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Oxygen for Sleep Apnea?
Can anyone please tell me if they are using oxygen instead of the CPAP machine. I could not tolerate the CPAP machine, I told my Dr I wouldnt be able to use that and sleep. The forced air would wake me up when it ramped up as I had a feeling of bein suffocated. So she put me on Oxygen.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Melodie on
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Sue,
Hi! This is Melodie (Mel) and I am also an oxygen patient, but I have central sleep apnea too. I am on oxygen due to the fact that I have Emphysema. When my pulmonologist found that I also have the central sleep apnea, he added a Bi-PAP Auto SV unit to my oxygen and the oxygen is bled into the Bi-PAP at a rate of 4 liters per minute for "nocturnal" usage. My actual Bi-PAP Auto SC unit has 3 different settings, and it is set at 14-4-14.
The forced air is actually quite helpful to me, as just the oxygen itself wasn't helping me enough. Now that the oxygen is bled into my Bi-PAP, I actually sleep and feel much better - that is WHEN I SLEEP. I also have Narcolepsy and fall asleep during the day and have no control over it, so I am prescribed "Provigil" to keep me awake, and then "Seroquel" at night to help me sleep. It sounds crazy - and trust me - it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I take a whole Provigil tablet in the morning, then I cannot sleep at all that night, and sometimes the next night too. I feel like a total zombie half the time and am just waiting for the doctors to figure out the best combinaton to help both problems.
Hope this crazy response is helpful to you or anyone else in the group. And if anyone has any suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Melodie (Mel) Aultman-Morris
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Permalink Reply by Sue on
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Melodie said:Sue,
Hi! This is Melodie (Mel) and I am also an oxygen patient, but I have central sleep apnea too. I am on oxygen due to the fact that I have Emphysema. When my pulmonologist found that I also have the central sleep apnea, he added a Bi-PAP Auto SV unit to my oxygen and the oxygen is bled into the Bi-PAP at a rate of 4 liters per minute for "nocturnal" usage. My actual Bi-PAP Auto SC unit has 3 different settings, and it is set at 14-4-14.
The forced air is actually quite helpful to me, as just the oxygen itself wasn't helping me enough. Now that the oxygen is bled into my Bi-PAP, I actually sleep and feel much better - that is WHEN I SLEEP. I also have Narcolepsy and fall asleep during the day and have no control over it, so I am prescribed "Provigil" to keep me awake, and then "Seroquel" at night to help me sleep. It sounds crazy - and trust me - it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I take a whole Provigil tablet in the morning, then I cannot sleep at all that night, and sometimes the next night too. I feel like a total zombie half the time and am just waiting for the doctors to figure out the best combinaton to help both problems.
Hope this crazy response is helpful to you or anyone else in the group. And if anyone has any suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Melodie (Mel) Aultman-Morris
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Sue said:Melodie said:Sue,
Hi! This is Melodie (Mel) and I am also an oxygen patient, but I have central sleep apnea too. I am on oxygen due to the fact that I have Emphysema. When my pulmonologist found that I also have the central sleep apnea, he added a Bi-PAP Auto SV unit to my oxygen and the oxygen is bled into the Bi-PAP at a rate of 4 liters per minute for "nocturnal" usage. My actual Bi-PAP Auto SC unit has 3 different settings, and it is set at 14-4-14.
The forced air is actually quite helpful to me, as just the oxygen itself wasn't helping me enough. Now that the oxygen is bled into my Bi-PAP, I actually sleep and feel much better - that is WHEN I SLEEP. I also have Narcolepsy and fall asleep during the day and have no control over it, so I am prescribed "Provigil" to keep me awake, and then "Seroquel" at night to help me sleep. It sounds crazy - and trust me - it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I take a whole Provigil tablet in the morning, then I cannot sleep at all that night, and sometimes the next night too. I feel like a total zombie half the time and am just waiting for the doctors to figure out the best combinaton to help both problems.
Hope this crazy response is helpful to you or anyone else in the group. And if anyone has any suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate it.
Melodie (Mel) Aultman-Morris
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Hi Melodie,
I am a first time user here and as you can see tried to send a response a couple of times without my response. :)
I thank you for your response because Sleep apnea is a new diagnosis for me. I have several other diagnosis I am dealing with as well. I have COPD, yup from smoking but i have been smoke free for 2years 2months and 14 days. How about knowing those exact numbers :) only from an ex smoker counting the days in hopes of better lung capacity. I see you were on oxygen first due to emphysema.
I was on oxygen but they took it away when my readings were high enough to not be qualified per the insurance company. Then, after having a sleep study done they found my levels went down several times during the night due to apneas. I think i have central apnea as well and am going to ask my Pulmanologist about your set up with the Bi-Pap. I would think they would have asked to have another oximeter overnight reading with the oxygen to see what if anything it is doing. Thank you again for your reply because it has given me another idea.
Thanks, Sue Grasso
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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on
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Sue,
Please follow up with your doctor on this. Typically oxygen will not keep the throat open. One has to adjust to therapy and it is not overnight process. For many it takes several weeks to a few months to become adjusted to therapy.
What was your pressure? You may see if it could be turned down some -- or better yet try getting an apap so that the machine can have a range of pressures. You could stay at a lower pressure and have the machine go up when you are having apnea events.
You may need another sleep study to see about a bipap or other type of machine depending upon your diagnosis. Just don't give up.
