I have a ton of anxiety about this. A ton. The calastrophobic badass.

and see if my morning wake up changed and see if my sense of comfort changed and see if my sense of physicality -ie athletic automaticity, capacity, and see if my mood even

changed

when I could breath

changed
when my oxygen saturation stayed up oxygen saturation maintained


oh the cpap is about staying asleep without waking up? or staying oxygen not deprived when asleep? or continuing to breath without gasping for breath during oxygen deprivation do they measure that? or avoiding a heart attack or pre heart attack heart rythms? I don't understand.

but what I do understand, adam or anyone, is that if or when a medical professional interprets a lab test they are qualified to and prescribes a medical service or product or rx for an assessed condition they were qualified to evaluate,
then I wonder what the outcome will be. if it may not have an effect, even a significant effect.

I mean combine air quality, winter smoke or harvest dust or hazardous or unhealthy air quality- with an intermittent lack of breathing, and I really wonder what that does for oxygen saturation. which seems specifically important. I mean both friends I know who live within walnut groves suffer at harvest time dust inundates their homes, everything they own, both got put on cpap machines. how many years dust particulate airway irritation does it take to qualify for a machine when you struggle breathing anyway? or maybe it was the industrial something or other burning regeneration plant put in near by which flipped an airway switch -- even their spouses use CPAP to breath nights now.always wonder in hazardous 2.5 micron particulates forcing it even deeper in airways- you have got to keep an immaculate heap filter on any CPAP machine you utilize in unhealthy/hazardous air quality.

the ideas to live longer better stronger like a super hero getting an upgrade or new cape. they have partial face masks look at the different shapes. Always remember the administrator after they got their cpap traveling with a portable unit to conventions with them, becoming an upward trajectory bouncing like a volley ball from successful implementation of program to leading a program to hiring to run a whole set of programs to moving to a state leader taking care of 1/5 of the states students...it all happened after that cpap started. They even bounced back after hospitalization surgical intervention for a chronic condition just on they go like an energizer bunny. Maybe it was personality. But with the right support you can attain to your highest possibility.

Adam or anyone regarding cpap talk to your specialist. Don't let them attatch anything that drapes around or across your neck, and figure out how to place any tubes or cords placing your cpap machine (they are smaller now mobile portable units you can carry or roll easily when traveling) making it comfortable for you. Communicate your other conditions carefully clearly and get feedback or instructions so as to facilitate a comfortable life fit. I would also inquire if as to whether part of the time wearing is better than none-
ie as to the orthodontic headgear found thrown across the room every morning lol some being better than none? I would also inquire as to timing, sleep cycles, and taking it off when getting up to get a cup of tea or chat with someone then putting it back on- that some serious 12 hour sleep wearing cpap may not be how you live. Perhaps after you've set up any system you prefer you can speak with a counselor about setting up a nap routine or part of the night routine utilizing a cpap if your health care providers determine it is necessary for you based on assessment results evaluated by a specialist.

So speak with your specialist. Tell your them your concerns needs preferences wants hopes and don't think its a charge extra to avoid or like a Mormon commandment raising your hand and saying yes and the temple, this is a custom made device fitted planned particularly for you. Tell them what you need. Tell them what you want. Speak with your airway cpap specialist and get your needs met. seriously. so please go get help from your team of qualified medical specialists on this- like the back surgeon's office staff might have a print out or suggestion sheet for how other neck pain clients are advised to handle medical equipment, even nursing procedures may exist for managing simple things like oxygen and iv lines normal non medical folk don't know about how to handle them crossing over ones face, or draping across one's neck- how do you handle or move things so it doesn't like cause pain? where are the instructions?

there are so many things to know. Call your health care provider back. Definitely.

and that might hurt. That might cause pain at night. that might cause neck pain when you wake up in the morning. startle reflex or shaking your shoulders or neck or jaw- which is all attached to your neck-

wow it might hurt. interesting. that's interesting.

talk to your doctor about it. find out if they think this might contribute to your medical concerns.

Sleep and oxygen are wonderful things.

I'm getting one in January when I can apply the cost to my new deductible.

