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Anyone using a CPAP?

hrodbert696

hrodbert696

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Jan 15, 2010
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#1
So I woke up this morning with a raw mouth and throat and a very angry wife complaining about my snoring and tossing and turning again (it was a restless sleep for me too). I had a sleep test a few years ago and got diagnosed with a mild apnea, but since it was only mild I never really did anything about it. Now I'm wondering if maybe I should get a CPAP machine. Anyone else using one? Did you get a prescription, did insurance pay for it, do you rent or buy, does it help, what is it like to use?

My wife has a co-worker whose husband uses it, and apparently what she's said is that they just traded the noise of the snoring for the noise of the machine. So she wasn't all that thrilled when I suggested the idea. I'm not very enthusiastic about trying to sleep in a face mask attached to a hose, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tell me what your experience was!
 
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#2
Yes but still been less than 6-months of using it. So will try to cover all your answers and provide info even if not asked.

From what I seen you have to get a prescription to get one; which IMHO is stupid considering what it is and does. But anyway that is #1.

Get the one that is auto settings and has a humidifier. I was lucky to get this one, and seen a ton of recommendations to go that direction.

Get a full face mask for it's much more effective, BUT make sure you clean at least the mask daily. If you don't, when you put it on the thing will stink.

I think I am buying/making payments but they call it rent which does NOT make any sense for when you rent something you never ever going to own it. A lease could lead to ownership but if not it's a rent. Payments leads to owning and that makes sense, yet they continue to use the word rent which is leading me to call them now to see how long it will be before I "own" it.

BTW I just got off the phone with my provider and they said it's insurance that insists on the rental thing. Anyway...

It works! It really does work! I notice it and so does she. She notices me no longing being restless, and the snoring has stopped 100%. Me, before the CPAP I would wake up with the bottom sheet off the bed, but now with the CPAP that doesn't happen which means I am no longer tossing and turning. Also, I find I feel a lot better in the morning (more rested) when using it, and have purposely not used it just to see the difference. Yes I feel like Darth Vader but it's worth it.

Lastly, also get this for it helps with back pain as you are laying on your side (assuming you do) which I do now more often after using the machine.

This isn't the exact pillow I bought but some shape and purpose.
Amazon.com: Cottile Memory Foam leg Pillow & Knee Pillow with Plush Cover for Leg Relief, Pregnancy, Reducing Low Back Pain: Home & Kitchen

Lastly, the doctor is getting ridiculous with the tests even after I got the machine so it's getting to the point I am going to start saying no to him and decline tests. But glad I now have the CPAP.
 
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#3
My wife has used one for 5-6 years now. She didn't snore, but apnea really messes with your sleep cycle and your health. She feels hugely better with it (more energy, less pains) and won't sleep without one.
The new generation are really pretty quiet. She's self-conscious about the noise anyway (though I don't notice it enough for it to matter to me) so we keep an air filter running which covers the CPAP noise and is a good thing to do anyway.
I'll disagree with @fingerguy about the full face mask and say "work with your provider to find a mask that fits properly and works for you". My wife uses a "nasal pillow" with great results. But if you're a mouthbreather then full face will probably be the way to go.
Good luck!
 
#4
hrodbert696 said:
My wife has a co-worker whose husband uses it, and apparently what she's said is that they just traded the noise of the snoring for the noise of the machine. So she wasn't all that thrilled when I suggested the idea. I'm not very enthusiastic about trying to sleep in a face mask attached to a hose, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Tell me what your experience was!
Click to expand...
I do not, but have roomed on the road with people that have. They say it helped them a lot. Sound is depending on the model, some I never heard others just a little shhh sound, though I was not in the same bed. Others can tell you about the quiet ones.

If you do get one and are rooming with someone at a hotel let them know before you go to sleep or they may get a shock coming into the dark room after you're asleep and you are all hooked up. :smug:
 
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#5
I've been on CPAP due to obstructive sleep apnea since 1991. Back then the machine I had was a little loud because it's essentially an air pump. But over the years I moved to a respironics machine that made a whisper similar to "white noise" to now I have an Air Sense which has a built in hydro option but it also has wi-fi and a data storing chip which monitors my sleep patterns and a read out screen that upon awakening shows me how many hours I slept, how many apneas per hour (if any) and even if there is a leak from the seal the mask provides around your nose. You put the mask on, take a breath and it turns itself on and ramps up to the specified pressure. And it's quiet. Costs? Well (thank you ACA) my cost is $18 monthly but I am on Medicare so YMMV. Lastly let me say this. One of the biggest strongest guys I knew footballer Reggie White succumbed to sleep apnea because he let it go undiagnosed, he was only 43. If you (the OP) need to be on it contact your insurance first to see what they pay for the sleep study (yes, you need a prescription) then get on the therapy. I was so bad that falling asleep at red lights in the middle of the morning was a regular occurrence prior to my being diagnosed. Sleep apnea is when you stop breathing while sleeping, it's a serious malady. When I went to my sleep study I found out I was having on average 81 apneas per hour. That's like being awakened 81 times during one hour of sleep per 8 hours of sleep. Due the math. I hope this helps you to decide. And depending where you live you should look for hospitals that are doing sleep studies. I initially got on CPAP because I answered a call for volunteers for a sleep study at the University of Pennsylvania. It was three days and two nights and because the science was new they did MRI's and CAT scans along with the reflex tests but they provided meals and cut me a check for over $300 on my way home. One last thing, I have Apria home healthcare as the provider and servicer of my machine. Every 6 months I get new hoses and masks and head gear delivered free which keeping the hoses new keeps down any chance of respiratory infections. (yeah, I get hosed:roflmao:) :cool:
 
