Sleep Apnoea and CPAP

Philster

NIMAN wrote: »

The OH has been telling me for quite a while I should go see the GP as I suffer from it, that I stop breathing fairly often and jolt during my sleep as I start breathing again.

I also am a shift worker, so I used to put my tiredness simply down to that. But perhaps this has been playing into it too? Making things worse?

I do often feel shattered during the day, and most mornings I find a real struggle to get going. I am often light headed too, but as mentioned, simply put this down to decades of shift work and rubbish sleep patterns.

Must get a GP visit organised now that restrictions are relaxing.

Definitely get checked out. I used to work shifts also and was wrecked. And then stopped working shift work and was still wrecked. And falling asleep inappropriately.
Have a look at the link here and see what your score is. My GP and sleep specialist both used it on me and it is used internationally. The health benefits of getting treatment for a sleep disorder is well worth it.

https://epworthsleepinessscale.com/about-the-ess/

GadgetGeek

RJ67 wrote: »

Hi I was trying to buy an airsense 10 apap from the resmed supplier here in Dublin. They wanted 1720 euro for a new machine. I can get the machine and masks and filters for about 2 years supply plus delivery from USA for just under 900 dollars. Then they tell me they are not allowed sell international. Why not? Huge difference in price. Anyone got any experience in successfully buying a machine abroad. This will be my 4th machine. Currently using an old resmed s8 elite.

See a old post I had completed on this.

GadgetGeek wrote: »

Not sure how legit it is but it works for me. You need the following:
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https://mysleep.resmed.com/GB/en/

NIMAN

Philster wrote: »

Definitely get checked out. I used to work shifts also and was wrecked. And then stopped working shift work and was still wrecked. And falling asleep inappropriately.
Have a look at the link here and see what your score is. My GP and sleep specialist both used it on me and it is used internationally. The health benefits of getting treatment for a sleep disorder is well worth it.

https://epworthsleepinessscale.com/about-the-ess/

Funnily enough I would never be so tired that I would just fall asleep, so maybe I wouldn't score well (or badly) in that test.

I have always had the ability to function fairly well despite the tiredness. The only real time id get tired is if I lay on the sofa in the evening. Outside of that, I can usually beat any level of tiredness.

I also had 3 kids who weren't great sleepers. Much better now thankfully as they are well grown. I do remember them as young kids though, and at times it was absolute torture trying to get through the day if they had bad nights. Back then the mixing of shift work with their lack of sleep did me a lot of damage.

I have also been a very light sleeper too which adds to the problem. Any noises at all would wake me. And in my 50s now I find i would have to use the toilet at least once per night. For me to go to bed at night and get up in the morning without waking at least once is a rarity. Sometimes it could be multiple times.

Perhaps it's this broken sleep that is leaving me tired, and if sleep apnea is adding to my interruptions, then perhaps it is worth a trip to the gp.

nibtrix

Philster wrote: »

Have a look at the link here and see what your score is. My GP and sleep specialist both used it on me and it is used internationally. The health benefits of getting treatment for a sleep disorder is well worth it.

https://epworthsleepinessscale.com/about-the-ess/

NIMAN wrote: »

Funnily enough I would never be so tired that I would just fall asleep, so maybe I wouldn't score well (or badly) in that test.

I also NEVER fall asleep during the day and would have scored extremely low on that test, but was diagnosed at the beginning of the year with severe sleep apnoea. It's a useful tool, but that's all it is, not a definitive diagnosis. I would be cautious about recommending it on a site like this, as people may take a look, think "that's not me, I must not have sleep apnoea" and decide not to bother seeing a professional about it.


I've had the CPAP machine since early this year and it has made a massive difference. I didn't realise how much of a fog I was actually living in until it was lifted.

Metroid diorteM

For anyone like me who is close to sleep apnea but not bad yet I've found these few things helpful:

Breathe Fresh Air Purifier 3-in-1 Air Cleaning system True Hepa UV-C Odor Reducer Carbon 56 CM
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016N1HCP0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_awdb_mMRhFbN8THZ2X

A humidifier

Sterimar copper nasal spray

Best of luck!

Philster

nibtrix wrote: »

I also NEVER fall asleep during the day and would have scored extremely low on that test, but was diagnosed at the beginning of the year with severe sleep apnoea. It's a useful tool, but that's all it is, not a definitive diagnosis. I would be cautious about recommending it on a site like this, as people may take a look, think "that's not me, I must not have sleep apnoea" and decide not to bother seeing a professional about it.