I know it takes some getting used to, but I'm tired of repeatedly waking up with air hunger induced anxiety.

My hubby has used his machine for 21 years.

Wishing you all the best that oxygen to the brain can give you.

I think my lack of oxygen to the brain is a big problem that i never knew about.

It took a little while to get used to it, but I have had very few issues. It's life-changing to get a good night's sleep; I was getting no sleep before, waking up every few seconds.

In short, it's worth the minor hassles.

Just thank your lucky stars you're not chronically constipated! Ghawd, how I hated my ccrap machine!!!

Kirkland fiber capsules (psyllium hust fiber) works wonders, Dawg. They make me feel like a regular guy. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has issues...

It might help, Adam. I understand your reluctance, but a good, uninterrupted nights sleep might help with other health issues.

Please keep us posted. Hugs, Bro! Boner

You may be right boner. Keep that crap flowing is what i say. Hopefully i don't have an unknown problem there.

If you've been diagnosed w/ sleep apnea, even "mild", you were losing sleep. It is really hard on your body not to get good Z's my friend. You better wear it...you'll get used to it, may take a week or two, but keep it on and learn to sleep 8 hours w/ it. It will become your best friend after awhile...you need good sleep buddy. If you absolutely cannot tolerate it..see if they'll give you a BIPAP.

They said i may need a bipap depending on how this goes.

I have sleep apnea with a B-PAP machine which works better for me than a C-PAP machine, which I couldn't tolerate due to its non-stop blowing in a sleep study.

The BI-PAP machine adapts to your breathing and pace. If you breathe softly, it will act accordingly and blow in when you are inhaling and stop when you exhale. If you breathe more strongly, it will adapt accordingly.

I am not using it right now due to frustration with finding the nose/mouth mask removed and set aside when I wake up, apparently taking it off in my sleep. I need to get back to it and try again. Currently sleeping with pillows built up to raise head and upper back up at an angle.

The doctor wants me to explore a mouth piece as another option that would keep the airway open.

Correction:

The BI-PAP still blows in when I exhale but at a lower and gentle flow.

I took mine off the first day, its kind of a rough adjustment.

If it helps you get a better night's sleep, what's to worry?

Look forward to improved sleep and rest.

I wish my dad had gotten one. I don't think they existed when he died, and I'm convinced his apnea had something to do with it. It was bad.

Give it a chance. It's saved my stepdad's life, almost. I hear adjusting to them can be tricky, but oxygen is worth it!

It definitely is tricky as i learned last night.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 2 years ago and the doc told me to get a CPAP machine...which costs C$2800 and for which I have no insurance coverage as a senior....so I got a custom mouth guard that keeps my airway open....and cost C$100....and I sleep good. Not as good as a CPAP I'm sure but I did what I could afford to do.

NO ONE WANTS A CPAP.
BUT they will probably make it aforegone conclusion for your neck surgery. Get a full face one. The nose ones are killer.
I said nope. I don't have sleep apnea anymore and the anesthesiologist called me out and said I was snoring. Bastard.

Most people can get used to it and most men I know sleep far far better with it.

I got the full face covering nose and mouth. Tried out the nose one and it was brutal and i thought i was a mouth breather in my sleep anyways, i did not wear it the entire night last night, this will get some getting used to.

Keep at it, you will get used to it eventually. It took me a while. I use the full face mask, it's made a huge difference in my life.

Are you being serious? What kind of difference?

Yes, I'm being serious.

Without the cpap, I would fall asleep, stop breathing, wake up,
fall asleep, stop breathing, wake up...etc. So, I was never getting any rest. With it, I'm able to sleep through the night. Yes, sometimes it is annoying, still, but, being able to wake up in the morning feeling rested is worth it for me. Plus, there are multiple health problems associated with Sleep Apnea that the cpap can help.

https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/sleep-apnea-conditions#1

Poor Adam!
Also try warm water in it. That helps also with full face CPAP. You just gotta do it. There's just no damn way getting around it but truly, I have heard over and over from men, their life and sleep gets so much better.

CCrap! Many lol's

Just don't ask him what happens when he mixes up his machines.

