Anyone here use a CPAP machine? Need advice.

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
redfishsc

redfishsc

Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2006
Messages
2,545
Location
North Charleston , SC
Howdy all,

I've had sleep apnea (well, that I knew of) for about 5 years. By statistics I'd have to guess there are a pile of folks here that either HAVE apnea or have a spouse or child that does.

One of the most frustrating things about apnea is the quality of masks, machines, and humidifiers. Some are great, some are complete engineering failures and aren't worth throwing in a landfill. The sales reps won't tell you what is crap and what is great, but you guys can!!

I need a new mask-- I'm using one of the nasal pillow types and prefer that, but am open to any suggestion. What mask do you use that is comfortable and doesn't actually fall completely apart after 4 months.

Any suggestions (other than lose weight fatso!) is appreciated!

Thanks,

Matt
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Restonics seems to work well

Matt,

My CPAP and mask is made by Restonics and it appears to work well. My Dad's CPAP (in SC by the way) is a Restonics unit and he is happy as well. The mask I use covers my nose completely and I would say I find it reasonably comfortable.

I don't have any comparison data but I can at least speak for the unit I'm using.

John
 
One of the recent discovered causes of apnea is preaching in your sleep - and then listening to it! Does that have any application to you? :biggrin:
 
Matt , I tried that CPAP and it was (for me) more of an inconveiniance than it was anything else . It was difficult for me to sleep with it on , and most mornings it was on the floor . I opted to go the Sleep Study route and then surgery . It worked for me . It's been 8 years . BTW , I gave 2 machines a try , before making my decision . Good Luck !
 
leehljp said:
One of the recent discovered causes of apnea is preaching in your sleep - and then listening to it! Does that have any application to you? :biggrin:
Click to expand...


According to my wife, the only preaching I do in my sleep is hellfire preaching (lots of snorting and loud noises):thunder:
 
dalecamino said:
Matt , I tried that CPAP and it was (for me) more of an inconveiniance than it was anything else . It was difficult for me to sleep with it on , and most mornings it was on the floor . I opted to go the Sleep Study route and then surgery . It worked for me . It's been 8 years . BTW , I gave 2 machines a try , before making my decision . Good Luck !
Click to expand...


I'm lucky enough that the machine does help me some and I am able to sleep with it on. I have a DeVilBiss heated humidifier (which I HIGHLY recommend) that produces some very comfy, moist, ever-so-slightly warmed air. I actually look forward to strapping that mask to my face (so long as the @%$##^ mask doesn't fall apart).



John, I am using a nasal pillow now, and I like it so long as it stays together. You are right, most people do prefer them. This one is a ResMed mask, and it worked great when I first got it but it is NOT "durable medical equipment" I don't care what med equipment suppliers call it, lol.
 
dalecamino said:
Matt , I tried that CPAP and it was (for me) more of an inconveiniance than it was anything else . It was difficult for me to sleep with it on , and most mornings it was on the floor . I opted to go the Sleep Study route and then surgery . It worked for me . It's been 8 years . BTW , I gave 2 machines a try , before making my decision . Good Luck !
Click to expand...


I have given the surgery a thought. I think my first (and cheapest) route right now is to get rid of the excess 80 pounds that I'm supposedly overweight--- my apnea is moderate, and losing weight may actually eliminate the need for the machine according to my doc. Now pardon me, I need to go finish my bowl of ice cream.
 
A friend of mine just had the surgery- UPPP- check it out on the internet before you consider it. He said if he knew then what he knows now- uh-uh. Seems that is not a greatly successful operation.
 
winpooh498 said:
Shane has a CPAP. It is his new best friend! I told him that if he didn't ware it every night, he would wake-up with it CA'ed to his face! :eek::cool::rolleyes::biggrin::wink::):devil:
Click to expand...

What a caring wife aren't I the lucky one.:tongue::tongue::biggrin: I have the resmed with the nasal pillow and love it. i have been using it for about 8 months now with no problems with it falling apart.
 
