I hate C-PAPs!

sisterfunkhaus · August 3, 2008

Your doctor should have set you up to get one. A good doctor will do that. If you have insurance, it should be covered. I have a cpap and I got used to it after about 3-4 nights. A good way to get used to it if it is really hard is to set a goal to wear it for 3 hours a night 1st week, 4 hours second week, etc... Keep bumping it up each week. One day, you'll wake up having slept through the night. I actually had to stop wearing it b/c I have bad, bad sinus problems and it was making me have ear and sinus infections. I have lost wnough weight that I am okay now though.

It really isn't bad, it's just something you have to get used to.

Telecia · August 4, 2008

Losing weight is NO GUARANTE your sleep apnea will go away, for many it does or becomes mild enough they dont need the CPAP machine anymore but it is not a gurantee, Skinny people can and do get sleep apnea too. Just not as commonly.

Are You sleeping with the Enemy?
By Scott Standage, M.D.

email: drbandage@yahoo.com

If an intruder tried to suffocate you with a pillow hundreds of times a night, you’d call the police. In the case of sleep apnea, the airway blocks off and breathing will stop for up to several minutes--but the victim has no idea it's even happening. According to Ralph Downey III, PhD, of the Sleep Disorders Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, California, “The body, in essence, is being assaulted by the damage done from intermittent lack of oxygen to the heart, brain and other important organ systems, and yet such an assault goes unreported. That is, patients who have these symptoms don't always have their sleep apnea corrected. Perhaps in the light of a metaphor such as the one of being assaulted by our own sleep disorder, people would take more care of their sleep. Their hearts will thank them.”

Rest of the article is here www.cpaptalk.com CPAP and Sleep Apnea Discussion Forum

Letting Apnea go untreated not only causes higher risks of accidents from driving or operating machinery, They are now starting to show studies that OSA may be linked to depression, diabetes and other diseases.

People suffering from untreated apnea may have , loss of memory, Heart attacks, high blood pressure, irritability(mood swings), depression, malaise, loss of productivity and work performance, extreme mental and physical exhaustion, loss of judgment, Many often also find they increase their carb intake in order to have more energy/stay awake.

Its not always easy to get used to wearing the mask but It can be done, It takes time and effort and alot of trial and error. And one of the biggest mistakes people make is making due with the first mask your given. Which often doesn't fit right in the first place, you have to keep trying till you find the one right for you, of course the medical supply companys wont tell you this cause they LOSE money when you need to try several masks.

Like many others I didn't want to wear a mask to bed at night. But after the night in the lab after they put a mask on me sfter 1 hour I actually got several hours uninterupted sleep for the first time in years!! I decided then I would wear the mask somehow. That was 14 years ago. And I love my CPAP now. It keeps me alive, Keeps me awake.

If you started having chest pain would you ignore it and not go to the Emergency room cause you know its not gonna be comfortable? Or live with a broken leg because you don't wanna wear the cast?? Heck everyone here has either HAD surgery or is considering surgery for their health. It doesn't make sense that you would go to the extreem of surgery for one life threatning condition but totally ignore another one??

Sorry to sound so agressive about it but I have had 1 possibly 2 family members die before the age of 50 cause they refused to try the machine. They would take fists fulls of pills every day but refused the machine. To me that just don't make sense at all. And granted you won't hear that Sleep apnea killed <Insert name> But it contributes so much to higher blood pressures and strain on the heart.

MSG's_SGM · August 4, 2008

My doctor told me to bring my CPAP. I wish that I had it during recovery. Ever few minutes the nurse would come over to me, shake me, and get in my face and say very loudly...We need you to breath...take a deep breath for me...do you have a CPAP machine?

I can sleep so much better with it. I know that when I was 116 lbs. as a teenager I snored like a grown man and was always tired. I believe that I will ALWAYS need my machine and if I could get one that fit better I think that I would be willing to do it. My husband thinks that I am passing gas, and instead it is just the mask flapping as it leaks from a poor fit. I am on my second mask. I am not sure how to make it any better. I have practiced laying on my back (I am a fetus style sleeper), and when I can stay in that position I notice that it doesn't leask as much.

Telecia · August 4, 2008

My doctor told me to bring my CPAP. I wish that I had it during recovery. Ever few minutes the nurse would come over to me, shake me, and get in my face and say very loudly...We need you to breath...take a deep breath for me...do you have a CPAP machine?
I can sleep so much better with it. I know that when I was 116 lbs. as a teenager I snored like a grown man and was always tired. I believe that I will ALWAYS need my machine and if I could get one that fit better I think that I would be willing to do it. My husband thinks that I am passing gas, and instead it is just the mask flapping as it leaks from a poor fit. I am on my second mask. I am not sure how to make it any better. I have practiced laying on my back (I am a fetus style sleeper), and when I can stay in that position I notice that it doesn't leask as much.

Did you know as little as 20 lbs weight loss or gain can change the shape of your face? You may not notice it normally but anyone with a CPAP Mask can have a big enough change in their face to need a different mask or refitting.

There are a ton of things you can do to help make the masks not leak, but first off is making sure its the right size. I didn't think about it and had been using the same size mask that i had been using for 13 years. Well 3-4 months ago After trying 3 masks I decided to go into the DME's Office for a fitting. And I was wearing a mask 1 size to large, and after actually talking to a knowledgable RT explaining where the problems were and what was going on She got me a dream mask. lol I Love it. Its Soooooooooo comfy compared to all the ones I tried earlier this year. Its totally different then any of the *Standard* masks they give to people first.

Aparently the DME's will give you the cheapest most popular mask when you first get your equipment. Unless you know what you want and ask for one by name you pretty much get what they want to give you. Which is usually whicever one is cheapest so they get more profit out of it.

Most insurances pay for a new mask every 6 months.

Get with your DME and tell them your current mask isnt working.

A good article on mask problems.

www.cpaptalk.com CPAP and sleep Apnea Discussion Forum

They now have special CPAP Pillows, Hose set ups, Pad-A-cheeks for no more mask marks on the face and more. I wan't a PAP PIllow cause I tend to burry my face in the pillow when I sleep but I can't afford one yet. Might try to make one though. Its specially shaped so your not turning your mask into the pillow when you lay on your side.

I have learned so much from this forum. On how to make my treatment more comfortable.

www.cpaptalk.com CPAP and Sleep Apnea Discussion Forum

TravelLady48 · August 5, 2008

I was prescribed a cpap almost 10years ago, when first diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. At that time the machines were very bulky and noisy so I didn't use mine, but then I heard about 2 people I knew who died from the complications of sleep apnea. That scared me.

I went for another sleep study and was told I now have severe Sleep apnea and that was the reason I was totally exhausted. Now it's amazing what a difference it makes when you get a full night sleep.

Yes, the cpap can be expensive, but maybe you can rent it, because it is my understanding you will get off the machine once you lose some weight.

Anne