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James, that is an INCREDIBLY long time to spend without breathing - even with nasal issues. Let us know what you figure out.

Hi James,

My data is as follows. Average apnoeas per night = 2
Average length of apnoea = 10 seconds



I hope you get your situation sorted out quickly.

Chin up mate.

Peter

Hey Slinky,

That's some pretty wild math!!



Peter

CollegeGirl wrote:James, that is an INCREDIBLY long time to spend without breathing - even with nasal issues.

Yeah I'm not even using my nose to breath at all now. I'm using the Oral only mask. For reasons that I don't understand the oral mask doesn't seem to be able to control apnea nearly as well as the nasal mask.

Its been really hard to keep my spirits up lately feeling this destroyed each day. Even worse has been the seeming lack of interest by the medical profession. I show them charts to try to indicate how bad its gotten and its as if they don't even know how to interrupt them.

Maybe you should suggest helping them understand by assisting them in holding THEIR breath for fifteen minutes. That might get the point across.

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. It's got to be so frustrating. I'm sure you've also tried showing them "before" and "after" charts, no?

I wish you luck. Be sure to keep us updated - we'll be worrying about ya.

Hey, Peter (pedroski) posted an image of his AutoScan report: does it not say Time in Apnea 0.0 % ???

Yeah, well, mine reads Time in Apnea 0.3% So what do I know, I'm just parroting what AutoScan showed me.

Jim, your previous picture was so attractive w/such a pleasant smile. If this recent picture is since this nose problem, then for God's sake your doctors should be able to SEE what it is doing to you!!! Your eyes look like two pee holes in the snow.

Is there any chance at all that you can convince one of them to give you at least a one night oximetry?? Can't an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) doctor do ANYTHING for you? You've been on that anti-fungal long enough now one would think you would be seeing some relief and if not that the doctors would start getting concerned and give some more thought to their choice of treatment. At least they did FINALLY do a culture. Have you gotten the results back? Did they do a sensitivity too? I was flabbergasted several years ago when one of my doctors (not one I kept) took a swab and submitted it for culture - but never asked for sensitivity. Said we didn't need it, that they knew what bacteria were sensitive to what antibiotic. Say, why go to the expense and trouble of a culture then???? Sheesh!

Anyway, know you have our sympathy. If you think your docs would pay any attention to the results I'll send you my SPO 7500 PLUS the software and cable and you can run a couple of nights of oximetry. Just PM me if interested!!

I'm don't mean to get too personal - but - (((hugs)))

15 minutes per night is really alarming. Mine is about 1-2 minutes in apnea per night. I can give you a theory based on my own experiences. I'm a stubborn mouth breather and always have been at night. I currently use the swift with mouth taped and am doing pretty well.

Well, I got the bright idea to try the Hybrid mask. Things basically went to hell when I did this. Since my natural tendency is to mouth breath with the hybrid, my apnea events went real high. My theory for myself is that my tongue causes most of my apnea problems. So when my mouth is allowed to pop open using the hyprid, my tongue relaxes to the point that it blocks the airway. When my trap is kept shut with tape and I can only breath through my nose, the apnea problem goes away.

My guess is that once you get your nose issues straight, you'll be able to get better treatment and will start feeling better again. I know I don't ever want to go back to that bad place of being a zombie all the time, so I sincerely hope you get this issue straighted out ASAP.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): swift

Slinky wrote:Hey, Peter (pedroski) .......................
Yeah, well, mine reads Time in Apnea 0.3% .........................................

Slinky,

0.3% is 0.3%. It is not 30%.

rooster

Well, duh, yer right. I was only using the 3 decimal points. Instead of 5. Color me REALLY red-faced. Hey, I can still make change at the store! Honest injun. And it didn't occur to me that an hour a month equaled out to 2 minutes a night. Gonna go crawl in a hole and practice my math.

Slinky goes slinking off into the sunset to find that hole.

As of my last download on Saturday

3.1 minutes in apnea
2.7 AHI

plus I have a sinus infection (on anti-biotics) and just finished with a skin infection/fungus

Don't feel bad Slinky. We love your avatar.

Thanks OleGearHead. But I think I better give up for the night!!! Thank goodness I don't have to go shopping!!!! Maybe I "can't" make change any more!!!!

oldgearhead wrote:Don't feel bad Slinky. We love your avatar.

Yeah, when I can't sleep at night, I come downstairs and stare at it.

Thanks, Rooster. We "do" get desperate some nights when we can't sleep, don't we? Last night was one of mine.

jskinner wrote:Yeah I'm not even using my nose to breath at all now. I'm using the Oral only mask. For reasons that I don't understand the oral mask doesn't seem to be able to control apnea nearly as well as the nasal mask.

James,

Sounds like you've got a problem similar to the one I had with a full-face mask. Bummer. In my case I'm pretty sure that it's TMJ issues, and the air pressure simply pushes my lower jaw back. I posted about it at the time eleven months ago and it turned out that a few others had somewhat similar experiences with apnea and TMJ issues.

So what's the deal with your sinus issues? Evidently, you were able use nasal masks initially. Why did that change? Have you tried nightly nasal irrigations? How about anti-histamines?

{New Edit} OK, I read about your experience with possible fungal infection, but still wonder if you've tried serious sinus irrigation with a device like the Grossan nasal irrigation system or have you been squirting a small amount of water up your nose. I can assure you that there is a big difference with the Grossan compared to squirting water.

Breathe-Rite strips also might help. Good luck getting help from your physicians. {End Edit}

Regards,
Bill