Chocking, seeing stars, gasping for air Newbie

MrSleepy · Post by **MrSleepy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:59 am

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with Severe Sleep Apnea about 10 years ago. I'm looking for some help or direction. I was put on a CPAP machine with the original full face mask with no ramp.

I had nothing but problems. Just as I would fall asleep I would wake up full eyed seeing stars (pins of light) and gasping for air. I told my doctor and he recommended the ramp (increases pressure over a period of time) and they also gave me the nasal pillows to use.

I tried night after night and still the same problems. I went back to my doctor (which he seemed to be really frustrated with me) and I explained to him that this was still not working. So he scheduled me to take another sleep study (number 3) to determine what is going on. So to the study I went. After 7 times of just falling asleep and waking up again gasping for air and seeing stars, I got angry. I told the technician and she told me to try to bear with it. I tried, but I can only be completely honest, I told her go to sleep and then have some one put their hand over your mouth and nose until you wake up suffocating, thats what it's like for me. I walked out 2.5 hours into the test.

My doctor said that I refused to cooperate and there is nothing more he can do.

It is now 6 years from the last time I tried to use my machine. I need help. My family doctor is concerned because my blood pressure is getting higher, and I have not been able to stop waking up without headaches. It's really starting to make me sick.

Does anybody else have the choking problem? Do they have new equipment to help with this?

It's like I'm not exhaling strong enough and I end up almost like holding my breath until I wake up gasping for air.

oldgearhead · Post by **oldgearhead** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:22 am

Have you tried one of the newer machines with relaxed exhalation, such
like Respironics c-flex? As I recall these wern't available until 2004.

Also, the nasal pillow masked have been improved. There is a lot of
difference between the Adam Circuit of 2000 and the Aura, Breeze, or
ComfortLite 2 of today..

MrSleepy · Post by **MrSleepy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:28 am

oldgearhead

Thanks. I will search and research this. Relax exhalation?

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:55 am

Also it would be nice to know what preaaure you are using and the mask and machine model, we have a lack of info.

MrSleepy · Post by **MrSleepy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:59 am

When I get home this evening I will try to research my equipment. It has been such a long time I can't remeber what my settings are.

Does anybody know if insurance covers any of these new types of machines with CFLEX? I'm looking for a sleep specialist in the Greensburg, Pa area to get a new study done.

Moogy · Post by **Moogy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:01 pm

Yes, insurance covers machines with cflex. People also get coverage for automatic or bipap machines, esp. when the first attempts at therapy have failed.

Moogy

MrSleepy · Post by **MrSleepy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:16 pm

Moogy,

Will they test now with the newer machines like CFLEX or BiPAP? I'm guessing they would to find out which one is best for the patient.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:23 pm

A sleep test is SUPPOSED to find out what XPAP you need, but they tend not to want you to use APAP because you will have less need for their services. and the DME makes less profit on the machine.

Bi-PAP is for special needs, mainly very high pressures, and to support special breathing problems, they are also very high $$$.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:51 pm

MrSleepy wrote:Does anybody else have the choking problem? Do they have new equipment to help with this?

It's like I'm not exhaling strong enough and I end up almost like holding my breath until I wake up gasping for air.

Mr Sleepy,

Based on my own experience, it seems likely to me that your full-face mask was choking you. Choking can be caused by the full face mask pushing your lower jaw back enough to close your airway while you're asleep. I know from experience because I made my own apnea worse when I tightened the mask straps down enough to eliminate leaks. It took me a few weeks to figure out, too. I can't use a full-face mask because of this.

And, yes, I did wake up a few times choking from it, although I had never had that experience before.

I switched to nasal interface and now have my apnea under control. Trying a nasal interface would be easier and cheaper than almost anything else you could do, and you'd know very quickly whether or not it makes any difference for you.

Regards,
Bill

BetterBreathinBob · Post by **BetterBreathinBob** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:58 pm

Hang in there newbie- bottom line is that CPAP works and works well with the right mask and equipment and, here's the clincher- with the right education!

Not all sleep techs are created equal. Many are great, some are terrible and some have no idea what's going on! Ask lots of questions, be prepared before your CPAP titration and arrive with a" I will get used to this attitude!"

