bought a cpap (no prescription)
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Guest
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
I was diagnosed with asthma about 1990. I suffered from extreme weariness. The smallest job required great effort and would leave me totally exhausted. I was finally forced to take an early retirement in 2002 as I just coudn't go anymore. November of last year, I was diagnosed with Sleep Aepena and all Asthma symptoms quickly went away after therapy. The therapy was terrible as I was given a dumb machine with a prescription of 16. No matter what I did, I coudn't stop my mask leaks. After 13 months of fighting this machine and numerous masks, (with advice from this site) I finally talked my sleep Doctor into a data capable machine. With help from this site and others, I now have very good nights and have set my range from 9-14. There was never any doubt in my mind that I was far better off with bad therapy than no therapy. I was just extremely disappointed in the suposed help I received from my health care professionsls. I felt like what they were telling me was just quit whining and go away.
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
First of all good luck and I hope it works. Second, I really think you should somehow get enough money for a diagnosis from a specialist. It is just a hunch but I don't think your problem is sleep apnea. I base that on your age and your weight. If you were 40 pounds heavier and 15 years older I would be on board. It would be a shame for you to be self-treating a problem that doesn't exist while another problem gets worse.
Also, I know anyone, any age, and any weight, can get sleep apnea but I have a hunch.
Also, I know anyone, any age, and any weight, can get sleep apnea but I have a hunch.
_________________
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Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
I was diagnosed with Asthma about 1990. I was extremely weary all the time. (No Stamina) Couldn’t concentrate, was wiped out at the smallest effort. I was working 12 hour shift, nights 1 week, days the next. The strangest thing is that I never improved vey much no matter how often we changed medication for my Asthma. I was virtually forced to take an early retirement in 2002 as I just could not carry my fair share of the work load. I worked out a lot trying to regain my strength but it just seemed like the harder I worked out, the weaker I got. Finally, November of 2008, I was diagnosed with sleep Apnea and sent home with a bare bones machine and a prescription of 16. I spent the next 13 months fighting my mask, My Sleep Doctor, My DME. I had many mask leaks, many different masks but as bad as all this therapy was, I knew that I was far better off with this therapy than without it. Pretty quick all my Asthma symptoms went away and my strength came back.My mind cleared. After much help and advice from this site, I talked my sleep Doctor into very reluctantly giving me a prescription for a fully Data Capable Machine. I immediately quit having leaks, started sleeping all night and with help again from this site have set my range to 9-14. All of this without my DME or my sleep Doctor who I believe both failed me at ever opportunity. To sum this all up, I truly believe that a patient has to take a firm stand or you will be simply told to quit whining and go home.
_________________
| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: I recently bought a CMS-50E OLED Fingertip Pulse Oximeter. It does miniture sleep studies. |
Josef
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sleepycarol
- Posts: 2461
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Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Sleep apnea has no age requirement, body preference, sex preference and has no regard for socia-economic status.
In this regard, if money is an issue trying to self-treat is an option that may work for some. It will take some patiences and some knowledge (that can be gathered here on the forum and elsewhere on the internet) but can be done.
In this regard, if money is an issue trying to self-treat is an option that may work for some. It will take some patiences and some knowledge (that can be gathered here on the forum and elsewhere on the internet) but can be done.
Start Date: 8/30/2007 Pressure 9 - 15
I am not a doctor or other health care professional. Comments reflect my own personal experiences and opinions.
I am not a doctor or other health care professional. Comments reflect my own personal experiences and opinions.
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
While I have had sleep studies, I suspected and knew that I had OSA well before the studies. My own research and self diagnosis (and my father's sleep pattern and stroke) ultimately pushed me into action to do something about my suspicions or continue to suffer all the daily consequences of being constantly tired. BTW, the sleep studies only "confirmed some" of what i suspected but due to my body type, good health and "mild" OSA on one study, my feelings of fatigue etc., were pretty much dismissed. So in the end, the sleep studies were not that helpful as they don't tell you how YOU FEEL and there are also variables during a study that may or may not make them all that helpful anyway. So they are not THE only measure of OSA but just one more tool. I have learned far more from this forum and my own control of my therapy than from any help of doctors, sleep clinics, or reports. The health system is often too big and too busy and too expensive at times to alsways solve the OSA therapy mystery best for everyone.
