New and worried about driving licence

[Lizistired]

How would anyone know who the OP is if there's no personal information linking to the forum?

xena

Please don't feed the animals.

[Data]

Well I have just come back from the hospital where they analysed the SD card in my machine. She said that I am using it for an average of 4:35 a night. The mask fit/leakage is not brilliant but it is still good enough to show theraputic benefits.

The good news is that the apnoeas have gone down to virtually zero! She said that my results were some of the best she has ever seen .

So it looks like I have nothing to worry about.

[archangle]

Another thing - I was told by the hospital to rinse out the filter on the machine periodically, but I forgot . I have just done that now, and its drying upstairs. I'm not sure if that will make a difference though.

I didn't think you were supposed to wash the ResMed filters.

[MidnightOwl]

The good news is that the apnoeas have gone down to virtually zero! She said that my results were some of the best she has ever seen .

So it looks like I have nothing to worry about.

Except for all those unrecorded apneas you are having during those hours you are sleeping after you take the mask off. Which could be impairing your judgment about all kinds of things. Such as the quality of your work or the relative importance of losing your license versus actually driving impaired and endangering yourself and other people. The epworth is meant to be a cheap mass screening device only. A low score on it does not mean you are OK.

[jweeks]

The good news is that the apnoeas have gone down to virtually zero! She said that my results were some of the best she has ever seen. So it looks like I have nothing to worry about.

Hi,

That is good news. Since you are a computer person, you need to get the SleepyHead software and start monitoring your data. Do that every single day until you are into a groove. You will quickly get in tune with your body and with CPAP doing this.

Your top focus now has to be getting 8 hours of sleep on CPAP every day. Take some vacation or time off if you need to. Go to bed when you are tired, use the CPAP, and get up when you are done sleeping. It has taken a long time to get this messed up, and it is going to take some time your body to (1) unlearn the bad way to sleep, (2) learn the right way to sleep, and (3) get caught up on all the back sleep that you have missed.

Also, while there are 1000 reasons to lose weight, getting off of CPAP is not one of them. A few do get cured this way, and some people can reduce their pressure. In my case, the sleep issue got worse with weight loss. The reason is that sleep is very complex, and you could have a number of different issues. When you fix one, another can pop up. I do want you to lose weight, and I am hopeful that it will help you sleep, but don't get your hopes invested so much in weight loss as a cure for CPAP that you end up devastated if this doesn't come true. Rather, focus on getting the best CPAP results that you can.

-john-

[Data]

The good news is that the apnoeas have gone down to virtually zero! She said that my results were some of the best she has ever seen. So it looks like I have nothing to worry about.

Hi,

That is good news. Since you are a computer person, you need to get the SleepyHead software and start monitoring your data. Do that every single day until you are into a groove. You will quickly get in tune with your body and with CPAP doing this.

Your top focus now has to be getting 8 hours of sleep on CPAP every day. Take some vacation or time off if you need to. Go to bed when you are tired, use the CPAP, and get up when you are done sleeping. It has taken a long time to get this messed up, and it is going to take some time your body to (1) unlearn the bad way to sleep, (2) learn the right way to sleep, and (3) get caught up on all the back sleep that you have missed.

Also, while there are 1000 reasons to lose weight, getting off of CPAP is not one of them. A few do get cured this way, and some people can reduce their pressure. In my case, the sleep issue got worse with weight loss. The reason is that sleep is very complex, and you could have a number of different issues. When you fix one, another can pop up. I do want you to lose weight, and I am hopeful that it will help you sleep, but don't get your hopes invested so much in weight loss as a cure for CPAP that you end up devastated if this doesn't come true. Rather, focus on getting the best CPAP results that you can.

-john-

I certainly can't afford to take vacation time off since I have to submit my thesis for a degree in around 2 months.

