Cats, menopause and CPAP

[lazarus]

don't know how he gets a way with it.

I bake cookies for the people with juice.

[zonker]

don't know how he gets a way with it.

I bake cookies for the people with juice.

[SDBud]

The medical company is coming today to set up my CPAP and I'm really close to canceling. I only have mild sleep apnea and don't know if the machine is necessary.

2. I'm also worried my cat will be afraid of it and stop sleeping near me

3. I'm worried my 4 month old kitten will be irresistably drawn to the hose and bite through it

Should I put this off to another time?

My masks (AirTouch and AirFit F20) aren't hot (a different model I used in the hospital was).

My cat doesn't give a hoot about my machine, it's pretty quiet.
Not sure how your kitten will react, but the hose is likely too large for a kitten to sink their teeth into,
and by the time the kitten IS big enough, it will likely not be interested in the hose.

You really SHOULD at least try it out, you can quit later if it causes problems.

[KittyMom22]

I decided to give it one more try last night after fiddling with the comfort settings and really winching down the mask to prevent leaks when I move in my sleep. I woke from a nightmare but not from that horrible air pressure and noise, so that's some progress. Still not sure if I'm going to keep it, though.

I do not intend to leave my apnea untreated, for those who are accusing me of that. There are other options.

[lazarus]

You will be assimilated.

[chunkyfrog]

You will be assimilated.

Many of us, like me, will be all the better for it.

[zonker]

I do not intend to leave my apnea untreated, for those who are accusing me of that. There are other options.

if you decide to treat your apnea with the machine, which is the gold standard for treatment, you really need to download the oscar software, as i said before. once we in the forum can get the details oscar provides, you can be helped to adjust your settings (if needed) so that you can get the maximum benefit from your therapy.

not much we can do to help you without that information.

[KittyMom22]

The Borg Collective for sure

[KittyMom22]

You will be assimilated.

Many of us, like me, will be all the better for it.

That's...terrifying and somewhat vampiric. The Borg Collective to be sure.

[lazarus]

The secret decoder ring is really cool, though, which makes it totally worth it.

[lynninnj]

The secret decoder ring is really cool, though, which makes it totally worth it.

I still haven’t gotten mine in the mail yet. :::effingdejoy::::

[lynninnj]

I decided to give it one more try last night after fiddling with the comfort settings and really winching down the mask to prevent leaks when I move in my sleep. I woke from a nightmare but not from that horrible air pressure and noise, so that's some progress. Still not sure if I'm going to keep it, though.

I do not intend to leave my apnea untreated, for those who are accusing me of that. There are other options.

I’ve only been here for a few months and people do indeed give up. I haven’t seen disparaging comments towards you.

While I don’t speak for the group I truly believe that everyone here wants you to succeed and just wants to help you do so.

Glad to see you came back. Keep checking off the boxes.

Have the kitties been assimilated by the borg yet?

‍

[KittyMom22]

There have been several comments lecturing me about my impending death over untreated apnea if I stop CPAP.

No, my poor harassed furbaby fled the bed in terror last night when I took the mask off, inadvertently waking her up. It was on high pressure and leaking so I tore it off, only half-awake, and scared her half to death. She's been avoiding me during the day, even running from me and hissing. Sigh.

I just don't even want to think about all the other household changes coming soon. I'm concerned she'll run away when the construction starts on the new bathroom for Mom. She was a stray and isn't afraid to fend for herself. I don't know how to help her right now as I'm on the edge of a breakdown myself. One day at a time.

At least the mask isn't hot. The air coming in is nice and cool.

Thank you for asking.

[lazarus]

In MY case, impending death would be on the table, but my diagnostic AHI was well over 100 and my desats were significant. That said, the coolest thing about PAP therapy for ME was increased quality of life. Well that, and my wife now considering me to be a much easier guy to live with (more positive attitude, silence during sleep, and fully awake presence in life).

It took me a while to remember to hit the off button before removing my mask, but I do it every time now, mostly to keep from disturbing the wife. Her running from me and hissing would not be an optimal outcome for us, either.

[robysue1]

No, my poor harassed furbaby fled the bed in terror last night when I took the mask off, inadvertently waking her up. It was on high pressure and leaking so I tore it off, only half-awake, and scared her half to death. She's been avoiding me during the day, even running from me and hissing. Sigh.

I am sorry that your kitty is having trouble adjusting to you using the mask.

I would suggest that you try to train yourself to turn the machine off before removing the mask in the middle of the night.

First, that will eliminate the sudden loud hissing noises from the machine.

Second, it will give you a visual marker in your OSCAR data about when this happened and that will allow you to better determine whether the problem was large leaks causing the machine to pump more air into the "system" made up of the blower unit, the hose, the mask, your nasal & oral cavities, and your upper airway in an attempt to maintain the pressure or whether the machine really was increasing the pressure rather suddenly and significantly in the presence of flow limitations, snoring, or events. Sudden increases in pressure are used in an effort to keep an airway that is in danger of collapsing from collapsing, but they can trigger leaks as well.

Third, this will allow you to refit the mask (if necessary) and turn the machine back on at its minimum pressure level. And that will likely increase both kitty's comfort and your own.

I'll also offer this totally unrelated idea: You might want to get a hose cover. That will make the hose feel more like a blanket or bed cover to kitty rather than an alien piece of plastic in the bed.

I just don't even want to think about all the other household changes coming soon. I'm concerned she'll run away when the construction starts on the new bathroom for Mom. She was a stray and isn't afraid to fend for herself. I don't know how to help her right now as I'm on the edge of a breakdown myself. One day at a time.

Sounds like kitty needs her own secluded hidaway spot somewhere inside the house. Unfortunately it's hard to get a cat to use a hidaway spot designed and set up by the human the cat owns. But you could try. Is there a closet or somewhere else that is quiet, dark, and small that you can provide access to and that is also far away from where the construction on the new bathroom will be?

I would suggest that you keep kitty inside rather than allowing her access to the outside. Yeah, that will stress her even more if you've been letting her out, but it really is the only way to prevent her from running away if she takes a mind to do so.

And give kitty her space: If kitty doesn't want to climb into your lap, don't pick her up and put her there. But do try to offer to play with kitty if she has some favorite cat toys. And do offer special "treats" from your hand if kitty's health and weight allows such things.

At least the mask isn't hot. The air coming in is nice and cool.

You're doing a good job of looking for and finding small positive things about xPAP that do help people get over the initial hump of learning how to sleep with the machine. And that's a critical skill to have at the start of any xPAP adventure.

Here's hoping you find a way of settling kitty down and making xPAP work for you at the same time.