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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on September 2, 2009 at 10:26am

I am lost.

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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on September 2, 2009 at 1:30pm

I sure wouldn't have thunk, Judy!! After all the ranting and raving and bitching and moaning I'VE done on SG, who WOULD have????? LOL!!!

(Now don't go gettin' all kind and protective with me about that statement!! I have my tongue firmly planted in my cheek at the moment!! )

There IS a lesson that could be learned in all this, my opinion only, which is that armed with a reasonable amount of information about apnea, so as not to be entirely careless in decision-making, perhaps we can all learn to trust our own judgment AT TIMES. NOT in every situation 'cause it's too complicated for that. But in SOME instances our gut reactions to problem-solving may be good ones. I kinda hesitate to say that, knowing how some people, including myself at one time, might take it as free license to do whatever they want to do, or to d/c something they DON'T wanta do-- as in, CPAP treatment or going against MD recs, out of fear or confusion, and lack of information (which as we all know can be hard to come by sometimes)--THAT is something I wouldn't want to be a party to encouraging, for certain!!!!

Jeez, by now everyone's eyes are probably glassed over!!! I can't seem to talk about apnea, yet, in simple terms....it always comes out as either a rant or a dissertation. A recent bit of wisdom I received from someone on SG, who I TOTALLY trust, is that there can be a militancy that comes with early diagnosis of apnea, which lends itself to blowing off all over the place and giving opinions about everything. That sounds pretty familiar in my case (which was no doubt the point being made!!), and I'm working with that info now.

I've now expounded so long that I've totally forgotten the point of this entire response except to tell you, Judy, that I'm REALLY happy to know that my experience helped someone, as opposed to feeling totally stupid and overwhelmed with apnea in general. I'm GLAD you're feeling better, truly. Every little (or big) milestone seems to be so critically valuable in learning how to cope.....and so it goes on SG. It goes around and it comes around and someone's always here.......

So for anyone here who continues to struggle, and that includes me, keep the faith. And stick with SleepGuide. It's THE one constant in all of this!!!!!

P.S. (Lord, there also has to be a P.S. with me, doesn't there?!!), but this needs clarification. I think..!

Back to the point, which is when I made that decision re: hammering up my humidity, I KNEW already that humidification was the vehicle to fixing all that congestion/nasal dripping, etc. side effect, and I got fed up with (whoever) encouraged such and such a setting (which wasn't working), got pissed (imagine THAT!), and just finally cranked it all the way up out of pure frustration and discomfort. I can't say for a minute that it was a well-thought-out decision, BUT I was armed with enough information to KNOW that it wasn't gonna hurt me--the worst that could have happened would have been a trip through New Orleans in mid-summer!!! (which ain't no fun, been there!).

That's how I learned what works for ME in all this orientation period. I keep it at a minimum of 4 yet today and move it to 5 if I even have a whisper of sinus congestion or any of the rest of that stuff. It just works for ME. I'm not saying it's the solution for everyone. NOR, for HEAVEN'S sake would I encourage anyone to just fly off in a direction they don't have enough info about because they're scared and/or frustrated. I'm beginning to learn that those things are part and parcel of dealing with this disease. Period. It's the letting-go-of-control thing that seems virtually impossible to some of us, I being one!!!!!

Okay, NOW I'm done, fini, over, all this spouting!! At least for the moment..........:-)

Susan McCord

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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on September 2, 2009 at 1:38pm

YOU? LOST? Rock, I seriously doubt that !! Clarification upcoming, maybe, with a comment I just posted.

McCord

Rock Hinkle said:

I am lost.

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Permalink Reply by Saz RPSGT on September 2, 2009 at 2:10pm

That's interesting. This is why I enjoy SleepGuide. As a clinician I get to learn from the users as well.

Thanks!

Jason

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Permalink Reply by Judy on September 2, 2009 at 3:40pm

Well, who is to say it will work for everyone? Susan mentioned her sinsues were also stuffed up. I wasn't having any problems w/stuffiness and just assumed it was some type of allergey related to an aging immune system.

I "have" found when my nose is stuffed, and I don't say this will work for everyone either, but if I don my mask and CPAP and the heated humidifier and just TRY to breathe thru my nose as long as I can, then when necessary take a gasp of fresh air thru my mouth, then back to nose breathing thru the mask, that I can clear the stuffiness up and w/in a very few minutes breathe very well and sleep thru the night w/no plugged, stuffed up sinuses.

Increasing humidification just hadn't occurred to me for this recent dripping,sneezing, dripping, sneezing, dripping and more dripping. But given Susan's suggestion I figured I didn't have much to lose by trying to up the humidification. I certainly did NOT expect that increasing the humidity would also reduce or eliminate the drooling!!!

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Permalink Reply by susan mccord on September 2, 2009 at 4:54pm

I had both stuffiness (a gross understatement) and alternate continual nose-running, one or the other, non-stop 24/7 for eight days the first time, and for 5 days the second. Initially thought I had THE worst head cold ever--it never occurred to me that it started acutely after my 2nd night on CPAP--I actually did try what worked for you, Judy, by trying to use the humidity, at the earlier settings, by using EXACTLY the technique you describe here. It just didn't work at ALL for me, and I was pretty patient at first, 'cause I really thought I had a bad, bad cold, and I was afraid to stop CPAP. I'm NO kind of hypochondriac, but honestly there were times I wondered if a person could actually die from a stuffed-up nose. It was grim.....so, like we keep saying here, all bodies work differently and 'ya just can't give up. But boy, I'll never take anyone's c/o for granted again after going through all that....

As I think back about it now, I have to wonder if my sinuses are over-sensitive to Vytorin and Plavix side effects. Reason being, the first few months I took it, nearly 4 years ago (still taking both), one or both of them totally dried up my system--I mean totally!! Skin, hair, nails, mouth, vaginal tissue, Everything!! And seriously. To the point of real distress. There wasn't enough conditioner or lotion or cream or lubricant that helped whatsoever for a long time. It gradually, over months, got better 'cause I intervened intensely and every single day and night as above to alleviate all that dryness. It's gradually gotten better now, at least to a tolerable level. I no longer look like a dried-up toad. But that was memorable, and awful. So now I'm thinking, jeez, why would my sinus cavity be any different? With all that air blasting into there, why wouldn't I have the same acute reaction with dryness that I had initially to every single part of my body that I had it initially. I'm on the exact same Rx but even more of some others, just to complicate my freaked-out body systems......that's my theory pertaining to my just ovewhelming distress and subsequent resolution of it by intense humidification. Makes perfect sense to me now.....

Susan McCord

Judy said:

Well, who is to say it will work for everyone? Susan mentioned her sinsues were also stuffed up. I wasn't having any problems w/stuffiness and just assumed it was some type of allergey related to an aging immune system.

I "have" found when my nose is stuffed, and I don't say this will work for everyone either, but if I don my mask and CPAP and the heated humidifier and just TRY to breathe thru my nose as long as I can, then when necessary take a gasp of fresh air thru my mouth, then back to nose breathing thru the mask, that I can clear the stuffiness up and w/in a very few minutes breathe very well and sleep thru the night w/no plugged, stuffed up sinuses.

Increasing humidification just hadn't occurred to me for this recent dripping,sneezing, dripping, sneezing, dripping and more dripping. But given Susan's suggestion I figured I didn't have much to lose by trying to up the humidification. I certainly did NOT expect that increasing the humidity would also reduce or eliminate the drooling!!!

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