I didn't even turn the machine on. I fell asleep within 10 minutes and didn't wake up until 3:00am due to the call of nature. Right back to sleep until 7::00am.
The other nights spent messing with the mask, trying to get comfortable for hours. Waking up and finding the mask somewhere other than on my head. Maybe the treatment worked!
Have a blessed weekend!
Best sleep in weeks!
Best sleep in weeks!
_________________
| Machine | Mask | |||
 |  | |||
| Additional Comments: RemStar Auto A-Flex System One Pressure Setting=17.5 cm | ||||
CPAP therapy doesn't work that way, Daddy. It only works when you sleep WITH the CPAP turned on and the mask on your face. Sleeping w/o your CPAP and mask is as if you NEVER used CPAP at all at any time in your life.
IF you are sleeping better and feeling more rested w/o CPAP and mask than with, you need to bang on your sleep doctor's door, wake him up and insist he figure out WHY and that he remedy the situation!!!
IF you are sleeping better and feeling more rested w/o CPAP and mask than with, you need to bang on your sleep doctor's door, wake him up and insist he figure out WHY and that he remedy the situation!!!
_________________
| Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: PR SystemOne BPAP Auto w/Bi-Flex & Humidifier - EncorePro 2.2 Software - Contec CMS-50D+ Oximeter - Respironics EverFlo Q Concentrator |
Women are Angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly.....on a broomstick. We are flexible like that.
My computer says I need to upgrade my brain to be compatible with its new software.
My computer says I need to upgrade my brain to be compatible with its new software.
Daddy.....
The next time you have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, I suggest that you slap a blood pressure monitor on yourself before you head to the bathroom.
I suspect you'll be shocked at how high your BP is....and that'll probably scare you enough to convince your sub-conscious that you have to wear the mask...with the blower running.
I speak from experience....my BP systolic pressure spiked to over 200 in the middle of the night....a number of times. This scared me so badly that I rushed to get my CPAP equipment. When I figured out what was happening to me, I realized that I was right on the edge of becoming a stroke ravaged vegetable....or a corpse because of a heart attack. I was so scared that I wouldn't even sleep in a prone position until I could get on the hose.
Run some experiments on yourself....gather some data....apply the scientific method......and you might just save your own life.
Gerald
The next time you have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, I suggest that you slap a blood pressure monitor on yourself before you head to the bathroom.
I suspect you'll be shocked at how high your BP is....and that'll probably scare you enough to convince your sub-conscious that you have to wear the mask...with the blower running.
I speak from experience....my BP systolic pressure spiked to over 200 in the middle of the night....a number of times. This scared me so badly that I rushed to get my CPAP equipment. When I figured out what was happening to me, I realized that I was right on the edge of becoming a stroke ravaged vegetable....or a corpse because of a heart attack. I was so scared that I wouldn't even sleep in a prone position until I could get on the hose.
Run some experiments on yourself....gather some data....apply the scientific method......and you might just save your own life.
Gerald
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DreamStalker
- Posts: 7509
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: Nowhere & Everywhere At Once
He'll never make it ... he'll wet himself before he gets an accurate BP reading.Gerald wrote:Daddy.....
The next time you have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, I suggest that you slap a blood pressure monitor on yourself before you head to the bathroom.
I suspect you'll be shocked at how high your BP is....and that'll probably scare you enough to convince your sub-conscious that you have to wear the mask...with the blower running.
I speak from experience....my BP systolic pressure spiked to over 200 in the middle of the night....a number of times. This scared me so badly that I rushed to get my CPAP equipment. When I figured out what was happening to me, I realized that I was right on the edge of becoming a stroke ravaged vegetable....or a corpse because of a heart attack. I was so scared that I wouldn't even sleep in a prone position until I could get on the hose.
Run some experiments on yourself....gather some data....apply the scientific method......and you might just save your own life.
Gerald
But I do think that if Daddy really prefers sleeping without hosing up, then he is really just looking for a good reason to upgrade his life insurance and get funeral arrangements in order. In any case, I do wish him the strength to keep trying to adjust and find the right combination of equipment and tweaks to succeed.
