After seeing the subject of sleep apnea posted on here, I kind of self diagnosed myself , using my wife's testimony, with her telling me I stop breathing and snore horribly at night, and wake up choking a lot. I am always tired, and have a tendecy to nod off, while am driving home after work. That part doesnt really bother me, but for some reason the oncoming drivers seem annoyed.
So, I went to my doc and he sent me to a sleep apnea center for a consult. The sleepy doc said I was smitten with it, now I have my first sleep study scheduled halloween night ( how do they expect one to sleep on a scary night like that, anyway ? ). The sleep study intro tape showed the use of a c-pap machine as a positive treatment for this disorder. Can anyone here shed some light on the pros and cons of using this machine , without waking me up ? I really dont want them to be cutting on the inside of my throat and nasal passages, am funny that way, so most likely the doc will recommend the c-pap for me.

 

Yikes! Suddenly the old Mexican custom of taking a siesta during the middle of the day sounds a whole lot more attractive than telling my doctor JACK about my wierd sleep habits...

 

You probably don't want to hear the stories of people that had sleep apnea and refused to use the machine.

My grandfather had terrible sleep apnea. I would like to say that his life was cut short by it but his death was far worse.

You will be amazed at the feeling of a good nights sleep.

 

Apparently I have had it for years.My one Brother-in-Law & Nephew,both have this sleep apnea thing.

After discussing the acquisition of a Cpap machine with our illustrious leader back in January, I am presently looking for a Cpap machine.


I when through the sleep center thing about a year ago and boy what a difference it mad to have that baby hooked up.

 

thanks, guys thats good news to read. I havent had a good nights sleep in over 3 years, I just attributed my being tired all the time to the ahhh, ahem , aging process,

 

Dennis - You sleep? Your post count would seem to indicate otherwise!

 

Barely, I wake up 10-15 times through the night.
Usually by snorking which startles me awake.

I very rarely Log Off.

*Side thought

I find I don't have as much to say anymore.

Maybe most people will Ketchup to me !

 

Are we supposed to log off?

 

My friend has it, and combined with the single loudest snoring I have ever heard. The poor sucker's lucky to get a good night's sleep once a month. I've tried to get him to discuss it with a doc, but he won't.

I on the other hand, sleep like a coma patient, as long as I'm the only one in the bed. When the g/f is there, no sleep for me. And she wonders why I'm in a lousy mood in the mornings.

 

What exactly does the machine do?

 

Don't give up on the machine. At first it feels like you're fighting to exhale but that feeling will go away after a couple of weeks of usage. It will take about a month to get used to it but your sleep will improve considerably.

CPAP = Constant Positive Air Pressure

It was first used with pre-mature infants to keep their lungs inflated. In adults it keeps the flap that causes snoring to stay open.

There are several for sale on eBay right now. Make sure you contact the seller directly before bidding so you can get their email address (eBay has a habit of occasionally removing CPAPs from auctions).

 

Greg, get the machine and use it ! You'll be glad you did. I used to fall asleep at the dinner table, after fighting to stay awake at work all day. If I sat down, I was asleep in no time. Even fell asleep in line at the punch clock waiting to punch out at the end of the day, standing up ! Like Ken said, it may take awhile to get used to the machine, but don't give up. I had terrible chest pains for a few weeks. Doc said maybe it was my chest muscles getting used to exhaling against the pressure of the CPAP. He checked to make sure my heart was okay, and the pain quit in less than a month. No pain at all now, 3 yrs later. I used to think that my sleeping and health problems were just because I was too heavy, but I no longer think it is that simple. My CPAP is set at a light 7 1/2 pounds, one of the guys at my work, (lots skinnier than me ) has one at 18 pounds. And if you can't stay awake, you can't excersise to try and get healthy. There are several styles of machine available, my father has one that 'knows' when he exhales and cuts his pressure from 12 to 6, and increases again when he inhales. My machine also has an input jack for 12V power, so I can take it me on trips to deer camp. This is good, because the other guys said my snoring was loud enough, I was sleeping outside in the truck if I forgot the machine. The mask for your nose might be hard to fit. Mine was easy, but my Dad had trouble finding one that fit. His Doc had only two differant styles. We looked on the internet and found at least 50. No trouble after finding the right one for him. If you buy a used machine, you might have to take it to a place that sells them and have the pressure set to where the Doc thinks you need it to be. One of my buddies, retired from the Navy, got his at a second hand store. He took it to a local Airway Oxygen place and they cleaned it and set it to his pressure for a bunch less than new machine cost. You might want to get a new mask and air filters every few months too. Email me if you have any more questions about it and I'll help if I can. the machine IS a PITA sometims, but I'd fight you for it if you tried to take it from me. DF

 

PITA, sometimes ... asset to my life and health, absolutely!

 

Your right on with that one ! I started the c-pap last week, I took the first available sleep study, couldnt wait till Halloween. The sleep study tech woke me up after 2.5 hours and said I had stop breathing 22 times already, so he went ahead and put me on the c-pap. I am on my 2nd unit now, the first one I returned, because I was having a hard time exhaling, so I got one with less pressure (4.8 on the exhaust and 9.0 on the intake. Am having a hard time getting used to the smothering sensation of a mask over my snout, with air blowing in it. But, it sure is good to get some sound sleep. Like Dino, am waking up with a sore chest , but hope that will go away. And, the nasal mask pushes my mustache hairs back in to my lip, which hurts all night. I really didnt want to cut off my beard and stache, Ive had them for 20 years, and they cover up a lot of ugly, but they may have to go, and the wife will just have to get her a another good looking man.

 

What exactly is sleep apnea anyway? All I know is that you pretty much don't sleep, so you're always nodding off and feel horrible.

It seems like one of the worst possible conditions to be cursed with.

What's so bad about the surgery? Is it overly dangerous?

I'd rather just get it fixed instead of dealing with the machine.

XXL