Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the People
Welcome to the Sleepguide Community!
Hi! Ready to Rock This Forum?
Thank you for visiting the SleepGuide discussion forum. We are committed to allowing freedom of expression for our members, and that includes maintaining a safe space for people with opposing views to express themselves. We get posts from patients and pros all over the country and even the globe, so needless to say, people come with different viewpoints on Sleep Apnea. We see this diversity and variety as a real strength-- dialogue and debate are an integral part of the educational process, as well as an important tool in exploring different sides of complex issues.
SleepGuide Code of Conduct
Okay, I know we said we want you to have the freedom to express yourselves. And we do. But a few rules never hurt, right?
• Be nice! No flaming. Many posters come here for information, not to be called names.
• Please respect the different backgrounds and education of posters—especially when it comes to diverse perspectives on Sleep Apnea from patients and pros alike.
• No one needs to hear you correct them on proper grammar and spelling. Let’s talk Sleep Apnea, not the difference between affect and effect.
• Wanna talk about religion and race? Well, we don’t. We wanna talk about Sleep Apnea.
• Don’t gang up with other posters against one person. It’s not nice!
• Did I mention you should…talk about Sleep Apnea? Cool! Now get to it and have fun!
Thank you for visiting the SleepGuide discussion forum. We are committed to allowing freedom of expression for our members, and that includes maintaining a safe space for people with opposing views to express themselves. We get posts from patients and pros all over the country and even the globe, so needless to say, people come with different viewpoints on Sleep Apnea. We see this diversity and variety as a real strength-- dialogue and debate are an integral part of the educational process, as well as an important tool in exploring different sides of complex issues.
SleepGuide Code of Conduct
Okay, I know we said we want you to have the freedom to express yourselves. And we do. But a few rules never hurt, right?
• Be nice! No flaming. Many posters come here for information, not to be called names.
• Please respect the different backgrounds and education of posters—especially when it comes to diverse perspectives on Sleep Apnea from patients and pros alike.
• No one needs to hear you correct them on proper grammar and spelling. Let’s talk Sleep Apnea, not the difference between affect and effect.
• Wanna talk about religion and race? Well, we don’t. We wanna talk about Sleep Apnea.
• Don’t gang up with other posters against one person. It’s not nice!
• Did I mention you should…talk about Sleep Apnea? Cool! Now get to it and have fun!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on -
Hi, I'm Mike. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, and am one of the moderators here. Glad you found this forum. There's a ton of great information, and patients and pros alike open to learning from one another. Welcome!
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Permalink Reply by Rock Hinkle on -
My name is Rock Hinkle. I am a sleep tech in the indianapolis area. Welcome to sleepguide!
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Permalink Reply by RichM on -
Hi I am Rich and I live in Abingdon Va and I have been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea since 1998 and 2 years ago I was in a bad auto accident and now have central sleep apnea to go along with my obstructive and am now on a bipap s/t I join this group around Jan this year and it is one of the best groups around and have help me to better understand what I have and the equipment that I need to use along with a great group to get some real good information and support with sleep apnea. Don't be afraid to post your questions or post your comments to questions of others. You will find a friend or two or more here. Thanks and Welcome to the group.
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Permalink Reply by Sugarshirl on -
Hi there, I'm Sugarshirl aka Shirley and I must have had sleep apnea for about three years before finally being diagnosed with it over two years ago. It is severe and during the test at the sleep clinic they said that I stopped breathing 90 times per hour! No wonder I was only sleeping about two hours every night and that was accomplished by sitting on the side of my bed. I was an Human Resource Manager and working usually ten hours daily and with so little sleep, it sure caught up with me. I went out on full disability two years ago due to this and other serious health issues and I can honestly say that I hardly even remember my last year of work. To me that is incredible, but sadly true. Once I received my CPAP, with a full face mask because I am a mouth breather, sleep was no longer the enemy. Yes, it was hard to get used to because the pressure was set at 14, but fortunately I adapted to it rather quickly. Now I really think of my CPAP as my friend and life saver. I found this forum and I would like to issue a big welcome to any and all new members and to urge you all to jump right in and ask your questions, tell your stories and even help others. There are a lot of resources here and knowledgable, friendly people that are dealing with sleep apnea, so please read, reply, learn and ask your questions or share your discoveries. Welcome to the Group.
Thanks and regards,
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Permalink Reply by Patrick on -
Hello,
My name is Patrick and I live in N.W. Pennsylvania near Lake Erie. I was diagnosed with apnea 4 months ago, since I have been on this site I have learned alot of valuable information and understanding of sleep apnea.
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Permalink Reply by BeeAsleep on -
Hi, my name is Bee, I live in Erie, Colorado. I have been a designer and illustrator for 25+ years. I am married and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. I have recently been diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea. I am a newbie. I have been using the CPAP for less than a month so I am here to learn from all of the experts and long time users. It is great to get to know all of you and thanks so much for the advice I have received so far.
