"please keep me updated about oximeters "
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If you had two pieces of advice to give a newbie....
...what would those two pieces be?
A lot of us would really benefit from the been-there, endured-that experience you veterans have to offer us.
AND....
Happy New Year!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jerry Croke on
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TorontoCPAPguy said:get a machine that records data and the software to go with it so you can see what is happening during the night. Get a recording pulse oximeter so you can match SpO2 against what goes on all night.
Can't do it in two pieces of advice so I will continue:
3. Get a mask that fits well and is comfy. I use a Quattro FFM so if my nose plugs up I can carry on sleeping. I use a Mirage Nose Bag mask when watching TV in the evening if I expect to fall asleep.
4. Take the CPAP/APAP with you wherever you go expecting to sleep overnight. I spent two weeks in the hospital this past month and the CPAP let me sleep like a log. The hospital even allowed me to infuse THEIR oxygen into my CPAP line so I sleep well all night.
5. Get educated. Know what it is that you have and how to deal with it.
6. Understand that OSA is a prime cause of Atrial Fibrillation - a heart affliction that will cut your quality of life to shreds. I am back in Normal Sinus Rhythm after years of aFib and feel like a million bucks. Know that aFib can be well hidden by OSA... similar symptoms. Get an electrocardiogram read by a cardiologist if you are going to have a sleep study.... not read by a GP or nurse or clerk.... a CARDIOLOGIST! The newest and best electrocardiogram gear actually prints "ATRIAL FIBRILLATION" across the strip in big red letters. And if you have aFib get it treated IMMEDIATELY as the longer you wait the worse it gets and the harder it is to fix.
7. Forget nasal pillows for your CPAP machine. They just don't work well and you are going to be disappointed. THE FULL FACE MASK allows you to roll about and smoosh your face into the pillow without hassle. Bring the hose up and behind your head (there are gadgets that do that for about $20) so you don't fight with the hose at night.
8. Have your GP test for things like C Reactive Protein, Aldestorone, etc. A full spread of blood tests on a regular basis. To make sure that everything is working as it should be.
Good luck.
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After 4 months on CPAP using nasal pillows I was going to quit the program because I just don't fall asleep using thedevice. I believe its because I am a side/stomach sleeper which the pillows don't work with. I decided to make a final check on the net and found this site and signed in . I reade the message from Toronto CPAP guy regarding use of the FULL FACE MASK and it gives me hope. I am going to give it a try as I have severe apnea( study says I wake every 61 seconds). Thanks for the advice Toronto guy.
JPCPAP guy
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TorontoCPAPguy said:get a machine that records data and the software to go with it so you can see what is happening during the night. Get a recording pulse oximeter so you can match SpO2 against what goes on all night.
Can't do it in two pieces of advice so I will continue:
3. Get a mask that fits well and is comfy. I use a Quattro FFM so if my nose plugs up I can carry on sleeping. I use a Mirage Nose Bag mask when watching TV in the evening if I expect to fall asleep.
4. Take the CPAP/APAP with you wherever you go expecting to sleep overnight. I spent two weeks in the hospital this past month and the CPAP let me sleep like a log. The hospital even allowed me to infuse THEIR oxygen into my CPAP line so I sleep well all night.
5. Get educated. Know what it is that you have and how to deal with it.
6. Understand that OSA is a prime cause of Atrial Fibrillation - a heart affliction that will cut your quality of life to shreds. I am back in Normal Sinus Rhythm after years of aFib and feel like a million bucks. Know that aFib can be well hidden by OSA... similar symptoms. Get an electrocardiogram read by a cardiologist if you are going to have a sleep study.... not read by a GP or nurse or clerk.... a CARDIOLOGIST! The newest and best electrocardiogram gear actually prints "ATRIAL FIBRILLATION" across the strip in big red letters. And if you have aFib get it treated IMMEDIATELY as the longer you wait the worse it gets and the harder it is to fix.
