wife says still snoring a little after 7 weeks on cpap

handee3 · Post by **handee3** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:46 am

It's been 7 weeks and i still feel horrible. My wife says I'm still snoring a little bit. They are going to retest me. The Doc. says that maybe #9 is not high enough. I'm getting very frustrated and down. Has anyone had to be retested because they were still snoring? Thanks for your support....

NeedinZs · Post by **NeedinZs** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:12 am

Hi! Please fill in your profile, or let us know what kind of mask and machine you are using. That will help others to answer your questions.

Do you mouth breathe? Could be you are loosing all your pressure out your mouth, if you're still snoring. Have you clicked on the yellow lightbulb above?

I'm sure you will get some help here, if you fill in your mask/machine.

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:18 am

Yes ... you need to educate yourself about both your condition and treatment. Many OSA patients end up suffering needlessly because they believe that their doctors know exactly what they are doing. Treatment of OSA is unique to each individual patient which means the patient must be an active participant or better yet the lead manager of the treatment and the health professionals should only be relied on as auxilary support resources.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 8:01 am

DreamStalker and NeedinZs are absolutely correct in what they're telling you. Depend on yourself to solve the difficulties you're experiencing.

Also, you must realize that CPAP therapy is NOT to prevent snoring.

Snoring is only a SYMPTOM of the real problem.

The real problem is "low percentage of O2 in your bloodstream while you sleep".

I'd suggest that (before you go through the "hell" of another sleep test) you obtain a recording oximeter and check your "all night O2" levels for about a week. Get the computer print-out for each night...and study carefully.

Gather data on your blood O2 saturation levels over a period of time....to see what's REALLY happening.

I predict that when you finally learn how to maintain 93% blood O2 levels all night....every night....you'll start feeling MUCH better.

Stay focused on the real problem. Snoring is only a symptom.

Gerald

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:30 pm

handee3 wrote:It's been 7 weeks and i still feel horrible. My wife says I'm still snoring a little bit. They are going to retest me. The Doc. says that maybe #9 is not high enough. I'm getting very frustrated and down. Has anyone had to be retested because they were still snoring? Thanks for your support....

If you had a machine that would collect your nightly sleep data and give you information about it, you wouldn't have to keep spending mega-bucks being retested. You would (should) also be able to tweak your own pressure settings to get optimal results.

Snoring is mostly "sound effects". Usually an indicator that your pressure is not high enough......unless you're using a nasal mask and leaking your therapy air out your mouth.......and then it means you're probably not getting much, if any, therapy.

Do you want to spend many more hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to have another sleep study tell you that you weren't keeping your mouth shut while you sleep??? Seems like a waste of money to me.

Den

mynameisangel · Post by **mynameisangel** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:00 pm

If you are only snoring a little (i.e. much less than before) it could be that your pressure is not high enough. Initially my pressure was set between 10-12. I went back for a second sleep test and it turns out I need a pressure of 15 and that has knocked the snoring out all together. Thank God for the ramp button otherwise I couldn't tolerate the pressure. Both my sleep tests were actually very pleasant experiences. If anyone is in the Seattle Area I can high recommend " Sound Sleep". PM me and I'll give you the # if your interested.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 1:09 am

Wulfman (Den) mentioned something very important...you need to know if you are mouthbreathing or gushing the cpap air out your mouth. Happens to a lot of people who are using a mask that covers just the nose. If that's happening, your pressure might be fine, but the cpap air is not going where it's needed.

If your bed partner or someone is willing to sit up all night (and stay awake!) to observe you, and if you can sleep with a light on, perhaps that person can see if you are mouthbreathing while you sleep. If you are not leaking air out your mouth, or mouthbreathing, then it usually does mean the pressure needs to be higher.

It sure would help you to have a machine that records full data...not just "hours of use." Unfortunately, the machine they gave you (resmed S8 Escape) records just "compliance" -- hours of use. No leak data.

Can a person figure out at home what pressure he/she needs? Many could...with plain cpap machines and without software:

Can Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Titrate Their Own Continuous Positive Airway Pressure?
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/reprint/167/5/716

Excerpt from the study:
In summary, this study demonstrates that self-titration of CPAP in patients with OSA is as efficacious as manual titration in a sleep laboratory, with similar subjective and objective outcomes. Clearly, for this strategy to be successful, the patient must understand when and how to change the CPAP. Although the patient population studied did include a wide age range, this strategy would not be feasible for intellectually disadvantaged patients and those with physical handicaps that would severely limit vision and/or manual dexterity. Nonetheless, the findings from this study imply that routine overnight polysomnography is unnecessary for the purpose of CPAP titration in many patients with OSA, provided that the patient is given some basic education and support.

tomjax · Post by **tomjax** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 11:16 am

A classic example of the need for APAP to be the machine we all use.

You will NEVER know anything except your very subjective feelings of how you are doing.

PLEASE have your doc change you to an APAP so you can KNOW your data.

This is like monitoring diabetes with a glucose monitor.

Retitrate every time you think things are not right!!

GET an APAP.

Tell your doc

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:52 pm

tomjax wrote:A classic example of the need for APAP to be the machine we all use.

You will NEVER know anything except your very subjective feelings of how you are doing.

PLEASE have your doc change you to an APAP so you can KNOW your data.

This is like monitoring diabetes with a glucose monitor.

Retitrate every time you think things are not right!!

GET an APAP.

Tell your doc

And buy the software and reader so you can tell what treatment is doing for you. Jim

danmc · Post by **danmc** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:07 pm

DreamStalker wrote:Yes ... you need to educate yourself about both your condition and treatment. Many OSA patients end up suffering needlessly because they believe that their doctors know exactly what they are doing. Treatment of OSA is unique to each individual patient which means the patient must be an active participant or better yet the lead manager of the treatment and the health professionals should only be relied on as auxilary support resources.

Well said.

wife says still snoring a little after 7 weeks on cpap

wife says still snoring a little after 7 weeks on cpap

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