New Guy Here - Hello

[ryanmx48]

Hello,

Here's my story. My wife has been telling me that I "stop breathing" when I sleep ever since I met her 12 years ago. I'm one of those people who never go to the doctor unless something is either not working right or severely bleeding. She looked it up way back then and said I definitely have sleep apnea. Well, I finally went and got checked out. My first night was miserable. I couldn't sleep at all and was very uncomfortable. It was in a hotel and was supposed to be very comfortable, but I was miserable. I ended up leaving at 4am. When I set up my second night, the doctor prescribed Ambien to me. The tech this time was really cool. He told me that he had to observe me for 2 hours and then if I need a mask he'd put one on. He set me up with one and I wore it while I watched the NBA playoffs to get used to it. It seemed fine to me, didn't bother me much. I took my Ambien and fell asleep around midnight. I vaguely remember him coming in and putting the mask on me. Well, I woke up around 5:30am with the mask on and I was wired for the day! The tech came in at about 6:30 and said "you're not going back to sleep are you". I said "no way man, I feel great." Now I'm not sure if it was the mask or the ambien or both, but I've been calling trying to speed the process because I felt so great, and it was all on about 5 hours of sleep only 3 of which was with the mask! So I'm thinking, I must have this sleep apnea thing because there is no explaination for me "wanting" to get out of bed at 5:30am.

So my doctor called today and told me that I have sleep apnea. He said I stopped breathing 110 times in the first 2 hours and was snoring heavily and it was all fixed with the mask. I'm going Thursday to a place to get fitted to a mask. He said he was surprised at my apnea because I'm not overweight, he didn't think it would be so bad.

I'm have high hopes that this thing is going to change my life. The funny thing is I'm somebody who has always been productive. I do drink alot of coffee and stuff though. I'm a 36 year old father of 2 and I still ride motocross bikes 2 times a week, work full time, workout 4 or 5 days a week, etc. I think I just force myself to do these things. I never knew I had a severe health problem. My poor wife has been begging me to get this checked out forever! If this works out like I hope it will, her persistence may be the best thing that anybody has ever done for me. Anyway, thanks for listening. I'm going to read a bit more about sleep apnea and I will be back to give updates how everything is going. It seems there are alot of people who do not have a great first experience. I'm hoping everything goes smooth, I have such high hopes. My 3 hours at with the mask at the sleep study was nothing short of a miracle.

[Jaylee]

Hello, welcome to the forum

[SleepingUgly]

Hi New Guy and welcome. Read everything you can about CPAP machines, because that is often where the "new guy" gets screwed by the DME.

[Guest]

Thank you. I'm pretty new this is the first I've been researching anything. What I do know is the mask the tech put on me that night seemed to work wonders. I didn't even know I had a problem!

[SleepingUgly]

Thank you. I'm pretty new this is the first I've been researching anything. What I do know is the mask the tech put on me that night seemed to work wonders. I didn't even know I had a problem!

Find out what mask it is and what size. It is not so easy to find a good mask, so you're already ahead of the game.

Search on here for information about data-capable APAPs (auto-paps). Two of the popular ones at this time are the Resmed S9 Autoset (with Climateline tubing to eliminate "rainout") and the Phillips Respironics System One Auto.

[Guest]

Thank You, I will do some reading on those.

[montana user]

I'm surprised your doctor made the statement he was surprised your apnea was so bad because you are not overweight. I have done numerous sleep studies on very young, thin, fit military men and they have had some of the worst apnea I have ever seen. I always thoguht I could look at someone and tell what kind of night I was going to have titrating them, but boy was I always wrong!
Welcome to the forum and sounds like it is a very good thing you went and had a study done!!

[rosiefrosie]

Welcome to the forum. Make sure that when you get your machine from the DME you get a data capable machine as they will most likely try to give you the most basic machine. You may want to have your sleep doctor write the prescription for the machine you want. If you click on the "New Users" icon on the top right hand side of this page, there is a place that tells about the different types of cpap machines. Good luck!

rosie

[ryanmx48]

Thanks for the advice guys. I am going tomorrow. Hopefully I learn enough between now and then to get the right stuff. I just thought I go there, they do their thing, and I go home with the right stuff. I didn't know it was so complicated.

[Mtnviewer]

I'd also suggest that you don't just leave your therapy and expectant results for success up to the machine and the mask and the air pressure. There are MANY variables and things to fiddle with and to solve in order to get consistantly good resluts. I encourage everyone to video record yourself sleeping, with sound, and to analyze as many nights as you can to SEE what you do and when. I suggest that this could be ESPECIALLY important and helpful for those new to OSA and PAP therapy, as well as those that are suddenly not getting the results that they should be after some time.

If you can't see and hear what you are doing when asleep, then you are only guessing at how to solve the problem. Blind guessing along with trial and error will waste so much time and restful sleep, for you, your partner and your family. The data software helps a lot but seeing and hearing what you are doing along with the data will really help solve problems.

Also don't discount your sleeping position as incredibly important to OSA. Learn or force yourself to stay off your back if that is a position that worsens your OSA. If you can do that, then mask and air pressures can be far more comfortable and your apneas could be reduced more effectively than with PAP pressure alone.

