If You Had Sleep Apnea...

[LoserMama 37]

Did there come a point when you no longer needed CPAP, and how did you know? Did you redo your sleep study or...? Although I am quite oddly dependent on the darn thing as a sleep cue, I travel alot and would love to ditch the cpap soon. I know I have a badly deviated septum so may have to have an operation for that to fully get rid of sleep apnea, but curious about your experiences!

Thanks in advance!

[reallyrosy 161]

Did there come a point when you no longer needed CPAP, and how did you know? Did you redo your sleep study or...? Although I am quite oddly dependent on the darn thing as a sleep cue, I travel alot and would love to ditch the cpap soon. I know I have a badly deviated septum so may have to have an operation for that to fully get rid of sleep apnea, but curious about your experiences!

Thanks in advance!

My machine malfunctioned in hospital and I just stopped using it when I came home. I do think @ it but I haven't used my asthma meds either since surgery 12/5 and don't wanna take a sleep test (bleah!)...will see pulm doc march 1 to determine if I still have asthma...????

[illgeturhairdid 176]

Hi there- thought I'd chime in although I have never personally used a CPAP. However, I work for a DME company that supplies them. If at any time you feel the pressure is too strong you should call your physician. Our doctors frequently order for patients a two week loaner of an auto cpap. This machine does no have one fixed setting, but a range of settings and it will automatically adjust itself to what corrects your apnea. After two weeks we pick the machine up, do a download from the smartcard and fax the doctor the report. He is able to look at the report and see what pressure you were most often at and able to adjust your current machine accordingly.

OR, if you have had your machine for awhile and your insurance will cover a new one- maybe the doctor should just order and auto machine for you to keep?

[longer-life 139]

This is how I knew to ditch my CPAP. On my 4th week I got very nauseous and could hardly eat or drink. After a barium swallow my surgeon figured out the CPAP was filling me with air! I stopped using it, the nausea went away immediately and I no longer snore. I wake up refreshed.

However I want to be sure I am actually cured, (I like having a healthy heart ) so my pulmonary doctor lowered the pressure and I will use it for a few days so he has some data. To be completely sure they want me to have another sleep study when I lose a lot more weight. Hope this helps.

[Rootman 1,101]

I have always been a difficult fit for a mask and after I lost quite a bit of weight, like 100 pounds it fit so badly and leaked so much air I could not sleep with it. I SHOULD of gone in for a sleep study but I just stopped using it and slept fine. The wife says I don't snore any more or snort in my sleep so I must be good now. I hated using the thing so I was glad to be off it.

[Catracks 865]

I was given a CPAP machine right after surgery. I tried to use it ONCE. Thankfully my husband said that I don't snore or gasp for air anymore. I sleep effortlessly through the night and awake refreshed.

I may never have another sleep study done. The first one was SO miserable. I can't adjust with all those wires on me, being monitored and in a strange place. I'd do it to get the machine if I needed it, but not to get rid of it because I sort of already have. I stuffed it in the closet.

[illgeturhairdid 176]

Also, I know tha Oxford insurance is pretty much stopping sleep studies done in the labs. There are now machines that can do the sleep studies at home in the comfort of your own bed with no creepy cameras on you all night long. For some of you that may be a better alternative to going into a lab for a night or two.

[longer-life 139]

Also, I know tha Oxford insurance is pretty much stopping sleep studies done in the labs. There are now machines that can do the sleep studies at home in the comfort of your own bed with no creepy cameras on you all night long. For some of you that may be a better alternative to going into a lab for a night or two.

I forgot my primary doc mentioned this. Do you know the difference in regards to what they measure? The sleep study is supposedly "more complete" according to the pulmonologist, but if the thingy on my finger at home is good enough, I won't do a sleep study.

[reallyrosy 161]

I may never have another sleep study done. The first one was SO miserable. I can't adjust with all those wires on me, being monitored and in a strange place. I'd do it to get the machine if I needed it, but not to get rid of it because I sort of already have. I stuffed it in the closet.

Love it! You stuffed it in the closet <grin> you can't give these away, u know? I think its an insurance scam. I like the idea of home studies. I had asthma attacks all nite during my first 2 because of the smell of the glue. I'm not going for any more studies either.

[reallyrosy 161]

I forgot my primary doc mentioned this. Do you know the difference in regards to what they measure? The sleep study is supposedly "more complete" according to the pulmonologist, but if the thingy on my finger at home is good enough, I won't do a sleep study.

Thingy on finger measures blood oxygen saturationn. Electrodes measure how many times during the nite you stop breating among othr things...

[longer-life 139]

Thingy on finger measures blood oxygen saturationn. Electrodes measure how many times during the nite you stop breating among othr things...

Will I know if I am cured of sleep apnea by knowing my blood oxygen saturation?

[reallyrosy 161]

Will I know if I am cured of sleep apnea by knowing my blood oxygen saturation?

Idk...its an assumption i'd be tempted to make cuz if you aren't breathing right your blood ox likely should be low but....they say the machine prevents strokes so I honestly don't know how safe it is to thumb our collective noses at the device....much as I hate using it myself. .a shrink advised me not to treat all docs as I they were god...even if they think so themselves. Makes for a lot of confusion for me.....

[longer-life 139]

I honestly don't know how safe it is to thumb our collective noses at the device...

Thanks to that device I went from being exhausted all day long and snoring very, very loudly to waking up refreshed every day, so I'm grateful to it.

[reallyrosy 161]

Thanks to that device I went from being exhausted all day long and snoring very, very loudly to waking up refreshed every day, so I'm grateful to it.

Granted, b4 surgery sleep was different...now, well, my dog ain't complaining a snore and I fall asleep and wake up pretty normal...(all things being equal...<grin>)

[LoserMama 37]

Hi there- thought I'd chime in although I have never personally used a CPAP. However, I work for a DME company that supplies them. If at any time you feel the pressure is too strong you should call your physician. Our doctors frequently order for patients a two week loaner of an auto cpap. This machine does no have one fixed setting, but a range of settings and it will automatically adjust itself to what corrects your apnea. After two weeks we pick the machine up, do a download from the smartcard and fax the doctor the report. He is able to look at the report and see what pressure you were most often at and able to adjust your current machine accordingly.

OR, if you have had your machine for awhile and your insurance will cover a new one- maybe the doctor should just order and auto machine for you to keep?

Oh, Dannielle, after I was thinking for a bit this is what I want to try. I do already have an autoadjusting machine (intellipap) , but its set to a range, and the data from the last couple of weeks is showing its now running at the bottom of the range. It won't go lower, will it? So they could possibly adjust my range down and see what it does ? That may be just the thing. Its running at 10 now each night, where I used to run at 12-14 typically.