shady
Member
just logged in and had 22.5 episodes an hour last night so something is definitely fucked.... they may try me with the nasal pillows and some duct tape 
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TRT
Member
I'm glad you guys are talking about this so I can have a jump on any problems I may have with mine. I'd like to go through my doctor for help but you know how they are with using shit they think you don't need.
I have insurance and would like to do the sleep test and shit but it's going to take forever and they'll be a ton of back and forth.
I have insurance and would like to do the sleep test and shit but it's going to take forever and they'll be a ton of back and forth.
TRT
Member
...duck tape is good. Loljust logged in and had 22.5 episodes an hour last night so something is definitely fucked.... they may try me with the nasal pillows and some duct tape
DickySmalls
Member
Ahh me too. Mine is only the nasal one
Is yours nasal or full face (covers mouth and nose)? They didn't want me to go with a full because of the facial hair. I think next week I'm going to see if I can try one because my mouth always opens when sleeping and makes the therapy less useful. I'm still tired throughout the day but not a much as without therapy.
DickySmalls
Member
I've looked into this but from what I've heard, if you have facial hair then taping isn't really viable. If I remember correctly, people suggested 2" hypoallergenic tape. I also heard about using polydent?? between lips to help seal them.
shady
Member
mines full face at the moment, no beard. if they give me nasal pillows ill dig out my old mandibular advancement device and refit it so its not pulling my jaw forward making it more comfortable. that should make it easier to focus my breathing through the nose ...in theory
shady
Member
i imagine sealing your lips shut would lead to some wickedly nasty freddy kruger style night terrors!
TRT
Member
Nice ass.
shady
Member
quick update if youre not sick of me yet was in the hospital yesterday for a follow up. they upped the pressure from 8.6 to 9.6. raised humidity from 4 to 6 and gave me a silicon nose pad protector (resmed gecko) and the difference was night and day! down to 5 episodes per hour from averaging 20 or so, no more dry mouth and slept like a toddler off his tits on calpol.
had more energy at the gym this morning than ive had in ages. trying not to get carried away as its only one night since the changes but feelin good!
was in the hospital yesterday for a follow up. they upped the pressure from 8.6 to 9.6. raised humidity from 4 to 6 and gave me a silicon nose pad protector (resmed gecko) and the difference was night and day! down to 5 episodes per hour from averaging 20 or so, no more dry mouth and slept like a toddler off his tits on calpol. had more energy at the gym this morning than ive had in ages. trying not to get carried away as its only one night since the changes but feelin good!
DickySmalls
Member
quick update if youre not sick of me yet
had more energy at the gym this morning than ive had in ages. trying not to get carried away as its only one night since the changes but feelin good!
Nice, congrats. Hope you can get those down even more. I've been hovering around 1 from what I remember but am still tired throughout the day. I just called my DME yesterday to try a full face mask out and I had to pay out of pocket because I just got a resupply a month ago. $135 for it... I tell ya, not having health insurance in America is fucking horrendous. How old are you out of curiosity?
shady
Member
im 48, my events have gone up a little but still 10 or below. had to turn down the humidifier to 5 as at 6 it started gurgling which was waking me up hope your new mask treats you better dicky. ps those silicon nose pads are worth their weight in gold if your nose is rubbing on the full face mask 
hope your new mask treats you better dicky. ps those silicon nose pads are worth their weight in gold if your nose is rubbing on the full face mask
DickySmalls
Member
I could have used those when I first started. It was a bit red where my mask was but adjusting the fit and over time, it's no longer red. I think I had it way too tight.
shady
Member
i have a silicon rash on my upper chin now tho that looks a bit like herpes, totally sexy! started putting nappy rash cream on it so hopefully itll calm down a bit as its getting itchy
started putting nappy rash cream on it so hopefully itll calm down a bit as its getting itchyal'sameesh
New Member
Hello everyone. I wrote my complimentary therapy scheme for sleep apnea in another thread and wanted to share it here as well. There may be some ideas that help you sleep better, with or without CPAP:
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I would like to share my sleep apnea experience. I was having obvious signs of the disorder and got a sleep study done. Apnea index was 15.7, so the low end of moderate. I found CPAP intolerable.
Here is what I have done to regain decent sleep:
-Positional therapy. I sleep on my side probably 90% of the time now. My sleep study showed that my prone breathing was way worse than my side breathing.
-Nasal surgery. I had a severe deviated septum in my nose, and some malformation of the nasal tissues that result from this condition. getting this fixed can improve sleep apnea in otherwise fit people. the surgery was a breeze. Almost zero pain, just a week of stuffy nose, and the benefits extend beyond sleep.
-Didgeridoo playing, 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. This is a wind instrument that trains the muscles of the upper airway to be stronger and more toned, less flabby and less collapsible. It also strengthens the diaphragm, and is overall relaxing.
-Ballon inflating, 5-10 minutes a night, 5 days a week. Similar to didgeridoo, this strengthens the airway and develops the smooth muscles to be stronger.
-Patakara lip trainer, 20-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. google it. this is a medical device from Japan, used to train the muscles of the mouth, lips, tongue. The mechanism of action isnt totally understood, but it has been clinically proven to improve sleep apnea.
-Inspiratory breath trainers. Search this term on amazon and you will find an array of devices to train the muscles used to inhale. The previous practices listed above train the muscles used to exhale.
