CPAP users?

[Himark]

So my doctor says he wants me to do the study since they probably get a kickback or something...But as much as I see it as a money grab by doctors I always feel tired and anybody that sleds with me will vouge for snoring. I feel I am going to try one BUT.
Im not going to do the sleep study for several reasons, one this will avoid the medical documentation two the fact you wont have to actually do the study and it will be cheaper to buy machine outright than pay my portion of the over-inflated vendor prices to insurance with my % match.

I have found machines all over CL since alot of people go through study and get the machine only to give up using it in a short time. Problem is the settings? Websites all say...."prescription settings" but a guy at work said his machine just has about 4-6 settings. He has tried it all over the board and settled in the middle.

So who can help tune this thing and how much boost do you run?

 

[coyoteman]

You need all the boost you can get.

 

[cjgodden]

Himark, It is against the Law for a Dr. to get a kick back from a sleep clinic for a referal. if you have evidence that this is happening report them. If you want it to be successful you need to get a RT(respitory therapist) involved. He can help you find the right mask, machine, and settings. Make sure you do some research on the company you are going to use, there are a ton out there that are just pushing machines. But there are some that are about patient care and will help make the unit work for you. Let me talk with our RT and find out what kind of cash pay otions there are and if skipping the sleep study is an option on a cash pay.

 

[Raff_9001M]

Another option is to do a Oxygen Saturation trial. This is a simple device you use at home and it will measure oxygen saturation levels while you sleep. If your sleep apnea is bad your O2 sat will drop and the machine will catch it. If it is bad enough the doctor will then recommend the sleep study. The study itself is quite miserable. I have never been hooked up to so many wires in my life. You can only lay on your back so I couldn't sleep. One reason you should probably do the sleep study is to figure out the recommended pressure to cure the apnea. Otherwise, if you set it too low it will obviously not help, too high and it will be really uncomfortable. Good luck.

 

[trikerider]

If you buy one get a Bipap.

 

[xrated]

Just go get the damn study.

Think of it like someone doing what you do on their own to save a buck or two. Yeah they might get it done and to work, but not at the level and quickness you could have done it for them.

 

[cjgodden]

So I talked with an RT friend of mine. And the chances of a unit working for you, even if it has an auto setting feature, with going through the sleep study as very slim. Plus you wont know wether a Cpap or a Bipap is right for you. You wont be able to get masks or supplies with out a perscription from your Dr. and he probibly wont give you the perscription without having the sleep study. Go Get The Study Done.

 

[togwotee9]

 

[turbolover]

I just went last night to have the sleep study done. It actually wasn't too bad. Yes there were lots of wires and stuff but it's one night.

I showed up at 8:30 PM.The lady conducting the test explained everything. A respiratory tech hooked up all of the wires and monitors for the test.

One on each leg, check for Restless leg syndrome.

bands around the chest and abdomen. check and monitor breathing rate.

throat mike to listen for snoring.

2 wires on chest to monitor heart rate.

2 wires on face and jaw to monitor clenching teeth.

5 or 7 more on top of the head to monitor brainwaves. watch sleep pattern.

There is also a breath monitor by your nose and mouth to monitor air movement.

It took about 30 minutes to hook it all up.

Finally got in bed about 9:30. My wife won't let me sleep on my back because she says I snore too bad that way. Thank goodness they let me sleep on my back that's, my preferred way anyway.

About 11 I finally got done reading and watching tv. Laid back and tried to go to sleep. With as much travel as I do falling asleep in a strange place isn't too hard, it's not great sleep but it's there.

Anyway at about 1:30 Am the lady came in and said she wanted me to try the CPAP machine as my O2 sats kept dropping clear into the 70s. (it should be well above 90%)

I have done some training with a firefighter SCBA so the CPAP wasn't anything completely unfamiliar. She turned it on and helped me fit the mask on. Had to try 2 different ones to get a close fit. I went back to sleep. The tech kept monitoring my breathing and O2 sats.
The Constant Positive Airway Pressure or CPAP applies air pressure to the throat and airway to keep it open and not allow it to collapse, causing the snoring. You have to monitor the breathing and chest movement. Your chest and diaphragm can move but if your airway has collapsed you may not be getting any air movement into and out of your lungs.

The tech could monitor the pressure from her computer and and adjust it if needed to maintain enough pressure to keep your airway from collapsing.

Apparently I have pretty bad sleep apnea because she had to crank it up pretty high to keep me from snoring and try to help my O2 sats from dropping.

The Bipap mode fricking woke me up almost immediately. It applies more pressure when you breathe in and less as you breath out. It felt like someone was putting there had on my face every time I breathed. Tried it for a bit and she changed it back to Constant Pressure. Much better, at least for me.

She even said that I had a fair amount of leakage because the mask wasn't completely fitted right or tight enough. After I put the the CPAP machine I slept way better and even hit the deeper cycles of sleep. She said she wanted to adjust the mask but I was sleeping so much better that she didn't want to wake me up to adjust it.

Sorry for the encyclopedia but I just went through the whole thing last night. I'll update you on what the dr says next week when he gets the report and we go over it.

 

[ruffryder]

why does it seem that so many people have problems with sleeping?

 

[dmkhnr]

why does it seem that so many people have problems with sleeping?

Not really sure, I sleep like a newborn, of course I pop an adavan at 9pm and 3 nights out of 7 I wake up at 3am for no reason.

 

[Himark]

why does it seem that so many people have problems with sleeping?

One thing you dont know your waking up. Its not like you fully wake up and are aware of it. You are just not going into a refreshing sleep. Most guys I know that I have talked to say it really helped there exhausted feelings...thats what I am hoping for.

 

[stum1967]

One of the guys I ride with had sleep apnea really bad. You couldn't sleep the way he snored. Even with the machine, he would pull the mask of and then the alarm tone would wake us all up. He was really over weight and finally decided to get gastric bypass surgery. Now after a couple of years he is about 200 lbs lighter, doesn't have high blood pressure, and doesn't snore bad at all.

 

[tudizzle]

why does it seem that so many people have problems with sleeping?

overweight/obesity is on the rise

 

[togwotee9]

overweight/obesity is on the rise

Who you calling fat??

 

[newmy1]

Sleep study is really no big deal. Worth it if you think you have apnea as apnea is VERY bad and can be deadly. I got the CPAP and threw it in the trash after a few nights. Wear a mouthguard (insurance paid med device from ENT doc) and it works great. Doens't kill the snoring in the mtns after drinks but it does at home and it certainly solves the apnea problem for me.

Don't go for the cheapo device you see on TV.

 

[RMK7SledHead]

Who you calling fat??

Damn near everybody, and it's ****in' disgusting.