7. Forget nasal pillows for your CPAP machine. They just don't work well and you are going to be disappointed. THE FULL FACE MASK allows you to roll about and smoosh your face into the pillow without hassle. Bring the hose up and behind your head (there are gadgets that do that for about $20) so you don't fight with the hose at night.
8. Have your GP test for things like C Reactive Protein, Aldestorone, etc. A full spread of blood tests on a regular basis. To make sure that everything is working as it should be.
Good luck.
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Jerry, I use a FFM and find it better than pillows or a nasal mask. Make sure the hose is coming from above your head. You may still have problems if you are a stomach sleeper but should be OK if you are a side sleeper. You are probably sleeping on your stomach to compensate for the sleep apnea. I used to toss and turn and jump out and up in the bed because I couldn't breathe but now sleep on my back most of the night and sometimes on my side but now never sleep on my stomach because I don't have too. Let us know how you go with the FFM another suggestion with the FFM is use mask liners. Good Luck.
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Thanks Terry. your comment is appreciated as it's a confirmation that this may well be a solution for me. Regarding the stomach sleeping I really only turn on my stomach for seconds in getting in to a side position so I probably shouldn't have mentioned it at all. Thanks again and I will update when I have the FFM.
Terry Vella said:Jerry, I use a FFM and find it better than pillows or a nasal mask. Make sure the hose is coming from above your head. You may still have problems if you are a stomach sleeper but should be OK if you are a side sleeper. You are probably sleeping on your stomach to compensate for the sleep apnea. I used to toss and turn and jump out and up in the bed because I couldn't breathe but now sleep on my back most of the night and sometimes on my side but now never sleep on my stomach because I don't have too. Let us know how you go with the FFM another suggestion with the FFM is use mask liners. Good Luck.
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I only clean my cpap in a clean stainless steel bowl. My sister had a mitral valve replaced and that surgery went fine but then she got an infection and had to be reopened up and they cultured the infection...the bacteria was the bacteria you find in a standard kitchen sink. Now I know that was the hospitals fault but I clean the bowl each time and never put my mask or the hose in my sink. Think about what ends up in your sink, whether it is your bathroom sink or kitchen sink. Just my opinion. I use Dr Bonners Soap, the baby one. No fragrence and have for years. The or the other one that is much like it. Cannot think of the name of it now. Just a few drops does the trick, no after smell and it rinses nicely off. But I do rinse again with vinegar water. Marianne
Terry Vella said:Wade, I buy a solution for my sleep clinic which is just liquid soap without and fragrances added. It is basically what you can buy from a supermarket. I agree with Mary about the overkill of the brush but if people want to buy it then it is up to them. I put my hose, mask etc in the sink basin with the liquid soap once a week on a Sunday and let it soak for about 30mins then rinse and dry. Sometimes I will do it mid week as well if I feel it needs it. Sp far I'm OK after 9 months of use.
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Permalink Reply by ZolliStar on
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A clean, stainless steel bowl sounds like a great idea. I have been using a "dedicated" plastic bowl, but I think it could harbor bacteria in a way that a stainless steel bowl wouldn't. Thank you so much for this tip, Marianne.
Marianne Kleminski said:I only clean my cpap in a clean stainless steel bowl. My sister had a mitral valve replaced and that surgery went fine but then she got an infection and had to be reopened up and they cultured the infection...the bacteria was the bacteria you find in a standard kitchen sink. Now I know that was the hospitals fault but I clean the bowl each time and never put my mask or the hose in my sink. Think about what ends up in your sink, whether it is your bathroom sink or kitchen sink. Just my opinion. I use Dr Bonners Soap, the baby one. No fragrence and have for years. The or the other one that is much like it. Cannot think of the name of it now. Just a few drops does the trick, no after smell and it rinses nicely off. But I do rinse again with vinegar water. Marianne
Terry Vella said:Wade, I buy a solution for my sleep clinic which is just liquid soap without and fragrances added. It is basically what you can buy from a supermarket. I agree with Mary about the overkill of the brush but if people want to buy it then it is up to them. I put my hose, mask etc in the sink basin with the liquid soap once a week on a Sunday and let it soak for about 30mins then rinse and dry. Sometimes I will do it mid week as well if I feel it needs it. Sp far I'm OK after 9 months of use.
