CPAP, Whiffle Balls, Tape, and Existentialism, Surgery Maybe

snoresnout · Post by **snoresnout** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:48 am

I have mild apnea and have struggled for years with poor sleep and all that entails. Before my sleep studies i had started using a whiffle ball tied to a tee shirt between my shoulder blades and found that my sleeping self did not at all appreciate rolling on his back and so he seemed to sleep better, not great but better. Well then I got my REMSTAR and put the shirt away and after a few weeks of no improvement and trials with various tape on my mouth I'm back to the ball and the cpap and back to better not great. Maybe i don't need the cpap and should settle for some improvement or maybe I should strive for greatness? Anyone had a similar experience?

I see the Dr. this week and am going to ask for an upgrade to to a data producing machine so I'm not in the dark. Not sure if insurance will cover it.

I have to say I've adapted to the Mirage II very well in terms of a seal and it staying in position even when I roll from side to side and have come to appreciate the gentle forced air (set at .

Does anyone have experience with the Pillar surgery which stiffens the soft tissue?

This is a great site and the people are so supportive and helpful . I guess being partners in misery can have that effect.

tangents · Post by **tangents** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:26 am

Hi Snoresnout,

I don't know what I can do to help, other than to encourage you to keep up with your therapy. It takes a while to start feeling better for a lot of folks, myself included. Getting your data is very important, in my opinion, because it gives you peace of mind that you're doing everything correctly. (Or not, and then you can correct it.) If your insurance doesn't cover it, it's still worth saving up for, again IMHO.

If you were titrated correctly, it shouldn't matter if you sleep on your back, so maybe you should discuss this with your doctor, also. Maybe an auto is necessary to bump up your pressure when you roll onto your back.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out,
Cathy

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:57 am

Apparently the tendency of you airways to obtruct is affected by your positon in bed - that's a no brainer that needs stating bacause:.

Your present machine is a constant pressure machine, which means that no matter what your position in bed, it will be blowing the same pressure at you. That leaves you with pressure that is either too high for one position, or too low for the other.

I would try to convince the doctor to prescribe an automatic machine that can take into account different pressure needs caused by different sleep positions.

The ball between you shoulderblades in not such a good idea, because it interrupts your sleep whenever you try to settle into another, more comfortable position. So, theoretically, just as you're about to settle into you favorite dreaming position, the ball wakes you up, and you're back in stage 2 sleep again. No good.

O.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:00 am

I was always a back sleeper until I started snoring and then my husband put an end to that. Sleeping on your side is better if you aren't on cpap, but if you are--sleep any way you damn well please!

And maybe you will be more compliant if you have an apap with data--there is something very compelling about looking at the data each day. Just like a diabetic who is serious about his health will faithfully take his blood sugars, a cpap who is serious wants to know what happened while sleeping!

JMHO,
Jen

snoresnout · Post by **snoresnout** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 8:41 am

thanks good advice..I need all the info I can get because I find my rural Dr who is the gateway for Sleep disorder /Cpap is not very knowledgable. I've learned so much more here.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:18 pm

Apparently the tendency of you airways to obtruct is affected by your positon in bed - that's a no brainer that needs stating bacause:.

Your present machine is a constant pressure machine, which means that no matter what your position in bed, it will be blowing the same pressure at you. That leaves you with pressure that is either too high for one position, or too low for the other.

I would try to convince the doctor to prescribe an automatic machine that can take into account different pressure needs caused by different sleep positions.

Yes, but CPAP is not only less expensive than APAP but can also be superior in several ways:

1. Many people have their sleep disrupted repeatedly (i.e. have arousals) from the changing pressures of the APAP, whereas the single constant CPAP pressure, for many, is quick and easy acclimate to and it eliminates pressure-change-induced arousals.

2. CPAP running at the proper titrated pressure (that is, the worst-case pressure) will -prevent- essentially all apneas and hypopneas in all sleeping positions. It doesn't eliminate them -after - they've started, rather it actually prevents them from even starting in the first place. An APAP operating in a typical range will often miss sudden-onset apneas and hypopneas as it can't raise its then-low pressure fast enough to clear them.

3. CPAP was notably superior to APAP in protecting against heart problems in a recent study. More research is needed, of course, but this is a very interesting piece of data.

People should be aware of the arguments for CPAP. Be wary of the tone often observed around here that "all the cool kids" use APAP.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:05 pm

That depends on how you run your apap. If you run it in a tight range around your titrated pressure, you have the benefit of the comfort of a lower pressure and as long as it isn't zooming up 6 or 8 cm at a stretch you are unlikely to notice and wake up. I am a very light sleeper and when my range was wide on my apap--you are right, I woke up when it changed. But now mine is set on a very tight range (my titrated bipap pressure is 16/12) and I keep it min 11 max 17 with a Max Press Sup at 4. I have the comfort of lower pressure for most of the night--and yes it is noticeably more comfy considering how high my titrated pressure is.

And go to pubmed and you will find research that shows that apap users are more likely to COMPLY than straight cpap users which is CRITICAL.

You can't set an apap at 4-20 cm and sleep well, you are right. But judicious use of an apap along with careful screening of your data will help you get better therapy.

Diabetics can take their sugar and interpret their results as to whether they can get away with or need to eat certain carbohydrates that day. We can similarly tweak our treatment. It is that simple.

It would be easier to take you seriously if you identified yourself as something other than guest.

Jen