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
You know the saying "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink"
That applies here. If you are correctly diagnosed with SA the best treatment is CPAP. However if you fight it and decide it just won't work for you IT WON'T.
Most of us here realize that it is a necessary fact of life and we have learned to love our masks (at least regard them with affection) but if you don't like it and won't work with it there is nothing we can say to change that.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
That applies here. If you are correctly diagnosed with SA the best treatment is CPAP. However if you fight it and decide it just won't work for you IT WON'T.
Most of us here realize that it is a necessary fact of life and we have learned to love our masks (at least regard them with affection) but if you don't like it and won't work with it there is nothing we can say to change that.
Good luck with whatever you choose.
_________________
| Mask | |
 |
I'm not anti-social; I'm just not user friendly
well hopefully you have good life insurance, I suggest you keep it in force, if you let it lapse you'll probably never be able to obtain it again once they know you have OSA.
the sleep aspect is secondary, think you are too young to suffer the ill effects of OSA?
Don't kid yourself, I know of friends and relatives who have died during their sleep from undiagnosed OSA, one was my brother in-law's best friend, he was 31 healthy and in a whole lot better shape than you appear in your picture. The other one that died was also in shape and he was in his 40's, his mom found him dead the next morning as he was spending the night there.
In fact, I was a lot thinner than you appear, I was 45yrs old, 6' 1" tall and I weighted 177 lbs. far from being obese or fitting the mold when I had the stroke below, that area circled in the black crayon on the MRI is about the size of your thumb from the knuckle up. It is at the caudate head of my basal ganglia, so you might say this is your brain on untreated OSA:
That is NOT some stock photo, that is my MRI from my first stroke. It is real simple when you think about it, when your airway becomes blocked by the tongue or what ever it cuts off oxygen destined to the brain, brain complains says not getting enough oxygen, so it tells the heart to pump faster except the airway is blocked so the lungs cannot filter out CO2 and exchange with oxygen, so the brain tells the heart to beat even faster, the result is hypertension, that begins working on your organs like the kidneys and the heart. The heart being a muscle doesn't fare so well beating faster, like exercising your biceps, it becomes larger, may be good for your arm but not your heart because it only grows larger on one side, that then throws off the normal beating of the heart where it doesn't pump as efficiently as it once did. Pretty soon you end up with Atrial fibrillation, palpitations, leaking valves, pretty soon even congestive heart failure. If your heart doesn't fail, the condition increases the risk of blood clotting within the heart, this fires off tiny little clots destined for your brain, once that happens it is too late, there is no lungs on the way to filter out those clots and you end up with a picture like the above.
Don't think it can happen to you? Don't kid yourself.
You need to address your issues with CPAP one by one. Personally, I couldn't tolerate those nasal prong masks, annoying as hell, like walking around with your fingers buried up to the first knuckle.
When you are a newbie you need therapy that is comfortable and quiet, you have the most noisy interface on the market, probably why you cannot get to sleep.
Next, your pressure is 14 cm and you have a cheapo Plus machine. Hopefully it has CFLEX and you are using it. But if you cannot get to sleep, using a noisy mask doesn't help, using a mask that may be uncomfortable doesn't help, using a machine without Ramp doesn't help.
My opinion: ComfortGel is better than that swift, it is quieter and more comfortable, if you want a mask that is completely silent get a Soyala nasal, looking at your picture, you need a LARGE. But if you want to stick with what you got, get some foam ear plugs from the grocery store for $3 bucks, that will help with the noise and help you get to sleep.
Next, if you USE the Ramp feature your machine will be quieter (motor isn't revving as high), pressure will be lower all things that will help you use the machine while increasing your ability to fall asleep. If your pressure is 14, enable the Ramp, set the starting ramp pressure to 6.5 cm and 45 minutes if you need it, 30 minutes is good to use because if you are not asleep by the time the timer expires you simply hit the button again and it drops the pressure back down to Minimum setting and restarts the clock for another 30-minutes.
