Do I really have Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

So, the boss asked me this morning, if I was going to be bring my CPAP into the office to stop snoring at work.

I know I had been dozing off at work, which I told my doctor and led to the sleep study, etc....didn't know that I was snoring though.

Not sure how to respond.

Going back to when I started, (and before he became my boss) he had said that I can sleep at work as long as I don't snore. The previous occupant of my cubicle used to snore, and collect bottle caps (thrown over the cube walls at him). Apparently that guy was eventually escorted away, which was bad because he never told anybody about his health problems and losing his insurance was bad. So, I had mentioned all this to my boss, at least, once.

Wonder if its too soon to be asking for another CPAP, I don't really want the extra bag riding to/from work.

The Dreamer.

When you have been using your machine for little awhile, at night, you will probably not need it at work because you will probably not be falling asleep at work. That won't be long so I would not even start taking it to work.

It's good you checked it out. This is a killer and you may have very well saved your life. I have it as well and just completed several surgeries to help my situation. There may be some things you can do to improve your situation if you have a good ent doctor. If your lucky you live in a city where they have lots of experience where they can really help and not hurt your situation. I am in the sf bay area and was lucky to find a great surgeon. But cpap will help in the mean time or the rest of your life.

ozij wrote:

TheDreamer wrote: I picked up the humidifier this morning. Not sure if I can find distilled water to use in it for the first couple of nights.

I'm guessing the tank isn't dishwasher safe?

No rules about that, depends on the maker and model, you might find it stated - one way or the other - in the instructions.

I had skimmed the manual quickly while at the DME, but didn't see anything that lept out one way or the other. I was guess that the seals probably wouldn't handle being run through the dishwasher.

But, didn't think to look at the respironics site...but the FAQ says it can be, but the seals have to be removed before and then put back afterwards. But, sounds like if I use just distilled water, it should stay clean longer.

Then I started wondering how to I clean the other bits. I'm the type that piles up his dirty dishes in the sink until he's out of dirty dishes....so I don't think washing my mask/hoses in the sink will be an option. Bathroom (sink) also get's kind of grungy between cleanings. Though I did recently clean it....because I had to after shaving my beard off. (I don't normally have one, but I let it grow for vacation/holidays...and I know it annoys my mother

When you are told that even right after cleaning something, it isn't clean....you learn to stop cleaning. My mother now uses a maid service, and she'll clean some more after the maid has gone..... Which explains a lot, because there were a couple of times where I hired somebody to clean before she dropped by for a visit...and it still wasn't clean enough.

Guess I'll plan on buying a dish pan or something just for mask/hose cleaning.

The FAQ on respironics says the headgear can be machine washed....so I'm think I might do that. Wonder if I have a bag to put it in first...

The Dreamer.

TheDreamer wrote:......... And, then there was her answer for my being diagnosed with depression...its all in my head, and I just need to stop being depressed.

.........

In my experience most MDs, psychiatrist and mental health counselors are not aware that sleep disordered breathing is a major cause of depression.

TheDreamer wrote: Wonder if I want to keep my scheduled call to my mom tonight.

The Dreamer

I found once my cpap therapy was working well, I could more easily tolerate obnoxious family members. Even obnoxious people in general.

TheDreamer wrote:............
I normally start the night off sleeping on my stomach (in the winter time) and then switching to my back. So, now that I wasn't all wired up...I tried that with the mask. I couldn't find a spot on my pillow where the mask didn't leak horribly when sleeping on my stomach, and holding the mask in position with my left hand wasn't really a long term sleep on my stomach solution. Also during this first part, I seemed to figure out how to swallow without inflating my ears.

Eventually, I set out to figure out how to sleep on my back with the mask.

.......
The Dreamer.

You might want to search the forum for “best masks for stomach sleeping” since some are more suitable and others are not suitable at all. If you don’t find it in the forum then make a new post, “Best Mask for Stomach Sleeping?”.

Here is a good description of the Falcon position for stomach sleeping: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36738&p=319170&hilit=falcon#p319170

TheDreamer wrote: ……..
I had skimmed the manual quickly while at the DME, but didn't see anything that lept out one way or the other. I was guess that the seals probably wouldn't handle being run through the dishwasher.

But, didn't think to look at the respironics site...but the FAQ says it can be, but the seals have to be removed before and then put back afterwards. But, sounds like if I use just distilled water, it should stay clean longer.

Then I started wondering how to I clean the other bits………

………….

The Dreamer.

If you use distilled water why wash the tank? I have been using mine for about one year without cleaning. The same goes for the hose, I don’t ever wash it. It only gets filtered air and distilled water pushed through it. Washing it is more likely to introduce contaminants than just leaving it alone.

Don’t ever take that tank apart because this can easily cause leaks. Very poor design.

Masks don’t need to be washed very often unless you have acne or oily face. It helps to wash your face before putting the mask on each night.

