Sleep Apnoea and CPAP

I need to get finger out and make a long term plan. Paying €110 a month with air liquide and only get some of it back through tax refund i think and small sum from health insurance. My monthly medical total would be around €140. I dont have any contact with them apart from a yearly service and to get yearly supplies.

Samuel T. Cogley wrote: »

https://www.sspcrs.ie/druglist/pub;JSESSIONID12=8AoFudM6_6y5X6Ew3inc_ifkUVLf2H54vMfzh5uNI3RZkerQNXH-!1660764435!178447208

DPS told me to check the above link.

That looks like it is for contractors (i.e. health workers) to get refunds for items they use in work, no idea why you would have been directed there.

The link that T-Bird provided is the correct one. You fill out the form and attach all the receipts from the month (i.e. the prescription claim forms from the pharmacy and the CPAP rental receipt) and they will refund you any amount over €114 from Nov20, €124 before that. The only pain is that you have to fill out the form for every month that you are claiming for.

Has anyone tried a chin support cushion like

https://www.hope2sleep.co.uk/neck-cushion-for-chin-support-a-solution-for-cpap-and-snoring.html

I was diagnosed with OSA a few years ago which is being caused by my mouth falling open when I sleep on my back. I can breath perfectly on my back as long as my mouth is closed, so i figure I just need something to do that. I looked at chin straps online but the reviews seem rubbish.

Sleepster wrote: »

Just been diagnosed with OSA- test showed 116 events per hour- has anyone here experienced as high and found CPAP effective? Would appreciate any tips for a beginner to the therapy. Happy to know why I’m so tired all the time and excited to hopefully see some improvement!

Mine was extremely high, I can't remember how high I just remember them commenting on it. They will probably have to give you quite a high pressure. A side effect for some is an awful case of wind but it's preferable to not sleeping properly.

Incidentally if anyone has any tips for the wind issue for those that are suffering from it I'd be interested to hear them for purely educational reasons.

Thanks,
Angry Duck... I mean Sam.

Up Donegal wrote: »

Is anyone here using or has ever used one of these, and if so, was it any good?

https://www.warmday.co.uk/products/micro-cpap-anti-snoring-electronic-device?variant=32694438264937

Wow, I am surprised that they can use the words "CPAP" and "sleep apnea device" in their advertising. For €9.99 I would say why not go for it, you're not going to be massively out of pocket if/when it turns out to be absolute garbage.

Personally I'd be looking for some basic safety information (like a brand name or safety mark) before I put a rechargeable electric pump on my face, no matter how small. Could end up with a nasty burn if it shorts out and goes on fire...

The example photos of people wearing them are photoshopped :D

Hootanany wrote: »

Hi Long time lurker I've been on Cpap for 6 years same machine, I was wondering if I went for a new machine could the cost be off setted against the drug payment scheme?
Many thanks in advance.

To the best of my knowledge it's only if you're renting the machine. Not great if you're not getting any other drugs..

Sorry I have not been on for ages, but i have been reading up on the posts and I see some people asking about CPAP supplies.

I bought my airsense 10 from http://www.cpapstore.eu/ after 9 years with the Breas i-sleep 20 and I have not looked back. For those of you looking for alternative mask suppliers to the Irish Car-tels, I have used https://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/search.do?act=search&dspm=&sus=&searchkey=cpap&catalog=#pusearch1812 for face masks and filters. The postage takes about a month, but the price is right and the items are flawless.

The only downside is that as per my EU bought machine ...... you will get no refund from the drugs payment scheme as they obviously don't like anyone shopping outside of their 'preferred' supplier list.

As an aside, for any one with a head cold or stuffed nose ....... I can recommend chopping up an onion and putting it on a saucer beside the air intake of your machine. The onion will clear your airways and you will get a nights sleep (OK it will stink out the room, but its a small price to pay). I have been doing this for the last six years and managed to fight off colds and flu. I have no idea regarding the dreaded Covid and certainly don't want to find out the hard way.... so stay safe everyone.

Hi all. I've had a cpap machine now for a couple of months, roughly. On the whole it's been a godsend. I had to move to the full face mask but I don't mind that.

However the last couple of nights seem to have gone astray. Either I did, or my wife (I can't blame her as it was probably me) changed the straps slightly and now I can't seem to find my sweet spot, I have high events per hour again, leakage and I seem to be taking it off without my conscious knowledge after 4 hours or so.
When I go to bed I adjust, run the mask seal test thing and everything seems fine so I don't know what to do to get it right again, does anyone have any advice?