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#10
Killed_by_Death said:
My doctor's prescription for my sleep apnea was to lose weight. It worked, but then I stopped losing weight.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that helps a lot. Doesn't make it any easier to do. Even if I lose the weight, I'm keeping my "sleep scuba" gear (that's the way I think of it, putting on my breathing apparatus for "going under"). ;)
 
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#11
I've used a CPAP for about 7 years now to assist with apnea and help spur weight loss by giving me more energy (it did not result in weight loss for me.) However, the unit is quiet and alleviated my snoring so my wife can sleep. I had no problem in adjusting to the unit, and use it nightly. I travel several days a year for business, and take it with me everywhere.
 
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#13
Been using one for a long time. My snoring used to be able to clear rooms. My wife would here me stop breathing, and would wonder when (or if) I would take my next breath.

I no longer clear rooms. My wife went from wondering when I would take my next breath, to wondering if I'm breathing at all - I'm that much quieter. I sleep much better now.

My wife just got hers this past year. When the results of her sleep study showed she needed it, there was no hesitation on her part to getting it, she had seen what it did for me.

If I travel, it goes with me. It's considered 'Medical Equipment', so you can carry it on board flights, and it does not count as part of your carry-on.
 
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#14
I got one about 7 years ago, the chief benefit has been allowing my wife to sleep through the night. I'm also a "bruxer" I ground my teeth down to those of an 80 year old before it got diagnosed and I was fitted with an appliance that prevents me from grinding at night. between the appliance and the CPAP, yeah I feel pretty hooked up and encumbered, but you get used to it.

Main advantage, I can submarine with the covers pulled over my head and sleep during the day after gigs and still breathe.

Big disadvantage, if and when the power goes out, you wake the entire house snoring through the now dead CPAP which acts as an acoustical amplifier, hose and all.
 
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#16
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#17
I tried one, I hated it, my wife hated it. She is a very light sleeper and the noise from the CPAP bothered here.
I went to two different sleep specialists. The first one had a very fancy office and he dressed like a model for CQ. His main objective seemed to be promoting CPAP machines. When I asked about other alternatives he didn't know much about them or didn't want to talk about them. Not sure which one was true. The machine needed to be adjusted and the company I bought it from said I needed a prescription from the doctor to change the settings I wanted. I left several messages at his office and he never responded. I was very happy when I returned the machine.
I liked the second specialist a lot better. I told her out the gate that I didn't want a CPAP. I did another sleep study and she hooked me up with a dentist who specializes in mandibular advancement devices. (mouthpieces).
I now have a custom mouthpiece that works well for me. I don't snore and I wake up rested. I also don't have to deal with a CPAP. It is a lot easier to slip a mouthpiece in.
The second doctor also noticed how nasal I am and referred me to an ENT specialist. I use Nasalcourt now and I breath a lot better. I can also smell things a lot better. Here in an urban environment that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
 
#18
slobake said:
I tried one, I hated it, my wife hated it. She is a very light sleeper and the noise from the CPAP bothered here.
I went to two different sleep specialists. The first one had a very fancy office and he dressed like a model for CQ. His main objective seemed to be promoting CPAP machines. When I asked about other alternatives he didn't know much about them or didn't want to talk about them. Not sure which one was true. The machine needed to be adjusted and the company I bought it from said I needed a prescription from the doctor to change the settings I wanted. I left several messages at his office and he never responded. I was very happy when I returned the machine.
I liked the second specialist a lot better. I told her out the gate that I didn't want a CPAP. I did another sleep study and she hooked me up with a dentist who specializes in mandibular advancement devices. (mouthpieces).
I now have a custom mouthpiece that works well for me. I don't snore and I wake up rested. I also don't have to deal with a CPAP. It is a lot easier to slip a mouthpiece in.
The second doctor also noticed how nasal I am and referred me to an ENT specialist. I use Nasalcourt now and I breath a lot better. I can also smell things a lot better. Here in an urban environment that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
Click to expand...
Makes me want to see another specialist just to see what they say but not interested in doing it all over again.

I did read about the mouthpieces and etc. but that will work depending on the kind of sleep apnea you have.
 
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#19
I don't use one, but I care for people who do. There have been positive advances in recent years, but not everyone can tolerate it. There are several mask options out there; you may need to try a few, if that is the way you and the MD decide to go.
I do not think you want to "own" something like this. Call it rent or leasing, whatever. Insurance companies know that as soon as it becomes difficult to use, you'll stop using it, and health problems can ensue, so let the provider take responsibility for it, beside the daily cleaning already mentioned.
 
#20
fingerguy said:
Makes me want to see another specialist just to see what they say but not interested in doing it all over again.

I did read about the mouthpieces and etc. but that will work depending on the kind of sleep apnea you have.
Click to expand...

I started down the dental appliance path, then saw the cost and 'no refund' policy even if it doesn't work, so changed my mind. That's an expensive 'let's see if this works' proposition.

-Mike
 

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