Posts: 17,424
9/16/12 4:34 A

Welcome to the team. I am so sorry I am late in responding. Just finally getting caught up with the spark mail. We have had a few inquiries about dental appliances over the years. It will be nice having you here with actual experience. I have mixed apnea. I also forget to breath sometimes, so I need the cpap.

I think I will start a new thread with your question about the dental appliance to see if we can get a little more attention to this topic. Thanks for the idea.

Pounds lost: 8.0

0 5.75 11.5 17.25

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Posts: 1,890
9/11/12 5:57 A

Hi. I just joined and was glad to find a group dealing with apnea. I used cpap for several months and got results, but am trying a dental appliance now. I hope it will be more portable. I have had to adjust it a few times--special dentist--and so far it seems to be working. Anyone else using a dental appliance?

In any case I love sleeping well and think it has contributed to my weight loss on Spark. Happy to be here and looking forward to getting to know this team!

current weight: 1.0  over

5 2.5 0 -2.5

-5

Posts: 17,424
9/8/12 12:35 A

Here is the poem, but this is the rough draft. I can't seem to find the finished version. I know I edited out the snake and added a different verse. Oh well. At least you will get an idea how to have fun with the cpap. The child I wrote it for went to the sleep study, but they decided to remove his tonsils and adenoids and see if that helped before putting him on a cpap. He did have a cousin who was encouraging him. I haven't heard back from his mother, so am assuming he did not have to go on the cpap.

*****

I went to the hospital and what did I see
A doctor with stethoscope looking at me.

A probe on my head, a probe on my wrist
A probe on my leg and a probe on my chest

I’m wired and taped and covered in goo.
How do they expect me to sleep with this too.

The room has a mirror and a very big bed
I’m suppose to lay down with this stuff on my head.

The lights are turned down and I can’t hear a sound
Hopefully, sleep will soon come around.

I toss and I turn and I kick at the sheet
While Mom sits beside me in her very own seat.

She smiles and sings a soft lullaby,
Next thing I know the night has gone by.

They say I’m not breathing during the night
The cpap machine will make that all right.

There’s a mask for my face and a hose for the air
A tank for some water and the machine if I dare.

I don’t want to try it. It scares me you see
My cousin says “silly, there’s lots you can be.

The little brave elephant shows lots of spunk
When the mask and the hose are used for a trunk.

He raises his hose nose and lets our a roar
But that isn’t all, there is so much more.

Slithering snake from the hose I can make
To glide in the water of the bathtub lake.

Aviator scarf and aviator mask
When flying my plane is not much to ask

Listen in one end and talk in the other
It’s fun to make noises at one another

Black robes and helmet and add a light saber
Talking through mask makes me sound like Darth Vader

But the fireman suit is the very best thing
Mom made it for me to sleep in and dream

The humming machine on my night stand sits.
Around the cpap the fire engine fits.

The blue lights are on . I’m ready to roll
The hose is draped carefully over a pole.

The mask fits snuggly on top of my face
I’m ready for dreamland and my fireman’s race.

Pounds lost: 8.0

0 5.75 11.5 17.25

23

Posts: 17,424
9/8/12 12:22 A

www.resmed.com/us/assets/documents/product
/s8_elite/user_guide/338116_s8-elite_u
ser-guide_amer_eng.pdf Here is your product manual and I can't find anything about an AHI readout. When you go to the doctors, have your card read and ask them to show you if it is possible to check your AHI on the digital read out.

I have never tried the masks with the foam cushions. I believe Merri has one similar to yours. I bet you get a better seal and less kitty whiskers on your face. (lines and creases)

Hang in there. I highly recommend meditation to put yourself back to sleep. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmA-dWdaI5k&list=F
LNXi5mwPsLeLJWlTHmAq4Ag&index=6&featur
e=plpp_video Shut your eyes. It is the waves or harmonics in the music that is soothing. Just keep it turned down really low. Make the positive affirmation one of relaxation and restful sleep for another couple of hours.

Pounds lost: 8.0

0 5.75 11.5 17.25

23

SparkPoints: (39,723)
Fitness Minutes: (32,581)
Posts: 916
9/7/12 7:25 A

the link is VERY helpful, thank you! I see the one I use - Flex Fit 470 - would only be $57 through that site, wow!

made an appointment with my sleep doc - September 19th.

Machine is a Resmed Elite S8 (http://www.resmed.com/us/products/s8_elite/s8-elite.html?nc=patients). I have looked at it a bit, there is not a lot in the menu and I didn't see apnea events listed - just hours used, etc.

Last night, I again made it from around 10 pm to 3 am. Haven't been able to go back to sleep since. I have some longstanding insomnia issues on top of the apnea - I can get to sleep but then I wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two. Interestingly, that had sort of stopped when I wasn't using the CPAP...I could get 5-6 hours "sleep" without waking. I say "sleep" because I was definitely having apnea events and snoring my head off.

I'm committed that this is a long-term project. Getting used to the CPAP and resolving my sleep issues (and sleep debt, because I am quite sure there is one) is going to take time. Thanks SO MUCH for your encouragement along the way!

Posts: 17,424
9/7/12 3:09 A

Sorry about the old mask. What type of mask and machine do you have?
www.cpap.com/productpage/comfortgel-mask-p
hillips-respironics.html I like this website. It gives you an idea of what is available out there and how much it costs. The mask I clicked on is my mask. It has been my go to mask although I do want to try a cloth mask too. Notice the price. You might check with your provider to see if they offer discounts when you don't have insurance coverage.