I just don't sleep on my stomach, and I'm okay.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Life ain't easy for the dog.

There are a wide variety of face/nosepieces you can try, and hangers to keep the hose out of the way. And the hose will give long before there is any chance of strangling you. Give it a good month's try before deciding it's not for you.

I used a CPAP machine years ago. I had no trouble with sleeping comfort. What bothered me was an out-of-control runny nose in the morning. I had to eat four brands of antihistamines to make the dripping stop on my drive to work. I suspected the CPAP may have been driving irritants (too small for the air filter) into my sinuses and making my nose run.

Now years later I am using a BiPAP machine and getting along just fine. No runny nose this time for some reason. The BiPAP is Bi-pressure, meaning that the airway pressure instantly drops to a lower value when you exhale. The result is more natural breathing when you don't have to exhale "uphill" so to speak.

I was again disappointed to not notice ANY improvement in my quality of sleep upon waking up. Without the machine I was throwing dozens of apneas per hour.

My sleep doc says it's good to use the machine even though I don't feel better rested or more energy. Stopping breathing is not good for your heart or brain.

First I've heard of a BiPap machine.

I've been putting off getting tested for sleep apnea, but probably do since I've had symptoms for a long time.

Don't want to wait until it's too late, like your doc says.

I just get tired of all the tests and lab work that need doing the older I get. Ich. And yet that is probably one that would yield results. The others always come back that "everything looks good."

LOL. With my bodily aches and pains I beg to differ. :)

Getting tested for sleep apnea sucks that is all i got to say. You get hooked up to a million things and you are monitored all night by cameras in their facility and their beds.

I think it made me less tired this morning but i don't know if its a big deal i definitely woke up earlier. 5:30am but i was warned about that.

I am in the same boat on this as Adam. However my daughter has had her's for a couple of years and is absolutely ecstatic about. She wakes up more alert and more refreshed. A friend who got his a couple of weeks ago is singing it praises as well. He says he never use to dream (at least he was never aware of dreaming) in his 65 yrs of living and now he sleeps deeply and wakes up remembering his dreams. Not groggy like before. I will make a stab at getting use to mine. I will have it in a couple of weeks (already been tested). Best of luck Adam with yours. Give it a shot before you say no to it.

I never dreamed as well atleast not since i was a kid and my test results showed it. No REM sleep for the badass.

Seriously; it saved my life eight or nine years ago, and then by losing 60 lbs. I no longer need it, and the belly fat is almost gone.

Doctor (shaking his head): You need to diet...

Me: Omigod! What color is it?

:D

Hey, Adam,
A cpap makes my life immensely easier. You need real rest. Everything in life is easier if you are well rested. You may find some styles to be uncomfortable --- the nose pillow things are just not possible for me. But the full face ones make sleeping easy and comfortable.

Anything new takes some adjustment, and some trial and experimentation. But I can't imagine living with the misery that was life before the cpap. Give it a go! It can help you in ways that you will greatly appreciate.

The first cpap machine that my husband had made sleeping next to him on the level of laying in bed with Darth Vader - with our bed located next to a runway at a major airport.

The machines have greatly improved over the years both in therapeutic treatment and sound/noise. Not to mention comfort to the user.

Just give it a try. If you don't like it you can always have the machine taken back. Use of cpap makes a world of difference in a lot of people I know. Maybe it will help you too.

pugsly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The first cpap machine that my husband had made
> sleeping next to him on the level of laying in bed
> with Darth Vader - with our bed located next to a
> runway at a major airport.
>
> The machines have greatly improved over the years
> both in therapeutic treatment and sound/noise.
> Not to mention comfort to the user.
>
> Just give it a try. If you don't like it you can
> always have the machine taken back. Use of cpap
> makes a world of difference in a lot of people I
> know. Maybe it will help you too.

Haha i told someone i felt like darth vader today.

I don't know if the need for a cpap for others is causd by the same things as mine. But I found a good solution to get off of a cpap. Five years ago I was sixty pounds overweight and needed a cpcp to keep breathing in my sleep. I got down to 200 pounds (a good weight for me) and didn't need the cpap anymore.

