Thank you for the welcome. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea for about 4 years now. My brother has it also and the has been using a cpap machine for at least 7 years.
The machine has made a big difference in the way I feel. I am still not completely happy with the head gear that I have tried, so I am still working on that. Hopefully, being a member of this forum will be very informative and helpful.

Thanks for the welcome. It's good to know that there are others who are going through the same thing. I was diagnosed about 3 years ago and tried to use the CPAP but didn't until about a year ago. I found myself falling asleep during the day. This woke me up. I've been using CPAP machine and still wish that I didn't have to. But it does help me to sleep at least 5 hrs at a time. Before I was waking up every 2 hrs. I'm using the nasal pillow which seems to work better for me than the mask.

Thanks for the welcome. I have been on the CPAP with oxygen for about a year now. I have a full face mask. I tried the mask with the nose piece but we fought every night and when I would wake up, I would be on one side of the bed and it on the other so I went back to the full face mask. I do sleep 100% better on the CPAP machine. My son was the one who recommended that I have a sleep study after watching me sleep and stop breathing one night. I think he saved my life. It is good to know of others with the same problem. Sometimes I feel people think I am crazy when I say I stop breathing without the machine.

ResMed HumidAire 31 - I like the machine. I'm using a nasal pillow right now because it seems to work better than the mask but sometimes I think I should try and go back to the mask. Not extremely happy with it. Guess I wish I didn't have to use it at all but I know I have to. Been really stressed lately - my husband just had a double by-pass and is now home from the hospital. He still has a collapsed lung so we are dealing with his breathing problems. Might have to have the fluid drained. Now they think he also has sleep apnea. He will be tested as soon as he gets through this recovery. Life is interesting - his and hers CPAP machines.!

Hi sleepycarol,

Thank you for your welcome.

I've been a member of another forum for a longer period. I believe that this forum is more liberal, and I want to transfer some of my posting to this forum.

Henning

Hi Sleepycarol,

First, I apologize for not getting back to you sooner. I believe that I might have this because my husband has told me that when I'm snoring the whole house shakes. Also, I find myself waking up from snoring multiple times during the night. In addition, my throat is very dry when I wake up.

Also, over the last 5 years, I have gained a lot of weight and not to sound obnoxious, I believe this could add to the sleep apnea, but I am not sure. The only reason why I say this is because before I gained the weight, I did not snore.

So, there is my story. Any advice?

Thanks!

Hi Carol,

The surgery was a UPPP and Lingual Tonsillectomy. The Dr removed my Tonsils, Adenoids did a reduced Palate trim and removed excess tissue from the base of my tongue. I now sleep without a CPAP, I have stage 3 and 4 sleep with REM and dream like mad, probably dream more than anytime in my Adult life. I lost 17 pounds during the recovery which I've managed to keep off, I( am still losing weight which I really needed to do. Now I walk 4 miles a night at work and rarely get out of breath while climbing stairs. Probably the biuggest bonus and surprise was that I took in a lot more air when awake and that increased my energy level, my wife is constantly yelling for me to slow down, I'm 6'5" and she's 5'4" it's been a good experience and I wish I could have done this 30 years ago.

Randy

Thanks!! I think I may have a hard time on the site, I want to comment to and treat everyone! I'm glad there is a common place for these discussions.

Thanks is this forum relatively new?

Thanks so much for checking in! I saw my doctor last week and will soon have an at-home sleep study and probably be fitted for a new CPAP. Thanks again for being so thoughtful.

Carol - thanks for asking, but am not doing so well these last few days. The lupus is acting up really bad............ughhhhhhhhh! But I did get my new nasal mask on Monday and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I will post on discussions about it tomorrow and provide all the pertinent info about it too.
Talk tomorrow - not feeling so well.
Mel

Thanks for the welcome!

I have been up seeing my grandkids this week I will be home tomorrow early evening. I did not get her mailing info in yet. It should be there when I get back it will go out early the next day. The new Bipap is working good so far. Order a new mask for my wife in hopes she will start using hers again. I going to get her to log on sometime when I get her computer up and running when I get back. Thanks Rich

Hi
I have not been to see my MD yet to get prescription so I can upgrade. I am a slacker...

Hi,

Thanks for asking. I have an appointment for an overnight sleep study scheduled for Feb. 17, but I may have to postpone it a few weeks.