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Permalink Reply by Dave D. on
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Oxygen and CPAP or BiPAP (bilevel) is not the same thing. Sleep apnea (at least obstructive sleep apnea) is a mechanical problem that 9 out of 10 times is caused by a weakness of the tissue in the back of the throat above the voice box. Depending how bad the sleep apnea is, one may experience low oxygen levels during apneic episodes. While using oxygen alone can help with the low oxygen produced by the sleep apnea, it in no way treats the sleep apnea. It is the sleep apnea that causes the stress on the heart and other organ systems.
The goal is treating the sleep apnea. If you're having problems with CPAP you need to speak with your sleep professional to find other options. Find a lab that will work with you as much as you need.
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Sue said:Hi Melodie,
I am a first time user here and as you can see tried to send a response a couple of times without my response. :)
I thank you for your response because Sleep apnea is a new diagnosis for me. I have several other diagnosis I am dealing with as well. I have COPD, yup from smoking but i have been smoke free for 2years 2months and 14 days. How about knowing those exact numbers :) only from an ex smoker counting the days in hopes of better lung capacity. I see you were on oxygen first due to emphysema.
I was on oxygen but they took it away when my readings were high enough to not be qualified per the insurance company. Then, after having a sleep study done they found my levels went down several times during the night due to apneas. I think i have central apnea as well and am going to ask my Pulmanologist about your set up with the Bi-Pap. I would think they would have asked to have another oximeter overnight reading with the oxygen to see what if anything it is doing. Thank you again for your reply because it has given me another idea.
Thanks, Sue Grasso
Sue,
My Pulmonologist didn't find the Central Sleep Apnea until he realized that the C-PAP wasn't giving the results he had hoped for, so he ordered another sleep study and then found that I actually have the Central Sleep Apnea.
I AM getting MUCH BETTER results from the Bi-PAP (bilevel) device and now my oxygen levels during the daytime are improving as the physician had hope for, but he is still continuing the oxygen bleed into the Bi-PAP at this time and until further notice.
You MUST see your physician and do not get frustrated and give up on the PAP machine until another sleep study has been done! Hopefully your physician will obtain a better overview of your particular needs in another sleep study and if necessary change your PAP machine accordingly. If he/she feels that you also need oxygen - they will order it to be bled into the PAP device for you and the DME will give you the proper equipment according to the doctor's findings. And do keep taking any medications for your COPD!!!!!!!!!!!
Keep us informed on your situation and good luck!
Melodie (Mel)
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Dave D. said:Oxygen and CPAP or BiPAP (bilevel) is not the same thing. Sleep apnea (at least obstructive sleep apnea) is a mechanical problem that 9 out of 10 times is caused by a weakness of the tissue in the back of the throat above the voice box. Depending how bad the sleep apnea is, one may experience low oxygen levels during apneic episodes. While using oxygen alone can help with the low oxygen produced by the sleep apnea, it in no way treats the sleep apnea. It is the sleep apnea that causes the stress on the heart and other organ systems.
The goal is treating the sleep apnea. If you're having problems with CPAP you need to speak with your sleep professional to find other options. Find a lab that will work with you as much as you need.
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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Sue, I have COPD and when I was Dx'd w/OSA via an in-lab sleep evaluation I read up on all the problems patients have acclimating to CPAP therapy. My Dx was mild OSA. After thinking it over I cancelled the in-lab titration study and asked my family doctor to order an overnight oximetry. The overnight oximetry readings qualified me for overnight oxygen use and my family doctor scripted the overnight oxygen.
Sometime later the sleep pulmonologist called me to ask if I intended to reschedule the titration study and I told him I had opted to go on oxygen instead. He suggested that after I had been on overnight oxygen for 3 months to call him and he would order an overnight oximetry w/the overnight oxygen. He was a heck of a nice sleep pulmo so I obliged - and the overnight oximetry showed I was still desatting w/the oxygen!
So, I scheduled the in-lab titration study (oh yeah! despite I like this doc, trusting soul that I am (not) I still got a copy of the results to see for myself!) and sure enough I needed the titration study - and CPAP. *sigh*
The good news tho is that while after a goodly amount of time on CPAP w/2L of oxygen bled in another overnight oximetry w/CPAP indicated I no longer needed the oxygen bled in, CPAP was sufficient. And altho I was sleeping so much better and feeling so much more rested I still wasn't really up to par. I was switched to a bi-level and am doing great - finally.
So be patient and be willing to work your way thru this. If you and your doctor work as a team you can make a success of this therapy.
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Permalink Reply by Banyon on
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Can anyone please tell me if they are using oxygen instead of the CPAP machine. I could not tolerate the CPAP machine, I told my Dr I wouldnt be able to use that and sleep. The forced air would wake me up when it ramped up as I had a feeling of bein suffocated. So she put me on Oxygen.
I have heard of this treatment before, even from several nurses who refused to tolerate CPAP. It makes no sense to me. With sleep apnea, air cannot enter your lungs. What makes the doctor think supplemental oxygen will enter your lungs when you are having an apnea?
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Permalink Reply by Henning on
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If you cannot tolerate the xPAP treatment at all, then you have to consider other treatments. Oxygen itself cannot treat your SA.
Henning
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I was put on oxygen in 2006, the study showed I needed it at night. I had 3 sleep studies over a period of three years. The first two studies, the attendants had me use the oxygen. Sleep study almost normal, the last study without oxygen showed that I average going into shallow breathing or stopped breathing 51 times an hour. You can use the oxygen, but don't neglect apnea, either can kill.
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