Sleep apnea
 

Does anybody have this? My doc is telling me I have it, and I need to go get a sleep study done. Apparently my spo2 number takes a LOT of dips with some pretty severe ones mixed in. So I thought I would ask here to see if anybody has this and if they have any advice or insight. He told me to anticipate a CPAP after I see the pulmonologist, but that's still a ways off before I can get in there.

I tried antifreeze, but that just turned my tongue a greenish color.

Try to get an aids tree next to your bed. Helps clear up the air.

There are a few threads here about it.

Advice--DO WHATEVER IT TAKES!!!!!!!!!!

I stopped breathing 12 times an hour. Now down to 1-2 ave with my CPAP.

Headaches went away. Rarely if ever take Excedrin migraine where I used to take it 3-4 times a week.

Acid reflux all but gone (from snoring too much).

Not tired an hour after waking. Other internal things are better.

Well worth the time.

I walked out in the timber the other day and found some HIV saplings, but even if I transplanted them, I'm not sure how long it would take to mature into a full blown aids tree.

That's why I went the Dr route with this one after the failed antifreeze run.

Do you remember what your spo2 dipped down to?

And thanks for the link. I should have just searched from the get go, but I didn't remember there being a thread on it. I guess memory loss really is a side effect.

You should start by setting up a camera to watch you while you sleep just to make sure it is not being caused by a CP member t-bagging you, if by chance it is not I would try and getting your sleep test and cpap ASAP, you will feel better and reduce the chance of death.


Monti

Dammit. Cover blown.

The old lady and I make so many movies together and we've left the cameras rolling mistakenly enough times that we surely would have caught someone at sometime tea bagging. However there are probably some ninja-like teabaggers on here.

I did the at-home sleep test, well, it was just an overnight oximeter and pulse monitor. It told enough of a story to alarm my doc. I already had an appt set with a pulmo, but its not for another 4 or 5 weeks.

have you tried the mouthguard thing? Do any of them work, or help out? I'm kind of curious to try one in the short term before I actually get to talk to the expert.

CPAP isn’t bad.

If you do that type of video taping I'm sure you already have it mouth guard

The ball gag just makes breathing harder.

Isn't all sleep apnea is about is sleeping on your back and having a double chin?

I didn't think I would ever be able to sleep with something strapped to my face. I really struggled with masks, too. They frequently leaked and blew air into my eyes. I would sleep for a couple of hours and pull the mask off during the night.

I finally found a mask that worked for me (a nasal pillow) and it makes a huge difference. Plus, the wife is happier because I don't snore when I keep it on. So my main advice is to keep trying masks 'til you get one that works for you instead of just assuming that you can't sleep with a mask on.

Also, if you settle on a nasal pillow (you have to be able to sleep with your mouth closed or they don't work), use some lanolin cream (sold as nipple cream in the baby aisle) on your nostrils to make a better seal and keep them from getting raw. I've also started using a little vasoline because the air blowing out of the mask was reflecting off my pillow back into my face and was making my lips chapped.

I don't know about the mouth guard but I don't think it is something recommended by Doctors, CPAP is the gold standard, I don't use one but have friends that do and they have all felt better, just make sure it has a humidifier heard dry mouth is an issue. My wife had a former student die from sleep apnea its is dangerous.

When you were cycling through the different CPAP options, did the provider have a try it then buy it option? or did you/insurance get billed throughout the selection process?

Before you go to a CPAP, try to find a legitimate sleep dentist. A lot of times it can be helped with different types of "nightguards" that are a lot easier to wear.

for the common dumbass, this is true

Not totally. That can be the issue, but real sleep apnea is where your brain stops telling your respiratory system to keep breathing in a deep sleep. So you stop breathing and eventually your body goes, hey man, I'm not getting oxygen! You then wake up enough out of deep rem to start breathing again, but then you've interrupted your rem sleep. You may wake up gasping and realize or you may not. Lack of sleep, lack of oxygen, all takes a toll on your body. Heart rate, etc.