-Biochemical approach: Oddly enough, cannabinoids and endocannabinoids have been proven to stabilize the airway during sleep. Just google scholar search THC and sleep apnea. to this end, I use CBD oil, oleamide (an endocannabinoid), palmitoylethanolamine (PEA, boosts the effects of other cannabinoids and may act as one itself), and maca extract (inhibits the enzyme responsible for degrading cannabinoids).
Many of the practices listed above can be done while doing other things. For instance, as I write this I am using my patakara lip trainer. I get my didgeridoo playing in during car rides (I have a portable box model). I can do balloon practice while watching TV, and so forth.
Best of luck. Please be advised that my "myofunctional" approach, with these multiple daily exercises, takes months of consistent practice to yield significant results. So dont ditch your CPAP right off the bat.
-S
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to share my sleep apnea experience. I was having obvious signs of the disorder and got a sleep study done. Apnea index was 15.7, so the low end of moderate. I found CPAP intolerable.
Here is what I have done to regain decent sleep:
-Positional therapy. I sleep on my side probably 90% of the time now. My sleep study showed that my prone breathing was way worse than my side breathing.
-Nasal surgery. I had a severe deviated septum in my nose, and some malformation of the nasal tissues that result from this condition. getting this fixed can improve sleep apnea in otherwise fit people. the surgery was a breeze. Almost zero pain, just a week of stuffy nose, and the benefits extend beyond sleep.
-Didgeridoo playing, 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. This is a wind instrument that trains the muscles of the upper airway to be stronger and more toned, less flabby and less collapsible. It also strengthens the diaphragm, and is overall relaxing.
-Ballon inflating, 5-10 minutes a night, 5 days a week. Similar to didgeridoo, this strengthens the airway and develops the smooth muscles to be stronger.
-Patakara lip trainer, 20-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. google it. this is a medical device from Japan, used to train the muscles of the mouth, lips, tongue. The mechanism of action isnt totally understood, but it has been clinically proven to improve sleep apnea.
-Inspiratory breath trainers. Search this term on amazon and you will find an array of devices to train the muscles used to inhale. The previous practices listed above train the muscles used to exhale.
-Biochemical approach: Oddly enough, cannabinoids and endocannabinoids have been proven to stabilize the airway during sleep. Just google scholar search THC and sleep apnea. to this end, I use CBD oil, oleamide (an endocannabinoid), palmitoylethanolamine (PEA, boosts the effects of other cannabinoids and may act as one itself), and maca extract (inhibits the enzyme responsible for degrading cannabinoids).
Many of the practices listed above can be done while doing other things. For instance, as I write this I am using my patakara lip trainer. I get my didgeridoo playing in during car rides (I have a portable box model). I can do balloon practice while watching TV, and so forth.
Best of luck. Please be advised that my "myofunctional" approach, with these multiple daily exercises, takes months of consistent practice to yield significant results. So dont ditch your CPAP right off the bat.
-S
It's probably not as bad as you think.
I suggest going to regular doctor to get two referrals, one for a local sleep lab and the other for a pulmonologist. Once you have that you can cut your primary out of the equation... You can also try going to an ENT for the sleep study referral.
The sleep test being at home vs in lab is based on insurance. Try to get the home version, it makes the process faster. Have the results sent to your pulmonologist.
Once the results are in, it does take a little while for the rest of the process to get wrapped up. It's really not as bad as you're expecting.. I had the same reservations as you. Some guys have to wait much much longer to get their unit but that is typically because they did the in lab study. It's kind of fucked... They'll come in and tell you how many times you stop breathing and freak you out then tell you it'll be 6 weeks until you get your take home unit lol.
The most back and forth I had to deal with was calling to get my psi adjusted... I was no longer having events at about setting 15/20 but I was still snoring. A big part of the reason I got the CPAP in the first place was because my girl is a very light sleeper and the snoring kept her awake all night. At first they told me they wouldn't adjust the psi because of me still snoring, but I hadn't come that far to still be somewhat where I started. One very unpleasant phone call later and they adjusted it like I told them... But, then I eventually needed it adjusted down lol. I looked up how go adjust on my own and that ended the back and forth... Haven't talked to them in over a year.
TRT
Member
Fucking nice. You sound like me in regards to how you handled that.
I spoke briefly to my primary 4 days ago when I bumped into him at the store. He told me to make an appointment and he'd give me options and see what's best for me.
I like the masks better and so didn't my dad but I have a big nose. Might be a problem. Lol
My dad never complained though so I'm sure I'm good on that really.
Again, I appreciate all the advice you guys give on here on these subjects. It helps make life or certain situations we go through better or at least tolerable in some.
Whatever you guys do, don’t go through Apria healthcare for your CPAP. I want to choke everyone one of those assholes with pubic hair from a honey badger. I want to hold the phone to a coworker’s while theyre having explosive diarrhea so the Apria rep can hear a shit infestation in progress.
shady
Member
this is just the excuse ive been waiting for to get a didgerydoo! she cant complain as she has some earplugs going idle from the snoring ....TO EBAY!!
....TO EBAY!!
DickySmalls
Member
Day 1 with a full face mask... it's going to be an adjustment. It felt hard to breathe at first but after adjusting it throughout the night, it got better. Will see how it is as time goes by. I'm already liking the fact that my mouth doesn't open anymore because the pressure is now equal.