I've had the CPAP machine since early this year and it has made a massive difference. I didn't realise how much of a fog I was actually living in until it was lifted.

Hi Nibtrix- I've reported the post to see if I can go back and amend. That's a fair point you make and it is only one part of the diagnostic process. I scored 22 on it so I suppose I was thinking only of my journey to getting diagnosed. I have heard of people who like you didn't score high on it.

I still am living in quite a dense fog but not anywhere near as bad as I was. I do occasionally realise that there are massive subjective improvements - but the comments I get from people who know me and don't know I have OSA are amazing as they see that I look refreshed and not deathly pale and sleepy anymore. I think getting the correct mask, and it can take quite a few mask trials, is key. But if in doubt get checked out.

looksee

Agreed about the sleepiness test. I do not fall asleep during the day, and while I can feel foggy/not very alert I have never been unsafe to drive (though sleep apnoea is now on my license) due to tiredness. So my result from the test would be very low. However I was also diagnosed with severe sa (47 events per hour).

Diagnosis is very hit and miss - or at least the sleep tests are ok, but some of the people interpreting the tests and offering solutions are doing it as a bit of a sideline to being (say) a respiratory consultant, and are not necessarily entirely informed about sa.

My current consultant is good, but it was only as a result of a chance remark that I found a solution that took me (with mask) from 47 to under 10 (and usually much less than that) in one night. Its an issue that is very specific to me so not of general interest, but its a bit of an indication of the randomness that can be sa.

Philster

looksee wrote: »

Agreed about the sleepiness test. I do not fall asleep during the day, and while I can feel foggy/not very alert I have never been unsafe to drive (though sleep apnoea is now on my license) due to tiredness. So my result from the test would be very low. However I was also diagnosed with severe sa (47 events per hour).

Diagnosis is very hit and miss - or at least the sleep tests are ok, but some of the people interpreting the tests and offering solutions are doing it as a bit of a sideline to being (say) a respiratory consultant, and are not necessarily entirely informed about sa.

My current consultant is good, but it was only as a result of a chance remark that I found a solution that took me (with mask) from 47 to under 10 (and usually much less than that) in one night. Its an issue that is very specific to me so not of general interest, but its a bit of an indication of the randomness that can be sa.

My AHI was 46 and I had taken myself off the road until I saw the specialist as I knew I had become unsafe. When I saw the sleep specialist she documented that I was not medically uninsured to drive. It was a pain but you get with on with it. I was 4 months off the road.

I do agree about the consultants involved with diagnosing and treating sleep apnoea. I'm seeing a sleep specialist but am amazed at the number of respiratory consultants also looking after people. I know it is also an airways/ respiratory disorder for many including me, but I'm much more comfortable being treated by a sleep specialist. I feel I get a much more holistic approach to my problem this way.

Daisy78

looksee wrote: »

Agreed about the sleepiness test. I do not fall asleep during the day, and while I can feel foggy/not very alert I have never been unsafe to drive (though sleep apnoea is now on my license) due to tiredness. So my result from the test would be very low. However I was also diagnosed with severe sa (47 events per hour).

Diagnosis is very hit and miss - or at least the sleep tests are ok, but some of the people interpreting the tests and offering solutions are doing it as a bit of a sideline to being (say) a respiratory consultant, and are not necessarily entirely informed about sa.

My current consultant is good, but it was only as a result of a chance remark that I found a solution that took me (with mask) from 47 to under 10 (and usually much less than that) in one night. Its an issue that is very specific to me so not of general interest, but its a bit of an indication of the randomness that can be sa.

I had my sleep study two weeks ago and it came back with mild sleep apnea, which to be honest I was a bit disappointed with. I would take at least three naps a day, more if I can get away with it so was expecting a higher score. Mental fog is a constant and low energy levels for someone my age. I wake up coughing and gasping most nights. I guess a diagnosis needs to take account of everything including the patients symptoms to ensure the right solution is found. I don’t think I had a “proper” nights sleep in the clinic, comfort level was low given the hard bed and multiple wires so perhaps that may have impacted on the result.

jesus_thats_gre

looksee wrote: »

Agreed about the sleepiness test. I do not fall asleep during the day, and while I can feel foggy/not very alert I have never been unsafe to drive (though sleep apnoea is now on my license) due to tiredness. So my result from the test would be very low. However I was also diagnosed with severe sa (47 events per hour).