USE: a sleep aid, use TylenolPM, Benadryl, Melatonin or anything you can to help you fall asleep.
Next time you see that doctor tell them you are having difficulty with therapy and want to explore other options, I would suggest you ask for a AFlex machine to try, it will be a day and night difference from what you have.
With the Aflex you would set it like 8.0 cm to 16 cm and it would run at the lower pressure until needed but you would be able to tolerate it a lot better than current.
Like I said, you are only kidding yourself if you don't think it will happen to you. When they say untreated OSA can lead to heart attack and stroke, you better believe it.
Tell yourself, I'm going to try and use this thing for an hour and actually try to get to sleep where you first start out all your mind can focus on is the air pressure, noise and discomfort. The next night try for 2 hours, next even longer. Some nights you may even become frustrated and not use it at all, then just sleep on your stomach or side, just avoid sleeping on the back.
Its the effects of hypoxia that will kill ya or leave you with a few divots like above.
the sleep aspect is secondary, think you are too young to suffer the ill effects of OSA?
Don't kid yourself, I know of friends and relatives who have died during their sleep from undiagnosed OSA, one was my brother in-law's best friend, he was 31 healthy and in a whole lot better shape than you appear in your picture. The other one that died was also in shape and he was in his 40's, his mom found him dead the next morning as he was spending the night there.
In fact, I was a lot thinner than you appear, I was 45yrs old, 6' 1" tall and I weighted 177 lbs. far from being obese or fitting the mold when I had the stroke below, that area circled in the black crayon on the MRI is about the size of your thumb from the knuckle up. It is at the caudate head of my basal ganglia, so you might say this is your brain on untreated OSA:
That is NOT some stock photo, that is my MRI from my first stroke. It is real simple when you think about it, when your airway becomes blocked by the tongue or what ever it cuts off oxygen destined to the brain, brain complains says not getting enough oxygen, so it tells the heart to pump faster except the airway is blocked so the lungs cannot filter out CO2 and exchange with oxygen, so the brain tells the heart to beat even faster, the result is hypertension, that begins working on your organs like the kidneys and the heart. The heart being a muscle doesn't fare so well beating faster, like exercising your biceps, it becomes larger, may be good for your arm but not your heart because it only grows larger on one side, that then throws off the normal beating of the heart where it doesn't pump as efficiently as it once did. Pretty soon you end up with Atrial fibrillation, palpitations, leaking valves, pretty soon even congestive heart failure. If your heart doesn't fail, the condition increases the risk of blood clotting within the heart, this fires off tiny little clots destined for your brain, once that happens it is too late, there is no lungs on the way to filter out those clots and you end up with a picture like the above.
Don't think it can happen to you? Don't kid yourself.
You need to address your issues with CPAP one by one. Personally, I couldn't tolerate those nasal prong masks, annoying as hell, like walking around with your fingers buried up to the first knuckle.
When you are a newbie you need therapy that is comfortable and quiet, you have the most noisy interface on the market, probably why you cannot get to sleep.
Next, your pressure is 14 cm and you have a cheapo Plus machine. Hopefully it has CFLEX and you are using it. But if you cannot get to sleep, using a noisy mask doesn't help, using a mask that may be uncomfortable doesn't help, using a machine without Ramp doesn't help.
My opinion: ComfortGel is better than that swift, it is quieter and more comfortable, if you want a mask that is completely silent get a Soyala nasal, looking at your picture, you need a LARGE. But if you want to stick with what you got, get some foam ear plugs from the grocery store for $3 bucks, that will help with the noise and help you get to sleep.
Next, if you USE the Ramp feature your machine will be quieter (motor isn't revving as high), pressure will be lower all things that will help you use the machine while increasing your ability to fall asleep. If your pressure is 14, enable the Ramp, set the starting ramp pressure to 6.5 cm and 45 minutes if you need it, 30 minutes is good to use because if you are not asleep by the time the timer expires you simply hit the button again and it drops the pressure back down to Minimum setting and restarts the clock for another 30-minutes.