TheDreamer wrote: ..............
……. Like thinking of getting the EncoreViewer software and reader....

The Dreamer

I would make this high on the priority list. It is difficult for a sleep lab to get the settings correct with one night sleeping in a strange environment with strange people around gluing things to your body. You need the software to monitor apneas, hypopneas and leaks. You can use it to titrate to an optimal pressure in your usual sleeping environment.

. wrote:.........
As far as not noticing your dreams so much, I think it's more likely that you are actually dreaming more because you are spending more time in the deeper phases of sleep.........

Typically we dream more in REM and less in slow-wave sleep (deep).

TheDreamer wrote:So, the boss asked me this morning, if I was going to be bring my CPAP into the office to stop snoring at work.

I know I had been dozing off at work, which I told my doctor and led to the sleep study, etc....didn't know that I was snoring though.

Not sure how to respond.

……

The Dreamer.

How about this, “Boss, I am going to start cpap therapy and get it optimized. After a short time, I will be too alert and energetic to sleep at work.”

Good luck,

TheDreamer wrote: I picked up the humidifier this morning. Not sure if I can find distilled water to use in it for the first couple of nights.

I'm guessing the tank isn't dishwasher safe?

I wouldn't put it in the dishwasher. If you do use tap water for a few nights, the mineral deposits should come out easily with some white (distilled) vinegar. I do that when I forget to buy more distilled water. It shouldn't need much cleaning at all when you are using distilled water.

Last night was my first night with the heated humidifier....it was kind of mixed night.

It went on so well, that I wasn't sure it was even working. Other than that I would've had difficulty breathing with the CPAP off, it certainly didn't feel like it was on the same way before the humidifier. Guess the lack of cold dry against the inside of my nose confused me.

So, I spent the first part of the night feeling for the air flow, and then wondering if I was feeling the right air flow. Didn't need ramp (at this stage). However, there was more noise from things last night...I guess its just the added sound of the air going through the humidifier now. Though it might also be that I put the machine in a different spot, due to its added size.

But, this time I was up twice during the night.....rolling over and nearly drowning is kind of a problem. I had ordered a HoseBuddy, to help with getting tangled up in the hose during the night. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten rid of the headboard for my bed a couple of months ago.... I think I debated getting a hose cover, trying to pad my order to be over $99....though I probably won't go liberate it from UPS until the 10th....

Going back to sleep after the near drowning was harder....did feel the need to use ramp once.

Then when I woke up there was a 'new' smell inside my nose. Though later when I was cleaning things, it looks like its a 'feature' of the dish soap I'm using. Guess I'll add baby shampoo or something to my (mental) shopping list. Hopefully I'll remember while grocery shopping hungry....

The fit was a little off, because I was using the medium nasal pillow...which the RT has said seemed like the right size for me. Though sleep study had recommended the large nasal pillow. Guess the large nasal pillow is what I'll stick with using for now.

I recalled a dream from last night....the annoying kind. I dreamed that I had woken up because my nose had water in it, and that I had pulled off the mask and turned off the CPAP and....then I woke up to find that I needed to actually do what I had just dreamed.

The Dreamer.

Good start, Dreamer, and glad you're here! Stay patient with the necessary trial & error process that is unavoidable here. It does come together if you persist as you are now, with asking for help, reading everything on this forum that you can, and trying different things. Just a few brief comments, as I am sure in your reading of "Our Wisdom" and "Where a CPCP Newbie Should Start," (not to mention using simple searches of the forum by topic) you will see these same suggestions over & over again.

TheDreamer wrote:....Eventually, I set out to try putting it on. It was a lot harder than I expected....Not to mention that it is hard to do in the dark (the silly lamp next to my bed didn't work either, apparently never has since I moved in...but never had cause to try it until last night).

Do take some time to carefully fit your mask during the daylight hours, while lying on your bed with the cpap turned on. Once you get the straps comfortable and check/correct for leaking in different sleeping positions, you can then put on your mask at night before attaching to the machine, and have a reasonably good idea of how it should be sitting on your face most effectively. I only have to readjust my straps after washing them.

TheDreamer wrote:....I couldn't find a spot on my pillow where the mask didn't leak horribly when sleeping on my stomach, and holding the mask in position with my left hand wasn't really a long term sleep on my stomach solution. .....Eventually, I set out to figure out how to sleep on my back with the mask.

IMHO it would be a very good thing if you can start out this whole experience by learning to sleep on your side, as sleeping on your back is not generally ever recommended since it lends to easier collapse of the airway---and since you've already learned that stomach sleeping will require a lot of skill and finesse!! Save that for later on. Practice sleeping with your face on the edge of the pillow to be sure your exhalation vent is not blocked, and to allow your mask to be much less disturbed. That $12 memory pillow at Big Lots that someone has mentioned here, works really well for me with a similar mask (Swift LT).

