cpap machines, anything negative about them?

[goofyernmost]

I've been on CPAP for a year after being diagnosed with mild apnea (11 times an hour)....

• like others mentioned.... you may need to try different pillows and masks to see which is best and has minimal leaks
• I hate to use the CPAP harness in the summer heat
• machine noise is a problem for me..... I had to relocate the machine to the foot of the bed and looking for an extension tube to put the machine into the hallway outside of the room.
• a co-worker had problems where he felt bloated with the air injected into him. He now sleeps with a dental appliance... something I refuse as I have jaw problems.
• I need to regular feed water into the machine to keep my mouth from drying out
• I tried two manufacturers and settled too with the Phillips. I like their graphs to diagnose my usage.
• if there are strong winds outside and there's a likelihood of a power outage... I refuse to use the CPAP at night
• you no longer need to go into a sleep room for diagnosis. A small portable oximeter data logger that you take home overnight is all you need. Just make sure they have fresh batteries.

I found that I had a very dry mouth, we finally figured out that the setting was to high. We turned it down a couple of notches and the dry mouth situation magically went away with no noticeable change in my sleeping habit. Wait, I take that back, I slept better with the lower power.

I have Tinnitus and the ringing in my ears is constant. Before I go the Cpap I always had to find a way to have background noise because the ringing was like a car blowing the horn without the background noise. Cpap solved that problem I have a carry it with my, noise system. It's not real loud but I can hear it and that is all it takes.

 

[awalker1015]

DH has one and it saves our marriage. One year into marriage we were sleeping in separate rooms due to his horrible snoring. 13 years later he has been using a CPAP regularly and it is a lifesaver. Most importantly for him! When he was snoring and experiencing sleep apnea he rarely woke up rested and would fall asleep throughout the day.

 

[goofyernmost]

DH has one and it saves our marriage. One year into marriage we were sleeping in separate rooms due to his horrible snoring. 13 years later he has been using a CPAP regularly and it is a lifesaver. Most importantly for him! When he was snoring and experiencing sleep apnea he rarely woke up rested and would fall asleep throughout the day.

Before I got my Cpap, I found out (after) that I had been falling asleep at work. I didn't know. I knew that I felt tired and would occasionally, while working on something, feel my head drop and I thought I was just nodding off and waking up immediately when it happened. Turns out I was actually falling asleep. My co-workers were having discussions about whether or not they should wake me up. I wish they had told me I was doing that because I might have looked for help sooner. As it turns out, I finally realized how serious it was when I was driving back from lunch and fell asleep at the wheel. My car drifted off the road, thankfully to the right, and when the tire hit the shoulder it woke me up and I was able to recover just inches away from a very deep ditch. Sleep Apnea is not to be toyed with, it is a serious problem and can kill in more ways then one. If I had drifted to the left, I might have even killed others. I know that having that machine not only saved my life, but, it increased the quality of my life in a huge way.

If you have trouble at first adjusting to the machine, the mask or the noise, think about how minor all that stuff is compared to what damage you can do to yourself and others by not using it. Just buck up and use it... you will get used to it quickly enough and you will be so glad you did.

 

[Swank]

I have been using mine for 10 years. I love it, love it love it. I used to fall asleep at work and while watching TV. It has saved my life. I am a little Claustrophobic so it took about a week to get used to it. If you have the same issue don't give up it is truly a life changing moment. I feed well rested now.

 

[because]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread. It came up in a search. Lots of great info here, I just had another question.

I was just diagnosed with moderate apnea (30x an hour and sats down to 80%). My doc wants me to go to a CPAP lab instead of a DME, which I whole heartedly agree with, to get fitted for a machine.

My question is: does anyone of you who use a CPAP have the external monitoring? The lab I am going to, their machines wirelessly send constant data back to the lab for monitoring. It is touted as better monitoring for leaks and monitoring for the possibility of developing central apnea, a concern at our altitude. They will call if central apnea happens and goes on too long. They can also make appts for refitting if they notice leakage.

I am a little concerned about privacy so was wondering how wifi monitoring works.

 

[xlxo]

Thoughts....

• My machine uses cellular, no wifi needed
• other than tracking when you sleep and when you get up..... I don't see a privacy concern.
• it's not constant. There's a quick burst of data around an hour after I wake up each day
• I like the remote monitoring idea. Only issue is the doctor knows when you are NOT using the machine and will try to remind you
• they never found my leak..... I guess my face changes when I'm lying down.

 

[maxaroni]

I wish I had thought about the Dis. Duh! My mom had a small Bi-pap machine with several bags of new pieces, including the nasal pillows. My mom needed it for COPD and so many of her issues when she was ill. She passed away and we couldn't find anyone to buy it. We even went to many medical facilities and couldn't donate it. Dad didn't want to deal with Craigslist. We called the Veterans and they wouldn't take it.

 

[Orlandrum]

They can be quite heavy, although I think the new ones are getting better.

 

[aprilgail]

I wish I had thought about the Dis. Duh! My mom had a small Bi-pap machine with several bags of new pieces, including the nasal pillows. My mom needed it for COPD and so many of her issues when she was ill. She passed away and we couldn't find anyone to buy it. We even went to many medical facilities and couldn't donate it. Dad didn't want to deal with Craigslist. We called the Veterans and they wouldn't take it.

I sold mine on ebay- Hated it and I was up every hour when I tried to use it. Ebay takes down the post because it is medical but I put it up as a buy it now and someone "bought it now" before they could take the ad down again!

 

[dreiwhit]

I've had a Phillips Respironics machine for six years now, and I really like it. I don't sleep without it.

Insurance paid 100% for it, but that was in the Good Old Days when my employer's health insurance was really good and inexpensive.

Its a dual pressure machine that starts me out with a lower pressure and raises it later. It made a world of difference for my sleep and my quality of life.

As folks have said, getting a good mask and a good seal is critical. The choice of masks is also very subjective. I have a ResMed Quatro FX that I really like, but some people only use the nasal mask.

The only negatives that I've experienced are having to clean the mask, hose and water chamber once per week, having to use distilled water, and the machine not working when the power fails at night - it wakes me up!

Also, the huge big negative is that the only doctors in this area that specialize in sleep apnea are a bunch of clowns. I refused to go back to them. So I either don't go, or have to go to a doctor an hour and a half away.