I don't agree that I need 8 hours of CPAP every day. I don't think I need 8 hours of sleep anyway, 7 is probably sufficient (I am nearly 40). The technician said that they are happy as long as I am averaging 4 hours on CPAP. The important thing is that I use it every night, and that I am feeling refreshed in the day, and I am more productive with my work now .

I am sorry that your condition worsened when you lost weight, but the advice I have been given from the hospital is that is unusual. Losing weight is likely to improve my sleep apnoea. I am also hoping that eliminating alcohol will help, it is 41 days since I had a drink. Furthermore, last night was the first night in years that I have gone to bed unmedicated! I have managed to cut out my sedatives, which I believe will help, so I can try and achieve a more natural sleep. And when my thesis is submitted I am going to improve my physical fitness: I go to circuit training once a week at the moment. Also, hopefully I can get my tonsils removed. Between all those things, I have high hopes..... I have no intention of being on CPAP all my life!

[archangle]

I don't agree that I need 8 hours of CPAP every day. I don't think I need 8 hours of sleep anyway, 7 is probably sufficient (I am nearly 40). The technician said that they are happy as long as I am averaging 4 hours on CPAP. The important thing is that I use it every night, and that I am feeling refreshed in the day, and I am more productive with my work now .

4 hours is a requirement to get the insurance company to pay for the machine. It's got very little to do with your health requirements.

Remember, any hours of sleep without CPAP is harmful. 1 hour of sleep without CPAP is probably less harmful than 4 hours of sleep without, but it is harmful.

[GatorLord]

Data, congratulations on going from severe to zero. You are already beating the statistics.

Based on your previous posts, there is a short e-book you may find very informative and helpful: http://www.thewayup.com/ebook/f/TheWayUp.pdf

It is a short essay written by a very observant psychiatrist in everyday terms regarding the biochemical basis and fixes for a variety of neurological issues. Dr. Priscilla Slagle and others observed that many issues would resolve simply by correcting nutritional deficiencies usually with vitamins and minerals and certain critical amino acids. The book, while 20 years old, is still highly relevant today. I believe it pre-dates the current conventional Molecular Psychiatry movement, and probably had a hand in it gaining traction as other P-docs realized that if they solved the natural causes first, the chemical solutions wouldn't be needed as much. The success rates 20 years ago were around 80%, and have no doubt improved as we understand a lot of the genetic disorders that interfere with our ability to utilize certain nutrients. Some of them are critical to high function.

This is not some hippy, dippy veggie-matic diet overhaul spam. The book lays out what causes the issues, what fixes them, and how to incorporate those fixes based on your individual genetics.

Without going into a methodical listing of my own investigation, I can say that by using the information in this book, I was able to discover that I had a couple of rather common metabolic pathway breakdowns, that were fortunately easy to bypass with a couple of specific, but unusual supplements. The difference in my moods when I remember to follow the script and when I don't are profound.

Good luck and you'll probably never look at B-vitamins, most minerals, and some obscure amino acids the same way ever again.

[lazer]

..........there is a short e-book you may find very informative and helpful: http://www.thewayup.com/ebook/f/TheWayUp.pdf....

Just wanted to say thanks for that link. I have bookmarked it and will be looking into it myself as I feel I could benifit from it also.

[GatorLord]

@Lazer,

You're quite welcome. Too bad this sort of thing isn't common knowledge.

The older I get, the more drugs look like drugs. What's helped me the most in 30 years are some vitamins, minerals, and a PAP machine. All drug free.

[chunkyfrog]

It's a sad commentary that too many physicians are little more than legalized pusher-men.

[lazer]

@Lazer,

You're quite welcome. Too bad this sort of thing isn't common knowledge.

The older I get, the more drugs look like drugs. What's helped me the most in 30 years are some vitamins, minerals, and a PAP machine. All drug free.

Agree 100%. I'm on a mission to be free of prescription drugs and lean more on the vitamins, minerals, xPAP, and supplements. Far less side effects from my limited experience.