lessons learned and Cpaps available

[trfarley]

I've posted very little over the last few years, but continue to be very thankful for all of the advice offered by the Moderators and Contributors
on the various topics . My interest is also peeked by the several references to Robert Heinlein's books and stories I see in usernames and quotes. Do many folks read his books by chance?

I started our 15 years ago with an AHI of 21 from a take home sleep study from a previous family doctor and the typical issues of poor sleep, snoring, waking up coughing, etc. Thankfully with the advice from this forum my AHI is steadily getting better.

However, 4 years ago I started developing Sinus headaches that would attack my right temple and right side of my head and face almost daily between noon and 6pm. I also complained about being tired during the day. Current doctors prescribed anti-biotics 8 times over the last few years and sent me for a Cat Scan of the head. This came back with the simple result of "We don't see any Cancerous tumors". Oh, they also recommended a new sleep study at the clinic. I post-poned the sleep study for about a month; which resulted in the director getting riled up thus they talked to the DMV and Canceled my drivers license for 3 months. This was a complete pain in the arse. I went to the sleep study, Doctor was happy with what he recorded; only recommended I up my IP a few more notches. No help with the headaches.

The long and the short of it was that I finally started taking a much stronger effort to get better sleep. I have focused on my Deep Sleep time, my REM time , my diet, Deep/slow breathing exercises before sleep and anything that would lower my stress , help me sleep better and not wake up so often.
I use the Fitbit app and pay the monthly fee for "Plus" services - while it is not a Medical device, I've found my Deep Sleep time has improved from 30 Min a night to around 1Hr and 30 min each night. Similar with my REM durations.

I tried many different tacts to both relieve my headaches and to sleep better; Advil, Aleve, yoga, stretching, walking, naps, drink more water, no coffee, no cheese, more fish, Vitamins - C, D, E, no late night eating, sleepy Teas from Celestial with Valerian, Melatonin, ZZquil, Sinus sprays, Hot Compresses, Garlic tabs, Omega 3, Collagen capsules, Turmeric, making a ritual of falling to sleep routine, etc..... and reading everything I can find on sleep improvement.

Everyone is different and I in no way recommend my practices to others - however I do recommend focusing on improving your sleep. I have improved my sleep habits, and my AHI is improving as a result. I feel measurably better each week, with more energy and enthusiasm for life. My headache pain has gone down dramatically, I am no longer popping Pain pills.

I attribute many of the changes to practicing the deep breathing ( yes , it may take a few months) finding what works for you. In addition, for me the Turmeric helped, Drinking 3 to 4x the amount of water each day has helped. I still use the Sleepy Tea each night along with a half dose of CBD gummy with a minute amount of THC (Indica) - Indica means "in da couch". I don't drink alcohol nor smoke MJ, so it was a stretch for me to try the gummies, but it helps put me to sleep and keep me there. I'll still pop half a dose of Melatonin gummy some nights.

The good news is that I'm feeling much better and I still hope to retire in about a year. ( I was worried about not having good insurance after retirement and the costs of getting good medical advice on the headaches if I didn't keep working ) I'll be 63 soon.

The bad news was that I was pretty mentally tired for several years. 3 years ago I became convinced that the problem must be my CPAP machine ( a Dreamstation) and I thought I should buy a few more, just as backups, or learn more about how they work, or try a few different ones to see if any worked better for me or maybe settings could be changed. Well, I bought them, cleaned them, soaked them with vinegar, bought new hoses, even tried some of them over the course of several months. I learned alot, but ended up putting them in storage.

With the recent news I've dug them out ( put the dreamstation into storage after registering it for recall ) and switched completely to an AirCurve 10 Vauto that I love. Yes, my headaches seem to be getting better as well, it has been 3 weeks now. I'm not pointing fingers at the Dreamstation yet as I have only ever used Sinus pillows instead of a full mask and maybe my sinuses are just never going to be happy with higher pressures.
My daughter started calling me a hoarder a few months ago, so I am going to get rid of the extra cpap machines along with most of my other "treasures" in the garage/basement that have been there too long.

I anyone is interested, here is what I have:
Note, I looked at prices from many new/used sites to judge their relative value and knocked about 60-75% off new prices and tried to adjust for low/high hours.
I've sold quite extensively for years on Ebay and have a good reputation for Apple laptops and Computers. If you have any issues I'll happily refund your money for 2 weeks after you receive the machine. First column is asking price, offers may be accepted as well. paypal, checks, venmo, cash are fine.
Tim Farley, t.farley@loma.k12.ca.us - please email or DM

Item Desc Model # Run Hours Modes Max Ipap SW Feature
430 1720 1. AirCurve 10 Vauto VAuto 2560 CPAP, S, Vauto 25.0 SX567-0306 Auto Bi-level Device
Ti Control
Keep 1720 2. AirCurve 10 Vauto VAuto 985 CPAP, S, Vauto 25.0 SX567-0302 Auto Bi-level Device
Ti Control
295 880 3. AirSense 10 Autoset For Her/EPR 1241 CPAP,Autoset,For Her 20.0 SX567-0306 EPR & For Her Algorithm

200 880 4. AirSense 10 Autoset For Her/EPR 7678 CPAP,Autoset,For Her 20.0 SX567-0305 EPR & For Her Algorithm 20 SX567-0302 EPR & For Her Algorithm

299 880 5. AirSense 10 Autoset Black Color 0040 CPAP,Autoset 20.0 SX567-0306 EPR

189 880 6. AirSense 10 Autoset Black Color 7629 CPAP,Autoset 20.0 SX567-0306 EPR

375 1720 7. AirCurve 10 Vauto VAuto 4323 CPAP, S, Vauto 25.0 SX567-0305 Auto Bi-level Device
Ti Control
125 889 8. Resmed S9 Autoset For Her 2333 Ref 36065 SX474-0904 EPR, For Her

395 1949 9. Resmed S9 VPAP ST 2273 Ref 36008A ? SX474-0907 ST Mode

220 725 10. Resmed S9 Autoset/EPR 0823 Ref 36005 SX474-0602 EPR

[zonker]

My interest is also peeked by the several references to Robert Heinlein's books and stories I see in usernames and quotes. Do many folks read his books by chance?

Robert Anson Heinlein is my favorite author, bar none.

read my first "juvenile" when i was seven. i have worn out SO many of his books and have had to replace. he is the only author that i've read over and over and over again.

i quote him on the regular, not only online but irl too.

[trfarley]

I'm the same Zonker on Heinlein !!

World as Myth is where I hope to be someday...

Your quote and Capt. Midnight and others seemed rather suspicious ! lol

and live by the Motto " Good Manners, Matter"

[Julie]

Sent you a PM.

[klm49]

My interest is also peeked by the several references to Robert Heinlein's books and stories I see in usernames and quotes. Do many folks read his books by chance?

Robert Anson Heinlein is my favorite author, bar none.

read my first "juvenile" when i was seven. i have worn out SO many of his books and have had to replace. he is the only author that i've read over and over and over again.

i quote him on the regular, not only online but irl too.

Same Here!

[trfarley]

Update :

#'s 3,5, and 10 have been sold.

Thanks !
Tim

Resmed Vauto Aircurve 10 - Humidifer IP17:EP:7
Fan of Lazarus Long !!