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Something that I do is hold my hose right at the faucet and let hot water run through it. The discussion here prompted me to do something different this morning: I made a vinegar/water solution and ran in into my tube. I blocked each end with my fingers and "juggled" the solution back and forth in the tube for about a minute to ensure complete contact of the inside of the tube with the solution.
I also immersed my humidifier in the vinegar/water solution.
Terry Vella said:Wade, I buy a solution for my sleep clinic which is just liquid soap without and fragrances added. It is basically what you can buy from a supermarket. I agree with Mary about the overkill of the brush but if people want to buy it then it is up to them. I put my hose, mask etc in the sink basin with the liquid soap once a week on a Sunday and let it soak for about 30mins then rinse and dry. Sometimes I will do it mid week as well if I feel it needs it. Sp far I'm OK after 9 months of use.
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Permalink Reply by Karen M Laass on
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Holy Mackrel - I can still do that at the drop of a hat and this coming June will be 2 years of using my CPAP...it goes everywhere with me!! I believe I had sleep apnea over 20 years before I was diagnosed - I think mainly because I never married and had a spouse telling me to stop snoring!! I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure in my late 20's, not long after I began treatment for anxiety (now I am on SSDI for General Anxiety Disorder, as well as taking medication for underactive thyroid! Looking back I was always tired but figured who wouldn't be working full-time and attending college at night for 10 years!!! So I brushed it off until I began waking up gasping for air. Took the online test and ba-da-bing - advised to get test that I most likely had sleep apnea - turns out a pretty serious case - it amazes me how many people have it, or who I now suspect have it and have advised them of the seriousness and need to address.
Terry Vella said:Karen, Good point, my wife used to say just close your eyes and go to sleep, she didn't understand that I couldn't breathe.
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I believe as well that the brush cleaning in the tubing is overkill. I have spoke to both my pulmonologist and respitatory therapist about bacteria or other micro-organisms when I began with my CPAP about 1 1/2 years ago. I am so susceptible to infections due to asthma & allergies to mold. They both told me to see how it goes and we'll evaluate care of equipment as you go. We live in a humid climate & in the winter crank up the humidity because of the cold/dry air. No problems thus far, clean with warm soapy water once a week.
What is the reason for the hose bracket to hold it above the head? I would maybe be interested in trying that, as I am always open to more comfort!!
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I use the swish/juggle method, but I've been using a little hydrogen peroxide followed by a long rinse, the last rinse with RO filtered water (which is what I use in my humidifier too - but if you choose to do this, do it at your own risk!). Others have recommended soap instead of the peroxide, but I find that the soaps always make me a bit stuffy (even the unscented ones) whereas I've had no reactions with the peroxide (albeit, well rinsed afterward).
As to the hose bracket (or headgear that routes the hose over the head) - if you turn over at night, the bracket keeps the hose attached to your mask and untangled, and reduces the chance of your mask/nose pillows leaking (because the hose is being stretched).
For headgear - if you find that side sleeping is dislodging your mask or nose pillows, you might want to try the Puritan-Bennett 'Breeze' mask or nose pillows. I've been using the nose pillows for about 5 years now, and they 'cured' the side-sleeping leakage of my earlier masks. The headgear is a metal band that goes from your nose straight back over the top of your head to the back of your head. It also has straps that 'crown' your head, for more stability if you need it, but I didn't find them necessary. The hose is routed up the metal band and exists at the back of the head (no external bracket required).
It also depends on the amount of correction that you require. I found that when my maximum settings were in the 17-20 range I was getting leakage, but now that the maximum is 14 I'm OK. If my apnea worsens I may have to try the extra straps or different headgear.
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