed AirFit P10 mask fits so good that I very seldom have air leaks, no feeling of being blown away and I know what you mean because I tried
other masks (including full face) first. I ordered my own mask and it was worth the money. They provided three nasal pillows so I could pick and choose.
Made a world of difference. Headgear is just two bands that stretch and adjust to fit your head. Very lightweight and simple, no velcro (I hate the
velcro). I wash the bands once a week in hot water and mild soap, that keeps it from stretching out too much.

It leaks when I move - I have to keep fooling around with it

I went through that too. But now I have had very little trouble since I started putting the mask on and fitting it best I can BEFORE turning on the machine.
I replace my nasal pillows every 2-3 wks because they stretch out. My insurance pays for that.

It sometimes makes a nasty sucking sound when I inhale - Like sucking ice on the bottom of a glass with a straw

My AirFit P10 has not done that. Other masks I tried made the noises, probably because they didn't fit my face right.

Any pain is Psychological one might even say irrational - NO less INTENSE - No less REAL

I can understand that. All I can say is take it one day at a time. Worry is your enemy.
Patience and hope is your friend.

No RAMP - He took that off when I complained about choking
Pressure seems permanently set at 10 - I don't think there is any range set

Again, I would try starting at 7cm as a happy medium for helping you get to sleep, certainly not 10.

" Humidity" - I'll be honest with you - 5 min. is the longest time I have been able to wear it in bed
and then I start to SEETH - I can do a bit longer sitting in a chair listening to music

Try lying down during the day for awhile on cpap, when there's no pressure with trying to sleep. And listen to music since that works.
Try to shut out any negative thoughts. My humidity is set at "3" for a desert climate.

Keep trying. Use the search box on this site for help.

[Julie]

Sylvia- you've confused ramp settings with pressure settings... he probably should skip the ramp entirely, but even if he uses it, the setting has nothing to do with his prescribed pressure setting (which the ramp will reach within whatever time it's set to do so).

[Sylvia54]

Sylvia- you've confused ramp settings with pressure settings... he probably should skip the ramp entirely, but even if he uses it, the setting has nothing to do with his prescribed pressure setting (which the ramp will reach within whatever time it's set to do so).

Julie, I do know the difference between Ramp and Pressure settings. And the OP mentioned that they (probably the DME) turned OFF his Ramp because he
was choking. His Ramp was probably set too low, I couldn't breathe when they started mine at only 4cm.

So now he has no ramp and (as you know) the ramp is a crutch for newbies.
I used it myself starting at 6cm for awhile and now mine starts at 7, with gradual increase in pressure to 8+

So now the OP is trying to fall asleep on initial pressure of 10cm and a mask that probably isn't the right fit.
Maybe you yourself could do that but for an insomniac, it would be quite difficult.
Again, the Ramp feature is a crutch for newbies and the OP complains of air blasting, he can't get to sleep.
Makes sense to start out with a HIGHER ramp setting (not 4 or 5 or nothing) for the first 30 or so minutes.
See if he can get to sleep on that. It works for me but I don't have problems with choking.
If he starts choking even at 7cm, he will have to shut it off again.

I hope he can get some quality help from his sleep clinic, I think some offer help for cpap anxiety.

[Caymangirl]

I feel your pain, really I do. One of my friends who has SA told me she would rather die than use her machine. Unfortunately she has given up, and will probably die. I was certainly on my way out before CPap, undiagnosed for a long time with many life threatening conditions. Don't give up! You have to take charge of your life, and your health. This community can help you. Please don't give up, you CAN get a lot of help here. In the final analysis it's up to you, you have to keep trying until you get to the bottom of what is causing the problem.

[Julie]

Sylvia, unfortunately you're wrong! Still mixing apples & oranges. The ramp 'setting' is irrelevant to the pressure setting (of whatever - 4, 7, 11, etc) and you just don't get it. Please stop confusing this poor man who has enough trouble right now.