Same here. Only time I can recall ever nodding off was in the cinema after a week of nights (finished night shift that morning and didn't sleep).

Think the Maher Private described me as being in the top 10 worse cases they came across. Was up at 79 event per hour.

Drumpot

Finally got appointment with sleep clinic. Think I was originally diagnosed with moderate to severe (29 times an hour), but then last winter the test showed nothing (I didn’t sleep a wink that night)

Can I ask before the Machine, did anybody get episodes for weeks where you wake up tired (no matter how much sleep you get), can get pockets in the day where you are quite alert (possibly coffee), then gets Periods where you get a very difficult to describe brain fog. Not just poor concentration but sort of feeling like a constant pain that’s not overly sharp but can rise a bit. Seems too gentle to be a headache but you are regularly brought back to thus weird sensation that isn’t nice. Words regularly fair me to explain it to my wife. I’ve seen some describe it a bit like a seizure (sort of surreal at times) as I do stare sometimes and find it hard to focus.

Also have chronic nausea , indigestion and get hot flashes. It could be a chronic migraine (I do get them but sometimes feels like for weeks) so it could be that that equally makes it harder to sleep!

But I can go through weeks not having this and then something (weather , anxiety ?!!!!) seems to trigger a bout that can last for months.

I’m getting professional medical advice so am not asking for advice, I’m just curious if anybody has suffered similar symptoms.

Davexirl

I got accepted into the Sleep Clinic in Vincents, just waiting now to get my appointment. I was told it be a few months with the current backlog.

nibtrix

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Think the Maher Private described me as being in the top 10 worse cases they came across. Was up at 79 event per hour.

Wow! I thought my 53 per hour was pretty high :pac:

Drumpot wrote: »

Can I ask before the Machine, did anybody get episodes for weeks where you wake up tired (no matter how much sleep you get), can get pockets in the day where you are quite alert (possibly coffee), then gets Periods where you get a very difficult to describe brain fog. Not just poor concentration but sort of feeling like a constant pain that’s not overly sharp but can rise a bit. Seems too gentle to be a headache but you are regularly brought back to thus weird sensation that isn’t nice. Words regularly fair me to explain it to my wife. I’ve seen some describe it a bit like a seizure (sort of surreal at times) as I do stare sometimes and find it hard to focus.

Also have chronic nausea , indigestion and get hot flashes. It could be a chronic migraine (I do get them but sometimes feels like for weeks) so it could be that that equally makes it harder to sleep!

Waking up absolutely exhausted, spending the day feeling like I just ran a marathon or climbed a mountain (tired, aching muscles, general malaise) and yes, a constant mild headache, that's exactly how I felt. The weird state where you are beyond tired and you seem to be looking at the world through a tunnel, although it's not really a vision thing. It's more that to switch attention from one thing to another you almost need to pull back completely from the first thing to focus on the second thing rather than switching your attention across.
It IS hard to explain!

FaganJr

nibtrix wrote:

Wow! I thought my 53 per hour was pretty high

I thought my 32 was off the charts ;-)

NIMAN

I had my nose broke twice over the space of a couple of years maybe 20 years ago.

I remember a consultant in hospital telling me the internal passages of my nose were 75% to one side and I had choice of getting it rebroke and straightened. I asked was it necessary and was told not really.

I wonder now is this adding to any breathing issues or nasal congestion?

nibtrix

NIMAN wrote: »

I had my nose broke twice over the space of a couple of years maybe 20 years ago.

I remember a consultant in hospital telling me the internal passages of my nose were 75% to one side and I had choice of getting it rebroke and straightened. I asked was it necessary and was told not really.

I wonder now is this adding to any breathing issues or nasal congestion?

It probably makes you breathe through your mouth more which would contribute to a dry throat/mouth - it's probably not a cause of sleep apnoea but I'd say it certainly wouldn't help!

Dtoffee

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Just ordered one from here - 755 all in:

https://www.eu-pap.ie/

My old machine died on Tuesday night after nearly 10 years service, I got a quote of over a grand for a similar replacement and decided it was too dear, so I bought a different make online.



I tried my new Resmed airsense 10 auto last night for the first time and struggled with it. I use a full face mask and any time I inhaled or yawned .... the mask was blown off my face with the pressure it generated.