If you have already looked at the list of OSA symptoms and are pretty certain that you have some or all of them, then you don't really need a sleep study just to confirm your suspicions of how you feel, but it could help teach you more. You can certainly give CPAP a try, as other suggest, starting at lower pressures. As you are younger, (meaning perhaps less sagging of the airway), you might be able to get by with less pressure, say somewhere from 6-10. I'm doing well at 8, 90% of the time if I stay off my back. Lower pressure is going to be easier to get used to for breathing against, the mask will not need to be as tight, the machine will be more quiet, etc.. If you start at too high a pressure, it could just disrupt your sleep more and you may decide too early that CPAP isn't for you, or it could cause central apneas that others have cautioned against. There are SO MANY variables to figure out on this road and each is personal.
Some suggestions:
Get a family member, or friend to watch you sleep and report on your breathing, apneas, body positions, etc.. Many people have most apneas sleeping on their backs, for sure I do and it's taken me months to a) figure that out and b) trying things to keep me on my sides and off my back. I now have a pretty consistent solution of sleeping with a small backpack. The other option is to raise the pressure which has it's own and to me worse drawbacks. A video of me sleeping would have told me about my positional apnea proabably a year ago when I started PAP therapy on my own. The sleep studies did ont tell me this either. My machine software and how I felt helped me figure out that I was having strange and hgh OSA events and I had to figure out why, which too some time. You can sometimes borrow or rent a video recorder from a city library but not in my very small town.
I highly recommend that you record your sleep either by sound or video. I used my computer with a free sound program called Audacity to confirm my snoring, my snorts, my apneas, my breathing. Microphones are cheap, under $10. It is slow and a bit cumbersome to review hours of sleep, but you'll figure out how to do it faster via the sound graphs, or fast forward etc.. This was a HUGE help to my understanding ME and how I sleep. A video which also would record sound of sleep and body positions over many nights would also be a huge help and could be a HUGE key to the mystery for sepcifically you. Sleep studies do this.
Start at lower pressures and try for several nights before going up or down.
Keep a diary of how you feel after each night & during the day and at what pressure, mask tension etc.
Finding the right mask for you and figuring out how to wear it best is one of the most difficult things to do. It will take time and lots of fiddling. Again a diary helps you figure out solutions. Also read the forum here for how others solve problems. Keep your face and mask clean before sleep. I use a Costco baby wipe each night but soap and water would be just fine.
Be patient. You may have one or more nights of great relief and then more nights of feeling bad and you will need to figure out why you had both. Was it the mask, the pressure, your sleeping position, the room temperature, noise, food, drink, medicines, another medical situation, stress, etc..
If family is not supportive then don't argue with them, especially when you're tired. You will only make things worse for you. Talk to a friend if you need to, or to any of us on this forum for support and encouragement. Let your family and or unsupportive friends see the results vs. hearing about them. Sometimes people when they don't know what to do, or how to help you, they do only what they know or use the patterns of behavior that they have, good or bad. Who knows, they too could be tired, and suffer from OSA. Deal with yourself first.
Listen to the advice of Rested Gal and read all of her posts. She is one of THE wisest here. Finally, we can't tell or know everything to tell you but realize and accept that if you have OSA, there can be relief and that it's also likely a life long situation for you. The machine while important, is almost secondary to anything else as it just works and does it's thing. There are many other variables to figure out along the way
If you have already looked at the list of OSA symptoms and are pretty certain that you have some or all of them, then you don't really need a sleep study just to confirm your suspicions of how you feel, but it could help teach you more. You can certainly give CPAP a try, as other suggest, starting at lower pressures. As you are younger, (meaning perhaps less sagging of the airway), you might be able to get by with less pressure, say somewhere from 6-10. I'm doing well at 8, 90% of the time if I stay off my back. Lower pressure is going to be easier to get used to for breathing against, the mask will not need to be as tight, the machine will be more quiet, etc.. If you start at too high a pressure, it could just disrupt your sleep more and you may decide too early that CPAP isn't for you, or it could cause central apneas that others have cautioned against. There are SO MANY variables to figure out on this road and each is personal.