I think the first time I changed, it was a freebie. After that I had to wait 6 months to get a different mask for the insurance to pay for it.

I kind of wondered about this. Hadn't considered the dentist route though. I may give him a call and see if he has some input. Now that you say that, I do think he has a focus on that, actually.

During your testing they will give you options and you can test them. May take a few nights.

all body habitus can be affected.

Monti

I will second the nasal pillow recommendation.

I tried a nose/mouth mask the first month and struggled staying asleep due to leaks etc.. I've been using a nasal pillow type mask for over 3 years. It is such a vast improvement. You still wake a bit when you move around, but barely.

From what I remember-my Oxygen level was down to 92%-or less- when I stopped breathing.

I started with the nasal pillow-then slept with my mouth open. Switched to a full mask. Never had an issue after that.

My Cpap
https://www.resmed.com/us/en/healthc...e-10-cpap.html

Insurance pays for much of it. Always a deductible. I am on a loaner-my first one had the motor making bad noises. Have not heard about replacement yet. It was only 2.5 years old. And have to check to see if insurance pays for repairs.

The three days without it was terrible.

The alternative is worse.

Changing jaw position can open airway and help a lot. Check it out, can't hurt.

I have SA and a CPAP. I thought I’d never be able to sleep with a mask because I’m a side sleeper, but it’s amazing. Within a week you feel better and start to be sharper. Like others have said, finding the right mask is key as it keeps the pressure constant and after the first night or 2, you won’t even feel uncomfortable putting it on to go to sleep.

All I can say is weigh your options on which machine to buy and talk to the doctor about outright buying the machine instead of making payments. Huge difference if you can just fork out a few hundred bucks.

I can only sleep on my side so wake up every time I switch sides because I have to deal with hose management. :) Not a big deal as I usually go right back to sleep but still a bit of a pain.

I had tried different pillows, etc. very minimal differences, but the jaw makes sense. I'm definitely going to call my toof doc to see what he says. If I'm wrong and he doesn't have a focus on apnea, I may be shopping for one in the NEK area.

My insurance made monthly payments on my machine for the first six months. I had to take the card in to prove I had used it 90% (iirc) of the time over that span. Then they bought it outright and it's mine. :shrug:

the first night with my CPAP was the first night in MANY years I did not wake up in the middle of the night.

Which meant I did not have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Another conquest.

I'm a side sleeper as well.

I visited with my doc this morning, and it does seem like there is no one-size-fits-all CPAP. Good to know that others who have been down this road can confirm that once they found the one for them, that life has gotten better (and they sleep well).

I still wake up frequently during the night even after several years with the CPAP. Sometimes it's to fiddle with the mask/hose but it's usually just because I suck at sleeping. At least now I actually feel rested on the part I do sleep. I can tell the difference big time between a nap with the mask on and one without.

I don't know that I really know anyone in that area. I will check with a buddy that's in KC and see if he knows anyone out there that does sleep dentistry. It's kind of a niche thing.

I have that CPAP machine. It is awesome.

Every single "over the nose" type of mask leaked at the top of the nose and blew into my eyes. :mad: I must have a weird shaped face (being a side sleeper doesn't help because the pillow pushes on the mask).

Try 3 tall JAMESONS and Dr. Pepper's (on the rocks) before bedtime and PM me your results. :D

when I did the oximeter test, I was supposed to see the pulmonologist and do the sleep study before I saw my doc again. He brought me back in today to go over my results. Doc said I was dipping below 88% a lot which is why he brought me back in early. When he made that appointment for today, I ordered a Garmin Venu, since it does spo2 and some other cool things. So I've had it for about a week now. Anyway, it was giving me some pretty low readings which I thought was in accurate since its different then shooting light into a nailbed. So I was kind of pissed I blew money on a gimmick at best, but as it turns out, it was actually err'ing in my favor. And really wasn't all that far off to be honest. So I think its a pretty decent device, much better than any fitbit I've had anyway.

