It's 4 A.M.,(time has advanced itself to 5:40 A.M. as I have thought about SWS posts, your issues, and the finding the correct machine for both of us. I'm up at this awful hour because I awakened and go back to sleep. There are advantages to being up so "Early" no phone calls, no visitors/ I don't feel obliged to start housecleaning and it gives me the opportunity to really study your post. Your health issues seem very complex. You certainly feel the physical aspects of specific disease/s, but your doctors haven't been able to identify exactly what's going on with you. That has left you hanging in air. How do you treat mystery illnesses?
I have read SWS posts and keep going over them. There is so much there for me to consider and implement. One of his statements keep going round and round in my mind. SWS said
-SWS wrote:Jan, you and Mar have a couple similarities going in your threads: 1) postoperative UPPP difficulties (long term) regarding CPAP efficacy, and 2) outstanding hypopneas are predominate. However, you are running fixed pressure CPAP that leaves many hypopneas and some apneas under-addressed, and she is running APAP that cannot efficiently address her events. Another possible similarity is that hiking the pressure to address those outstanding residual events just may not be feasible, for a variety of unique reasons in physiology (presently undetermined IMO).
Your APAP and my CPAP are not addressing many of our hypopneas and apneas. How do we correct this - You have had success recently, but the entire problem may not be completely solved? In one of your early posts (I can't find it this morning) You mentioned wanting a prescription for another machine. My situation is equally vague, The ResMed Elite isn't designed to eliminate apneas and hypopneas above 10cm. My pressure is currently 9.8 cm.
It seemed to me that you had a specific machine in mind. Which one do you believe will bring you relief? Our situations are parallel, but not identical. I have been studying the different Bi-Level machines. Many people have said they can breathe better at the higher pressures BI-Levels can provide. Would one of these machines give us a better chance for sustained control of our "A. & H.'s"? And with this properly regulated, I believe both of us would find a new way of life ---relief from raging fatigue--just think of the opportunities that presents. Just writing this, gives me the feeling I should shout "Hurray", however it is still conjecture at this time.
SWS, What's your opinion on this? Is it realistic in any way?
SWS, also you mentioned our health issues, I know I have a long list of ailments. I'm not a doctor, but most of my conditions seem to be under control, (Diabetes, good AIC, Chronic Sinusitis, I still have a drippy nose, but because I am consistently using the Nasal Irrigitation, I haven't had an sinus infection. I do the best I can with my back. My BP is tamed by the use of Avalide. Nothing else is active at this time - I feel free to give what energy I have to tame my sleep apnea, asI think I have restrained my other medical issues.
Mar, I hope you feel well enough to give me your thoughts. I hope SWS will also. As for me, since I have no experience with the technical aspect of sleep apnea or the different machines, I also hope he, or one of the other "Heavy Lifters" on this forum, will share their experience.
If anything in this post doesn't make sense, it may be because while leaving a College Graduation yesterday, I slipped at the top of a set of rainy cement stairs, and banged my leg in a bunch of places. I concluded my fall down the slippery stairs by getting a large bump on the side of my head. You accurately say, say, I hurt from top to bottom. However, I didn't break anything and only left a few drops of blood on the stairs from my skinned leg.
Mar, you are in my thoughts, and I wish the very best continued for good results for you.
Jan