Some suggestions:
Get a family member, or friend to watch you sleep and report on your breathing, apneas, body positions, etc.. Many people have most apneas sleeping on their backs, for sure I do and it's taken me months to a) figure that out and b) trying things to keep me on my sides and off my back. I now have a pretty consistent solution of sleeping with a small backpack. The other option is to raise the pressure which has it's own and to me worse drawbacks. A video of me sleeping would have told me about my positional apnea proabably a year ago when I started PAP therapy on my own. The sleep studies did ont tell me this either. My machine software and how I felt helped me figure out that I was having strange and hgh OSA events and I had to figure out why, which too some time. You can sometimes borrow or rent a video recorder from a city library but not in my very small town.
I highly recommend that you record your sleep either by sound or video. I used my computer with a free sound program called Audacity to confirm my snoring, my snorts, my apneas, my breathing. Microphones are cheap, under $10. It is slow and a bit cumbersome to review hours of sleep, but you'll figure out how to do it faster via the sound graphs, or fast forward etc.. This was a HUGE help to my understanding ME and how I sleep. A video which also would record sound of sleep and body positions over many nights would also be a huge help and could be a HUGE key to the mystery for sepcifically you. Sleep studies do this.
Start at lower pressures and try for several nights before going up or down.
Keep a diary of how you feel after each night & during the day and at what pressure, mask tension etc.
Finding the right mask for you and figuring out how to wear it best is one of the most difficult things to do. It will take time and lots of fiddling. Again a diary helps you figure out solutions. Also read the forum here for how others solve problems. Keep your face and mask clean before sleep. I use a Costco baby wipe each night but soap and water would be just fine.
Be patient. You may have one or more nights of great relief and then more nights of feeling bad and you will need to figure out why you had both. Was it the mask, the pressure, your sleeping position, the room temperature, noise, food, drink, medicines, another medical situation, stress, etc..
If family is not supportive then don't argue with them, especially when you're tired. You will only make things worse for you. Talk to a friend if you need to, or to any of us on this forum for support and encouragement. Let your family and or unsupportive friends see the results vs. hearing about them. Sometimes people when they don't know what to do, or how to help you, they do only what they know or use the patterns of behavior that they have, good or bad. Who knows, they too could be tired, and suffer from OSA. Deal with yourself first.
Listen to the advice of Rested Gal and read all of her posts. She is one of THE wisest here. Finally, we can't tell or know everything to tell you but realize and accept that if you have OSA, there can be relief and that it's also likely a life long situation for you. The machine while important, is almost secondary to anything else as it just works and does it's thing. There are many other variables to figure out along the way
_________________
| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Dental Appliance to keep my Mouth Shut & No Jaw Advancement, Contec CMS-50E Oximeter & v.98 software |
I MUST stay off my back to reduce OSA & snoring. I use a small backpack of solid styrofoam to keep me on my side (tennis balls too small), & use DIY customized soft foam pillow to keep my head in a side sleeping position to eliminate most OSA.
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
josef I have some questions for ya. Did your sleep problems start when you developed the asthma or were you having problems before? What were your asthma symptoms? And what prompt them to go away, the cpap?josef wrote:I was diagnosed with Asthma about 1990.
_________________
| Mask: Mirage™ FX Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: PR System One Pro CPAP with CFlex+ |
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
It might help with the masks you now have if you read the tips on how to stop leaks with the
particular type of mask(s) you have. EVEN A mask you think doesn't work can be made to work with the use
of an extra tie on it or just some info on how to adjust it. I think you should read the cpap Wiki
section under the light bulb on top of the page, I think that is where this info is. Good luck.
particular type of mask(s) you have. EVEN A mask you think doesn't work can be made to work with the use
of an extra tie on it or just some info on how to adjust it. I think you should read the cpap Wiki
section under the light bulb on top of the page, I think that is where this info is. Good luck.