USE: a sleep aid, use TylenolPM, Benadryl, Melatonin or anything you can to help you fall asleep.
Next time you see that doctor tell them you are having difficulty with therapy and want to explore other options, I would suggest you ask for a AFlex machine to try, it will be a day and night difference from what you have.
With the Aflex you would set it like 8.0 cm to 16 cm and it would run at the lower pressure until needed but you would be able to tolerate it a lot better than current.
Like I said, you are only kidding yourself if you don't think it will happen to you. When they say untreated OSA can lead to heart attack and stroke, you better believe it.
Tell yourself, I'm going to try and use this thing for an hour and actually try to get to sleep where you first start out all your mind can focus on is the air pressure, noise and discomfort. The next night try for 2 hours, next even longer. Some nights you may even become frustrated and not use it at all, then just sleep on your stomach or side, just avoid sleeping on the back.
Its the effects of hypoxia that will kill ya or leave you with a few divots like above.
someday science will catch up to what I'm saying...
-
DreamStalker
- Posts: 7509
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: Nowhere & Everywhere At Once
Hey Snoredog ... on that MRI, I see some large voids within that grey matter of yours ...
Really good convincing post though ... I hope it pushes him back over onto the right side of the fence.
Really good convincing post though ... I hope it pushes him back over onto the right side of the fence.
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
Snoredog,
According to his profile, his machine doesn't even have C-Flex. He's only been at this since he picked up his machine the 12th of October.
This was his first post/thread.
viewtopic.php?p=216695&highlight=#216695
If you'll notice, I did suggest he get a better machine THEN.
I honestly think he got badgered into this therapy by others and now he wants to play the victim and SHOW THEM!
"My momma always used to tell me......" (fill in your favorite Forrest Gump line here)
Den
According to his profile, his machine doesn't even have C-Flex. He's only been at this since he picked up his machine the 12th of October.
This was his first post/thread.
viewtopic.php?p=216695&highlight=#216695
If you'll notice, I did suggest he get a better machine THEN.
I honestly think he got badgered into this therapy by others and now he wants to play the victim and SHOW THEM!
"My momma always used to tell me......" (fill in your favorite Forrest Gump line here)
Den
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
I guess my problem is
The only way I can ever go to sleep is on my stomach. Any other way is just impossible. I have tried but can't make it work. I have ordered a feather/down pillow. Thanks for pushing me and opening my eyes!
This is the machine that insurance would pay for. I don't have the $$ to get one that everyone has suggested.
You guys are great~!
This is the machine that insurance would pay for. I don't have the $$ to get one that everyone has suggested.
You guys are great~!
_________________
| Machine | Mask | |||
| | |||
| Additional Comments: RemStar Auto A-Flex System One Pressure Setting=17.5 cm | ||||
Last edited by daddyof7 on Fri Nov 02, 2007 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Organplayer
- Posts: 112
- Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:52 am
- Location: Outside of Atlanta,GA
To Daddyof7,
My doc said wear the mask or have a stroke and die in 5 to 7 years. I have had cpap for 4 months and feel better than ever. Make a conscious effort to wear it some each night. Make a plan for 30 days
Wear the mask and live. Don't wear the mask and make your plans for what your family will do after you are gone.
Not sorry to be blunt,
Kevin
My doc said wear the mask or have a stroke and die in 5 to 7 years. I have had cpap for 4 months and feel better than ever. Make a conscious effort to wear it some each night. Make a plan for 30 days
Wear the mask and live. Don't wear the mask and make your plans for what your family will do after you are gone.
Not sorry to be blunt,
Kevin
_________________
| Mask | |
 |
Singing makes me feel better. Its because of all that oxygenation.
1 year and counting.
Average AHI: 2 over the last year
Pressure:14 2600 hrs +
1 year and counting.
