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CPAP insights needed.


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Mike, fwiw, I placed the Cpap machine (low) above my head. That reduced the tendency of tugging on the hose if I turn at sleep. 

Think of the hose parallel to the body not perpendicular. (sp) 

  

Sleeping with a mask will take some time to get comfortable.  You will if you stay the course. 

The CPAP really helped me in many aspects. I am hopeful that your results will be the same. 

 

Mike, this may sound silly to you and others but I consciously breathe through my nose.

Not sure what I do at REM. I mentioned this because I struggled at first mouth breathing under CPAP.

 

 

Edited by CALCXX
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Well, insurance won't pay for an in-lab study since I did a home study and insurance doesn't see the need for the lab study.

 

Just as well.  Been trying to sleep with a CPAP mask for over a month.  Can't go more than an hour before I need to remove it to go to sleep.  More so, it appears that around 50% of people who are prescribed a CPAP don't really need it, and their apnea can be treated/resolved by less cumbersome methods.

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6 minutes ago, Zero Knievel said:

Well, insurance won't pay for an in-lab study since I did a home study and insurance doesn't see the need for the lab study.

 

Just as well.  Been trying to sleep with a CPAP mask for over a month.  Can't go more than an hour before I need to remove it to go to sleep.  More so, it appears that around 50% of people who are prescribed a CPAP don't really need it, and their apnea can be treated/resolved by less cumbersome methods.

Here is the only place I found that references 50% of people stopped using their CPAP machines. It did not say "they don't really need it."


 

Quote

 

 Studies suggest that from one-third to more than 50% of patients either stop using their CPAP machine or never bother to fill their prescription. They quit for a variety of reasons, but mostly because the device can be cumbersome and uncomfortable. Sometimes, they quit because of confusing or stringent health insurance restrictions.

But the health effects of untreated sleep apnea can be serious. People struggle with anxiety, tiredness and low productivity. There’s even an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.

 

https://khn.org/news/im-a-cpap-dropout-why-many-lose-sleep-over-apnea-treatment/

 

 

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1 hour ago, TFT said:

Here is the only place I found that references 50% of people stopped using their CPAP machines. It did not say "they don't really need it."


The point is that most everyone prescribes the CPAP instead of looking for more effective and simple solutions.  It frequently can be an issue resolved with therapy or minor surgical intervention rather than a piece of cumbersome equipment.

 

 

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2 hours ago, Zero Knievel said:

Just as well.  Been trying to sleep with a CPAP mask for over a month.  Can't go more than an hour before I need to remove it to go to sleep.  More so, it appears that around 50% of people who are prescribed a CPAP don't really need it, and their apnea can be treated/resolved by less cumbersome methods.

 

This is what I referenced months ago about really committing it and not second-guessing it.  There are other masks, there are work-arounds, and I've seen many recommendations for temporary use of sleep aids to get you past that falling asleep part.

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5 minutes ago, SwampNut said:

This is what I referenced months ago about really committing it and not second-guessing it.  There are other masks, there are work-arounds, and I've seen many recommendations for temporary use of sleep aids to get you past that falling asleep part.


I’ll keep my ears open, but around here, places just want to push new kit out the door…who cares if it helps the patient.  
 

Lesson learned, never go with an “at home” study.  I was wondering how good the scheduled study was going to be.  A pulmonologist would read the results but techs would monitor the study.  They might have just repeated the error…diagnosing apnea but not diagnosing the trigger.

 

At this point, I may be better off going back to my ENT specialist to see if he sees an issue.  He may have diagnostic tricks up his sleeve.

Edited by Zero Knievel
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Yup seek professional help.

Can you stop overthinking shit for a day?

We are at page three and you are watching you tube with self diagnosis in mind.

 

Luke, Trust the Force.

 

About 5-6 years ago, I had a rash. I searched the internet. Clicked on links, viewed about fifty rashes in an hour and a half. Thought I had AIDS and was gunna die in a week or so. Just a heat rash.

