Sleep Apnea Support/Questions Thread

Originally Posted by MedicCook

Hello my name is Ryan and I have sleep apnea.

I have the machine but I never use it. I was unable to get a comfortable feeling for the mask. When I was in EMS and sleeping on the couch during the day my fellow crew members use to keep track of the time between breaths. I think I would average 1 breath ever 30 seconds and maxed out at 1 every 50 seconds. During my sleep study my O2 sats were in the low 80's. Not very good.

You sleep on your back or side? How many different style masks have you tried?

[MedicCook]

Originally Posted by ahc4353

You sleep on your back or side? How many different style masks have you tried?

I usually sleep on my stomach & side. I tried the nose pillow during the sleep study but that was a disaster. Then I moved to the full face mask and could never get to sleep on my back and when I would wake up in the early morning in that dazed state I would start to have clausterphobia still being partially asleep and not being able to get the mask off. The only reason I did the sleep study was for the ex-gf and now that she is gone there is no reason to worry about it.

Wow, running sats that low are not good for you, especially over the long haul. You are kind of leading a path towards stiffening the blood vessels in your lungs (pulmonary hypertension). That isn't all that bad in and of itself (at least to the extent it occurs in OSA) but it does lead to an increased risk of right heart failure. The OSA is probably also dramatically increasing your average blood pressure.

If you can't tolerate the BiPAP or CPAP machines, maybe there are surgical options available (such as cutting out the uvula and part of the soft palate of the posterior mouth cavity)?

I personally alleviated my OSA issue by dropping 30 lbs, but that was my solution...and may not be a part of your issue or solution.

Cheers

John

[PeteSB75]

Originally Posted by MedicCook

I usually sleep on my stomach & side. I tried the nose pillow during the sleep study but that was a disaster. Then I moved to the full face mask and could never get to sleep on my back and when I would wake up in the early morning in that dazed state I would start to have clausterphobia still being partially asleep and not being able to get the mask off. The only reason I did the sleep study was for the ex-gf and now that she is gone there is no reason to worry about it.

you understand the risks associated with untreated apnea? It's not just about snoring. That is the symptom most associated with it, but not even the primary effect.

BTW, you might want to check into what mask they actually had you use during the sleep study. Mine was a triangle mask that covered most of my nose and between my eyes and made me feel pretty claustrophobic. The nose pillow is pretty small and unobtrusive and very different from the study mask. http://www.mysleepapnea.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=464 is what I have - I got it through my DME supplier just by asking for a different mask. I am also a side/stomach sleeper as well as having a goatee (facial hair is a problem with some masks) and this works great for me.