I also have obstructive sleep apnea. In January of 1984 I had a permanent button type trach installed and have had it for more than 24 years. I tried the CPAP when they first came out but according to the medical folks I wasn't a good candidate because they had to turn it up so high it always made me wake up. I had the UPPP at the same time. No problem other than learning how to swallow really quick when I first tried eating a pickle. Pickle juice down your windpipe is just loads of fun!:befuddled:
I have had no problems with the trach. Just have to clean it twice a day. If I had known then what I know now I would have invested in a peroxide factory. I have bought tons of it the past 24 years.:) Trach surgery is sort of a last resort these days.
So, your best bet in the long run is to lose weight so you don't need either surgery or a CPAP (but then you already knew this).:biggrin:
 
I USE A CPAP AND STARTED WITH A MASK. AFTER FIGHTING IT FOR 2 YEARS I WENT TO THE PILLOWS AND I LOVE MY MACHINE NOW.
CURT
 
I was just diagnosed yesterday and my wife is already looking forward to a good night's sleep. I'm headed back for fitting in a couple of weeks. I also need to get rid a few pounds.
 
Apnea

I got a brand new Respironics BiPAP last June. IT is a BiPAP because it uses dual pressure, a higher pressure for inhale, and a much lower pressure for exhale. IT is a very nmice unit, and a huge upgrade from my last CPAP. Getting the mask to fit properly, not too tight, but no leaks, etc has always been a struggle for me, but the new BIPAP is a much nicer unit for me. When they did my first sleep test, they found that I stopped breathing 138 times over an 8 hour period!!!!!!

Good Luck,
Dan
 
I'm about 3 weeks into getting used to my cpap machine. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea which produced very loud unbearable snoring(in Connie's opinion) Sleep study showed I stopped breathing as many as 60 times in an hour at times. I've read horror stories on the internet about the durability of some of the masks. I'm not a "still sleeper" so I'm waiting on waking up any morning with my mask broken. So far so good! Anyway I started out with a full face mask.....not good. That lasted almost a week and I traded it in for a nasal mask which only covers my nose. It's a Respironics with a silicone pad which really helps the seal. The only bad thing with the nasal mask, if your mouth drops open during sleep, you'll need to wear a chin strap. So far I haven't needed one. The actual CPAP machine is a ResMed with attached heated humidifier. I really like this part as I have a problem with dry sinus' anyway. The biggest problem I have is taking the time to clean all the parts on a regular basis....lol
 
Some advice

redfishsc said:
I have given the surgery a thought. I think my first (and cheapest) route right now is to get rid of the excess 80 pounds that I'm supposedly overweight--- my apnea is moderate, and losing weight may actually eliminate the need for the machine according to my doc. Now pardon me, I need to go finish my bowl of ice cream.
Click to expand...

Hey Redfishsc,
I have been on Cpap for over a year now and have found the hardware and mask style I will stay with for a long time to come. As with anything, it is what you get used to, that works best for you. In the mask department, I started with the full face and went down to the nasel mask (these are all resmed products), and a few more inbetween, but I have settled comfortably on the nasal pillows. they dont leak (as much) and are very easy to get used to. I had the first Nasel Pillow from Resmed, and recently aquired the new LT from resmed which is even smaller and more quite. I even reached into my own pocket and purchased the Bravo nasel pillow mask, and it was a good mask, but not as high caliber as the resmed products (so I guess I have a good backup). Of course I could not have tried all these masks without the current insurance I have, so without knowing what kind of insurance you have and what they are willing to pay, I could see where you just want the best masks out there. My insurance will purchase a new mask for me every 6 months, and I have yet to see any of the masks I have fall apart, now the head piece is a different story, it started to streach out, but I made it last and got the new one. If you are leaning towards the new resmed LT, you might try what I did. My local sleep study center did not have any of these new style masks in stock yet, and they wanted to try a few out before stocking them, so I inquired to see if they needed any lab rats to try out the new mask, and I got lucky and they hooked me up with one to keep for exchange for a detailed review of the mask.
As far as the surgery (UPPP)...Here is my 2 cents. When I first was diagonosed with the Apnea, I too wanted to just get the surgery, so I did not have to deal with a machine, and to finally get some good sleep, but here is the problem I discovered after much research and question and answer sessions from some local people who had the surgery. First the surgery is extremly painful and the pain can last several weeks, that is the norm for most anyway. Some say that the percentage of success for the surgery actually curing Sleep Apnea is quite small and only works on a handfull of people. What I learned is that the sucess of the procedure depends on the severity of your Apnea. I know a few that had moderate Apnea and used the machine just fine, but decided to go ahead with the surgery, and found out that their Apnea went from Moderate to just under Moderate, and after going thru all that cost and pain...they still had to use the CPAP to get the sleep they needed. If I had slight Apnea, I guess I would consider having the surgery, but anything more than that would be like getting eye surgery and still having to wear glasses. Hope some of this helps and good luck with it.
Greg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom