Does anyone ever just give up on cpap?

[Scluvsrain]

I don’t use the humidifier at all. I tried it once when I first got the machine and it did nothing for me.

My sore throat is gone and I slept easier last night even though one of my nostrils was completely plugged.

I slept 8 hours with one potty break around 1 AM and had an AHI of .4 for the night.

I think you just need the right attitude about CPAP. How to get that right attitude is the million dollar question, clearly. Do you want to live a longer, healthier, happier life? I do. So CPAP is my friend, not my foe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CpapWife]

There is only one treatment for the root cause - Bimaxillary Advancement Surgery - https://sleep-doctor.com/surgical-treat ... vancement/

Go for it:

I had a friend do that surgery because cpap would not work for him to improve his sleep apnea and he had no choice. Problem was caused by a dentist that pulled too many teeth when he was younger to give him a great smile (not something they do anymore - pull teeth just cause the mouth seems too small) - e.g. someone rearranged his mouth making it smaller, now they had to rearrange it and make it larger.

The surgery and recovery was a nightmare. He was in his 40s, very physically fit, and had to take months off of work. They broke both jaws in multiple places and reattached them. He was in the hospital for a couple days. He drank out of a straw with his mouth wired shut for over a month. Soft food after that. About 4 months later they had to go in and break his jaw again as something was not coming out right. Took over 6 months to have it all completed and the pain was horrible the first few weeks after each surgery.

Miserable experience, something I would never recommend after witnessing his experience unless there was no way a cpap or other treatments made any difference improving their sleep apnea. There are of course after effects... Spaces in between teeth / in the jaw causing dental issues that have to be addressed over time, plates in your bones forever, bone damage that never fully recovers, etc. As my friend did, I would do this only as a last resort.

One "solution" does not fit all. There are several surgeries out there but they will only work for certain situations and most of us do not have those situations.

I read about this surgery when my friend said he would have it, they could say up front reasonably what the down time would be after the surgery because they knew how many and how severe the breaks would be. End results for the stories I read ended up reasonably close (e.g. within a month or two) - but it was always a pretty horrible experience. None of the people I read who posted their experience getting the surgery were getting it to avoid using a cpap (there were other issues). My friend did this only because a cpap/apap didn't do anything to fix his sleep apnea (e.g. obstruction so severe), so he had no choice and this was his last resort.

For my husband an apap brought him from 91 AHI to under 3 (often under 1.5). No brainer what his choice should be.

[HoseCrusher]

I find this topic interesting.

Over the past few days I made it a point to ask the people I ran into about sleep apnea. Out of 32 conversations (19 male and 13 female) I found that 12 were diagnosed with sleep apnea. Out of those 12 2 were regularly using CPAP to treat their symptoms. There were 2 others that only used their machines when they really felt like crap.

I referred everyone to this forum in an effort to help them achieve a better quality of life by figuring out a way to tolerate CPAP treatment.

One of the most interesting discussions I had was with a friend of a friend. She had been diagnosed with sleep apnea during a difficult period in her life. When the problems were resolved her health improved and she actually had a follow up sleep test done that indicated that she no longer had sleep apnea and no longer needed her CPAP machine. It appears she was able to identify and deal with the root cause and eliminate it. I would have loved to discuss this further but she was on her way to San Francisco to hop a sail boat to Hawaii. At age 72 she appeared healthy and full of life. I would have loved to hear more of her story but life moves on...

[jnk...]

actually had a follow up sleep test done that indicated that she no longer had sleep apnea and no longer needed her CPAP machine.

Please post a copy of all of all her studies.

Otherwise, please don't fall for what people say.

[ChicagoGranny]

no longer needed her CPAP machine. It appears she was able to identify and deal with the root cause and eliminate it. I would have loved to discuss this further but she was on her way to San Francisco to hop a sail boat to Hawaii. At age 72 she appeared healthy and full of life. I would have loved to hear more of her story but life moves on...

There is one unicorn in the universe; you found it and didn't take a photo. Shame on you.