I understood this was a 'plug and play' type machine that automatically adapted to your needs during the night. I set it to full face mask in the settings and ended up taking it off at about 5am as it was uncontrollable. My question for you is .... did you do anything at set up to make it work for you or was it as easy as they say ?



I am going to drop the face mask and try the nose tubes tonight .... anyone have any tips on settings for using the air sense 10 auto with a full face mask ? tks

Reputable Rog

My machine set off an alarm on two consecutive nights this week and woke the whole house.
Last night when I went to turn off the machine my finger when straight through the button into the machine.
Rang the rep and she said until this week she had never heard of this happening but mine was the second case this week.
After analysing the readings it seemed the machine went haywire this week and wasn’t recognising any settings.
Anyhow machine replaced without fuss with a brand new smart machine connected to my phone and the WiFi. Looking forward to trying it out tonight.

Boulevardier

Do people always bring their CPAP with them when they spend a night away? I find doing so an awful hassle. My rule of thumb now is that if I am away for just 1 night I do not bother. However, some of my non-CPAP sleeps have been poor and so I am wrecked the next day.

Glebee

Boulevardier wrote: »

Do people always bring their CPAP with them when they spend a night away? I find doing so an awful hassle. My rule of thumb now is that if I am away for just 1 night I do not bother. However, some of my non-CPAP sleeps have been poor and so I am wrecked the next day.

I follow the same rule, I find if I miss one night it does not effect me so much. Even two nights without and im ok.

Philster

Dtoffee wrote: »

My old machine died on Tuesday night after nearly 10 years service, I got a quote of over a grand for a similar replacement and decided it was too dear, so I bought a different make online.



I tried my new Resmed airsense 10 auto last night for the first time and struggled with it. I use a full face mask and any time I inhaled or yawned .... the mask was blown off my face with the pressure it generated.


I understood this was a 'plug and play' type machine that automatically adapted to your needs during the night. I set it to full face mask in the settings and ended up taking it off at about 5am as it was uncontrollable. My question for you is .... did you do anything at set up to make it work for you or was it as easy as they say ?



I am going to drop the face mask and try the nose tubes tonight .... anyone have any tips on settings for using the air sense 10 auto with a full face mask ? tks

I use the same machine, with a full face mask. What is your prescribed setting?
I use the ramp feature over 10 minutes to give me enough time to get to sleep and for some reason I get a better seal that way rather than it just going straight to the prescribed pressure. If I'm really having leak issues over a few nights I use the run fit feature and adjust the mask and straps to get a good seal and then mark on the straps with a marker.

jesus_thats_gre

Boulevardier wrote: »

Do people always bring their CPAP with them when they spend a night away? I find doing so an awful hassle. My rule of thumb now is that if I am away for just 1 night I do not bother. However, some of my non-CPAP sleeps have been poor and so I am wrecked the next day.

Every single night for me. I love the bloody thing to be honest.

FaganJr

Boulevardier wrote:

Do people always bring their CPAP with them when they spend a night away? I find doing so an awful hassle. My rule of thumb now is that if I am away for just 1 night I do not bother. However, some of my non-CPAP sleeps have been poor and so I am wrecked the next day.

Never leave home without it, feel terrible, even after one night

Dtoffee

Philster wrote: »

I use the same machine, with a full face mask. What is your prescribed setting?
I use the ramp feature over 10 minutes to give me enough time to get to sleep and for some reason I get a better seal that way rather than it just going straight to the prescribed pressure. If I'm really having leak issues over a few nights I use the run fit feature and adjust the mask and straps to get a good seal and then mark on the straps with a marker.

I switched to the nose mask last night and got a full nights sleep with no mask leakage ... so happy face on the screen this morning.


My old machine was set to 14, but I believe the new resmed auto does not need setting as it adjusts to your needs during the night.


Tks

Reputable Rog

Dtoffee wrote: »

I switched to the nose mask last night and got a full nights sleep with no mask leakage ... so happy face on the screen this morning.


My old machine was set to 14, but I believe the new resmed auto does not need setting as it adjusts to your needs during the night.


Tks

Nose mask is the business.

Dtoffee

Boulevardier wrote: »

Do people always bring their CPAP with them when they spend a night away? I find doing so an awful hassle. My rule of thumb now is that if I am away for just 1 night I do not bother. However, some of my non-CPAP sleeps have been poor and so I am wrecked the next day.

Always......