I stopped doing that.

Edited by CALCXX
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6 hours ago, CALCXX said:

Yup seek professional help.

Can you stop overthinking shit for a day?

We are at page three and you are watching you tube with self diagnosis in mind.


After watching incompetent medical staff nearly kill family and friends because they are stuck in a rut, yes, I self-diagnose.  If a doc wants to throw pills at me but not find out why I have an issue, that’s not a competent doc.  It’s just like the mechanic who wants to fix your car by randomly switching out parts…charging you for each one.


I’m not paying the freight for a lab study out of pocket.  I do not have an issue with being chronically tired, not gaining weight, normal (if not low) BP…no reason to jump into the CPAP bed just yet.

 

I’ll talk to the insurance company today and see if they will reconsider, but even if they approve it, if the lab isn’t going to try to find out why the events happen, I already know CPAP isn’t the magic solution.  I asked the last sleep doc “why.”  She can’t tell from a home study because she only saw raw data.  A lab study by competent staff is the only way to diagnose sleep disorders.

 

Again, lesson learned.  Don’t go with home studies.  Incomplete diagnosis procedure and then insurance fights getting to the cause of a condition.

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I put my symptoms into WebMD, and it says I have prostate cancer and I'm pregnant.

 

I had no idea that this thread would devolve into typical Youtube medical disinformation, and am very disappointed in myself for that.

 

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LOL.

 

I'm gonna repeat this because I care.  Mike, I have many friends who say that the CPAP has been literally a life-changing event.  One says he's pretty sure that his recent $20k/year raise was only possible because of increase productivity and "smarts" from not being sleep/oxygen deprived.  This guy used to fall asleep in my truck if I walked into a Circle K while driving out to a job with me.  Now he's got all day energy.

 

Spend the money and effort for this, you're worth it.

 

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6 hours ago, SwampNut said:

I put my symptoms into WebMD, and it says I have prostate cancer and I'm pregnant.

 

I had no idea that this thread would devolve into typical Youtube medical disinformation, and am very disappointed in myself for that.

 

Some things just shouldn't surprise us anymore. 

I know at least 5 people that use CPAP machines, they all ended up needing them after they gained a shit-load of weight. There are no doubt many causes for sleep apnea and each patient has to be diagnosed for their particular situation. 

I had sleep apnea due to a small throat opening. I had surgery around 30 years ago to correct the issue and no longer have sleep apnea. 

Mike, I don't know why you would have chosen a home study, I can't imagine that being as effective as being monitored by medical staff at a sleep center. I think you may have hobbled yourself with that decision.

 

12 hours ago, Zero Knievel said:


After watching incompetent medical staff nearly kill family and friends because they are stuck in a rut, yes, I self-diagnose.

 

 

I guess my family and I have been very fortunate not to have incompetent medical staff treat us. You seem to be snake-bit in this area. 

Edited by TFT
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1 hour ago, TFT said:

I had sleep apnea due to a small throat opening.

 

This brings up a point about learning whether you have obstructive or neurological apnea, and the various ways to help each.

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3 hours ago, TFT said:

Mike, I don't know why you would have chosen a home study, I can't imagine that being as effective as being monitored by medical staff at a sleep center. I think you may have hobbled yourself with that decision.

 

I was given the option.  Had I known how little information a home study would produce (and the doctor said if I had severe apnea they'd HAVE TO do a lab study), I wouldn't have opted for it.  My whole point for wanting the lab one is that the home study provided very little information as to causation.  I'm not having the issues that would justify going to a CPAP without a proper diagnosis.

 

3 hours ago, TFT said:

I guess my family and I have been very fortunate not to have incompetent medical staff treat us. You seem to be snake-bit in this area. 

 

Life experience.

 

In Wyoming, I watched a hospital prescribe anti-depressant pain killers when both the patient and I warned EVERY FUCKING PERSON who handled him that he had extreme adverse reactions to anti-depressants.