I rent from reamed but I don't think there is much use contacting them, even when I got it because of covid they couldn't let me test it beforehand or show me how to fit it properly so it was trial and error in the first place.

I feel like I've been spoilt now as I have started to get used to a proper night's sleep and not feeling tired or falling asleep and I don't really want to go back to that.

Thanks in advance

Philster wrote: »

Hi, this has happened me also when I started off. Do you think it could be that the velcro just isn't as sticky as it used to be. Once I'd ruled everything else out that is what I came up with. I left it too long to replace the straps and it came to the point where I'd wake up and both velcro straps were flapping about. Once I got new headgear the problem went away.

Interesting, thanks. I might try to find a way to keep them in place tonight via another means to see if that helps.

My sleep patterns change all the time, I found I would go through a few weeks of sleeping face down and wake up with the mask on my ear !! I am now convinced that its seasonal and that at certain times of the year my system seems to 'act up' or adjust before settling down again.

I used to laugh at people who talked about the moon and lunar phases until one of my friends was telling me that his brother had to be carefully watched during the full moons as he would go walk about in the house (as in full on sleep walking). Some months later, his brother was in hospital and got out of his bed and ended up found wandering in the car park. Now I pay a lot more attention to the changing of the seasons and how my sleep patterns change, I find that I often go through a sleep pattern change and then things settle down again until the next winter / summer change arrives. I am not say this is what happening with you, just maybe telling you not to panic and wait to see if things settle down again.

Dublinandy3 wrote: »

Hi all. I've had a cpap machine now for a couple of months, roughly. On the whole it's been a godsend. I had to move to the full face mask but I don't mind that.

However the last couple of nights seem to have gone astray. Either I did, or my wife (I can't blame her as it was probably me) changed the straps slightly and now I can't seem to find my sweet spot, I have high events per hour again, leakage and I seem to be taking it off without my conscious knowledge after 4 hours or so.
When I go to bed I adjust, run the mask seal test thing and everything seems fine so I don't know what to do to get it right again, does anyone have any advice?

I rent from reamed but I don't think there is much use contacting them, even when I got it because of covid they couldn't let me test it beforehand or show me how to fit it properly so it was trial and error in the first place.

I feel like I've been spoilt now as I have started to get used to a proper night's sleep and not feeling tired or falling asleep and I don't really want to go back to that.

Thanks in advance

Dear all... in light of the current pandemic don’t forget to sterilize your mask and hoses and water tray more often than normal. Daily is what I do it now. They a haven for infections... so stay ahead of the virus

stay safe.

Philster wrote: »

Glad you got sorted and I should have guessed you probably hadn't been shown how to wear it properly. With my headgear once I get it in a good position (straps wise) I mark the area so when I wash it I know where to place the straps again. And yes tightening the straps too tight is counterproductive though it's something I think we all do at the start.


I cancelled with Resmed last year. Machine and I think the humidifier went back to them- everything else such as mask, SD card. hose, headgear you keep as they are being used by you, and especially now with the pandemic. I was surprised they took the humidifier back to be honest.

PS do you have the OSCAR software? It's a free download and give very good details information on your sleep and CPAP. Way more than whats on the Resmed site. I find it useful.

Also if you're on Facebook a really helpful group is the hope2sleep private group. They get a lot of support from sleep doctors in the UK and some sleep nurses actively reply to queries or suggestions. Again, a very helpful resource. And there's no BS tolerated and it's well modded.

Cheers, I’ll download the software and check the group out, thanks again

Davexirl wrote: »

I got my sleep analysis results today, I have significant sleep apnoea and I will be going in to Vincents again overnight for a CPAP trial. I am delighted that I finally know what the problem is and I can begin to treat it.

I am waiting since September to go back in to St Vincents to start my CPAP trial. Doesn't look like I'll be going in anytime soon with the current Covid situation.

Would I be mad to go buy a machine without having the trials in St Vincents?

Davexirl wrote: »

I am waiting since September to go back in to St Vincents to start my CPAP trial. Doesn't look like I'll be going in anytime soon with the current Covid siutation.

Would I be mad to go buy a machine without having the trials in St Vincents?

You wouldn't know what pressure to use. I went through the same issues and wanted to do the same.

forzacalcio wrote: »

Is it not automatic ? Mine always starts at 4 and during the night it goes full whack if needed and comes down then when not needed. It does wake me on full whack mind.

It is automatic, yeah

Cushtie wrote: »

It's automatic, but I think you set a range for it. Minimum is 4. I think mine is set in a range of 4 to 16, would need to check it again.