[Roman Hokie]

Welcome, ryanmx48. I'm a newbie myself. Hope to have my machine next week.

What I've learned from reading a LOT from everyone else's experience is this. The best experience you can get is someone else's. What I mean by that is folks have walked this before. Made mistakes. Learned from them. Pushed through it. Don't reinvent the wheel. Last week, I spent most of the week troubleshooting something for my job that wasn't even the problem. The folks that I work with, good people, didn't think to call someone else who had the same equipment to see what to do. So, what should have taken us 2 days took over a week to resolve. And that will NEVER happen again.

Also, very important. CPAP is a system. You are a part of the system. Seriously. It's not just the machine, humidifier, hose, mask, software. You're the most important component in that system. First, that means your voice and your money matter. Don't let the DME and insurance companies steamroll you. Patients Bill of Rights. You also have a right to know as much as you can about your therapy and make informed decisions about it.

As you are the most important part of the system, you need to know also how to use the rest of the system to maintain your sleep health. Learn beyond the general operation of your other components. Learn how to check for leaks in the mask. If you're not getting a virtually leakless night of sleep, then your effective air pressure will drop (picture a hole in a straw while you're drinking a beverage, especially if the hole is above the top surface of the fluid). Stay on top of maintaining the seal, regardless of what type of "interface" (mask/pillows/whatever) you have.

Yes, this is the interface. Human to machine interface. Just like a keyboard or a mouse on the computer. If your keys stick or don't register on the screen, you may just purchase a new kb ($10), but probably not so much with a $100 mask. Mice used to have a ball in the middle that would collect dust and fail to register on the screen. You could take the ball out and clean up the dust with clear tape or replace the mouse.

The point is (from what I can gather) the machine pumps air. Sure it has a bunch of sensors telling it how you're breathing, etc. But, simply, the machine pumps air at a rate specified by your sleep specialist. Kinda hard to screw that up. The hoses/tubing are the "fluid transport" subsystem. (I've left out humidifier because it's not "needed" but it is very good to have, I think) The air is transported to the mask. Everything so far has a rubberized/poly seal to it. Shouldn't have leaks in those. The variable in the system is your face and how the mask integrates with your face. Wide face? Narrow face? Moustache? There's more variables in your face (and the way the mask fits you) than in the rest of the system.

I'm an industrial engineer and have been for 14 years now, since college. Seeing how things work together and understanding them is what I do - particularly so I can explain to others who might not be so familiar.

For the record, I've used CPAP once. My titration study. What I post here is just a small primer of what I've gathered from hundreds of folks on CPAPtalk.com, the CPAP.com store, and the Wiki.

Do you need to be well-informed? That's up to you. CPAP has made a huge difference in many people's lives and their relationships with loved ones. Why would you NOT want to be well-informed?

Blessings and wishes for another success story.

[snipsnsnails]

Good Morning Ryan! I had a terrible time at my sleep study (I was lucky and just had one). I just spent my first night with my own mask and machine at home. Completely different experience. I spent some time learnng to adjust my mask well before bedtime. I got really comfortable with how it works and feels. I put some DR Scholls moleskin (forum tip) on the parts I found particularly irritating and just generally goofed around with it. When I went to bed last night I simply put it on and found myself drifting off to sleep. No problems and slept comfortably. There is so much great info here and lots of folks who find time to help noobs like us. Take advantage of the experience you'll find here and you'll do just fine.

Like the others said if you liked the mask from your sleep study find out what it is! The mask is your connection to your xPap. If it's comfortable you will be miles ahead!

[Amigo]

Your experience was similar to my sleep study 7 years ago when I could not believe how great I felt after only a few hours on CPAP. I was on such a "high" for having had the first good sleep in years that I was determined to use the device faithfully.

The transition was a little shaky, and for a couple of weeks I had to play a few mind tricks on myself, but the combination of being able to gradually ramp up to my pressure (14 at the time), and using nasal pillows to overcome my "mask claustrophobia," made it all work.

CPAP has given me a whole new lease on life...and probably added a few years to my life expectancy as well.

The very best of luck to you, and don't hesitate to ask us questions...we want you to feel as well as we do.

[Guest]

Thanks guys, you guys are great! I had know idea that there were this many people out there dealing with this. It's good to know that if I have problems I can come here and there are probably 100 different people who have "been there, done that" and more importantly are willing to help me with it. Thanks again.

[pdean44]

There is so much to learn when you are starting out. I felt overwhelmed when I begam my journey with a referral from me doctor to go to a sleep clinic for evaluation. I was told by a cpap using friend to use this site to learn as much as you can as you wait to go through the process and before you get your equipment. Everyone here was so encouraging and helpful that they erased all of my concerns I had about what to expect. After i was diagnosed and received my equipment i went through my process of struggling with leaks getting used to lseeping with the gear. Also had issues with rain out and then poor numbers. All of these issues were resolved with the help and support of everyone here.

I wish you well on your journey to nights of restful comfortable sleep and good health.