Think I'm finished

You complain about inability to exhale .... :
Talk to your Dr. about trying a Bilevel machine .... resmed vpap or Phillips bipap .
when you fail on a cpap ... the next step is a bipap.

For many people, the best way to get used to using cpap is to use it while you're watching a movie or tv show. The minimum auto pressure is not enough for most people to breathe comfortably so almost everyone will want to increase it but it shouldn't be a problem because you're not sleeping anyway, just getting used to breathing with the machine.

It does take some getting used to, but most adjust relatively quickly. And once you are used to it, it's very relaxing and soothing to put on the mask and know that you are going to be breathing well and can relax and sleep.

I wish you the best of luck. All I can say is that if you have sleep apnea and you don't treat it, the effects will catch up to you sooner or later.

"Think I'm Finished" I hope that's not prophetic for your sake. Try again, most don't get their therapy dialed right away. Maybe talk to your doctor about using ambien for a few weeks to get you over the hump.

Cudos wrote:A conflict/battle going on..Cheers

When in the throes of initial cpap it only occurs
that this is just some form of torture that we do
not deserve. If you can over come the "discomfort" and
begin to find ways to make this work and tolerate it.....
it presents the possibility of opening up a whole new world to you.
If you find the courage, patience and persistence to make this work,
it may spill over into your thinking about other aspects of your life.
Through the ordeal of cpap, you may find that you have capabilities
you never knew you had.

It may not be sentence,
it may just be an
awakening.

“The truth knocks on the door and you say, "Go away, I'm looking for the truth," and so it goes away. Puzzling.”
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

chunkyfrog wrote: I really thought you had what it takes.
A part of me wants you to feel shame for your failure;

What an absolutely awful thing to say to someone

Lucyhere wrote:

chunkyfrog wrote: I really thought you had what it takes.
A part of me wants you to feel shame for your failure;

What an absolutely awful thing to say to someone

Eulogy "He gave up to soon because his friends were afraid to look bad to others and use everything they had to encourage him to try more. Death due to social shamming of others"

grayghost4 wrote:You complain about inability to exhale .... :
Talk to your Dr. about trying a Bilevel machine .... resmed vpap or Phillips bipap .
when you fail on a cpap ... the next step is a bipap.

Thanks again everyone!! will look in to the Bi-Maxillary oral appliance as well. grayghost4, that is MY biggest problem. I can watch TV all day with it on because I can control my breathing and not allow it to shallow out to next to nothing which is what happens as "soon" as I start to drift off to sleep leaving me gasping for air because I'm not breathing deeply enough to exhale against the pressure. This repeats itself until i give up.

I did ask my RRT about the Bipap as i did read it offered more in the way of exhale relief and she told me nope, that was for mostly end stage patients and didn't give it another thought which is another reason I am returning her machine tomorrow. I see my Doc on Monday for allergy script anyways so I will ask him about it.
The first time around though he didn't seem to know a whole lot about the CPAP machines other than it was his signature required for one. The BIPAP sounds like it could be helpful but my RRT is not entertaining it and if I order it online and its the wrong machine for me then what.

Can the BIPAP be used just as a CPAP as well??????? with the BIPAP option?

Thanks

If your sleep doc is not helpful, hope you can find a different doctor. Do not give up on yourself. And don't let the medical professionals do anything but their best to help you.

I know what it is like to feel awful and try to deal with this cpap too. You have to put yourself first and make yourself and your health a priority. Keep trying every night. We are all supporting you.

Cudos wrote: I did ask my RRT about the Bipap as i did read it offered more in the way of exhale relief and she told me nope, that was for mostly end stage patients

Let's add this one to the "Another lie my RT told me" list.

I was switched from CPAP/APAP to BiBAP simply because after 2 1/2 months of trying desperately to get some decent quality sleep with my original Resmed S9 AutoSet, I was functioning far worse than I had pre-CPAP and I was experiencing severe aerophagia often enough that I was in pain when I woke up on many days. "Failed at CPAP" is what the memo the doc sent to the insurance company justifying the switch said. The memo stated that both CPAP and APAP had been tried; more than one pressure setting had been tried; and that more than one mask had been tried. The memo did note that I was fully compliant with therapy---i.e. I was using the machine every night, all night long, but that I was not experiencing any benefit from the CPAP/APAP therapy.