Patrick said:Hello,
My name is Patrick and I live in N.W. Pennsylvania near Lake Erie. I was diagnosed with apnea 4 months ago, since I have been on this site I have learned alot of valuable information and understanding of sleep apnea.
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on -
Hi,
I am Carol and live in Mid-Missouri. Our fair city is home of the Missouri State Fair, held annually in August.
I have known my hubby since we were six years old. We grew up two blocks apart and had the same childhood friends. We married in October of 1972, after dating for almost 4 years. We have five grown children and eight grandkids with three more on the way.
I am a special education teacher in a small nearby community. I taught high school special ed for twelve years and this year went to the elementary end. I have enjoyed the change this year.
I remember being tired from my late twenties to early thirties and never knew why. It was always chalked up to always being on the go. The year prior to my sleep apnea diagnosis, I was in a state of continuous exhaustion. No matter how much I slept, I felt like I was among the living dead. I had zero energy. Getting up in the mornings was extremely difficult. How I kept my job is amazing, as I remember things in a haze and blur. Finally, I requested that my primary care doctor check me for sleep apnea and a sleep study was. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea and prescribed treatment with a cpap.
I enjoy interacting with other forum members and hope that we can become good friends and supporters of each other. There is support in numbers and it is comforting to know you are not alone in your struggles.
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Permalink Reply by Belinda Haman on -
Hello Everyone:
I am a newbie to this site and I have been diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea for four months now, I have been using the CPAP on and off since my diagnosis.....It took me some time to get accustomed to the nose pillows mask, then I went back to the sleep clinic for my sleep test with my machine....The tech's told me I needed a chin strap or a full face mask, they said my air level needed to be increased to 10....
Well the full mask has been a nightmare due to my claustophobia issues......my CPAP rep suggested that I use the chin strap because he said getting some benefits are better than not using the machine....So I took his advice and have continued on with the nose pillows with the chin strap.....unfortunately I am having trouble with my mask since my air level has been increased....I sneeze all day long and feel congested....I was sleeping okay with my mask before my level was increased. I am back to the throbing apnea headache in the morning......I leave my mask on for about an hour and half before taking it off I wake up again at 3:00 am and put it back on again for another hour and a half.....still can't sleep with it on....
I am getting so frustrated, is this normal. I have been off of work now for 8 months because before I was diagnosed I was not sleeping and couldn't function anymore at work....I want to get back to work, but I am losing hope of that happening I seem to be going backwards instead of frontwards....I can relate to your story sugarshirl, I cannot remember my last year of employment either due to severe lack of sleep.....I need to get well before I go back to work I am currently on full disability as well.....I am still walking around like a zombie :( if anyone can share their experience I would certainly appreciate it.....
This is such a helpful site, I have been on many sites for sleep apnea and this one is the best......
Thanks for letting me vent my fellow apnea survivors lol
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Permalink Reply by Melinda Hertel on -
Hi, I'm Melinda, and I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2003. I love my CPAP!! I also work with a sleep medicine physician as a medical assistant and am the person who sets our patients up with their PAP equipment. I wish that everyone could have the positive experience with it that I have had. But, unfortunately that's not always the case. I really like working with people to help them find a mask that works for them, because that is usually the biggest problem with therapy.
Has anyone heard of Provent--a new non-CPAP therapy for sleep apnea?
I'm eager to learn from others what works and doesn't work for them.
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Permalink Reply by Karel McKinney on -
I am Karel and I live in McDonough, Ga. (The Greater Atlanta area) I went for a sleep study because I fell asleep driving home several times in one week. You may know that feeling; you know your tired but you think your OK, then suddenly you realize you just woke up. Maybe you were only out a split second but you knew you had been out. I was never in a wreck, and I never caused any one else harm (to my knowledge). But I was scared enough to get my problem looked into. As you guessed I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea and have been trying to use my CPAP ever since July 2008. Some nights I am successful and others I am not. So far I am getting enough sleep that I am staying awake at the wheel!
My husband is not real supportive of the equipment, but he is getting use to the idea. Maybe I should let him read some of these posts. Maybe then he can see the real advantage to having a wife who has had ample restful sleep, and not see the "creature from outer space" on the other side of the bed.
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Permalink Reply by Karen Moore www.padacheek.com on -
Hello there,
My name is Karen and Sleep Apnea has changed my life in ways I had no idea it would.
I was diagnosed 5 years ago when I had a series of really not very intelligent thoughts. I went to my primary care physician who has known me for 19 years and said, "I am not this stupid, what is wrong with me?"
He asked some smart questions and CPAP was the end result.