I dipped below 90% like 120 times? It was some ridiculous number. Then under 80% 29 times, and my rock bottom high/low score was 61% on one particular dip. Which was the reason for coming back in. However when I go to bed and when I wake up, I'm 99-100%, according to the "official" oximeter they sent me home with. The wife says I quit breathing, for as much as 45 seconds or longer at times. And that's what she could remember, being the middle of the night and all.

And hell, I'm not even in THAT bad of shape either. I could lose 20-25, but any more than that and I look like a string bean.

Nope. Obesity can make it worse, but even skinny people can have sleep apnea.

I'm not against going as far as KC, but Topeka, St Joe, Lawrence, etc...those would all be slightly shorter jaunts. That is, if your guy knows of a good one in the area. I appreciate you asking.

They say most middle-age men probably have it, so don't feel ashamed, get the sleep you need!

hmm, hadn't gone the Jameson route. I did finally get around to buying a bottle of vanilla Crown to see if it was any good. Pretty tasty, and it seems to be what Nyquil wishes it was,

nah, not ashamed....mostly looking to see what the ones who've gone through the set up had to say, and if they have advice or "stay away from _____" tidbits

Sleep Apnea is the new ADD


Everyone can be diagnosed with it so the doctors can make money.

Check out the other threads. Lots of first person experience and how they handled CPAP. Thousands of responses.

i think i've had mine around maybe 5years. i'd hate to think about doing without it. first thing i pack when i travel.

if i don't wear it when i sleep, i jerk and bounce all over the freaking bed. get up and walk in my sleep and shit...it's a ****in mess.
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That would be a mess

yeah, i guess that didn't sound right.
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http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...ht=Sleep+apnea

http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthrea...ht=Sleep+apnea

Get a sleep study. If they recommend a CPAP, do it.

20 years ago I did a sleep study because my wife complained that I snored. During the sleep study they put a CPAP on me, and I didn't like it. After an hour or so I walked out and said "Nope, don't want it, not gonna do it".

The problem is that sleep apnea causes lots of health problems. I've had a couple of fairly serious health problems that I might have completely avoided if I had started using a CPAP 20 years ago. Three years ago I decided I was more strongly motivated to wear a CPAP. It took me a couple of days to get used to it, and then it was fine.

The idea of wearing a CPAP is kind of intimidating. The reality is that it's no big deal.

Yeah, I'll definitely search for those later on. I figured while it was fresh in my mind, I would post up a few questions about it

wife had a meeting in florida a couple years ago i went w/her.
got down there and unpacked and my damn cpap wouldnt work the whole time
couldn't sleep worth a damn
got back to nemo and took it to the shop
the gal came out to look at it and said, "hell it's not going to turn on if you're using a dell power supply."
i got to thinking...my damn laptop battery had gone dead and wouldn't charge the whole week we were down there too.
got home...swapped power supplies, and slept like a baby that night.

i need my cpap.
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Cpaps get all nasty with germs and slime like mold and garbage so make sure you clean it all the time or you will have some bad lung shit Hope u get better before the slime stuff gets you

I sleep on my stomach. So no sleep apnea.

Yeah, I'm seeing my BP go up, my weight has gone up, I have a weird vision issue where my optic nerve is simply getting pale and none of the experts can really answer why (supposed top of the ladder guy at KU-med). So when my wife said she noticed that I was waking her up by gasping, I called my doc. After the oximeter tests, he's actually saying a lot of the same stuff as you. I was actually on the verge of dropping some serious coin on a trip to Germany for some specialized optic neuropathy therapy that isn't available in the states yet. But with this being what it looks like, I'm going to push all of that to the back burner until I've had the chance to see what this may or may not do on that front.

Bonus points being that I'm 41, and if I do go on a CPAP now, I'm actually doing myself a lot of favors towards heart issues as I get older. So there's a bit of an added incentive there.

I've never had that problem.

Do you have a CPAP?

Mirroring lots of things expressed in the thread. Anybody can get sleep apnea. My Air Force buddy, who is and has always been in excellent shape, has it. He had a surgical procedure done because he couldn't deal with the CPAP machine; some people just can't.