Eliza

Not bad enough to qualify with my insurance.

Thanks, Bob Wilson here. As with most, I am having trouble adapting to cpap- been on and off with it for 9 months after being diagnosed with severe apnea. Mask problems are it for me, just can't get it right. I have an appt. with my sleep doc on Wed., going to see about a full face with some kind of under the chin restraint, I think. Currently I have a full face Mirage quatro, leaks like a seive. Also have another resmed (I think) nasal one with chinstrap. Chinstrap put way too much pressure on my ears, that wakes me up and of course the mask then got thrown against the wall. Tried mouth taping, which seems to work, but get all kinds of pressure marks from the mask being too tight. At work I sometimes apply pesticides which requires me to wear a full face respirator- it has a chin cup on it- and I can wear it all day long without issues. So being that I am a mouth breather, maybe this is for me. I know I have to use cpap effectively, or like some of the tragic cases we all know about, I'll die from not using it. Thanks again for the greeting, sleepycarol, and for contributing as much as you do to this forum.

Thanks!

I am in the sleep business. Provider of CPAP etc. And I want to better understand the life of an OSA patient and how I might be able to help them better....

Thank you for your nice welcome. I am looking forward to this list.

Hi sleepycarol, Ten or fifteen years ago I had a sleep study done. I stopped breathing 55 times per hour. After the test , I felt very invigorated. The feeling was never matched by my machine at home. After a period of use, my nose would stop up and I would wake up gasping for air. I finally quit using the cpap machine with the nose mask.
I tried to get help but there was no follow up program at that sleep study.
Now my present physician has sent me to a neurologist and she has set me up with a sleep study for Feb 1 2009. I am told that many electronic advances have been made and the equipment is not as bulky as the one that I had. The neurologist has assured me that she will monitor my progress.

Thanks...looking forward to being here

Since 2004 and I am seeing slow changes in my body ever since. For example, I used to always have cold fee and even wear socks to bed in the summer. Now I don't even need them in the winter. And my post nasal drip, that constantly caused bronchial irritation leading to coughs and colds, sinus problems, etc., are no longer a problem. The constant moist air in my nasal passages at night is making a huge difference. I still have sinus problems, but don't wake up in the morning with a sore throat, etc. My allergies are highly reduced as well.

Thank-you for the welcome & the comment about the baby. He's not really mine, but my great nephew. He is adorable though! I have two of my own, but they are 22 year old son & 18 year old daughter. I get my baby fixes when I can!

I'm having problems getting used to a mask . I think I'm going to move to another room until I can use it throught the night so I won't be so self-concious about making adjustments to the mask and possibly waking my wife.

I was diagnosed over 18 months ago and I need to get serious about the treatment.

dh

Thanks for the nice welcome SleepyCarol!

Thank you; it's good to know this group is available. The contents of this website are so informative. Lord bless your home.

SleepyCarol, Mike has suggested that you might want to consider adding my Resmed's Excellent Video on Sleep Disordered Breathing to the special section for newbies you are setting up.

My post w/a link to the article Inside a Sleep Clinic would be a great addition too but I wonder whether we would need reprint permission as that link won't stay available for any great length of time most likely. Its a really good article, written w/some humor, but could help to make those facing their first sleep evaluation feel a little more comfortable about what to expect.

Two days before my sleep study the sleep center called and canceled my appointment because my insurance wasn't part of their program. I am looking for another sleep study that accepts Bravo.

Thnx for the invite, SC. I've been on CPAP ever since they put me on muscle relaxants for my back, about 3 1/2 years ago. Before then I was falling asleep driving to work while my son was in car seat waiting for me to take him to daycare. CPAP was a Godsend!

Hi SleepyCarol - I am not treating apnea due to no health ins. at the moment. First thing on my list when my ins. kicks in!

I have been on BiPap since Oct. 13, 2008. Before that I wasn't breathing or sleeping well for about 30 years or more. What a difference.

Thanks for the reply. I have had 3 unsuccessful attempts of trying CPAP and even own a machine. I am a mouth breather and have not been able to find a way to keep my mouth shut or from keeping the mask on. I wish that it would work and have been considering surgery for a while. I am currently trying to lose weight and see how much that reduces my sleep apnea.

