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Life with out a CPAP?
Okay I have a question. Lets just say if something happened to where I could no longer have a CPAP michine, what would happen to me in the long run or would there be a long run for me? I know I would not want to be driving. As I have been so much better with the CPAP then with out it.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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what is your AHI (apnea hypopnea index). if we have some sense of that, we can give you some opinions on how close to the graveyard you'd be without the CPAP.
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Permalink Reply by Melinda Hertel on
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I always wonder the same thing for myself. I can say from personal experience that drugs might help--the legal ones--such as Adderall, Ritalin, Provigil, etc. I was on Adderall for a misdiagnosis of "adult ADD" and did a lot better fatigue-wise. However, if drugs do not work, it is possible that some people could have to go on disability if their symptoms put them at risk for auto accidents or other dangerous situations. As far as your risk for dying from physiological problems...the severity of your apnea/hypopnea index is an indicator. An AHI of 30 or above is considered severe. But I have seen articles about even the mild sleep apnea cases being a health risk. I only have an index of 8.3 but am very symptomatic. I don't think I would do well without CPAP unless drugs help.
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Permalink Reply by james on
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The pressure on my CPAP is set at 12 and without it I would be at risk for auto accidents or other dangerous situations. With it, I do fine. I have learned the hard way that you still need the right amount of sleep even with the CPAP. Is the pressure on my CPAP an indicator of the my AHI? Other wise I do not know my AHI. I do thank you for your help. I am getting a sence of what to talk about with my doctor the next time.
Thank you.
James.
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hi James -- nope, the CPAP pressure is not an indicator of your AHI. You really should ask your doctor for a full copy of your initial sleep study and the titration study -- say that you want to see it to more fully understand the condition. on it, one of the many many things you'll see is your AHI, which is an indicator of the severity of your condition. you should also ask your doctor to prescribe a fully data capable machine that will enable you to tell from day to day whether the machine is working to reduce your AHI as it should.
james said:The pressure on my CPAP is set at 12 and without it I would be at risk for auto accidents or other dangerous situations. With it, I do fine. I have learned the hard way that you still need the right amount of sleep even with the CPAP. Is the pressure on my CPAP an indicator of the my AHI? Other wise I do not know my AHI. I do thank you for your help. I am getting a sence of what to talk about with my doctor the next time.
Thank you.
James.
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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I would not want to be without my machine. I was among the living dead prior to cpap. Much of the last year or so prior to cpap is a fog.
I am thankful that I have a solution to my exhaustion.
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No kidding, been there and done that. life before the CPAP with all the exhaustion and I am ever so thankful for not getting into an auto accedent. But I do wish I had been better to my family before the cpap. As you may know when your always exhausted you may not always be a nice person. This web site is a big help, as I am finding out more about Sleep Apnea in a month then I had known in two years.
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Keep going up that learning curve, James! I know that CPAP has made me a better person. I'm not as irritable and grumpy as I used to be, and instead of sleeping in all weekend, I have energy to engage with family and friends and do the things I like to do.
james said:No kidding, been there and done that. life before the CPAP with all the exhaustion and I am ever so thankful for not getting into an auto accedent. But I do wish I had been better to my family before the cpap. As you may know when your always exhausted you may not always be a nice person. This web site is a big help, as I am finding out more about Sleep Apnea in a month then I had known in two years.
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Permalink Reply by Dan Lyons on
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I have sat here and read, in numerous posting, members who have basically said that they would never lower themselves as to get a used *PAP machine. They have stated that their insurance gets them a new machine.
On the other hand, recently a poster wrote after loosing his job, he was going to have to return the rental machine to which he had grown accustom due to his lose of employment and insurance coverage and indicated he was going to have to do without now.
Is a “used” *PAP that much of a social stigma that the choice of living longer with a used machine than that of suffering without one?
Everyday, I run searches for used *PAP equipment and there is no shortage of them out there. All you have to do is be motivated and have the desire. Where there is a will, there will always be a way.
The DME’s are in business to make money and as long as their greed allows them to command inflated monetary amounts, the insurance companies continue to pay the exorbitant prices, and the medical industrial complex continues to churn along as it has, unchecked, a lot of you folks had better rethink you attitudes or make your funeral plans.
The “change” you think might be coming is going to do nothing but impede your access to competent medical care and services.
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I have two used machines for back-up. I am not proud and wanted a spare.
In my opinion, everyone should look into picking a good used machine for a back-up in case your primary machine goes on the fritz.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Donaldson on
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I would not want to go back to life, or barely life before C-pap. Before I was able to get the insurance company to cover me for a machine, I seriously considered building my own somehow. I was that desperate. I guess I would think about that again if I was to not be able to have my machine.
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