CPAPtalk.com

Personally, I am getting tired of the biases in sleep physicians' offices

Quit going to their offices.

Thanks for all of the responses. Ha, I saw the first two people both had frogs as their avatars and I thought maybe to blend in I had to get a frog also.

These are not the answers I wanted, but they were the ones I expected. So, I guess I'm probably going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life. I also get from this that the devices I see advertised (little appliances that you put into your mouth to, presumably, open the airwaves are likely to do nothing for me).

Someone asked so I'll mention that I'm not having problems with my unit - just that I have to use it. I hate having to use it but know that I must, so I do. It impacts my sex life and is an annoyance because we travel a lot and I have to take it. Those are my two biggest complaints.

Comments: Is it a problem that I don't use the water attachment to my unit? I never have. I guess it would dry out my mouth and throat, but otherwise I don't feel it need it. I also don't know all of the terminology as many of you do, for example I don't know what AHI means. Maybe it was told to me but I don't remember. Does any of this really matter as long as I'm using my unit faithfully, as I am?

I'll have to read much more on this site to become more educated. This is only my second post and I've not read much on here.

All comments on my situation are appreciated.

Hi MG, the 'water' thing you refer to is a humidifier attachment, optional for use in dry conditions for many people either in e.g. Arizona, or the north in winter when central heating makes indoors too dry. It doesn't dry you out, but makes breathing easier unless you're like me (I need it for a few wks in winter only) who gets congested using it when I don't need to - live too close to the ocean I guess. AHI = apnea/hypopnea Index, or the number of apneas you have per hour overnight - the specific # we all look to see as far below 5/hr a night as possible. It's not everything, but it's a lot, so if it's good, and we feel good, we're usually doing ok on cpap.

You may well not have to use it in its present form (or any form) all of your life because science and technology are moving so fast and e.g. today's machines are nothing like what people used even 15 yrs ago, and completely new ways to treat apnea are already being tried out. So just hang in there for now, be glad your worst problems are not stroke and MI's, because you never know what's coming.

KillingMe wrote:

Personally, I am getting tired of the biases in sleep physicians' offices

Quit going to their offices.

KillingMe,

Well, I have quit going to the ones with the biases:) But even though I have quit going, the bias is still out there and god only knows how many people are being harmed by that.

49er

MoneyGuy wrote:It impacts my sex life .

*most* of us don't have sex with the cpap on....

MoneyGuy wrote: Comments: Is it a problem that I don't use the water attachment to my unit? I never have. I guess it would dry out my mouth and throat, but otherwise I don't feel it need it. I also don't know all of the terminology as many of you do, for example I don't know what AHI means. Maybe it was told to me but I don't remember. Does any of this really matter as long as I'm using my unit faithfully, as I am?

the humidifier is for your comfort, use it or don't, your choice.

there's a good wiki attached to the page here (look, up there at the top) it'll answer your questions about terminology.

Weight loss is ALWAYS a good thing for your health. If it helps your apnea, it's a nice bonus. Some people are lucky enough to no longer need CPAP when they lose weight, some people are not. It may be worth a try--all you have to lose is extra weight. Keep in mind that if your apnea improves if you lose weight, it will come right back if you regain the weight, as 90% of people who lose weight on a diet do. So don't toss your CPAP if you manage to "outgrow" it.

What most doctors fail to recognize is that it may be the apnea that CAUSED the weight gain in the first place. Apnea seriously interferes with the hormones which regulate blood sugar control, appetite, and weight gain.

I've lost 75 lbs, and my pressure has decreased a little bit, but I will need CPAP for life because I have a very narrow airway to begin with. I have probably needed CPAP since I was a young and exceptionally SKINNY child. But nobody tested children in the paleolithic era when I was a child.

We've seen some people here who no longer needed CPAP, and some people who needed MORE pressure when they lost weight. Everyone is unique.

Janknitz wrote: But nobody tested children in the paleolithic era when I was a child.

in all fairness, it was difficult back then... I mean, since they hadn't invented electricity, where would you plug the machine in????

MoneyGuy wrote: Comments: Is it a problem that I don't use the water attachment to my unit? I never have. I guess it would dry out my mouth and throat, but otherwise I don't feel it need it. I also don't know all of the terminology as many of you do, for example I don't know what AHI means. Maybe it was told to me but I don't remember. Does any of this really matter as long as I'm using my unit faithfully, as I am?

As others have said it is just a humidifier, I recommend you do not get rid of it, because even though I am not using mine right now, it is summer and the humidity levels where I live are sufficient to keep me from drying out. But seasons change, plus with your traveling you could end up in a dry climate and without the humidifier you could have very dry nasal passages which can lead to nose bleeds or other issues. Just remember to hit up the grocery store for distilled water wherever you end up.

Janknitz wrote:We've seen some people here who no longer needed CPAP, and some people who needed MORE pressure when they lost weight. Everyone is unique.

Oi.

That is depressing, some need even more therapy when they lose weight...

palerider wrote:

MoneyGuy wrote:It impacts my sex life .

*most* of us don't have sex with the cpap on....

MoneyGuy wrote: Comments: Is it a problem that I don't use the water attachment to my unit? I never have. I guess it would dry out my mouth and throat, but otherwise I don't feel it need it. I also don't know all of the terminology as many of you do, for example I don't know what AHI means. Maybe it was told to me but I don't remember. Does any of this really matter as long as I'm using my unit faithfully, as I am?

the humidifier is for your comfort, use it or don't, your choice.

there's a good wiki attached to the page here (look, up there at the top) it'll answer your questions about terminology.

If you are using cpap for sex, you are doing both wrong.... Just hook the O2 tank hoses up your nose directly. Sex if done correctly requires more O2 than sleeping. Jim

That is depressing, some need even more therapy when they lose weight...

What's depressing to me is doctors who PRESUME that obesity causes sleep apnea--they have already determine it in their heads before they even look at the person to see the architecture of the airway, palate, and teeth, before they know if there's a neurological factor, etc. Because SOME patients manage to lose weight and SOME of these patients manage to reduce or eliminate the need for CPAP, they assume everyone can, and literally promise that. Ignorant and false expectations.

Janknitz wrote:Weight loss is ALWAYS a good thing for your health.

Well, not ALWAYS. You can be too thin. Don't forget there is such a thing as anorexia, etc.

Some people who are somewhat "overweight" may not be healthier at a lower weight, especially if they do the wrong thing to lose the weight.

However, I will agree that most of us would be better at a lower weight, especially those who are "overweight" according to the standard height vs. weight charts.

palerider wrote:

Janknitz wrote: But nobody tested children in the paleolithic era when I was a child.

in all fairness, it was difficult back then... I mean, since they hadn't invented electricity, where would you plug the machine in????

We used specially trained mammoths like Wilma Flintstone's vacuum cleaner.



Come to think of it, the first CPAP machines actually were modified vacuum cleaners. (electrical, not biological.)

archangle wrote:especially those who are "overweight" according to the standard height vs. weight charts.

saw a thing recently about how most of the olympic athletes are overweight accordging to those wonderful charts

muscle is *heavy*

Yes it is PailRider.