I started CPAP and immediately had some minor issues, like strap marks. I made a pad for my straps, used that set for almost a year and then thought perhaps others had a need for the padding on the straps too. I looked online for the solutions and found nothing. SO then I did a bit of market research, did some design work, did some patent application writing and then brought them to market. A business was born.
4 years after that the PAD A CHEEK products are world wide in distribution and although we are still a very small company, we are growing. I absolutely love helping other sleep apnea patients sleep more comfortably. My mission continues to be to help people with sleep apnea sleep more comfortably and not to grow to be a huge business.
Now my brain is working because of CPAP.
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Permalink Reply by susan finn on -
Hi, I'm Susan, from NC...I was diagnosed w/ OSA 3 years ago...went on my honeymoon for my 2nd marriage & my husband said, "Baby, you snore!"....well my ex had told me that, but his mouth was open which usually meant he was lying...actually, this time he was telling me the truth! Got back home from the honeymoon & when my hubby started threatening to sleep in the other room, I went to the E.N.T. b/c I thought it was sinus related, it wasn't & you all know what happened from there...I used to be very diligent about wearing my CPAP, but I've gotten slack lately, for one thing, hubby started truck driving over a year ago & now I don't have to worry about disturbing him w/ my snoring...I can most definitely tell a difference when I don't wear it, on a really bad night I wake up feeling like I've been run over by a train! A lot of days though I can't tell a big difference, until I get REAL sleepy at work or worse, driving!
I'm glad to have found this forum...sorry I'm such a bad example for consistent use!!!
CPAP Supplies
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I have absolutely nothing right now. I have done 2 sleep studies, and the last one they determined that even with BiPAP at levels around 22/18, I was still having Central Apnea. The analysis was that there was virtually no change at pressures above…
below is some more info I found quickly on it. i will keep my eye out for more.
Vaughn Medical Equipment Repair Service, L.L.C. v. Jordan Reses Supply Company et al
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Defendants: Jordan Rese…
this is a good question. i'm bumping this to the top in the hope of getting a proper response.
I want to know what protocols hospitals have in place, if any, with respect to testing cardiac patients for Sleep Apnea. I remember my wife and i wanting her to be induced for labor at a certain stage of her pregnancy but the hospital had very speci…
For the record, and as an attorney, the bar exam and attorney licensure requirements have done nothing for me directly except wasted my time, got my stress levels high, cost me a bunch of money and otherwise restrict my ability to do my job because…
Carl, do you have a CPAP that starts up with only a little pressure and builds up to the max set for your condition. I am; a fourteen. Went the technician had me try it on at the outlet it almost blew me away and I knew that I couldn't tolerate that…
I'll be happy to distribute a head's up on this to the members of the Manhattan A.W.A.K.E. Support Group in the morning.
I didn't mean to get you all testy. I am a fourteen and I didn't wake up all tired in the morning and I was asking an honest question. How do you know that it isn't working? I didn't know that I needed a CPAP that badly either. Like many many folks…
One must understand that mild-to-moderate sleep apnea may be successfully treated with a custom made oral appliance. The reported success rate is >85% with one-year compliance @ >85%. Too often an oral appliance is over-looked and only considered wh…
Sounds like the pressure isn't high enough to me. Do you have a fully data capable machine? What kind of machine do you have? If you have one of the higher quality ones, it will record data that will give us all insights into what's happening.
Huh? What a bizarre comment! How do I know I'm not getting results? Who would know better than I, the patient being treated? If I get up after a night with CPAP and feel as if I haven't slept at all, it doesn't matter what the printout says. We seem…
Sorry for the late notice, but I'm jointly hosting a live workshop on better breathing, sleep and health with yoga teacher Deborah Quilter a the Jewish Community Center on Wednesday, 3/17 at 7:30 to 9PM.
If you're in the metro NY area, please consi…
By the way, to those of you who have CSA as well, the new ASV really seems to be a good machine. I'm re-doing my sleep study with an ASV machine on April 15th. After reading quite a bit about this machine, here's something that I find particularly i…
Total crap, what you are saying. It has nothing to do with "motivation". and "determination". Please refrain from putting other people down simply because they are experiencing difficulty with their various treatment modalities.
How do you know that you are not getting results? If it is saving you from a heart attack and/or diabetes that is results. The only outward results is that I don't fall asleep in movie and and do not get tired driving. I have been on my CPAP for two…
Why do we license physicians? is it just the government trying to get there piece of the pie? NO it's the protection of patients. Why do sleep techs want licensure? It's an effort to standardize the industry. It's an effort to make sure Joe in Monta…
I really cannot believe we're having this discussion again and with the same people. Comparing you RRT who is in homecare and the RRT who is into sleep is like comparing apples to oranges.
All I have to say is HUH??? WTF.
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