going backwards

Greetings:

I've been on cpap for about 6 weeks. The first two weeks I was on a nasal mask and hated it. I switched to Breeze nasal pillows and loved them. They worked great and no more air leaks. The third week I felt fabulous. I hadn't felt that good in years and was spending only about 4 hours a night under the machine. The fourth week I didn't feel quite as rested as earlier although I was staying on cpap all night long. The fifth week I noticed some of the daytime drowsiness returning and in the sixth week now the daytime drowsiness is definitely coming back although not as bad as before cpap. This is really strange because I stay under the machine all night long now. I don't think I have any significant mouth breathing because I have only woke up once or twice and found myself breathing through my mouth. My mouth usually isn't dry when I wake up and the water level in the humidifier is still pretty high. I'm going to try taping my mouth shut just in case that's the problem. I'll do almost anything in order to stay away form a full fasce mask. I had such a terrible experience with the nasal mask. I would be interested to hear from anybody out there . I also still wake up about every 2 hours and turn over go right back to sleep.

eeker, if your doctor didn't prescribe an autoPAP machine for you, it may be that the single pressure that is set for you is not quite enough.

Example, if the pressure the sleep study found to be effective for you is 10, a straight cpap machine will deliver just 10 - no more, no less, all night long. An autopap, on the other hand, could be set for a range of pressure - like 7 to 14. When you needed slightly more or slightly less than 10 during the night, the autopap would automatically deliver the pressure you need.

Using 10 as an example of a titrated pressure (the pressure arrived at in the sleep lab as "what you need"), 10 might be right for you - or might not be, all the time. The sleep study, thorough as it may be, is still just a one night snapshot of how you sleep. If you had had your study on a different night, different tech scoring it, different tech determining the pressure....who knows, they might have said you needed 11, or 12, or 9. I'm no doctor, but I'm a big believer in using an autopap to have a range of pressures available "just in case". I'm also a big believer in getting the software and clinical manual, to monitor and tweak your own treatment yourself, if need be.

Even if it turned out that you are one of the few people who does better on straight cpap than on an autopap, the autopap can always be set to deliver a straight pressure - running it in cpap mode. Or even by setting both high and low pressures the same - both on 10, for example. You'd still get overnight data results, giving you a better idea of what was happening while you slept. Data results you can't get from a plain vanilla cpap machine. You sound like someone who would be able to take an active role in your own therapy... if you want to. Convincing your doctor of that might be another matter.

This thread prompts me to ask again - other than cost why doesn't everybody get an auto-pap!

Maybe RRT Illinois has some insight on this question?

If that's not a rhetorical question, wader...heheh....well, I'll rise to the bait, anyway. (Wader just wants to see me hop up on my soapbox!) lol

The answer is probably because insurance companies balk at doctors prescribing anything other than a basic cpap machine. Cheaper. And of course since doctors, DMEs and insurance companies all agree on the fact that most people give up trying this kind of therapy very soon, the bean counters at insurance companies sure don't want to have bought a more expensive machine that ended up not being used. Patients get prescribed a leaf blower (often without heated humidification!) and then the insurance company and health care professionals can say, "See!!?? We tried to help the patients, but they quit, so it's a good thing we didn't waste money on them for more expensive equipment to start with." Nothing mentioned about discomfort vs comfort having anything to do with compliance, of course.

The old Catch-22.

But, "So what?"... there are always plenty more desperate people coming through the doors all the time. As the baby boomers age, there will be more and more.

Respironics stock, anyone?

That's the medical proffesion these days. pennywise and pound foolish. What about all the hypertension, heart disease, missed work etc.... that needs to be treated if the apnea goes untreated. Fifteen years ago I lost 90lbs after my BP meds were wrecking my liver. Got off all the meds including a $120/mo reflux med. Since then the apnea caught up with me and I've slowly put it all back on. Also back on all the meds. The good news is in the two months on auto-pap I've dropped 13lbs! without even trying. Probably the result of no longer needing to over eat to try to keep my energy level up. My guess is my pap will pay for itself 10 fold in just a short time. On top of that I have the energy to spend on my kids and there is no price on that.

I also have noticed after being on cpap set at 7 for about 2 months that the daytime sleepiness is returning. Is it possible that your body gets used to the pressure and requires more? Just a thought.

Herb

Wader just wants to see me hop up on my soapbox!)

Rested Gal:
I'd like it if you STAYED on your soapbox; I have learned tons from you and am always interested in reading your posts!
Paul