My involvement is basically within the hospital, setting up cpap and bipaps on acute respiratory distress, post-anesthesia. I have a patent pending product that is used with masks and a website that discusses the advantages, features, and testimonials of patients that have trialed this on different masks. In our hospital, the use of non-invasive ventilation is used based on protocols and criteria from the physician. Many times the physicians ask the therapists what to do with settings, humidification, type of mask, cpap versus bipap. The equipment used in hospital care is both advantageous and disadvantageous. You will normally find disposable masks, and very high tech cpap, or bipap units delivering flow, pressure and back-up rates. Of course, there are always small glitches and troubleshooting skills that develop over time. You learn and remember from every patient you set up : how to improve therapy for maximum results and to get the patient comfortable.

My machine is a ResMed Escape 2, mask is Fisher and Paykel, covers the nose and mouth. When I have time, I will write my story and add it to this form. I appreciate that this mode of communication is available. have been on it since mid Dec 2008.

Gene

Are you there ? got a question for you. What can you tell me about the bipap S/T I found out today that they mess up on my order for my last sleep study and I was suppose to have a backup pressure on my bipap and my m series auto bipap does not have one so they are going to get me a new machine and they said it was going to be the S/T not sure if this is better then the Auto s/v or is it better then the auto s/v. thanks Rich

Thanks for the reply I open up a discussion to see if anyone might help me with my question.

No, It's been packed away for about three years... I started out with a simple nose mask, but I would rip it off in the night and toss it, and never wake up to know it till morning and I had to go looking for it... It ended up in my bathroom one night... So then I switched to just the nozzles like with oxygen feeds, but I couldn't really tolerate that either, so I just packed it up and I think it's over in storage... I used it for about 2 years but it just wasn't working out... So then I had some sort of soft tissue surgery, and as far as I can tell, it has helped some.

Thanks for the congrats! I use a RemstarPro M Series with a full face mask. I'm unsure how to answer your other inquiries?...

Amazing Carol, its 204AM my time and I'm just now shutting down to go to bed.Some of my problem is me... been a nitebird since I was a kid.

At some point I think I will get a sleep test done, not sure if I have apnea but sometimes wake up sucking in a real deep breath.

Thanks sleepycarol for the welcome!
I've had my cpap for over 5 years now so if anyone has any concerns I'm open!! I'm addicted to the thing now...my sleep study showed me waking so many times in one hour its unbelievable....
GW

Thanks, I am a RRT in chas , wv and was just browsing about...

Thanks for the welcome sleepycarol! Were you treated othodontically as a young person, and, if so, did you have any teeth removed?

Let me know?

Thanks for the offer of help. It's not the what I tried, or what I used. I am a very big mouth breather and can never keep my mouth closed all night long. I have tried hair bands (they end up stretching out), full face mask (too claustophobic) but the main thing is that the mask always ends up anywhere but on my face and usually ends up blowing in my wife's face!
The mouth breathing has been my biggest obstical and I want to find a solution for my own health and life!!! I am always tired.

Hi there, and thank you for the welcome. I have been through 2 sleep labs, prescribed a CPAP, but unfortunately declared CPAP intolerant. My 2nd lab was to try a BPAP. However, I was active duty military, retired, relocated and never followed up on the BPAP. I have tried special pillows, dental pieces, CPAP but still tired all the time. Thank God for a loving and understaning wife (and boss).

Carol, it's nice to see that you're making your way around here and helping lots of people. Thanks for inviting me to join!

I wish I could get back into the habit of leaving the mask on all night. I've been very stressed lately. My husband had a double by-pass on New Years Eve this year and I've been doing a lot of the things that he used to do so I'm always tired and sometimes don't want to be bothered with the mask, but now I need to start thinking about myself again. He's doing good and on the road to recovery. I feel like I am breathing very heavy with the mask on and don't know if that's the way it is supposed to be. I have an appointment in the middle of March with the sleep study team - I've been going back every 6 months. Guess I'm looking forward to hearing what they have to say. I just wish I felt better in the morning.

I tried for a couple of years. Finally gave up. I've been using provigil for the days -- retired so I can nap whenever I feel like it.

Sleepy Carol,
The mask is: "Respironics Total Face Mask", at; www.respopironics.com.
I got my supplier to get it for me. I ask for it on Thursday two weeks ago, and it arrived at my house on Friday. Such fast service I could hardly believe. Hope the info helps. And Sweet Dreams from now on.
Vonnie