I see my Doc on Monday for allergy script anyways so I will ask him about it.
The first time around though he didn't seem to know a whole lot about the CPAP machines other than it was his signature required for one. The BIPAP sounds like it could be helpful but my RRT is not entertaining it and if I order it online

Sounds like you are working with your PCP rather than a sleep specialist. Hopefully he'll be open minded enough to order a bilevel machine for you.

and if I order it online and its the wrong machine for me then what.

You won't be able to order a bilevel on-line with a script that says "CPAP". The bilevels are billed under a different code and require a script that specifies bilevel.

Can the BIPAP be used just as a CPAP as well??????? with the BIPAP option?

Yes. A bilevel (BiPAP or VPAP) can be set to run in CPAP mode. It's also possible to set a BiPAP/VPAP up so that it mimics an APAP of the same brand.

grayghost4 wrote:. . . when you fail on a cpap ... the next step is a bipap.

True, that.

And the earlier centrals, if they don't go away on their own, may even mean that a "fail" on bilevel could eventually lead to a trial of an ASV.

Give CPAP the full shot. But know that bilevel and ASV are also worth a trial.

No, the RRT/DME will not let you try any of that just because YOU say so. But they MUST let you try if the DOC tells them you need to. However, If insurance is involved, the doc may have to do things in a certain order for a certain amount of time and documented a certain way in order for insurance to pay up for trials with certain machines.

You DO have what it takes. It is obvious by how hard you've worked and your willingness to try things and post here. "Failing" CPAP is perfectly logical for people with certain conditions, such as a tendency toward hypoventilation or a propensity for certain forms of central breathing troubles. That is why other forms of PAP exist. And that is why "giving up" on CPAP is not the same thing as "giving up on PAP." You just need medical people who can explain such things to you and help you through the process. You deserve that. And it sounds to me like you aren't getting it from your medical people. Yet, anyway. Keep asking, "what is the next step? Do I talk to the doctor about that now?" Do it as pleasantly as possible so that they are motivated to go out of their way to make it work for you.

And shame on the shamers! The only thing worse than abusive doctors is abusive fellow-patients. Just sayin'. People should be able to express emotions of frustration in patient-oriented forums without being beaten up verbally for it, or what the heck are we all here for? Come on, people. Tighten up!

@robysue: Thanks for being here. It makes a difference.

Cudos,
You DO have control over your machine. Like you, I didn't know I had control when I started, but when I came to this board and started reading, I learned that I can control it myself. My DME actually included the clinical manual, so I was able to do it myself, but not everyone has that advantage. I don't have it, but others on the board will have the link for downloading You might try googling "clinical manual" along with the name and model of your machine. You should be able to download the manual once you locate it.

I adjusted my machine twice, a half point each time, and for two years I haven't touched the settings as that was all I needed to find a comfortable level of sleep.

chunkyfrog wrote: . . .
But mostly, I hope you will come back, with resolve and confidence,
Hopefully before a medical event indicating permanent harm has occurred.
Sometimes, that is what it takes. It makes me sad.

Sadly, Lucy did not read the rest of the story
Cherry picking, much?

Hang in there! It will be worth it! I attempted to use CPAP a number of times over the past five years but failed each time. I went thru several different masks but could rarely manage even four hours with the mask on before pulling it off. I felt utterly defeated.

Earlier this year I ended up in the hospital after three episodes of atrial fibrillation which they determined was most likely caused by sleep apnea. That filled me with a new resolve. I changed doctors and equipment providers and started anew. Now, with the same machine and a mask that is right for me, I am sleeping eight to nine hours every night.

Sure there are a few times I wake up and have to fiddle with the mask, but the effort required sure beats another bout with a-fib or a stroke. My AHI is still not where it needs to be (I average 7.0), but it sure beats the index of 30 that was on my sleep study and the doc and I are working together to make it better. You can do this!

May I apologize for my earlier shameless, yet shameful, shaming of the shamers?

I'm so ashamed.

You shouldn't be.
We want to convince the OP to not give up.
If that annoys a troll, so be it.