No more OSA? 250 to 215 lbs.

[Maxman190]

But, I've been taking those RX medications for about 7-8 years and had sleep apnea for only about 4-5 years. I only started developing sleepiness after having apnea, unless it's possible to develop side effects as time goes on. My doctor even prescribed me some stimulants to keep me awake, tried it for a week, didn't do a thing. Same with caffeine/energy drinks/5-hour energy.

[Pugsy]

It wouldn't be impossible to develop side effects related to meds after being on them with no apparent side effects for quite some time.
Just like we can develop allergies to meds after taking them for years.
Our bodies can and will change over time.
As we get older things that used to not bother us will bother us more....I don't know your age but some of those SSRI meds will have much more pronounced side effects on the older population.
People can get more sensitive to side effects or potential side effects as they age.

I know you want to put all those symptoms in the sleep apnea basket and have the cpap machine fix it.
The cold hard fact of life is that until someone can totally eliminate another possible cause for a problem we can't know with 100% certainty that your issues are related to some sort of sleep disordered breathing. Remember there are other sleep disorders that affect how we feel...like not enough REM or deep sleep.
The only way to totally eliminate the possibility of the meds being a factor...is unfortunately do away with the meds and that in itself presents problems too.
You can try a little more EPAP...hey, it might allow for you to get a better quality of sleep which might help...it won't hurt.
Will it be a night and day difference in how you feel? I doubt it but I can't think of a single reason not to at least try it.
I mention EPAP because that is the pressure that helps keep the airway baseline stented open. Going out on a long limb thinking that maybe there are some minor flow reductions that are maybe affecting sleep quality...thinking maybe keeping the airway open a little "better" might help. Lots of maybes I know but what else can we do?

Nothing would please me more to be proved wrong...so try it.

[Maxman190]

Alright, I'll increase EPAP by .5. But, from the data that I've shown, it says that I'm having a decent night's rest?

[Pugsy]

But, from the data that I've shown, it says that I'm having a decent night's rest?

Yes...this is what I mean when I say looks "good on paper"....but there can be stuff going on behind the scenes that don't show up on the report. Nothing on the reports screams out "I need fixing"....it would be so much simpler if it did but the only maybe that I see that "might" need anything is maybe a little reduction in the few things we do see.
In theory...they shouldn't be impacting how you feel but sometimes theories don't always stand true in real life.

A lot of people look great "on paper" but feel horrible....you aren't alone in that regard and I suspect it plays a part in why a lot of people put the machine in the closet. They expect the machine to fix everything and sometimes it can't.

A perfect 0.0 night with no sleep event flags at all..no snores..no RERAs..no nothing...doesn't guarantee that we feel like a million bucks. There are simply too many other things that can affect how we feel the next day but as a society we tend to develop tunnel vision on "numbers" and reports. I wish it were that simple...but it just isn't.

My first "miracle" with cpap therapy...about 3 months into therapy and I felt amazing...thought I for sure had an AHI of 0.0 and nothing happening....wrong...when I finally checked my software reports my AHI was 10.3...go figure that one. On paper it looked like I had rotten sleep but I felt great.
I have had nights where AHI was less than 0.2 and no snores nor anything else and I felt awful and had poor sleep to boot.
Numbers don't guarantee anything except a good report card.

[DavidCarolina]

Talking off the top of my head, sleep apnea at least to me seems to become an "ingrained" event regardless of weight loss.

For example, i started out with OSA but ive progressed to more centrals and periodic breathing.

Your brain makes various adjustments to the treatment which is why we need to continually know our status and oximetry.

I wouldnt make any assumptions whatsoever.

If youre the 1 in 10 that can dump cpap good. But its doubtful.

[muchojo]

When I started my CPAP use in October 2004 along with Niaspan and Gemfribrozil for cholesterol, I lost 25 pounds ( 250 to 225) in one month. Then lost another 25 pounds in four more months ( 225 to 200 ) and my apnea did not go away. It took me 4 years to come back to 250. It feels a lot better to have less weight but even if I go down to 185 I would still need my CPAP!

[muchojo]

I meant four years after getting Married to gain my weight back, hahaha.

Married in 2008.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

I meant four years after getting Married to gain my weight back, hahaha.

Married in 2008.

LOL, I know what you mean... I married for love and her amazing cooking/baking ability. Not only did she fill my heart with the first, but unfortunately my waistline with the second. Love and good food can be a lethal combination

[Maxman190]

So... was the ENT correct about me not needing to use CPap if I use a mouthguard...? Seems pretty farfetched.

Alright, so I went to sleep at 1am yesterday and woke up at around 8am. I woke up feeling more tired than usual. I remember waking up in the middle of the night 2 times because I was drooling and I had to wipe it otherwise it would irritate me.

I mean, I was A LOT more tired than usual, I kept dozing off in the afternoon and napping for a good hour or so twice.

[Maxman190]

Well... I received my CMS 50D Plus oximeter... I was too excited that I opened up the box, threw out the box it came in and realized that the oximeter was broken... The product itself works to the point it can detect spo and pulse rate. But, the oximeter spring clip area is loose, like it's about to break apart and because of that, I decided to see if I can use it with my PC. Turns out, NOPE, inside the oximeter must be broken because the computer can't detect the oximeter, even after installing SpO manager and SleepyHead can't detect it as well... Seeing as how I threw away the box I doubt I can return it, I'm stuck with a broken oximeter... Just lost 60 dollars... God, I hate myself so much... -.-

[archangle]

inside the oximeter must be broken because the computer can't detect the oximeter, even after installing SpO manager and SleepyHead can't detect it as well... Seeing as how I threw away the box I doubt I can return it, I'm stuck with a broken oximeter... Just lost 60 dollars... God, I hate myself so much... -.-

Keep in mind that the CMS 50D+ must be used with the USB cable that came with the oximeter. It's not just a USB cable, there's actually a USB-serial converter in the cable itself.

[archangle]

Am I suppose to aim for lower leak value? If so, then it's leaking pretty bad... There are no leaks from the edge of the mask, there's only air leaking from my left eye's tear duct... But, I didn't know it would leak that much...

Do you mean air actually leaking from the nose into the eye, or just air leaking around the mask at your eye?

If you take off the mask, pinch your nose shut and blow gently, does air bubble into your eye?

[Maxman190]

Yes, when I pinch my nose and blow, air comes out from my left eye's tear duct.


I used the USB cable that came with the oximeter. The oximeter itself is flimsy and loose, here's a picture of what I'm talking about.

This is what it is suppose to look like, and the hinge is suppose to be sturdy, like the 3 other cheap oximeter I bought and returned because it had no 24 hour recording.


This is what I mean when it looks flimsy and loose and damaged, the hinge area moves up and down too easily, and I checked, it wasn't to be like that.


Because when I try to plug the microUSB to the oximeter, it's able to push the top part of the oximeter forward, moving it out of place from the hinge area. So, I'm pretty sure inside is damaged as well, otherwise it doesn't explain why my computer doesn't detect the oximeter nor its recorded data.

[Maxman190]

[Maxman190]