CPAP

Very nice, thank you for your input, you are lucky you are doing so much better now!  I did ok last night with the machine and mask, and I anticipate really benefiting from this new way of sleeping. I feel great today! 

I have severe sleep apnea and I can not get used to my CPAP tried for 1 year. I never used it but a month. I had to bring iron for surgery it will be in your file that you have a CPAP if you don't they will charge you to rent one my hospital it was 3,000.00 they said ins would not covert because they paid for a machine for me. Makes sense. I brought it they asked me night 1 ifni wanted someone to set it up for men said no I would.i never did and night two the nurse came in and said well I see you don't use this CPAP do you and laughed. I said no I don't she said ok no sense in making you wear itin here when your not used to it.

i work overnight and will never get the full 8 hours of sleep they recommend. So maybe that will make a difference for you. Good luck on your journey!

Thank you, and good luck, I see you're on your way :) - I will definitely have to stay disciplined about this. I am finding that the word I keep returning to with all of these behavioral changes is discipline. Since I was a child I've always had trouble, but this passed year has been one of work and I'm seeing better days. Discipline isn't so bad now and I'm really glad I'm ready for surgery. 

Also, thanks for letting me know about the rental issue, I will make sure it goes with me when I am admitted for surgery. Very good tip, thank you. Saves me tons of money!

I also have sleep apnea and found out during testing for surgery.  I was really worried cause I already didnt sleep well and I get some anxiety with feeling like I cant breath.  Turns out I took to it very quickly and its wonderful.  I was really surprised.  I cant sleep without mine now.

Amazing! I'm really glad it worked for you. I hope my outcome is the same. 

I have been on a CPAP for about 10 years off and on now. When I first got mine it was a basic machine that could not be changed and it had a nose mask. I didn't know anything about it. I never really got used to it and hated using it. I lost a bunch of weight and decided that I didn't need to use it anymore anyway so I stopped. Well, I started gaining weight again (not because of the CPAP) and one day while I was driving down the road with my two young kids I fell asleep and drifted into the oncoming traffic lane. I woke up just in time to swerve away from a head on collision. At that point I decided it was time to get a new machine. My insurance had switched so I had to do another sleep study. What a pain!!! However, during the sleep study I did learn that there were different forms of head gear. I never knew.

I have been using mine fairly religiously for the last few years with nose pillows. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my nose pillows. Head gear and mask/nose pillow will make all the difference. Also, I got one with a humidifier which is great. No more dry nose/mouth. I know after I lose weight again I probably won't need it any more, but while I'm going down, I will keep wearing it. I can tell you the difference in sleep when it's working is phenomenal. If I don't wear my mask and I drink 16 ounces of water I will be up ******g all night. If I wear my mask and drink a gallon of water I won't get up once and when I do get up in the morning I barely have to go. Why? I have no idea. My friend that is also religious with his mask has the same experience.

So things to keep in mind are fit and options for masks. Don't forget to ask. Don't let someone come to your home with a machine and only one mask option. For my second machine I went to a durable medical goods store where they had several machine types and masks to choose from. If it's a good store they will have stuff you can look at and should be able to try on. They don't like to open stuff because they can't sell it afterwards, but make sure you get them to fit it on you and don't be afraid to tell them you DON'T like it. It's YOUR money and YOU have to live with it. Also, your insurance won't tell you, but most likely you should be allowed to get new masks and headgear about every 3, 4, or 6 months. Some will pay for repairs and/or calibrations as well.

Check this site out and even call this guy up! I ordered a mask from his site one time. It's an informative site. If you cannot find what you are looking for, google search CPAP and you'll see a whole host of things. http://www.cpapman.com/store/

Also, make sure you get your hands on a copy of your prescription. If you decide to go to a different supply place they will want your prescription. Also, look up your machine online to see how to get into the settings. I'm not suggesting that you increase/decrease the level you need, but there are some settings that go unused that are nice. In my machine there is a ramp feature but unless you get into the physician setup you couldn't do more than 15 minutes of ramp. I like to do 45. There's also a minimum or ramp start pressure. I set mine as low as I could but still wasn't low enough. I went into the physician setup and I was able to go lower. There were other features too. For my machine, to get into the physician setup there was a certain key sequence to press so I imagine other machines are similar.

I don't know if 2 months is enough time to get used to it, but if you can get into the physicians setup you may well find that it makes it easier for you.

Hope this helps!

Your post really helped me ask the right questions last night, thank you for this. I did wonderful and wore the full mask. I was comfortable and plan to make this an every night thing as soon as my machine comes by the end of the week. I LOVE how I feel today!

I don't know how to search the forums for a previous post on this topic other than to scroll endlessly. If this has been covered before, forgive me.

All is forgiven *grin*

Look up ... there's a wide blue bar under the OH logo.   Three items in from the right is a box "search".  As clunky a search engine as it is, click on it -- type in CPAP.

Lots of posts.  

There is also a CPAP forum on OH.  Go up, click on Forums, Medical Conditions, Sleep Apnea.

Me?  I love my CPAP.  http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/on/4474929/I-love-my-CPAP- machine/  And I have had my settings reduced, just six weeks post surgery.

You can do this -- it may take some work, but, hey, we're worth it, right?

And, yes, I do believe in the old adage "Teach someone to fish ... etc."

Cheers!

mmm

Amazing! Thank you for the help I completely missed the search on the list up top. It totally helps!