AHI

lr visitor wrote:I don't understand this business about it taking a long time. I felt better the morning after the first time I used a CPAP. (Better enough that I made my own to use until the official one came through.) I vaguely recall that improvements continued for a few days after starting. But I think the double vision while driving went away immediately. On the other hand, I think feeling generally "with it" continued to improve for a month or more. But most of the improvement, I think, was very quick.

What don't you understand?
Far too many patients are prescribed the wrong pressures.
They are handed ill-fitting (cheap) nasal masks and leak their therapy air out their mouths at night.
Many/most are given machines that don't have exhale relief. (at higher pressures it may be tough to get used to)
Very few machines given to patients have data capabilities to let the patient or doctors know how they're doing.
Many patients have additional health issues (some of which resulted from un-treated sleep apnea).

The lists go on and on, but it's basically a problem with the medical profession failing the patient......and consequently far too many people give up on their therapy.

Den

rooster wrote:

lr visitor wrote:I don't understand this business about it taking a long time. I felt better the morning after the first time I used a CPAP. (Better enough that I made my own to use until the official one came through.) I vaguely recall that improvements continued for a few days after starting. But I think the double vision while driving went away immediately. On the other hand, I think feeling generally "with it" continued to improve for a month or more. But most of the improvement, I think, was very quick.

So you made your own CPAP?

- Sorry couldn't resist... I have an old leaf blower in the garage...

RE: "So, how are you feeling?"

"Doc, I still feel lousy."

"Hmmm, well, I see you're using your machine every night. That's good."

"Then why do I not feel any better?"

"This treatment takes time. Keep using your machine and see me again in six more months. We may need to schedule another sleep study then."

re the above
My specialist, who has so many letters after his name that he takes up a whole line on the letterhead, doesn't use the last line above, he always says that whatever I complain of must be caused by something else and to see my regular Dr. AND WHAT'S MORE says I don't need a retest as I now have a machine ,PB420,that gives a read out (which I found out from his secretary he can't read because he doesn't have the softwear - would he understand it anyway! It's 4 yrs this year since I started therapy after a very unsatisfactory and incomplete final test due to intense pain by a badly fitting mask, do I need to add professionally fitted.
I know, I should, and will, find someone else. My regular Dr. won't give me retest slip, doesn't want to go into his turf.

Does anyone think I should have a retest after 4 yrs. ?? Maybe my machine has to have an accident!

Ms Piggy wrote: ......
Does anyone think I should have a retest after 4 yrs. ?? ..........

What does your data (apneas, hypopneas, leak) look like?

lr visitor wrote:I don't understand this business about it taking a long time. I felt better the morning after the first time I used a CPAP. (Better enough that I made my own to use until the official one came through.) I vaguely recall that improvements continued for a few days after starting. But I think the double vision while driving went away immediately. On the other hand, I think feeling generally "with it" continued to improve for a month or more. But most of the improvement, I think, was very quick.

Glad to find out I wasn't the only one. I think I felt better with my settings than I do now 3 MONTHS LATER with the settings on the machine that I have now finally received. If I had known I was going to get no support from the "best sleep study specialist in Tennessee" I would have not gone back after the initial test and purchased a better mask and used this old machine I got from a family member. I am disappointed that I had to pick a permanent mask after 20 seconds of trying on masks and that without a machine hooked to them. How do you decide on a mask sitting up straight with no airflow.?

Sounds like you and I and Rested Gal all got ot he same clinic.

In fairness, considering that the goal of our healthcare is profit not health, many medical professionals unhappily are forced to work in an assembly line manor, and agree we are not receiving proper care.

Georgio

HEALTH INSURANCE IS LIKE GAMBLING.......YOU'LL NEVER WIN! .... ain't that the truth. ....... just greatful for any health care crumbs being tossed my way .. am nursing a busted rib and dern glad i can actually sleep in the bed again W/ da cpap....glad i didn't consume all 80 - 10mg hydrocodones

In fairness, considering that the goal of our healthcare is profit not health, many medical professionals unhappily are forced to work in an assembly line manor, and agree we are not receiving proper care.