Average AHI: 2 over the last year
Pressure:14 2600 hrs +
-
DreamStalker
- Posts: 7509
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 9:58 am
- Location: Nowhere & Everywhere At Once
Re: I guess my problem is
For stomach sleeping, you will need to get a mask/pillow that will accomdate your face hanging over the edge of the pillow without shifting the mask into the leak zone. Others will chime in with their own advice and experience ... take what you think will work or try it all but not give up!daddyof7 wrote:The only way I can ever go to sleep is on my stomach. Any other way is just impossible. I have tried but can't make it work. I have ordered a feather/down pillow. Thanks for pushing me and opening my eyes!
You guys are great~!
President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.
Re: I guess my problem is
OH?daddyof7 wrote:The only way I can ever go to sleep is on my stomach. Any other way is just impossible. I have tried but can't make it work. I have ordered a feather/down pillow. Thanks for pushing me and opening my eyes!
This is the machine that insurance would pay for. I don't have the $$ to get one that everyone has suggested.
You guys are great~!
And what about this suggestion, from Oct. 20, when you first announced you quit:
viewtopic.php?p=218307#218307
ozij wrote:And, in addition to all the above, go to your doc, tell him - her you can't stand straight cpap at a pressure of 14, and ask for a bi-level trial.
<snip>
_________________
| Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: Machine: Resmed AirSense10 for Her with Climateline heated hose ; alternating masks. |
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Good advice is compromised by missing data
Forum member Dog Slobber Nov. 2023
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Good advice is compromised by missing data
Forum member Dog Slobber Nov. 2023
-
Flying_Norseman
- Posts: 321
- Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2007 7:14 pm
-
j.a.taylor
- Posts: 399
- Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 4:59 pm
- Location: Muskegon, Michigan
Re: I guess my problem is
Talk to your doctor about the sleep problems.daddyof7 wrote:This is the machine that insurance would pay for. I don't have the $$ to get one that everyone has suggested.
You guys are great~!
Before you do, find out if your insurance will pay for a better machine if your doctor prescribes one.
That's what I did, and I moved from a bottom-level machine to a data capable machine at no cost to me.
And keep trying until you find out what works for you. It's better to be alive, frustrated, but still trying, than dead, on your back, sleeping forever.
John A. Taylor
Glad SnoreDog appears to have gotten thru to you!!! Whew!
Now get off your duff, no more being a victim, start w/your sleep doctor and get just as pushy as you need to be.
There have been posts in this forum regarding the best mask(s) for tummy sleeping. Do a search and find them.
Get after your DME supplier about the mask. Make it clear if you can't find a mask that lets you sleep comfortably on your tummy they're gonna get their equipment back - no sale.
I'd think, being a tummy sleeper, you would do better w/no pillow at all. Or if you need SOME elevation of your head whilst on your tummy your best bet might be a 100% down pillow. Its the only kind I know that can be scrunched down skinny enough to let you lay on your tummy, turn your head to one side and not have your head elevated so high it hurts your neck. They aren't cheap and you've missed the August white sales but ... what price your health?
Now get off your duff, no more being a victim, start w/your sleep doctor and get just as pushy as you need to be.
There have been posts in this forum regarding the best mask(s) for tummy sleeping. Do a search and find them.
Get after your DME supplier about the mask. Make it clear if you can't find a mask that lets you sleep comfortably on your tummy they're gonna get their equipment back - no sale.
I'd think, being a tummy sleeper, you would do better w/no pillow at all. Or if you need SOME elevation of your head whilst on your tummy your best bet might be a 100% down pillow. Its the only kind I know that can be scrunched down skinny enough to let you lay on your tummy, turn your head to one side and not have your head elevated so high it hurts your neck. They aren't cheap and you've missed the August white sales but ... what price your health?
_________________
| Mask: Quattro™ FX Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear |
| Additional Comments: PR SystemOne BPAP Auto w/Bi-Flex & Humidifier - EncorePro 2.2 Software - Contec CMS-50D+ Oximeter - Respironics EverFlo Q Concentrator |
Women are Angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly.....on a broomstick. We are flexible like that.
My computer says I need to upgrade my brain to be compatible with its new software.
My computer says I need to upgrade my brain to be compatible with its new software.