Quite possibly, you're probably right. I had quite severe apnea so it does start of at 4 but soon goes up to the maximum. I wouldn't recommend buying one anyway regardless without seeing a professional first.

Up Donegal wrote: »

When the machine pressure increases during the night, what does that mean?

It means you're having more apneas and you need a greater air pressure to prevent them. Could be that you are deeper asleep, or moved into a different position, or a combination of reasons

Have you tried a full face mask? One of the main reasons for choosing them is if you are a mouth breather

I have an Airsense 10 and use a memoryfoam mask (its just taken me over a minute to recall the word 'memoryfoam', this is pretty typical). Pressure is 17 and provided I stay on my side I have events of often less than 1, generally under 3. If I turn onto my back in the night it can go up to double figures, 18 is the highest recently though my original diagnosis was 48. This only happens rarely though.

I think the pressure is too high at 17 and want the consultant to change the prescription to lower, I have been negotiating down from 24 over the past 12 months but the response is reluctant. My drop in events happened the same night I started sleeping on my side, very dramatically. Without CPAP (on the sleep test) 48. With BiPap and Cpap, in the high 20s and 30s. Overnight a drop to less than single figures. So I am pretty confident it has more to do with the position I sleep than the pressure (there are good reasons relating to my physiology for this).

So far, so good. However after 12 months I am not really feeling any better. I know I need the cpap as I have occasionally checked my blood oxygen levels overnight and without the cpap they are alarming, dips below 70 and consistently down in the 80s. I have the arrhythmia condition that relates to sleep apnoea so I know it is important.

But I am consistently tired, especially in the mornings. And foggy headed. I do not sleep during the day and do not get sleepy driving. If I did feel sleepy I just would not drive, but it is not an issue. I would love to surface from this fog though. While I have very good event readings I am often not getting enough time asleep. I take a long time to go to sleep - if it gets to more than an hour I get up and have a cup of hot milk or similar - but most nights I only get 3 to 4 hours. I have slept a bit better the last three nights but still I feel low and not getting going. Does anyone else understand this difference between tired/foggy and sleepy?

I feel that if the pressure were lower my sleep would not be as disturbed, I generally wake after about 2 hours then have to get back to sleep without taking off the mask. It is affecting my sinuses so I am even deafer than usual, I wear two hearing aids. The odd occasion I sleep over 5 or 6 hours I am full of wind.

To get to the point of my post, I have an appointment coming up with the consultant. I want to discuss the tiredness but when I went on the cpap there was a fair bit of fuss about being fit to drive and getting results that would allow me to drive (with my license endorsed). I am driving 50 years+ accident free, and, it turns out, a good few of those with SA. I don't get sleepy driving, if I was in any doubt at all I would just not drive. The letter to the Licensing Authority said that I was safe to drive provided my readings stayed good (I just managed to get the required week of consistent 6 hours using the machine, no-one stipulated I had to be asleep during those 6 hours). I am afraid if I discuss the issues my license will be revoked. With the Covid situation I am not driving very much anyway but I live very rural and could not be without the car. Has anyone any thoughts on this?

tldr, I have excellent event readings. I have often poor hours usage readings. I am consistently tired. I am afraid of losing my driving license if I discuss the tiredness. Any experiences, thoughts? Thankyou.

looksee wrote: »

I have an Airsense 10...

...I think the pressure is too high at 17 and want the consultant to change the prescription to lower....

...I feel that if the pressure were lower my sleep would not be as disturbed...It is affecting my sinuses so I am even deafer than usual, I wear two hearing aids. The odd occasion I sleep over 5 or 6 hours I am full of wind.

looksee, just picking out a few things from your post. I also have the Airsense 10 with a fixed air pressure set by my consultant (luckily I only need a setting of 10). However, that machine is designed to automatically raise and lower the pressure setting as needed. Would it be worth asking if you can have it changed to the automatic setting for a trial period, rather than trying to reduce the fixed pressure?

I would focus on the sleep disturbance, sinus issues and wind issues caused by the high pressure, rather than the tiredness if it was me.



If your consultant still doesn't think it's a good idea to change the settings, well, they are the expert and I assume they have years of experience dealing with patients with these issues.

However, it's your body and your machine, and while you need a prescription to get a CPAP there is no law or regulation which says you have to keep it at the original setting. The machines aren't locked, and for the Resmed Airsense 10 all you need to do is press the dial and the home button simultaneously and hold for 3 seconds to get into the settings.

Please note I am not a medical professional and I am not recommending to anyone that they change their CPAP settings without the advice of their consultant.