Your physician can not really help you except for ordering another test. You need to learn as much as possible, talk to CPAP users and or find the sleep tech who also sleeps with CPAP and is dedicated to helping others.

If you live in the Chicagoland area, contact me and I'll help you. I'm the sleep tech who's patients awake in the morning after their titration and really feel like they slept. Like I said- it works!!!

Good Luck

cflame1 · Post by **cflame1** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:24 pm

Mr Sleepy,
If nothing else, talk to your doc. Mine's got me on a bunch of asthma meds (pre-exsisting condition) that are supposed to help. I was walking up coughing and choking in the middle of the night... then again I'm still getting used to the silly thing, so I'm still trying to sleep through the night.

Moogy · Post by **Moogy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 7:25 pm

MrSleepy wrote:Moogy,

Will they test now with the newer machines like CFLEX or BiPAP? I'm guessing they would to find out which one is best for the patient.

Apparently most labs don't test whether these features will help. It seems to be more of a case of try the cheap one first, then move up to more expensive models based on what kind of problems you are having. It appears that the entire plan of therapy is based on what kind of insurance you have and what your doctor says about your needs.

Goofproof mentioned price variation between the machines. From the cpap.com store, here are the ranges of prices that I see for units WITH humidifiers included.

regular CPAP units $400-$600, with the lowest cflex unit @$500
autoCPAP units $600-800
Bipap units $1250-1500 (these help a lot for people who can't exhale against the high pressures they need)
ST units $2100-3000 (not many people need these)

From your local DME, these prices will be significantly higher if you don't have insurance. If you do have insurance, of course your amount will vary.

Some doctors and therapists don't trust cflex and won't offer it. Many won't offer auto. Tell your doctor exactly what kind of problems you had and what YOU think will help. That will probably do you more good than yet another titration study. If it is just a mask problem, your old machine may be fine, and you just need a different mask.

It is possible that your titration pressure was too LOW, since many people wake up if their air is cut off from the apnea. An automatic machine would help you figure out if that is the problem.

Good luck!

Moogy

MrSleepy · Post by **MrSleepy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 7:55 pm

I thank all of you very much for the suggestions and thoughts. I'm going to try to talk to my doctor again to see if I can maybe try one of the CFLEX machines or BIPAP machine. I tried the full mask and the nasal pillows, as soon as I fall asleep I wake up gasping for air. . . .it leads to such frustration it sometimes brought tears to my eyes.

I have a wonderful wife and I'm a proud daddy of a 20 month old son, I need to start getting this under control so he can grow up with his dad.

My blood pressure spiked for the first time this high of 186 over 114 two days ago.

Leaving that machine sit up in my closet for the past 8 years did absolutly nothing for me, but I do feel there is something out there that will work for me now.

again thanks!

Moogy · Post by **Moogy** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:49 pm

MrSleepy wrote: I tried the full mask and the nasal pillows, as soon as I fall asleep I wake up gasping for air. . . .it leads to such frustration it sometimes brought tears to my eyes.

When you are AWAKE, do you feel like you have enough air? If NOT, the odds are that apneas are waking you, and again, your pressure might be too low.
Do you ever wake up gasping when you are NOT on the CPAP?
Have you tried the cpap again recently?

Moogy
Hope you can get some sleep so you can enjoy that little one!

Stryker5777 · Post by **Stryker5777** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:35 am

Hey MrSleepy,

Sorry to hear about your problems with CPAP there. I was just wondering what pressure setting and humidifier you have/had? Perhaps you simply don't have your humidifier turned up high enough? As my mom was waking up coughing and I convinced her to crank hers up all the way up (and preheat her water too.), and it seemed to help her.. Not sure what might be the cause of the other symptoms you've described there. The suggestion on here about low titration might be a possiblity, especially since you didn't have an APAP and your using a simple plain old CPAP.

Bi-PAP or C-flex might help, if you are having an exhaling issue...

I'm schuduled to re-test too because I'm having issues with my APAP and we (the doc & I) think exhaling problems against pressure might to blame. Not sure why at this point though....

Stryker5777

"batteries not included... device sold separately"

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): humidifier, C-FLEX, Titration, CPAP, APAP

Chocking, seeing stars, gasping for air Newbie

Chocking, seeing stars, gasping for air Newbie

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