............Ink u will get used to it, then never really know its on.....I thought that I would never get used to it, but it wasn't to bad after the first few nights......in fact I have a hard time sleeping without it......I have the resmed elite 2 and the comfort gel nasal mask...........I tried having a humidifier in the room for 3 years, worked not bad I thought, then I got the humidifier attachment for my machine, what a difference..........kim........
Sleep Study...
- Thread starter inkjunkie
- Start date
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inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Fellow CPAP users....everybody else experience dry lips? If so, is it something that goes away over time? If it is not something that goes away what are folks doing to deal with it? The humidity level seemed ok, I did not wake up with a dry nose....nor did I feel like I was getting flooded so I do not think that it was a humidity thing...Help a Brother out....
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
If anyone has a compatible Philips Respironics machine there is a site that allows you to track the data that is stored on the SD card......
http://www.sleepmapper.com/
http://www.sleepmapper.com/
That's my "backup" mask for when I'm stuffy. I only use it a few times a year. It's too bulky for me -- I sleep on my side/stomach a lot, and that mask gets in my way, so I'm always anxious to get back my nasal pillow mask.The heated tube is to eliminate condensation. You may never have that problem, but if you've ear experience it, you'll understand why folks would want to prevent it.
Yeah, that mask dries out my lips, too. A little Chapstick takes care of that.
grassy
Well-Known Member
I knew it was coming out but didn't know when..thanks for the link !
I sleep exclusively on my two sides...no problem with full mask.
No problem with dry lips..could it be the season...no longer have nose bleeds due to dry winter air..
ian.
I sleep exclusively on my two sides...no problem with full mask.
No problem with dry lips..could it be the season...no longer have nose bleeds due to dry winter air..
ian.
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
No problem Sir....I sleep on my left side most of the time. Back/stomach is pretty much out thanks to my back problem. Can tolerate my back if my legs are propped up but still gets uncomfortable.
Do need to work on getting the mask figured out. Had it on fairly tight to stop the leaks. Stephanie, the therapist I am working with, told me that it should not be that tight. I think it might be I had the forehead part set wrong.
Ernie got to experience first hand what I have been dealing with last night. Thanks to the trazadone I managed to pass out, even with the leak. Bothered her enough to wake me up and tell me to silence it
ops: Need to remember to get the Chap Stick out of my truck tonight...
gunbunny
Well-Known Member
stick with man, it just gets better. It takes getting used to and a few tweaks here and there.
I did chuckle a bit when I saw the 8cm was overwhelming to you. I'm at 13.5 and think it needs to go up. I remember when I thought the same thing. "How the hell am I supposed to sleep in this hurricane?"
I did chuckle a bit when I saw the 8cm was overwhelming to you. I'm at 13.5 and think it needs to go up. I remember when I thought the same thing. "How the hell am I supposed to sleep in this hurricane?"
.......................my woman tells me or others that she cant get to sleep unless I;m wearing my mask.........kim....
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Think the problem was the nasal mask. With the face mask the pressure is very tolerable. Therapist did tell me that after she sees the sd card out of my machine she may consult with the doc about upping it....
Kim, guessing because you snore? I don't really have a snoring problem. I was told that even if I did not have Sleep Apnea I would snore some anyway, thanks to the Oxycodone & Oxycontin.
Noticed last night that as the machine is applying pressure I could feel the mask lifting up slightly......more like I could feel the seal expanding some...
Thanks to all who have taken the time to help me with this. For the first time in a very long time I did not wake up with a headache today. May sound strange but I am looking forward to going to sleep tonight. Going to clean the pellet stove, do my hour on the treadmill and may go to be somewhat early tonight....
340_dart_power
Well-Known Member
Good luck with the CPAP machine; I tried to use that POS (IMHO) for three weeks and finally gave up on it. I went back to the sleep study physician and he referred me to a dentist who is trained in creating a dental appliance to address the Apnea issue. My out of pocket cost was around 3K but I wear it every night and wake up completely rested. It`s similar to wearing an upper and lower braces retainer and is molded to fit your teeth precisely. It was expensive but worth what it cost to be able to sleep at night and stop snoring. I developed an absolute hatred for that damn CPAP machine and was just not able to get used to it. I like the fact that the oral device has no moving parts to break as well.
just my two cents, good luck with your experience.
just my two cents, good luck with your experience.
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Talked to my ENT about the dental device. He told me that due to me using Narcotic pain meds the dental device would more than likely be a waste of $$. ..Not real concerned if the cpap were to break...between Medicare and my secondary I have zero out of pocket for it and the masks etc.
Snoring was not the reason I went for a sleep study, my snoring is minimal. Problem with me is just being tired. Only time I really snore is if I have not slept for several straight days...
340_dart_power
Well-Known Member
Ah, RGR that; makes sense in your circumstances.
Trust me, when I found out how much it was going to cost me for the oral device, I asked the dentist who was about to take the molds of my teeth to create it whether it was actually going to work, or was I going to have a three thousand dollar doorstop. He assured me it would do its job and sure enough, it has.