Boy, I don't see my machine anywhere. I was going to try to describe how to read the readout. Let me know what your machine is. Then, I can do a little research. www.cpap.com/cpap-machines/cpap-machine.ph
p

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Posts: 916
9/6/12 11:00 A

Just called insurance. Must clear deductibe, 1500 before they will chip in 70% of the mask.

Am I frustrated? Yes.

SparkPoints: (54,540)
Fitness Minutes: (41,480)
Posts: 7,325
9/6/12 10:53 A

I am confused...your mask is 6 years old? Mine get replaced every 6 months? How can they not replace it? Also if it should tear within the 6 months it is replaced at no charge...I would ask more questions and talk to your Doctor about it not working for you and how old it is! Good Luck and let us know how this works for you!

Pounds lost: 8.7

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Posts: 916
9/6/12 8:48 A

Wow, GRAMMACATHY, thank you SO much for the information and concern!

The first night was good. Slept like a rock, didn't move. Six hours on the machine.

Last night, not so much. About 3.5 to 4 hours on the machine.

1) It took me a long time to go to sleep - at least 45 minutes. I had put on the CPAP at 10 pm, trying to begin a habit for good sleep hygiene. I could not settle down tho (probably due to the second issue below).
2) I realized the air was really COLD about midnight, in fact I think that woke me up. Apparently I'd forgotten to turn on the heater/humidifier. Fixed that, in a few minutes the air was warmer and I could go back to sleep. i don't recall turning it off, but may have done so when I finished using it in the morning.
3) Around 3 a.m, I ripped the mask off. I don't remember much but feeling irritated. Partner said I'd been moving around before that, tossing and turning a little.

Mask: Mask will likely need to be replaced and I know it. However, my insurance won't pay till I've reached my deductible, which I haven't (I know this from calling last time I was on a CPAP kick). However, I'm going to try to call again and see where I am. The hose/tube is in excellent shape, the mask appears okay, but it's 6 years old and I'm aware it probably is not in the best of shape simply due to age. I also realize thinking about it this a.m., I think I had the mask too tight as well.

Settings: I have no idea. :( They set it up for me to hit start and go. Never mentioned anything about adjusting etc. I went to one followup appointment where he looked at my results and lectured me on compliance and unfortunately, rather than taking it to heart, I allowed it to encourage me to be even MORE non-compliant. Sigh. I did look online at info on the machine, and I'm going to look more at the info that came with the machine as well to better understand how it works, etc.

I sort of had a plan I would use it consistently for two weeks and get an appointment so they could look at what's going on, see if it needs adjustment, etc. I know I need an appointment soon, I need the mask, etc. However, money is an issue (isn't it always?).

That said, it's my life and my sanity at stake here. Thinking the last couple days how I am always tired. Always. I have to have a nap almost every day, because I am exhausted.

My very first thought when I woke up this a.m., tired and groggy was "damn it I'm not doing that anymore, I hate that thing!"

But I'm over myself, LOL. When I thought about all the reasons I need it, I know I'm not giving up.

Thanks for your time and concern, and all the help. I appreciate it!

Posts: 17,424
9/6/12 1:26 A

Howdy Neighbor, I live in St. Helens, north of Portland. I have a brother in law in La Pine and a niece in Sisters. Small world.

Compliance was easy for me as I had immediate overnight results. Getting used to the machine took six months to a year.

Some things need to be adapted and changed, but think of it like wearing glasses, contact lens, high heeled shoes underwire undergarments etc. The benefits outweigh the discomfort as long as each of those things fits correctly.

So, it has been a few years. Do you have a good fit with your cpap? Do you have a memory card or a digital read out? Has your weight changed? Is your mask still viable?

If you have a digital read out and a memory card, check your readout nightly for a couple of weeks for your AHI score. After two weeks take the memory card into your tech or supplier. They generally read them for free. Make sure your AHI is in normal range. You can also get a read out on your compliance.

My AHI was 60 in an hour, now it is .8 I don't know how the machine calculates that. But I guess I had half an apnea event or maybe I had three events over an 8 hour period.

This link says normal AHI is under 5. That seems like a lot to me. Duration is important too.
www.entandallergy.com/nad/media/pdfs/JOHN_
DOEpsg-PRINT.pdf


Lanky Lefty is my go to internet tech. He has some great info on getting good fits on masks and strategies for working though adjustment issues. If you are looking for something specific, just ask and I can find you a link to it. The sight is big.
freecpapadvice.com/

Let me know how last night went for you. How many hours were you able to keep the mask on? What were the issues that made it uncomfortable?

Best of luck with this. Sleep apnea almost killed me. I spent four days in the hospital. You do not want to do that.

Pounds lost: 8.0

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SparkPoints: (39,723)
Fitness Minutes: (32,581)
Posts: 916
9/5/12 12:21 P

I'm Lisa, from Bend, Oregon.

yep....my sleep study was ...um....in oh, 2006? Maybe 2007? I got my diagnosis of sleep apnea and subsequently a CPAP....and then failed in complaince.

Failed in a big way. Hated the darn thing, it was a hassle, blah blah blah. Used it sparingly and sporadically.

And...every time I went to my family doc and complained, "i don't feel good! I'm tired all the time! I can't lose weight!!" he said, "how's your CPAP compliance?"

Needless to say, I didn't wanna hear it.

Mostly, I just took it with me when we were going places where we'd be sharing space with others so I didn't snore and drive everyone crazy.

Last night, I made up my mind....I'm going to be compliant. PERIOD. Dragged it out, wiped it all off, set it up and USED IT.

Joined this team so I could reinforce my compliance with associating with others who are being compliant!!

So, here I am. Ready to take my apnea seriously.