 

At home, more and more stuff is moving to Johnson City...meaning if you have a trauma issue, instead of going to Kingsport or Bristol, you now have to go even further into Tennessee.  Abingdon has a nice hospital, but not a place you want to go for anything serious.  Had nice staff, but the hospital doesn't have any fucks to give.

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In the video Mike included the Doctor states:

"Obstructive Sleep apnea being the reason why people gain weight, not the other way around."

That statement is ludicrous. 

People can gain weight after developing sleep apnea, but they are normally overweight in the first place. 

 

Quote

 

As the medical community learns more about sleep apnea, several important links to excess body weight are emerging. Not only can excess weight cause sleep apnea, but it can worsen the symptoms and exacerbate its detrimental health effects. Insufficient sleep may also lead to weight gain, making it a vicious cycle. Encouragingly, many studies show that weight loss improves sleep apnea. If you are struggling with sleep apnea or excess weight, it’s important to understand the complex interactions between the two conditions.

 

How Excess Weight Causes Sleep Apnea

 

Several health conditions increase the likelihood of developing sleep apnea, but OSA is most common in people who are overweight or obese. Excess weight creates fat deposits in a person’s neck called pharyngeal fat. Pharyngeal fat can block a person’s upper airway during sleep when the airway is already relaxed. This is why snoring is one of the most common sleep apnea symptoms — air is literally being squeezed through a restricted airway, causing a loud noise.

Additionally, increased abdominal girth from excess fat can compress a person’s chest wall, decreasing lung volume. This reduced lung capacity diminishes airflow, making the upper airway more likely to collapse during sleep. OSA risk continues to increase with a rising body mass index(BMI), which measures one’s body fat based on height and weight. Even a 10% weight gain is associated with a six-fold increase in OSA risk.

Less common causes of sleep apnea include enlarged tonsils that block the airway, anatomical features such as a large neck or narrow throat, endocrine disorders (including diabetes and thyroid disease), acid reflux, lung diseases, and heart problems. However, roughly 60–90% of adults with OSA are overweight.

Can Sleep Apnea Cause Weight Gain?

While excess weight has long been known to be a risk factor for OSA, an increasing amount of evidence suggests the relationship is reciprocal. This is because sleep deprivation is associated with decreased leptin (an appetite-suppressing hormone) and increased ghrelin (an appetite-stimulating hormone), which may increase cravings for calorie-dense foods. Additional data indicates that insufficient sleep leads to overeating, obesity, and a decrease in fat-loss during calorie restriction.

It also appears that OSA patients, in particular, may be more susceptible to weight gain than people who have the same BMI and health status but do not suffer from sleep apnea. This is illustrated in one study that showed people with OSA gained significantly more weight (around 16 pounds ) in the year leading up to their OSA diagnosis compared with BMI-matched people without OSA.

Sleep apnea can also deplete people of the energy they need to maintain a healthy body weight. Daytime sleepiness is a common sleep apnea symptom, resulting from fragmented, unrefreshing sleep. Excessive sleepiness may lead sleep apnea sufferers to exert less physical activity during waking hours. This may be particularly problematic for obese people, who frequently experience more shortness of breath and chest discomfort with physical effort, resulting in limited exercise. Without dietary changes, decreased activity levels can lead to additional weight gain.

 

 

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-apnea/weight-loss-and-sleep-apnea

 

 

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22 hours ago, TFT said:

In the video Mike included the Doctor states:

"Obstructive Sleep apnea being the reason why people gain weight, not the other way around."

That statement is ludicrous. 

People can gain weight after developing sleep apnea, but they are normally overweight in the first place. 

 

 


 

 

4 hours ago, SwampNut said:

 

LOL, what a retard.  I can't believe you watched it.

 

I watched for just over 1 minute, the point where he made that statement and realized he was full of shit

Edited by TFT
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