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Most people are uninformed about sleep apnea. I know I was, until I was diagnosed. Learn as much as you can, by reading here, other on-line sites, or library book on sleep disorders.Nate154 wrote:Thanks all for the quick replies and advice. You guys really seem like you care. One of the worst parts of this whole ordeal is the lack of support (family included). My Mom thinks I'm crazy and no one else around really seems to understand. I'm def. gonna wait on it tonight, clean it tomorrow and watch the dvd, and give it a whirl tomorrow night. Night.
I suggest keeping a journal, so you can see your progress. My journal includes the settings, what mask I used, how it felt (and if it leaked) how many hours I used it, how I felt when I woke up, etc.
_________________
| Mask: Pico Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Resmed AirCurve 10 ASV and Humidifier, Oscar for Mac |
KatieW
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
I don't believe I ever had Asthma, I believe it was a misdiagnosis. I probably had sleep Apnea most of my life. My nephews thought I was a Grizzly Bear when they would hear me snoring and this was in the 60ies. Working shift work is very hard on the human body and why the diagnosis took so long I don't know. Of course, I don't know of any shift worker who aren't tired so that helped disguise it all. I know that I went in for what they call a split night study and it turned into 2 full nights and I basically paid for the study twice. I know that my Asthma symptoms disappeared fairly quickly after I started therapy. I couldn’t walk anywhere without becoming winded. I now walk 5 miles, five days a week at a brisk pace. Continue to ask questions and everyone will continue to help. I know that my insurance company will pay for a home study. I'm not real sure what that involves, but believe it to be 1 of the smart data capable machines. It's bound to be cheaper. If this machine works out for you, just let me know as I have a number of masks still in their original package that you would be quite welcome to. Other supplies also, hoses, pillows etc. Also, check out the CPAP Auction at cpapauction.com .
_________________
| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: I recently bought a CMS-50E OLED Fingertip Pulse Oximeter. It does miniture sleep studies. |
Josef
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Nate, you've been given lots of good advice here so my only question is do you have your asthma under control? Do you take meds for it? Do you use a peak flow meter to monitor your pulmonary function? My husband has OSA but I'm the one with moderate-severe asthma for many years. Good luck and keep us posted. Dori
_________________
| Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: 14/8.4,PS=4, UMFF, 02@2L, |
"Do or Do Not-There Is No Try"-"Yoda"
"We are what we repeatedly do,so excellence
is not an act but a habit"-"Aristotle"
DEAR HUBBY BEGAN CPAP 9/2/08
"We are what we repeatedly do,so excellence
is not an act but a habit"-"Aristotle"
DEAR HUBBY BEGAN CPAP 9/2/08
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Agape=Love
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:17 pm
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Nate,
I am a sleep professional who currently has a sleep center. I am a big fan of this website and all the caring people. However there seems to be a riff between users (patients) and professionals (rt's and sleep technologists) on this site. I hope that could change.
I know the people on this site mean well but there is much more to OSA/CSA then AHI and leak. Most advice is good but some could be harmful. (eg. start at 10cmH20 and see how you feel).
I am willing to help. First please do not try to experiment with pressures as you can cause yourself more damage. There is alternative ways to find a correct pressure without a full blown psg (sleep study) however a full psg being the most optimum their is less expensive ways, I can help with that. Also it is important to have a proper fitted mask ( I am willing to donate one ).
If you are interested in my help just let me know.
If you need help leave your contact info (you can private message if you like).
Agape
I am a sleep professional who currently has a sleep center. I am a big fan of this website and all the caring people. However there seems to be a riff between users (patients) and professionals (rt's and sleep technologists) on this site. I hope that could change.
I know the people on this site mean well but there is much more to OSA/CSA then AHI and leak. Most advice is good but some could be harmful. (eg. start at 10cmH20 and see how you feel).