I have so much resentment towards the CPAP I'm considering taking it to the Range and using it as a target next month. The worst part is it cost me $400.00 out of pocket and there was no way I could adapt to using it.
Trust me, when I found out how much it was going to cost me for the oral device, I asked the dentist who was about to take the molds of my teeth to create it whether it was actually going to work, or was I going to have a three thousand dollar doorstop. He assured me it would do its job and sure enough, it has.
I have so much resentment towards the CPAP I'm considering taking it to the Range and using it as a target next month. The worst part is it cost me $400.00 out of pocket and there was no way I could adapt to using it.
grassy
Well-Known Member
340, I am surprised to hear of your experience with the machine..mine have all been positive..
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
You are going to video it and post it on YouTube hopefully....
I also talked to my ENT about the surgery that is supposed to help with Sleep Apnea. He was hesitant to suggest it for either one of us. In talking to my therapist she told me that the surgery, where they remove the excess tissue at the top of the throat that actually causes the apnea, she told me that it works well for a short term fix. At the 3 year mark it only has a 20% success rate.
When my wife looked into the dental device the price of it scared us off. Zero out of pocket vs 3k or so for the device.....In my case I dealt with braces for 6-7 years....then wore that effin retainer for 3 years after that...so even if it were covered by Medicare/GEHA I don't think I would want it...It is good to hear that it works well for you. Kind of strange request....could you post a picture of it? Just wondering what it looks like...
Did not make it all night with the mask last night....just under 4 hours....
Doc did mention that he may want to do another sleep study on me down the road, depending on how I do with the CPAP. He mentioned that the narcotics will sometimes cause Central Sleep Apnea....
grassy
Well-Known Member
ENT about the surgery that is supposed to help with Sleep Apnea
Don't do that...they take out the uvula...dad had that done..lost his sense of taste and smell.. didn't help the problem a lot..
This is something that you cannot cure. I hate it when they start talking cutting...
Ian.
Don't do that...they take out the uvula...dad had that done..lost his sense of taste and smell.. didn't help the problem a lot..
This is something that you cannot cure. I hate it when they start talking cutting...
Ian.
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Exactly why our ENT said it was not a good idea....
grassy
Well-Known Member
Smart guy. Wish that had told my dad that..
Been there, done that. The knife didn't cost me my sense of taste or smell, but it was just a short-term band aid. But hey, surgery and recovery, especially on YOUR HEAD, is always fun, right? Grrrrrr. CPAP all the way.
Hang in there, Ink. I'll lay odds that in a few months, you won't be able to sleep without it. Which, of course, has it's own downsides...
My family made a trip to Florida and my wife and I had to trade off driving while the other one slept. I realized I'd need to have my CPAP in the car to be able to sleep when it was my turn. Worked, though!
Hang in there, Ink. I'll lay odds that in a few months, you won't be able to sleep without it. Which, of course, has it's own downsides...
My family made a trip to Florida and my wife and I had to trade off driving while the other one slept. I realized I'd need to have my CPAP in the car to be able to sleep when it was my turn. Worked, though!
Ink--I have been through 8 different sleep study's to this point in my life,I have been thru probably 6 to 8 different machine's and cannot use any of them,They are talking surgury to install electrodes into the back of my tongue,I have tried and tried with the machines and every mask on the market I just can't use them and IT SUCKS,I also have had 3 different nose and throat surgery's to NO avail .The thing about it is they keep telling me that I should NOT have this problem because I'm physically fit and not over weight. Both my brother and dad can put that thing on and have no problems but I have struggled with this since I was 30 years old and I'm now 49,It just SUCK big time cause I lake energy and could lay down and sleep at any time of the day--Steve
I feel your pain Man and wish there was a magical solution. I miss sleeping in the same bed as my wife,Even our dog's jump out of my bed when I do it,My wife has already counted to 12 when I stopped breathing and I also have had a uncle die from this.Keep on Brother I hope you can do it--Steve
inkjunkie
Well-Known Member
Head surgery/recovery...what a thrill. When I had my septum fixed recovery was 3x as long as what I was told it would be...was not all that painful but damn near everything became a task. And under no circumstance could I sneeze with out launching bloody snot.....
Damn Steve...sounds like you have been thru hell with this. I lack energy but am still unable to sleep most of the time...which is why I am a bit cautious in my hopes for this helping.
Have not been doing all that well with the machine. Made it a full 8 hours the first night, then only 4 the next and only 2 last night. I know it is going to take some time to get adjusted to it but one of my shortcomings has always been setting my expectations to high.....tonight is another night, hopefully I will do a bit better....
grassy
Well-Known Member
Dad used to flail around...mom used to get bruised..
I have woke up in the middle of the night with the cat on my chest and Tara (my wife) thinks that the cat has saved my life a few times by waking me up in the middle of a stop breathing event as they are called,She witnessed it first hand that the cat purposely jumped on me and then I started to breath again LOL-that's a story to tell---Good luck,I hope they gave u a machine that has a humidifier on it,When I was trying them that one seemed to be better but I still woke up and would throw the mask across the room---Steve
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