I've had one for years and never had an issue with it. The only thing that sucks is if you lose power while you're wearing one, at which point your trusty air giving mask turns into the face hugger from Alien. That shit will wake you up faster than a bucket of ice water. And I can't sleep worth a crap without it now.

One thing about the sleep study - make sure room conditions are optimal for you to actually be able to sleep. I had to have two - the first time the room was hotter than the devil's ass and dry as a bone. I barely slept at all and had to retake the test. Didn't help that I have always slept with a fan and they didn't have one available. Your comfort should be a priority, and if they balk at that, have your study done elsewhere.

Good luck. You'll feel much better once you deal with it.

Also, I got SoClean cleaner for my machine, and I highly recommend it.

I don't even like wiping after each and every poop, so cleaning one of these consistently is going to be a serious buzzkill.

you can get a ozone generator off Amazon for $50. Weighs about 1lb. USB recharging. Run it once a week. Kills 99.99% of germs. Don’t be using brushes and water in the tubes . Connect the hose/mask push a button. Piece of cake.

CPAP Cleaner Portable Cleaning Machine Tubes Masks Clean with Cleaning Bag and Universal Adapter Fit with Heated Hose Airmini - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SW3FRG5..._8LevEb32SMHA7

i work w/a guy that had his sleep study done at home last summer.
times must be changing.
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I travel off/on with work, so I just assumed the sleep study night would be like the shitty first night at a hotel. I have a consultation scheduled with them before the actual test, so I'll definitely ask them about room conditions, etc.

I hadn't really thought about what one would do when power goes out. I probably just assumed you filled them with C or D batteries and that would carry one for a while.

Good to know on the SoClean. I'll look into that when the time comes.

Granted, mine is an older model, but there's no battery backup option. Luckily where I live our power lines are underground. I can count on one hand the number of times we've lost power in 19 years.

If you have an HSA account, you can use it buy the SoClean and the supplies you'll need for it.

good info, thank you

I live outside of a small town, and power seems to flicker every time a squirrel farts. Maybe not that bad, but I'd say we'll get a couple hours worth of outage every month or so if you averaged out the year.

Well, that's going to be a problem, then. You should look into one that has a battery backup, assuming they exist, or get some sort of generator that will kick in.

Might see if I can find one of those old generating exercise bikes, and put the old lady on it. lol

LMAO Yeah, good luck with that.

Made me curious, so I checked. Yes, there is a dedicated battery backup you can get. I might pick one of these up myself.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/por...hoCmpgQAvD_BwE

Ahh yeah that makes sense. With all the pesticides they spray on everything it could slow the process heavily.

Try the doctor first (and in all seriousness get a 2 way cpap if you require one. friend of mine has the one way and it drives him nuts.), and if he fails I'd try some more anti freeze just to be safe.

most of the new models either come with a battery backup or you can buy as an add on. Usually 8-12 hours on a single charge. Recharge in an hour through usb also.

I’ve yet to hear of a person who does the sleep study that doesn’t have sleep apnea.

I stop breathing multiple times per hour, some times as long as 4 minutes. Lost my CPAP when my house burned and no way to replace it yet. If you really have it and can afford the equipment, it's a life changer.

I was a Registered Respiratory Therapist for 9 years. The last few I performed and scored sleep studies. I’ve never even heard of a sleep study that didn’t find sleep apnea. You have been snoring and or quit breathing for quite a while before someone pushed you to go get checked out.

you can get one on cpap.com for $200. Just get a note from a doctor saying you have sleep apnea. Your all set.

Seems pricey for what it is, but maybe it works well?

I use a CPAP machine every night and I love it. You feel incredible each and every morning. Mine is this...

https://www.sleeprestfully.com/image....thumbnail.jpg


I use the face mask and there is a ton of flexibility when tossing or turning in the night. I love it.

This
Plus you can even screw the old lady an extra few minutes if you crank it up to 10
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That was just the first option I saw.

Actually she LOVES the Darth Vader voice she receives while receiving it!:)

"Come to me my love"

The Vader voice is a fact
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