I am willing to help. First please do not try to experiment with pressures as you can cause yourself more damage. There is alternative ways to find a correct pressure without a full blown psg (sleep study) however a full psg being the most optimum their is less expensive ways, I can help with that. Also it is important to have a proper fitted mask ( I am willing to donate one ).
If you are interested in my help just let me know.
If you need help leave your contact info (you can private message if you like).
Agape
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DreamStalker
- Posts: 7509
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: Nowhere & Everywhere At Once
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Well ... as a fan of this website, why not share the alternative less expensive ways/methods with the website members?Agape=Love wrote:Nate,
I am a sleep professional who currently has a sleep center. I am a big fan of this website and all the caring people. However there seems to be a riff between users (patients) and professionals (rt's and sleep technologists) on this site. I hope that could change.
I know the people on this site mean well but there is much more to OSA/CSA then AHI and leak. Most advice is good but some could be harmful. (eg. start at 10cmH20 and see how you feel).
I am willing to help. First please do not try to experiment with pressures as you can cause yourself more damage. There is alternative ways to find a correct pressure without a full blown psg (sleep study) however a full psg being the most optimum their is less expensive ways, I can help with that. Also it is important to have a proper fitted mask ( I am willing to donate one ).
If you are interested in my help just let me know.
If you need help leave your contact info (you can private message if you like).
Agape
I know I'm not the only one who would like to know.
I forgot to add ... that is very generous for you to help Nate out.
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Personally I wasn't aware of the rift.........a difference of opinion maybe. Although I am a cpap user, I have worked in healthcare (not in sleep medicine or pulmonary) all of my life and still believe that there's a reason professionals have the education they do. The internet cannot compensate for this fact...but can help people educate themselves and advocate for themselves....and find caring professionals that care as much as we do ourselves.
Obviously you are showing true agape love for Nate..........very, very nice of you. Hopefully someone will show you the same kindness you are showing, in a way you need it very soon...and Nate will pass along the kindness he has received to someone else.
Happy New Year.
Obviously you are showing true agape love for Nate..........very, very nice of you. Hopefully someone will show you the same kindness you are showing, in a way you need it very soon...and Nate will pass along the kindness he has received to someone else.
Happy New Year.
_________________
| Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: ResScan software 3.13, Pressure 21/15 |
“Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% what you make of it.” Charles Swindoll
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
Yes it is. Only symptom I've ever had with asthma is waking up in the middle of the night with chest tightness and it's pretty uncomfortable. I take a few puffs of symbicort before bed and I never know I have it. Somehow I think this asthma is related. I don't know how but....DoriC wrote:Nate, you've been given lots of good advice here so my only question is do you have your asthma under control? Dori
_________________
| Mask: Mirage™ FX Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: PR System One Pro CPAP with CFlex+ |
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Agape=Love
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:17 pm
Re: bought a cpap (no prescription)
I have mentioned these alternatives on different post with patients that are on a budget or not having health care coverage.Well ... as a fan of this website, why not share the alternative less expensive ways/methods with the website members?
I know I'm not the only one who would like to know.
I use these alternative's in our practice when appropriate. (many times for free) As we are in the in the belief that if we produce outcomes that produce results we will produce a profitable business for everyone involved. win/win scenario
I will write a topic at a later date on our alternative methods (in details).
Thank you for the kind words however I must decrease so the one whom deserves credit will increase
I know many people have had very bad experiences with DME's and Sleep Centers and that is sometimes carried over here.Personally I wasn't aware of the rift.........a difference of opinion maybe
(I remember an Apria person get absolutely verbally attacked and an RT that I had to write a personal message to after she got attacked in the same manner). So I try to be cautious when posting...
I cannot speak for everyone but I truly love to help people. Sleep Medicine has provided me that opportunity to do that and feed my family. I believe that Sleep Medicine is an undervalued science as many here can agree that a sleep disorder can cause so much harm on ones health. It is truly a miracle of science that we can treat a problem and rid someone of so many cormobiddities. I hope that one day PCP's (primary care physcians) and the like will take notice of their patients sleep problems and be more active and involved. Hopefully this post will help as a bridge from at least this clinician to the rest of the community here.
Agape