Had sleep study last night: calling all auto cpap users!

[Spleenstomper]

I have been diagnosed with "significant" sleep apnea.

Insurance wouldn't agree to a split sleep study, and the nurse said they would have put me on cpap after 2 hours of sleep. I stopped breathing for nearly a minute once and oxygen went down into the 60s.

Doc wrote me a script for a cpap and said to get one today. Nope. No cpap for me. Had trouble with one place that told me 2 weeks and I have an appt with the second place Thursday at 9:30.

He ordered an auto cpap with humidifier and min setting of 7 with max of 20.

Did you have to wait 3 plus days before actually getting the machine?

Also, my RV doesn't have a bed end table. Can I put the CPAP on the floor?

[ocbms]

I have been on a CPAP over 3 years with a face mask and chin strap. My pressure is 17 so leakage can cause sores. I do have a tight fitting mask but the biggest help to prevent leakage is be sure to wash all the face oils from the pad each morning.
For placement, I keep the machine close to the head of the bed, It may be on the floor with the machine setting on a least a magazine. If space permits (like at a motel) I use an empty drawer as a dust barrier.
In the FW the CPAP sets on card board on bedroom slide, in the day time the bedspread hides all.
I was advised of my sleep disorder at Mayo's clinic as the home study put my O2 at less then 80%. The full blown sleep study verified everything and told be not to sleep on my back until after I received the CPAP. I won't say good night until I'm ready for the Mask. Almost immediately I was no longer taking naps and started dreaming again.
Medicare wants the sleep interrupts to be less than 5, the CPAP changed me from 16+ down to about 2 per hour and O2 always above 90%

[Spleenstomper]

Another update: min pressure of ten eliminated all desats, so that part if good. Ive been on cpap for a month and my reflux is gone, my aches and pains while sleeping are gone and im sleeping much deeper than i ever thought possible.

But. Im still sleeping 12 hours a day and my main complaint is still daytime sleepines. I went back to the doc and he takes this seriously and thinks i have additional sleep disorders, specifically narcolepsy.

Im getting another sleep study next month with the MSLT and MWT (the narcolepsy naps test) which means Ill be at the sleep center nearly 24 hours. Narcopelsy is an auto immune disease (im probably also going to need a spinal tap which counts the amount of hyopcretin, which is only low or absent with narcolepsy), and there is no cure but there are meds that can try to keep you awake like Provigil and Nuvigil, but they are hard to get insurance to pay for and they are expensive. So i need the second sleep study for the diagnosis.

That is where i am. I am doing well with the cpap and i sleep now like i dont even have the mask on. Of course, leaks are an occasional problem, but we all know cpap requires patience.

Hope everyone is getting good sleeps....

[LaunchnRetrieve]

We Cant Wait wrote:
One thing I have to question and this what do OVER 90% of those taking the tests HAVE to get a cpap machine??? Do they really need one or is the medical profession just making money on something that we ourselves can not prove one way or another?

Here's a couple of things to think about regarding that question.
A doctor gets a small fee for interpreting the study. Not a fee for ordering the test. So there's no extra money coming from saying someone is positive for sleep apnea who isn't. The docs also don't have any financial involvement in the equipment you go home with. Yes, as another post suggests, patients who are suspected of sleep apnea are likely to have a positive test. The docs don't have a financial investment in the sleep lab. So, primary care docs that refer patients for the study make zero dollars on the referral, the outcome or the equipment. Same for a pulmonologist with the exception of the pulmonologist who actually does the interpretation. This is the model and relationship between docs and sleep studies at my hospital. It's possible, of course, that there are different models out there which would/could alter the financial relationships. And the proof of sleep apnea is simple and easily understood if you look at the recording with the MD, but mostly they just quantify how many episodes, how long, and how severe. It's science, but it's not rocket science.
Bottom line, it's not a scam, it's actually an under-diagnosed and under-treated problem. Disclaimer: I have no financial ties to sleep apnea studies, interpretations, or equipment.

[NickT]

Spoiledrotten-you are out to lunch (being VERY diplomatic).I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea,where my throat collapses.NO sports mouthpiece is going to help me.No jaw alignment is going to keep my throat OPEN.
You should use your computer skills to research SA before you voice your uninformed opinions.
I understand most all equipment in the US is paid for by insurance,so there is no excuse not having a properly fitting mask.
Where I live a basic machine is "loaned" by Provincial Health,all other eqiupment is your purchase(masks,hoses,humidifiers etc.)My mask at Cpap.com is $79 here it is $235 when on sale.Other equip about the same price difference.