TheDreamer wrote:....but now with the mask off, my nose is feeling sore.

Yes, your nose will feel sore for a couple of weeks until it toughens up to the new "rub." Get some hand cream with aloe (Aveeno is one example and works well) to rub on the edges of your nose several times a day to heal that soreness. Ayr gel is great for rubbing inside your nostrils during the day to relieve soreness there. My personal experience is that the Ayr is not good to use at night, as it makes the nasal pillows too easily slip out of place. YMMV.

TheDreamer wrote:...Now to figure out how to work the care of my mask into my morning routine. And, perhaps I need to acquire a nightstand for the other side of the bed to put the CPAP on....the blue lights were annoyingly bright. Not sure if pulling my blanket over the machine is really the best way to go.

You can actually just lay anything over the top of your machine to block out those dratted lights. Morning routine can be 2-3 minutes, so not an ordeal. I am one who removes the nasal pillow from the headgear every morning, giving it a very quick wash with baby shampoo or mild detergent under the faucet, then shake it out well, put it on a dry washcloth for the day to dry. That's it. I have found that I keep a more consistent seal on my nose by making sure there are no oils left on it by the daily washing.
Not a good idea, from what I've learned here, to remove that gasket from your HH tank. It's hard to replace properly for the right seal, apparently. I would never put mine in the dishwasher, but that's me. Once every 6-8 weeks, I have just put baby shampoo & tap water in a basin, swished the 2 halves of the HH and rubbed the things down inside & out with my fingers, rinse and dry out for the day.

Keep up the good efforts, Dreamer. And keep that positive, pro-active attitude!

I have similar issues with my family. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy. My family tells me I make way too much of the sleep disorders and that it's just a psychological issue. They believe that I'm a hypochondriac because I've been on this years-long mission to find out what the heck is wrong with me. I've been tested for all sorts of things like seizures, brain tumors, thyroid disorders, etc and been diagnosed with mental disorders when none of these tests actually revealed any problem. It's been crazy alright!

Finally the sleep studies have shown something and I feel I'm on the right path to getting my life together. You'd think my family would be supportive. Nope. One family member recently told me I don't even need a CPAP because my grandmother has apnea (she's never had a sleep study afaik) and she's still alive and "fine" (if you consider "fine" serious heart problems and strokes that left her partially blind etc) at 90 years old.

And when I complain of excessive sleepiness and being unable to function in my life they say I'm lazy and need to stop thinking about it and it will stop happening. I know it's not true, but there's still this voice in the back of my mind repeating it and I feel very guilty when I feel sleepy and can't get done everything I should get done and generally just cannot keep up with life like most people can.

But I continue to try and work with my doctor and learn everything I can about the CPAP and sleep disorders and everything like that so that I can improve my life. I've been speaking to my family less and less and at this point am considering shutting them out of my life completely, for my own wellbeing. I think I have to consider my psychological wellbeing as well as my physical wellbeing and they are very bad for me.

I don't know your entire situation so maybe my post won't mean much to you, but I feel very alone and unsupported myself when my family is so unsupportive and abusive toward me. I was reminded of that when I read your comments about your family saying you're lazy and fat. I hope you won't take what they say too seriously, for me that's difficult, and I hope you'll have success with your CPAP machine. It's good you found your way here, there are many people here very knowledgable on the CPAP stuff so it's a great resource.

Nobody,
I hope that you will find a new family of supprtive people right here in this forum. I hope that your apnea therapy works wonders for you and you can prove your family wrong about everything. But then, you would have to change your nake to "Somebody Special"

TheDreamer,
You are on the right track. Keep it up.

Bev

Ya, I suppose to my mother I might seem like a bit of hypochondriac, because I now see my doctor at least once a year. Growing up a doctor was only somebody I saw because it looked like I was going to die or it was the law. As a child, I always had an allergic reaction to penicillin....but I didn't know until I was in my 20's that I was allergic to penicillin. (was in the hospital for an outpatient procedure, when they gave me penicillin....) Because my mother take over my treatment and never tell anybody what was up. Getting my own medical history is nearly impossible, and she get's all defensive when I try to dig. Later found out that I'm also allergic to sulfa.

So much for the 3 drug cocktail that cures ulcers. It was also years of suffering with that before I saw a doctor on my own....

There's also the fact that I've had echos 3 times as child...because different doctors all heard murmurs, they all got the same result from the test...something my mother already knew the results to. Later as an adult I had another echo done, and after I told my mother about it...she said she already knew that, etc.

My sunken chest amplifies my heart sounds to make it sound like a murmur. Though now I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't a symptom that had been neglected 'til now.

