Can one die from not wearing their CPAP mask? If so, from what exactly?

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Permalink Reply by Christine Myers on February 9, 2010 at 3:02pm

Thank you Eric for your comments. I have been working with the CPAP for 13 months and have yet to have a night's sleep. In the beginning I felt as though I was doing something wrong because the technician kept telling me that people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine. It was the first night they had gotten sleep in years. I still wake up with headaches and my first thought (which I fight) is, can I go to bed yet. I'm not on any medication but I know this apnea is affecting every aspect of life. I have no zest and I really don't give a darn about anything which isn't my nature. I'm glad (not for you) to see that I am not the only one diligently working this process with no results. I've had the pressure altered, tried 6 different masks and yet no relief. I just keep trying....

Eric James Bennett said:

Ms Linda,
I still have the issues with falling asleep at the most unusual times.. The doctor has me on 60 mg of dextroamphetemine daily and it helps quite a bit. As a matter of fact if I do not take it as soon as I get up in the morning it may be lunch before I get moving again. I have been using a cpap for a year and have yet to make it through the night wearing it. I wake up constantly with a lot of discomfort, bad dreams of being smootherd etc. But, hey whats a guy to do but keep on tryin.. I mean there has to be a solution somewhere.. Other people have to have these problems also?
Linda Hare said:

Hi,
I have to use Provigil to get through a day also. In fact, when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is take two Provigil tablets and grab the newspaper and a drink. Many days I fall right back to sleep sitting in the chair. I will then wake up from one to two hours later. It drives me crazy because I expected to have my normal energy level back once I started using the CPAP machine. How much Provigil can one person take a day to stay awake? Is there another medication for daytime sleeping that works better? I went from a nasal mask to nasal pillows because the mask leaked all the time. I don't think the pillows are leaking, but my brain always feels ready for sleep. I've been doing this for over three years and the results have been disappointing. I am afraid to not use the mask ever since I had to have "twilight sleep" sedation to have a broken, dislocated elbow set and during that procedure, I stopped breathing and they ended up reversing the sedation with Narcan and woke me up in the middle of them setting my bones - not fun. But it scared my husband, sister and daughter half to death because I stopped breathing and they couldn't keep me breathing while sedated. Another point you should all remember - for any reason you need to go to the hospital and have minor procedures where they use sedation, but not general anesthesia where you are intubated, make sure you tell them you have sleep apnea, better yet-take your machine with you so they can use it while they do their surgery. So, I guess my qestion was related to how much Provigil do you take, how much can you take and are their other medications to try to keep you awake during the day. Thanks. Linda
Linda Hare said:

Victoria Castro said:

My boyfriend's cousin passed away from Obstructive Sleep Apnea. That was a wake up call for me to get checked out because at the time I was very exhausted from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed. I also snored my boyfriend out of bed a few times before getting checked out. Today, I'm currently using cpap therapy and I still have excessive daytime sleepiness. I depend on Provigil to get me through my day at work. I'm usually sitting idle at my desk and that's when I usually get the urge to fall asleep. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor next week. Lately, I have been feeling very sleepy; I think I might need to bump up my medication or try to get more sleep.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on February 9, 2010 at 3:47pm

I'd say that RRT was laying it on a bit thick when he/she said that "people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine". VERY few people are fortunate to take to CPAP therapy like a duck to water. I'd march back in to him and tell him "I am NOT one who is dropping to my knees, figure out what needs to be done to get me some SLEEP, good sleep!".

All of you who are still having problems w/your CPAP therapy, what brand and model CPAP do you have? Do you have a fully data capable CPAP? Have you seen the data from it?

And what's all the fascination about whether one can die from not using their CPAP? We're better off focusing on what we can do to make our CPAP therapy more comfortable and successful.

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Permalink Reply by j n k on February 9, 2010 at 3:56pm

I think some may thank the tech (RPSGT) that dramatically the morning after titration, since it is sometimes a patient's first taste of what life can be. I know that I knew the morning after my titration that I would taste life again without the run-over-by-a-truck feeling.

To restate the questions by Judy:

"All of you who are still having problems w/your CPAP therapy, what brand and model CPAP do you have? Do you have a fully data capable CPAP? Have you seen the data from it?"

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Barthelemy on February 9, 2010 at 4:47pm

I'm very glad you brought this up; over the last couple of months, I've found myself falling asleep before setting up my CPAP. This reminder is quite timely. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Barthelemy on February 9, 2010 at 5:05pm

Heh...I haven't yet taken the time to verify your assertion that "VERY few people are fortunate to take to CPAP therapy like a duck to water.", but if true, perhaps I'm just very lucky.

The people at the shop I get my supplies from, are very, very good, and are top notch at teaching you how to adjust the mask for maximum comfort, and quickly. I suppose many people are stuck with only one nearby shop, or perhaps not even that. It would truly suck, having to guess at which mask is right for you, and not have the niceties of fitting it explained, too.

Ah, the pleasures of living in a city with a choice, even on which sleep lab to use....not to brag, or anything ('twas none of my doing).

