Sleep Apnoea and CPAP

I got my CPAP machine a few days before Christmas. Its certainly not easy to get used to, but I can already see the comfort in putting on the mask every night strangely enough. I've managed to keep it on for the full night for 2 out of the last 3 nights, that was the first time. The longest I'd done before that was 5 hours one say last week, and only 3 hours before that. But I do seem to be getting used to it.

I was getting that jerking sensation on and off too. Usually in my left leg, it would start sometimes before I'd go to bed, always when I'd been tired for a few days. I never put it down to sleep apnea until reading the posts here. It was a vicious circle. It would happen because I was tired and then would be keeping me awake as it jerked me out of my sleep making me more tired. Hopefully that will be gone away thanks to this machine too.

I'm supposed to be paying €90 per month, although I haven't actually received anything off the company to fill out a bank transfer as yet. They have told me though that replacement masks and filters etc are all included in the rental price.

Its interesting to hear other people's experiences. Does anyone with the machine have trouble with the position they sleep in? I have always slept on my front, which is hard when you have a big mask on your face. I've seen the CPAP pillows, but they're expensive and I'm not sure I want to go down that route yet. Wanting to sleep on my front is probably the main issue for me with the machine at the moment, as I wake everytime I turn into that position.

Fortunately, I have taken to sleeping on my back, which I think is a good way to be with CPAP.

However, I am only averaging about 3 hours a night, and the doc tells me it should be not less than 5 1/2.

Sleephead wrote: »

Masks included for €90 a month?

Double check! Sounds too good to be true

Actually its €97, not much different I know.

I will double check, but they haven't actually sent me a direct debit form yet so I've not paid anything. I'll be keeping stum for a while. Until my next visit at least!

Does anyone have a problem with the air supply becoming so forceful that it lifts the mask off your face? Or even makes your cheeks bellow out if you have your mouth open? This is the main thing that stops me getting through the night with a machine. It usually needs to be switched off, mask re-positioned and switched on again. And even then it might come back again. More often that not, it results in me taking the mask off for the night. I'm wondering if there's actually something wrong with the machine.

Has anyone else experienced that?

It was checked and I told the girl what was happening. She reduced the top pressure it was set to go to as the data showed I wasn't going to that. But I'm wondering is something going wrong and not being recorded.

I have been using a machine for three years. Initially I was told 'you don't look like someone with sleep apnoea' because while I am certainly not skinny, I do not have a lot of weight around my throat area. Turned out I was borderline severe. The first consultant I went to gave me a prescription for a machine but did no more than that, the technician (who was brilliant) helped me get sorted with it. Subsequently I went to a different consultant but did not really get a lot further.

Finally I arranged a test in the Mater private hospital in Dublin, got a much more convincing test done and a proper consultation which established a good few things. In spite of the muddling through my apnoeas had in fact gone down to 3 per hour which is a fraction of what they were.

I now seem to have got to a stage where the balance between the disturbance caused by wearing a mask, and the untreated apnoeas when I do not wear it are about equal. I have been advised to keep using the machine to get down to zero, but it is now harder than the early stages I think.

One interesting point is that women tend to present differently than men, men get sleepy, so they might doze during the day, or when driving. Women tend to get tired but not sleepy, apparently. That is /was certainly the situation in my case. The mood disturbances caused by persistent lack of sleep are very distressing, I found when I was sleep deprived I became - paranoid for want of a better description.

I came across this recently also, any opinions? Works on vacuum rather than pressure.

http://apnicure.com

paddyirish23 wrote: »

Hi all I too have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been put on a cpap machine but I'm having trouble getting use to it finding it hard to get deep breaths when needed sometimes and even woke up a few times gasping for air in a panic. Is this common for the first time users? ?

I am only new too Paddy. I have no idea if its common, but from what I can tell with the nurse who's monitoring my machine, they'll adjust settings as needed if you're having trouble. Maybe the settings on the machine isn't high enough for you or something? I'd contact them and tell them what's going on.

Boulevardier wrote: »

My face-mask is beginning to look a bit grimy inside. Is it OK to just wash it, or do I need to use vinegar etc. as is the case with the water box?

I was told to wash my mask every day. The nurse said warm water and washing up liquid is ok. I have a sponge put aside that's not used for anything other than my mask. I don't do it every day, but definitely once a week at a minimum