[HoseCrusher]

Jeff, are you looking for something like this...?

http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/23066372

[jnk...]

Jeff, are you looking for something like this...?

http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/23066372

Nope. Not at all.

Central apnea from opioid abuse has long been well documented by medical science as a mere symptom. That has always been mainstream understanding.That has no bearing whatsoever on present scientific understanding of what constitutes successful treatment of OSA.

Therefore, it would constitute forum malpractice to misapply that study as implying that OSA is a symptom in the sense that central apneas are in some cases. With OSA, preventing the obstruction solves the problem. With CSA, you first try to find out if there is a treatable cause of the central apneas.

[HoseCrusher]

How about this...?

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/N ... 1113440204

[chunkyfrog]

Nope, not that either
"CONCLUSIONS
Nocturnal hemodialysis corrects sleep apnea associated with chronic renal failure".

[jnk...]

The only situation in which I consider OSA purely a symptom is when a growth narrows the airway. But even in that situation, removing the growth does not necessarily always cure OSA unless that growth is found and removed relatively quickly.

[HoseCrusher]

chunkyfrog, so if my kidney function is reducing will that improve my sleep apnea or make it worse?

If I change things to make an effort to improve my kidney function will that help my sleep apnea or make it worse... ?

If my kidneys are in failure and I treat that symptom it seems the sleep apnea symptom is improved.

[HoseCrusher]

Jeff, my opinion is that the only time sleep apnea is a condition is if you are born with it. In all other cases you earn it.

Choices in diet, lifestyle, exercise, and the luck of the draw as far as physical damage from accidents goes all contribute to earning the symptom of sleep apnea. After noticing the symptoms you may be able to achieve more restorative sleep by focusing on the root causes and trying to deal with them.

Treating the symptom using CPAP is an excellent start, but what about the roughly 50% that can't tolerate CPAP? Perhaps improvements could be made by digging a little deeper.

EDIT:
zoocrewphoto reminded me that the roughly 50% refers to those that aren't using any form of treatment for their sleep apnea. Through a lack of education or an unwillingness to communicate the process involved with sleeping with a device on the medical staff or DME's side, they give up. With proper instruction and education and support they may actually tolerate the CPAP machine. I was using "CPAP" to include the machine and the treatment. I hope this clarifies this.
ENDEDIT:

There is most likely a point of no return where you have damaged the body beyond it ability to repair itself, but I am not sure where that point is. If you "believe" you are there, then you probably are there. In my case I believe I may find more improvement.

[palerider]

If I change things to make an effort to improve my kidney function will that help my sleep apnea or make it worse... ?

well, as your health fails, and you die, I suppose that would make the apnea worse... even permanent.

If my kidneys are in failure and I treat that symptom it seems the sleep apnea symptom is improved.

My apnea didn't change when my kidneys failed.

Maybe you'll have better luck.

babbling about crap you know nothing about.

(apologies if you're on dialysis).

[palerider]

Jeff, my opinion

And, we know what those are worth.

is that the only time sleep apnea is a condition is if you are born with it. In all other cases you earn it.

Yes, by being born with poor throat geometry... which one GROWS INTO OVER TIME.

How's that fit with your opinion?

In my case I believe I may find more improvement.

Best of luck to you, Might I suggest apneaboard? they've got a multifocus view, as opposed to focusing on helping people with CPAP.

[Mogy]

Jeff, my opinion is that the only time sleep apnea is a condition is if you are born with it. In all other cases you earn it.

Choices in diet, lifestyle, exercise, and the luck of the draw as far as physical damage from accidents goes all contribute to earning the symptom of sleep apnea. After noticing the symptoms you may be able to achieve more restorative sleep by focusing on the root causes and trying to deal with them.

Treating the symptom using CPAP is an excellent start, but what about the roughly 50% that can't tolerate CPAP? Perhaps improvements could be made by digging a little deeper.

There is most likely a point of no return where you have damaged the body beyond it ability to repair itself, but I am not sure where that point is. If you "believe" you are there, then you probably are there. In my case I believe I may find more improvement.

+1 In total agreement.