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Welcome to the Danger Zone!

dangerousdon said:
The Danger Zone

Last night was night two of my in home sleep study. I had to wear one of these things on my head and around my nose...

View attachment 35076

Yeah...I didn't sleep that well. Well I am done with it...thank goodness!

Cardiologist says that I likely have Sleep Apnea. This does not come as a shock to me. I have had people tell me that I stop breathing at night for a VERY long time. What I didn't know (either because no one ever told me and I just didn't care to find out more about it) is that it affects your blood pressure. Well...now that I am older I am seriously interested in getting myself in tip top shape.

So...I am certain the results will come back and the doc will tell me I have sleep apnea. I think CPAPs and Bilevels are wonderous for those who need that kind of treatment. But for reasons I won't go into here...I would rather not have use one. I will go on a starvation diet to drop another 30 pounds if I have to. Although...I am not sure that the weight is the issue (though I know it doesn't help). I have even found myself when sitting still or relaxed stop breathing for a few moments and then have to take in a big breath. I actually wonder if this is psychological to an extent. I wonder if I have tonsils or something else obstructing my airway.

I looked at other options for sleep apnea and I am not impressed, nor do I desire to have implants or other types of surgery.

Anyway...I know there are some here who have sleep apnea and wonder if you all are willing to share your experiences. Thanks guys!
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Don I couldn't adjust to the machine and I use one of the mouth pieces that keep my lower jaw forward. It has worked very well for me.
 
Yep, several of us have talked about using the machine. I learned a few things I didn’t know before doing the sleep study. First, snoring isn’t the issue. There’s air movement while you snore. Duh. And I stopped breathing something like 15 times an hour. Which shocked me, but I was told was on the mild side of things.

I was actually pretty depressed when I first started using the machine. One of those thing that felt embarrassing and a symbol of being old. Well, after a few weeks, maybe a month, I tried different masks and techniques and found what worked for me. The dumb hose is an after thought now and I can still sleep on my stomach. The first few nights my body didn’t move at all and I was pretty sore when I woke up, but then it got used to being connected to something and adjusted.

Not sure what you have against the machine, but I’m sure you’ve seen in your research that weight is only one of a multitude of factors that can cause OSA. And that for reasons I don’t understand, OSA increases your risk for some pretty bad stuff. So I use the machine. My wife is just happy she doesn’t have to deal with my snoring any more.
 
dangerousdon said:
The Danger Zone

Last night was night two of my in home sleep study. I had to wear one of these things on my head and around my nose...

View attachment 35076

Yeah...I didn't sleep that well. Well I am done with it...thank goodness!

Cardiologist says that I likely have Sleep Apnea. This does not come as a shock to me. I have had people tell me that I stop breathing at night for a VERY long time. What I didn't know (either because no one ever told me and I just didn't care to find out more about it) is that it affects your blood pressure. Well...now that I am older I am seriously interested in getting myself in tip top shape.

So...I am certain the results will come back and the doc will tell me I have sleep apnea. I think CPAPs and Bilevels are wonderous for those who need that kind of treatment. But for reasons I won't go into here...I would rather not have use one. I will go on a starvation diet to drop another 30 pounds if I have to. Although...I am not sure that the weight is the issue (though I know it doesn't help). I have even found myself when sitting still or relaxed stop breathing for a few moments and then have to take in a big breath. I actually wonder if this is psychological to an extent. I wonder if I have tonsils or something else obstructing my airway.

I looked at other options for sleep apnea and I am not impressed, nor do I desire to have implants or other types of surgery.

Anyway...I know there are some here who have sleep apnea and wonder if you all are willing to share your experiences. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
If that's all you wore, you.got off LUCKY ¡!!!!!!!
 
I to have found myself almost like I forgot to continue to breathe and take a big gasp. I quit using my machine after almost a year of using it as I never got more than 4 hours of sleep with it and was doing that well without it. I've since got to the point where I'm getting more sleep at night like I used to. I think John the monkey has what would work for me if I could get a local dentist to do it at a reasonable price. That's where I'm at......
 
Dave in KY said:
I to have found myself almost like I forgot to continue to breathe and take a big gasp. I quit using my machine after almost a year of using it as I never got more than 4 hours of sleep with it and was doing that well without it. I've since got to the point where I'm getting more sleep at night like I used to. I think John the monkey has what would work for me if I could get a local dentist to do it at a reasonable price. That's where I'm at......
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The devices you buy cost like $1500! I can't afford that so went to the orthodontist that did my daughters braces and asked them to make me something. She took 2 retainer pieces and fused them together with about a 5mm offset (i held the gap with my jaw while she glued them). She charged me $350. This is the second one she has made. The first one lasted 7 years.
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20200912_133105.jpg
 
The Monkey said:
The devices you buy cost like $1500! I can't afford that so went to the orthodontist that did my daughters braces and asked them to make me something. She took 2 retainer pieces and fused them together with about a 5mm offset (i held the gap with my jaw while she glued them). She charged me $350. This is the second one she has made. The first one lasted 7 years.
View attachment 35090
View attachment 35091
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I know and remember you describing it. Haven't gotten to see mine due to the Covid garbage.......
 
fhalden said:
Me.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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Thanks. Not that I have very much knowledge or experience in this area, it just seemed really odd that every person I have talked to or heard about that has had a sleep study was told they had Sleep Apnea, It Is good to know that is actually not the case and that not everyone has it.
 