I see i am a little overweight at 235.

They told my hubby he'd probably need cpap even if he lost every extra pound. They said he wouldn't lose weight without good sleep.

I've used one for years and wish I had gotten it sooner. I use the nose pillows because I have a full beard and wasn't about to shave it. Your quality of sleep will improve. My wifes sleep improved to since I wasn't snoring, and stopping breathing, all night long.

My wife calls me "snorkel man", and since she takes her teeth out at night I call her "gums". "Snorkel Man and Gums", sounds like a real bad porn movie.

I hate mine. I only use it because they threaten you with dire consequences if you don't use it. I never had the symptoms they talk about, like being tired during the day.

I figured there was no way I had sleep apnea, because I slept great and I felt just fine. But after a sleep study, they insisted that I do have it.

They figured I must have it because of my obesity, so they sent me for a sleep study, just to see if I had it.

I sleep better without my machine. I've had a lot of trouble with the exhaust hair blowing into my eyes and making them dried out, red and irritated.

I've had the machine for 2 years and I've gone through about 4 different masks and nothing has helped.

I too often wake up to find that I've ripped the thing off in my sleep.

I toss and turn a lot when I sleep. I'd probably do the same.

I have been on a cpap for ten years. I have severe sleep apnea due to the shape of my neck and without one I probably wouldn't be here. This is what I have learned about cpap machines. You get what you pay for. The higher cost machines are more comfortable to be on. I like Resmed even though other companies make good machines. Resmed is an Australian company and many of the designers scuba dive. I have found I like their nose pillows the best and I'm at very high pressure. I use HEPA filters on my machines and a humidifier. My machine tracks the rhythm of my breathing and reduces the airflow when I exhale. They thought I would have to be on a biped but a good cpap does the job.

Something I hadn't thought about before getting the CPAP, I no longer get hangovers. I rarely drink enough to get a hangover, but I don't remember having one since I started on it.

One last bit of advice...I forgot to mention this earlier - whatever you do - SLEEP ON YOUR SIDE...you probably know this. I have had sleep apnea for 30 years. Even w/ the BIPAP I sleep on my side, the throat will not completely collapse in this position allowing for air flow in contrast to sleeping on your back, where the throat closes on the back of itself (laymens terms of course). Trust me...sew a tennis ball in your night shirt (in the back) to get used to it. Will solve 50% of your problem alone.

Ook was about to give up on this thing it is not comfortable on my face at all.

I get more problems with my eyes when I sleep on my side and I also get more mask air leakage reports. But I have noticed that I record more events happening when I sleep on my back. I get much less events recorded when I sleep on my side. There seems to be advantage and disadvantages to both.

I will give the side sleeping a try if i can tolerate this mask again.

My father, brother, and nephew all use CPaps. It's made a huge difference in all their lives.
Dad began using one in 2001, after he kept being sick and having trouble staying awake. Once he got diagnosed with sleep apnea and got his cpap, he was like a when different dad. He was 73 at the time.
My nephew was 25, and constantly falling asleep and snoring. He could fall asleep anywhere, & even nearly fell asleep during my mother's funeral. It took some time to get him diagnosed. When they finally did the sleep study, he stopped breathing so many times that they cut the study short and put him on a cpap for the rest of the night. Not long afterward, he had his own cpap and he was the happiest man ever. Now 29, he still needs it, and can feel the difference when he does not use it. He loves his cpap. I hope you will come to love yours. And by that, I mean I hope it helps you to feel much better than you have been.

Other Susan

I have an APAP (Automatic Positive Airway Pressure) machine that I've been using for the past three years. It made a world of difference for me in ways that I hadn't even realized were problems. I did not realize that I was tired, depressed, and ill-tempered until after I started using the machine.

It took awhile to find a mask that was comfortable enough for me to sleep straight through the night. My first mask covered then entire nose, but would inevitably leak air around the edges and into my eyes, which would wake me up, thus defeating the purpose of the machine.

What works best for me is the nasal-pillow mask, which nestles quite comfortably in my nostrils. I sleep very comfortably straight through the night, and can even sleep on my side without dislodging the the mask.