[rollingslow]

SpoiledRotten wrote:
Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

well i can tell u dont have a clue. my life is so much better the last 8 1/2 years since i use a apap..rest so much better i can get through the day without a nap most days and that is a huge inprovement

[Spleenstomper]

An update: I had to wear my doc ordered pulse ox machine last night to see how my dangerous desaturations are going. I probably won't know for a few days where I stand on this.

I'm an otherwise healthy 45 year old woman, so I don't have COPD or anything like that. But while my apneas are under control, I'm having hypopneas and that is when the desaturations are happening. (Back down to 60/70%)

I did up my minimum pressure to ten, so doc wants to see if the upped pressure eliminated the desaturations. If they didn't, I guess I could be looking at a bipap or bleeding oxygen into the line at night.

[rkentzel]

SpoiledRotten wrote:

Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

You sir are just wrong. I hope no one listens to you. Have had mine for 5 years now worth every penny. Sure it takes some getting use to and some just wont dedicate some time to it. I sleep very well and wont sleep with out it. Your 3.00 plastic has nothing on my sleep machine. I just received a new one resmed s9 v pap and it is by far the best machine I have had.

[Spleenstomper]

I've had a mouthpiece for 5 years now. Still had sleep apnea and still tried to die each night with the mouthpiece in.

I was wearing the mouth piece when I had my study in which I stopped breathing for about a minute and desatted down into the low 60s, so you will excuse my calling total bull chit on your idea that a mouth piece cures sleep apnea.

I also like sunshine and roses but that won't cure my sleep apnea either.

I don't snore, so I sure as heck hope you aren't assuming that if the mouth piece stopped your snoring that you have magically cured your sleep apnea. That is what is called magical thinking.

[sayoung]

SpoiledRotten wrote:
Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

What trouble did your CPAP machine give you?
I went to a Dentist and was fitted to get away from a CPAP and put it back on the first night.The guard stopped my snoring but it didn't stop my inability to BREATH when asleep. .
should also I wear a garlic necklace to ward off the vampires?

[sayoung]

I have been on a CPAP since 1994.Its just part of my life.I even bought a 2nd refurbished CPAP from my former supplier for the RV so I don't have to tote back and forth.
Important info if approaching 65,you have to ask your supplier if they take Medicare as that's why I have a different supplier now.After nearly 20 years as private insurance/private pay, Diagnostic Clinic in Longview Tx will not continue services if MC.
Bummer.
I found a decent supplier but really liked my former therapist as she is also a cpap user so she understood when problems arose.
Most important to all out there,if your showing signs get tested and if you need a cpap,use it.Your life depends on that.

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

SpoiledRotten wrote:
Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

Oh, and I can't sleep without mine. There have been problems, I will grant you that, but they're solved with a little esearch. (like the idea of putting it on a cutting board on the floor what a good idea)I had mask marks. I cut up a soft sock and placed it between my cheek and the strap. No more marks. I had leaks, I tried 6 masks till I found one that worked. I can't sleep without mine, I keep waking up without it. Tell me the CPAP doesn't help me. It does. I put it on my face, and drift off. If I take a nap without it, I'm awake in seconds not breathing.

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
I have a large flat plastic cutting board which I put on the floor. Then I set the machine on that, hoping that it then cannot suck dust out of the carpet. The machine is supposed to be lower than your head when in use.

Now THAT is a goooood idea!!! (cutting board)

the only problem with on the floor is I can't reach it to turn it off lol I would have to have it a bit higher. You sure gave me an idea though. The machine would be quieter too. I was told it's ok nightstand height if you don't have problems with rain out in the hose, but who knows.

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

SpoiledRotten wrote:
Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

i TRIED a mouthpiece. It did't work. I tried a specially designed on from an orthodontic dentist. Did not work. During the sleep study I stoppped breathing 64 times an hour with the device. A glaring failure.

[SpoiledRotten]

Call me a skeptic if you'd like, but I believe that CPAP is the biggest scam in America outside politics. That has been a multi-billion dollar device that can accomplish no more than getting a $3.00 sports mouthpiece that will keep your jaws aligned during sleep. When you sleep, your jaw drops, cutting down the air channel to your lungs. The CPAP does nothing more than force air through the smaller passageway. Align your teeth and you'll be set. I know that the mouthpiece isn't easy to get used to, but a CPAP surely isn't either. I know many people that have fallen for that junk, and all I hear is complaints about bruises to the face, or the tube keeping them awake, or the mask slipping around on their face. You name it, but if something is going to keep you awake, what good is it to begin with, and at what price are you willing to try something?

[Tiger4x4RV]

I have a large flat plastic cutting board which I put on the floor. Then I set the machine on that, hoping that it then cannot suck dust out of the carpet. The machine is supposed to be lower than your head when in use.