Judy said:

I'd say that RRT was laying it on a bit thick when he/she said that "people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine". VERY few people are fortunate to take to CPAP therapy like a duck to water. I'd march back in to him and tell him "I am NOT one who is dropping to my knees, figure out what needs to be done to get me some SLEEP, good sleep!".

All of you who are still having problems w/your CPAP therapy, what brand and model CPAP do you have? Do you have a fully data capable CPAP? Have you seen the data from it?

And what's all the fascination about whether one can die from not using their CPAP? We're better off focusing on what we can do to make our CPAP therapy more comfortable and successful.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on February 9, 2010 at 5:57pm

Go ahead, rub it in to the majority of us, Kevin!!!

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Permalink Reply by M'Lady Wench on February 9, 2010 at 6:03pm

Hello darlin! I snore horribly when I don't have my mask on. My entire family seems to keep an ear out in case I fall asleep without my mask on. I have been woken up before and told "put your mask on Mom" by my daughter or son. They know the risks I run if I don't put it on. I have found in the last few months that I require 8 hrs of sleep a night or I have trouble staying awake the next day. Funny thing is once I have the 8 hours, I am fine. If I come down with a cold or flu, I just stay in bed and keep my mask on so I can breath and still fall asleep when I need to. Thank the Goddess I haven't been sick a whole lot since I got my machine. Keep using the cpap and if things don't get better, see the dr asap. Take care darlin!

Kathleen Pearlman said:

I don't have high blood pressure and do have probably obstructive sleep apnea. When I don't wear my mask, I snore and don't sleep real well, but that's about the limit of it for me. But I do worry a bit about the suprisingly....

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Permalink Reply by M'Lady Wench on February 9, 2010 at 6:10pm

Hello darlin! I know the first day after I slept through the night with cpap assistance I was happier and well rested. My son was not happy as all of a sudden his don't take no for an answer Mom was back. He had gotten used to me giving up because I didn't feel good and wanted to sleep. Now he and my daughter are the first ones to send me off to bed so I can help them the next day with school work. LOL Keep trying darlin...eventually you and they will figure out what is going on.

Christine Myers said:

Thank you Eric for your comments. I have been working with the CPAP for 13 months and have yet to have a night's sleep. In the beginning I felt as though I was doing something wrong because the technician kept telling me that people would drop to their knees thanking him on the morning after first using the CPAP machine. It was the first night they had gotten sleep in years. I still wake up with headaches and my first thought (which I fight) is, can I go to bed yet. I'm not on any medication but I know this apnea is affecting every aspect of life. I have no zest and I really don't give a darn about anything which isn't my nature. I'm glad (not for you) to see that I am not the only one diligently working this process with no results. I've had the pressure altered, tried 6 different masks and yet no relief. I just keep trying....

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Permalink Reply by richard rydza on February 10, 2010 at 12:59pm

I believe that the correlation between sleep apnea and heart disease even today needs further evaluation. As I stated in my response about swimmers who hold their breath constantly for long periods of time. If correlation between holding your breath and heart disease is unfounded then how can there be correlation between sleep apnea and heart disease? These are opinions from others who have not done extensive research for us to fully understand the complications of sleep apnea. Did anyone ask if the person who had the heart disease ask; what kind of heart disease was it? How heavy was this person? What was the cholesteral level of this person? Were there any endocrine issues with this person? Did this person have diabetes or other disease. What were his social habits? drinking, eating, etc. All these factors in my opinion were more likely to be the root casue of the heart failure. Since we are unaware of the type of heart failure, we are unable to pinpoint a possible cause. Instead everyone blames sleep apnea because we assume that is all he was suffering from. I doubt it. IF anyone can find more info on this statement of morbidity, please let us know. For the statement Sleep Apnea caused a fatality is unfounded and irresponsible in my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by j n k on February 10, 2010 at 1:36pm

The organ-damaging effects of hypoxia and the debilitating effects of sleep disturbances are well-documented.

I choose to sleep. I choose to breathe.

Others may choose to sleep under water if they wish to do so, since there may not be enough scientific evidence to prove to them the dangers of following through with that idea.

richard rydza said:

I believe that the correlation between sleep apnea and heart disease even today needs further evaluation. As I stated in my response about swimmers who hold their breath constantly for long periods of time. If correlation between holding your breath and heart disease is unfounded then how can there be correlation between sleep apnea and heart disease? These are opinions from others who have not done extensive research for us to fully understand the complications of sleep apnea. Did anyone ask if the person who had the heart disease ask; what kind of heart disease was it? How heavy was this person? What was the cholesteral level of this person? Were there any endocrine issues with this person? Did this person have diabetes or other disease. What were his social habits? drinking, eating, etc. All these factors in my opinion were more likely to be the root casue of the heart failure. Since we are unaware of the type of heart failure, we are unable to pinpoint a possible cause. Instead everyone blames sleep apnea because we assume that is all he was suffering from. I doubt it. IF anyone can find more info on this statement of morbidity, please let us know. For the statement Sleep Apnea caused a fatality is unfounded and irresponsible in my opinion.

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