I am a health care professional it really does bother me of the negative post regarding the care people are (not) getting.
Please don't throw the baby out with the bath water. I have given everything and I mean everything to help people get the results as promised.

Please don't throw the baby out with the bath water I know their is few but we are here on the front lines.

After reading a few posts, it sounds as if I need to learn a lot more about the figures I produce during the night. How to retrieve them and how to read them. I remember the sleep tech showing me a card at the back of the machine, but I haven't a clue what to do with it. Someone posted the possibility of having wasted 6 months if I wait for the doctor to step in and do something. I don't know why I can't sleep with the darned thing on my face--is it psychological? Went over all this with the physician and he sent me to this website--I think he's figuring I have the machine, deal with it.

Have had sleep apnea for many years and also had AFIB which was corrected with surgery in France a couple of years ago. I've had a few breakthroughs recently and assumed it was due to apnea and decided to take measures to correct it now before AFIB re-establishes its ugly self.

Susan

susannepal wrote: .... Someone posted the possibility of having wasted 6 months if I wait for the doctor to step in and do something. I don't know why I can't sleep with the darned thing on my face--is it psychological? ....

A great many of us came here with the "wrong machine, wrong mask, wrong machine settings". This could easily describe you also. Forget that "psychological" nonsense for now and let's work on getting the basics right.

Register, fill out your equipment profile (text not images), and start a thread describing your therapy and problems.

Susan,

Can you start a new thread with your particular problems? I'm afraid that no one will notice your post at the bottom of this 2005 thread. It would also help if you would go to the control panel and list your equipment so we can see what machine and mask you are using.

This may not relate as much to the AHI, but it may help some users. I have been wearing a nose pillow mask since November of 2009. For the first month or so, leaks were so bad, I sleep very poorly. The simple solution was to precisely fit most pillows to my Swift LT mask. The ones I tried were not small enough. The leaks stopped and I could loosen the mask to a more toleralbe position. I recently changed to the new version of the mask, much more comfortable, Swift FX. It appears more likely to leak but not enough to bother me or keep me a wake. I have spent the last two months feeling congested. The solution from my doctors, turn up the humidifier. My humidifier did not work properly and dried my sinuses making me feel terrible. It was 60 days before anyone thought to test the machine.

My point is as other people, drive your treatment. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Nice thead!

I have to say I feel that this feild is a bit of quackology and a bit of luck. The clinicians seem to be struggling with flawed science on a grand scale. I went in for a couple of sleep studies. The results were wildly different and, when compared to the home study even more so. it is interesting that the medics semm to have a veil of mystery around what they are doing but patients who take the reins themselves appear to have a much better time of things. I for one have found the equipment supplied to me to be rudimentary at best and inadequate for my "type". I have just purchased the Resmed S9 APAP with all the bangs and whistles. it has taken control of my therapy by doing real time ajustments and my AHI is now 2.1 which is deemed to be normal. My message is "DONT TRUST THE DOCTORS. CHECK EVERTHING, TAKE CHARGE"

Mystafyxa wrote:Nice thead!

I have to say I feel that this feild is a bit of quackology and a bit of luck. The clinicians seem to be struggling with flawed science on a grand scale. I went in for a couple of sleep studies. The results were wildly different and, when compared to the home study even more so. it is interesting that the medics semm to have a veil of mystery around what they are doing but patients who take the reins themselves appear to have a much better time of things. I for one have found the equipment supplied to me to be rudimentary at best and inadequate for my "type". I have just purchased the Resmed S9 APAP with all the bangs and whistles. it has taken control of my therapy by doing real time ajustments and my AHI is now 2.1 which is deemed to be normal. My message is "DONT TRUST THE DOCTORS. CHECK EVERTHING, TAKE CHARGE"

Welcome to the forum.
You've learned the same things as most of the rest of us.
Good luck with your therapy.
If you'd care to register on the forum and partake in the discussions, please feel free to do so.


Den

I was wondering if anyone has been using ( expiratory pressure relief) EPR ( RESMED ) in their therapy? I was curious to see if therapists were setting EPR since it has to be done in the clinical settings for RESMED. If using.. can you notably feel a difference?