What happens during Sleep Apnea was described to me as someone puling the plug out of a computer without closing it down first, not something to want to keep doing as it eventually takes its toll. This could be total BS but it made sense to me as you are starving your brain/body of oxygen and that cant be good.

shoegirl

Wondering if any of you guys can help with useful suggestions here. We are at our wits end.

My elderly mother is 75 and has been using the CPAP for about 15 years. She leased her first machine from a local supplier (who for will remain nameless) after she leased it for a few years they sold it to her for a small sum. She kept in touch with them for occasional masks and tubes etc. Anyway her machine broke down because of an electical fault in the house. When she went to get it repaired she had a bad experience with the supplier and somehow she told the guy in the office she had a medical card and he gave her a second hand replacement machine instead of a repair and somehow put her back on a rental plan.

So that was fine until they sent a letter a couple of months ago saying they needed a new prescription or Mother would start being charged rental for the machine. She couldn't really explain why but says its something to do with the HSE. Her annual visit to the consultant was posphoned due to the current crisis, and there was no changes directed from her doctors. So she was under the impression that all she had to do was get her consultant in the Hermitage to send them a prescription and everything would be fine. So, she has been playing telephone ping pong with the constultants secretary who only answer the phone 3 days a week. The secretary last said she thought the situation was "sorted out" but so far she has had 2 monthly bills for 50 euro plus VAT. Of course mother being mother she went down to the supplier (as it was in the middle of the crisis they were a bit surprised to have a caller) but they said don't mind it everything is fine.

It gets better from here on in, even though nobody has directed otherwise, the supplier called last week to say they were coming to deliver a temporary machine. The father got onto the phone, and unfortuantely he is even more vulnerable than her and couldn't actually explain what they said at all. So Thursday a lady arrived with yet another CPAP machine which from what I can see, nobody has ordered. Mum says the lady says it is just for 2 weeks and it has automated settings so they can work out the correct setting for the other one. This is all very upsetting and bewildering for my parents as they cannot afford to start paying 61 euro a month for a machine they and their doctors didn't ask for. Can anybody suggest why this is suddenly happening? Before I get onto the phone with all guns blazing?

There's a few things
- suddenly looking for a prescription
- the mother having being switched to renting a machine without fully explaining it
- sudden bills with no valid explanation
- none of this being directed by the consultant (and or whatever reason they don't seem to have responded to repeated calls from my mother asking for a prescription to be sent either)
- the company showing up out of the blue with new machines

I'd be interested to hear if anybody else has had recent similar dealings, and how you dealt with it? I'm concerned that the company is trying to take advantage of an elderly patient to extract additional rental income, and I'm not convinced there was a genuine need for her machine to be suddenly changed with no direction from her or her doctor.

kjbsrah1

Why don’t you contact the company yourself to understand what is happening if your parents are confused? That’s what I would do. It would be easier to resolve the confusion if you spoke to the supplier direct.

looksee

Your mother should have a machine on her medical card, but she will need a prescription - likewise I had that situation over a prescription because I had moved house to a different health board. It took me 12 months to get an appointment and prescription. The whole situation was very messy.

You will probably need to get involved and try and get her an appointment with the consultant.

looksee

Dtoffee wrote: »

My old machine died on Tuesday night after nearly 10 years service, I got a quote of over a grand for a similar replacement and decided it was too dear, so I bought a different make online.



I tried my new Resmed airsense 10 auto last night for the first time and struggled with it. I use a full face mask and any time I inhaled or yawned .... the mask was blown off my face with the pressure it generated.


I understood this was a 'plug and play' type machine that automatically adapted to your needs during the night. I set it to full face mask in the settings and ended up taking it off at about 5am as it was uncontrollable. My question for you is .... did you do anything at set up to make it work for you or was it as easy as they say ?



I am going to drop the face mask and try the nose tubes tonight .... anyone have any tips on settings for using the air sense 10 auto with a full face mask ? tks

I use that machine and full mask, I have just had the pressure reduced to 17 from 19. I had to contact the consultant and get a prescription sent to the firm that manage my situation (I am connected by wifi to their system so they have a full record of my sleep patterns and results. This seems a bit intrusive, but it works.) Prior to that it was set at maximum 24 and indeed it is impossible to keep the mask on your face at that. I had it reduced to 20 then 19 and now 17 and it is now more manageable. I also have the memory foam masks and they are worlds better than the others, but they have to be changed frequently.