Fenster said:
Thanks. Not that I have very much knowledge or experience in this area, it just seemed really odd that every person I have talked to or heard about that has had a sleep study was told they had Sleep Apnea, It Is good to know that is actually not the case and that not everyone has it.
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I was relieved to be sure!

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
NurseDave said:
Not sure what you have against the machine, but I’m sure you’ve seen in your research that weight is only one of a multitude of factors that can cause OSA. And that for reasons I don’t understand, OSA increases your risk for some pretty bad stuff. So I use the machine. My wife is just happy she doesn’t have to deal with my snoring any more.
Click to expand...
To be completely honest...most of my reasons for not wanting to use a CPAP has to do with my own apprehensions. It's not so much about me feeling old or how it will look. I am pretty much on board for trying most things if it will improve my health. Unlike, medications though...this does not seem to be something that can be cured with "diet and exercise." At least for a lot of people. Couple that with the possible issues of mold and viruses form improper cleaning. And yeah...I know...if you keep it clean...it shouldn't be an issue. But lets just say that it's one more thing for me to worry about. I have had two family members (an aunt and a cousin) who have died from fungal infections. I also have a friend of mine who had a fungal infection in his lung. It bored almost a complete hole in his lung and has had two heart attacks. Granted, I don't know if the hole in his lung contributed to the heart attacks (they both came after) but I am sure they didn't help. Oh, and he is only 46 years old. Okay...in full disclosure...none of this was the result of a CPAP...but it's in the back of my mind.

Let's just say that I don't want a CPAP unless I really need it. That being said...it does seem like the benefits FAR outweigh the risks. It's something I will have to talk to my doctor about. I would just prefer an alternative method that doesn't hook me up to the cybernetic infrastructure that will take over the world. 🤪

But yeah...I have discovered that there are a lot of factors causing OSA. My wife has said that since I have lost all that weight two years ago...I don't stop breathing in my sleep as much...but I still do it. Maybe this is something that can be controlled by losing more weight. It certainly can't hurt. Maybe a CPAP is something that can aid in me getting healthier and then I can get off of it. I don't know. It's just a strange time right now with everything that is going on in the world and with the baby coming. The last thing I really need right now is more uncertainty.

Dave...I know we don't agree all the time...but I appreciate your concern.
 
The Monkey said:
Don I couldn't adjust to the machine and I use one of the mouth pieces that keep my lower jaw forward. It has worked very well for me.
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So...I wear a dental splint at night (mostly). It's not the same obviously. But I had a hard enough time adjusting to that mouthpiece and it is SUPER slim.

Dave in KY said:
I quit using my machine after almost a year of using it as I never got more than 4 hours of sleep with it and was doing that well without it. I've since got to the point where I'm getting more sleep at night like I used to.
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So...I get fairly decent sleep at night. Sure...I could get better I suppose. I just wonder how much more sleep I would get with a CPAP.
Fenster said:
Thanks. Not that I have very much knowledge or experience in this area, it just seemed really odd that every person I have talked to or heard about that has had a sleep study was told they had Sleep Apnea, It Is good to know that is actually not the case and that not everyone has it.
Click to expand...
So...my Cardiologist asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea after she looked at my ECG reading. If I had to guess...The high rate of people are diagnosed with Sleep Apnea after a sleep study is likely because most people that are referred to a sleep study have a high likelihood of having it based on other tests and screenings.
 
My wife has used a CPAP for years. We BOTH sleep much better now. :p

A few simple things to remember for hygiene:
- use distilled water
- empty and rinse the tank every morning (don't let it sit)
- tubes, tank and mask/nose-pillow get soaked for an hour in a mild vinegar solution for an hour weekly (then rinse and dry, duh!)

Given the humidity where you are, I would say you don't need to use water and only have to deal with the last point.
 
Thanks @Dave in KY ! I guess I need to first find out what the doc says. A guy comes and picks the device up on Tuesday and he said that it usually takes a week and a half to two weeks to get the results back.
 
woodpusher said:
My wife has used a CPAP for years. We BOTH sleep much better now. :p

A few simple things to remember for hygiene:
- use distilled water
- empty and rinse the tank every morning (don't let it sit)
- tubes, tank and mask/nose-pillow get soaked for an hour in a mild vinegar solution for an hour weekly (then rinse and dry, duh!)

Given the humidity where you are, I would say you don't need to use water and only have to deal with the last point.
Click to expand...
Thanks Sam!
 
So I’m no poster child for keeping my machine clean, I don’t do anything for it. But I also don’t use any water in the tank so there is no moisture in the system.
 
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