Some people (including my shrink, when I saw one) think I should just stop talking to my mother and things would be a whole lot better. Only problem is that isn't really possible. First time couple of times, I didn't call for a while...and she called the cops. Though the second time, my phone was broken. I sometimes wonder why I even have a phone.... Now I'm thinking at least I'll ditch having a landline. Though putting off the hassle of convincing the phone company that I want to ditch phone service, while keeping DSL.

The 3rd time I stopped talking to my mom...she rallied all my relatives to think I was the bad son.... She still doesn't think what she had said that caused me to hang up and stop talking to her as wrong. I had hinted that I was planning to visit one summer....that same summer that my brother was planning to introduce them to his girlfriend. My mom basically said, she already doesn't like me....and didn't want me distracting attention from my brother (the favorite) and his girlfriend...but that I should send just my girlfriend for her to check out.

She eventually left, and a few months later I was back to calling my mom. Someday I should probably change my wireless SSID.

Though now it is harder to avoid hearing from my mother....my dad has been showing her how to use a computer and send emails. Though his concern is she's gonna need to know how to do it to manage finances when he goes. Last new year, he was gonna refuse treatment and just die....fortunately the spots on his X-ray wasn't the return of his cancer, so he accepted treatment....

Guess I'll never get married until I'm 70+.

These days, the biggest gripe is that I don't listen to my mother....guess I would rather live.

I don't normally have much contact with my other relatives....though it did help when I brought up the sleep study first with my aunt instead of my mother (and they talked before I had to call my mother....it wasn't planned that it would happen that way, but it was really good that it did). I have learned that my grandfather was on my side....though my mother didn't talk much about that until recently. Now that I should probably go visit him while he still might remember who I am.

I'm wondering how to go ask my doctor to write me some extra scripts before I do that....like wondering how to ask him to write my a prescription for distilled water. Since I'm likely to make the trip to see my grandfather before my next scheduled appointment with him.

The Dreamer

Fourth Night Update....

Well, last night was different...I turned down the humidifier to prevent rain-out, it didn't feel as comfortable as it was the night before. I got a note that my cover has shipped, only its going to the wrong address. It hate it when companies ask for shipping address, but then ignore it and send items to your billing address. I only get to my PO box a few times each month..... They did apparently upgrade the shipment to go by priority mail though....

I had a dream....don't recall the specifics, except that I tell I was having one....so I woke up, and found that I had rolled over and knocked my mask part way off...and had opened my mouth.

So, I got up and made a trip to the bathroom and the kitchen....and then back to sleep.

I woke up before my alarm...and decided to just stay up....rather than make a trip to the bathroom, put mask back on and try to get some shuteye during the 45 minutes that were left before the alarm.

Taking the mask off, there was that strange smell and my nose was feeling sore. Wonder if I'm just smelling the part that was being covered by the mask....

Wonder if I'll look strange if I bought Lansinoh (I normally never go to that section of the grocery store, but I was there yesterday when I was looking for baby shampoo).

Not sure which way I'll go, in the mean time...keep humidifier low or risk drowning...

Now my jaw seems to be sore in the mornings....

The Dreamer.

UPS was here this morning. I now have a UPS and a Night Stand...time to rearrange how I have things laid out....

Waiting on FedEx to show up with my water distiller.

The Dreamer.

TheDreamer wrote:..........
Guess I'll never get married until I'm 70+.

.......

If you are sure about that then don't worry to contribute to the 401k. Spend the money on yourself now.

70+ bachelors are rare and there are plenty of 70+ rich chicks who would be thrilled to support one in fine style.

Actually you could let one find you now and go ahead with your retirement.

Make sure she changes the will.

TheDreamer wrote: There's also the fact that I've had echos 3 times as child...because different doctors all heard murmurs, they all got the same result from the test...something my mother already knew the results to. Later as an adult I had another echo done, and after I told my mother about it...she said she already knew that, etc.

My sunken chest amplifies my heart sounds to make it sound like a murmur. Though now I'm starting to wonder if it wasn't a symptom that had been neglected 'til now.

If your sunken chest is a result of a condition called pectus excavatum (malformation of the rib cage and sternum),then you very well may have a heart murmur. Pectus excavatum is commonly associated with scoliosis (which you mentioned in an earlier post) and mitral valve prolapse (leaky heart valve that produces the heart murmur sound). Many people do just fine with mitral valve prolapse, but certainly your physician should determine how often echocardiograms should be performed and if any other diagnostic work is needed.

You should let your dentist know if you in fact have a heart murmur. When invasive dental work is done (including regular cleanings), bacteria from the mouth can be released into the bloodstream. The bacteria can target a defective heart valve and cause serious infection. Many people with heart murmurs "pre-medicate" with antibiotics about an hour prior to dental work. I believe there are some new, complicated clinical guidelines about who should medicate under what circumstances. Your physician or dentist can advise you (and of course tell them about your drug allergies when discussing pre-medication antibiotics).

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your CPAP therapy.