Anyone know someone who uses cpap machine?
 

Guys we got my hubbys test results today from his sleep apnea test and he flunked big time. They are supposed to be getting ahold of us about putting him on a cpap machine when he sleeps and oxygen when he is awake. He is pretty nervous about it so I told him I would get on here and see if anyone else uses one and what they thought. Once he gets started with this they will be doing another sleep study to make sure it is helping.

One of my co-workers uses one and he said it has made a HUGE difference! He said it was difficult to get used to but the benefits were outstanding!

I've been trying to talk my husband into it for 6 months now - he has totally mindblowing scary Sleep Apenea now due to his illness ....and I just know one morning he isn't going to wake up.

Mine is on oxygen 24/7 and he thinks it would drive him nuts adding something else to his face. The way I see it is I'd rather be a little uncomfortable than have a huge heart attack in the middle of the night....:(

sorry your husband has that so bad - it's awful to hear it isn't it ?

they really don't know they do it ... When mine first started having this problem ...I got no sleep for listening and watching to see if his chest was moving - it's so scary - they stop breathing so long you think they're dead....Not to mention those loud gasping breaths......I hit the roof on a few of those till I got used to hearing it in the middle of the night....he'd wake up wondering why I was standing over him shaking with my eyes bugging - ready to pound on his chest

No dout Scarey stuff ..Lung diseases are no fun .hope he gets some relief from the O2 and all goes well .

it is :( - and how are YOU doing missy ?:)

Lora9584 - can you please let me know how your husband feels in it ? Maybe I can get MY husband to read what you say.

My Dad uses a CPap. It took a little getting used to but he LOVES it now. He sleeps better than he ever has his whole life, he says. He won't go anywhere without it. He also uses it when he takes naps. It also helps my mom get a great night's sleep because the drone is so soothing. I would recommend it to anyone. Tell him that there is an adjustment period, but keep using it. It is well worth it!

I have a few family members and some friends who use this. It made a huge difference in all of their sleeping patterns. Once they got used to the mask, they all slept much more soundly, no snoring, and felt much more rested and alert. The biggest problem is traveling, but the CPAP is portable and most insurances cover the cost. Good luck to him.

My husband has tried and tried and tried to use c-pap - but just cannot get used to it. He has severe heart and respiratory problems too. He is a mouth breather and can't sleep with his mouth shut (nostrils are too small) so he has to use a full face mask and I think because of his heart and lung problems, he just feels like he is suffocating. He even tried taking sleeping pills to knock himself out and then be oblivious to the feeling of smothering, but just could not tolerate the mask. He now sleeps with oxygen at night and this keeps his oxygen levels up so that he is not killing his brain cells.

I sure hope your husband can use c-pap because it really does help - but mine just cannot tolerate it at all.

Lora and Villette - there is also something called bi-pap - which is pressure on inspiration and no pressure on expiration. c-pap is continuous pressure on both inspiration and expiration. Part of my husband's problem is that he cannot tolerate the pressure on expiration - he feels like he cannot get his breath out against the c-pap pressure. I think he might be able to tolerate bi-pap (no pressure on expiration) but he won't even try because of the mask - which I think also makes him feel claustrophobic. Anyway, I'm thinking that they might want to investigate bi-pap with your husband, if he can't tolerate c-pap.

Miss V I am doing Awesome in part due to the fact I never smoked ..went for lung transplant doc check up this week and I'm keeping my own lungs ...with a little wee luck hahaha ..aint getting these babies ..

That's wonderful!:)

Hey guys! I know little about sleep apnea, except what little I've seen on news programs, but...I have an acquaintance that had it. He had some kind of throat surgery??? and never had a bit of trouble again. As I said, this isn't something I know anything about, but I wanted to share that wee bit of info...:)

I have used a c-pap machine for about 3 years!! What you want to know? I work at a doctors office to and I usually have to order them for people too!

Three of my best friends have sleep apnea...one of them stopped breathing over 60 times in one hour the night he was at the sleep clinic. He was told that if he didn't use the machine, the apnea would take a severe toll on his heart. At first he had the surgery to remove excess tissue from his throat area...it was a very difficult recovery process let me tell you, but it helped him for a couple of years (mind you, he still had to use the Cpap). The tissue grew back, unfortunately, so the benefits of it didn't last long.

Two of my friends suffer from sleep apnea because of weight problems, but the third is thin as a rail but still has severe apnea, so it can happen to anyone.

The machines are somewhat uncomfortable and difficult to get used to but like anything else, it takes time to grow accustomed. One thing that ALL of my friends notice is that when they use the machine they are extremely well rested. When someone is going through severe apnea, they wake up very, very tired and have a hard time staying awake during the day.

The newer machines are much quieter than the old ones...they were quite noisy...there are also alot more choices for headgear.

I'm sorry your hubby is going through this, but I'm sure that once he starts using the machine that he'll be feeling tons better...he'll probably notice the difference right away. Wish him the best of luck and tell him not to give up if it takes him a while to get used to it.

I work as an RN. Pt's are so pleased with the C-PAP machine because it changed their lives. Instead of feeling tired in the daytime, they feel well rested and alert. Your respiratory therapist, who will set it up in your home, should give you very good instruction how how to use it and care for it. It is often needed just becuase of the structure of a person neck which leads to the alteration in breathing patterns. You can GOOGLE in and get good info.

Im not so sure about the oxygen during the day. But my dad does where a mask when he is sleeping at night. He has bad sleep apnea as well. They almost had to revive him at his stay in the hospital because he stopped breathing for so long. It has made a HUGE difference with him. He has so much more enegery and sleeps through the entire night!! Good luck..

Thanks guys for all the info and encouragement. My hubby always said that he would never use a cpap machine. Actually said that on the way to the sleep study. But after I read his report to him, then he changed his mind. He said if it will make me feel a little better even I will do it. I figured I was going to have to throw a fit but I didn't. He is so very tired all the time and sleeps so much that we are hoping it will make things a little better for him. We have a dr appt on Thursday due to his blood pressure so am hoping that we will find out then when he will be getting his machine. I will make sure and keep everyone updated on how it goes.

GOOD FOR YOU !!!!!! My husband is susposed to be on the Transplant list - I don't think he'll make it to see new lungs :( it's a long wait - 2 years last I heard...but if you don't qualify due to the condition of yours - then that means you are in better shape than you thought right ?

Tophers mom ....60 times in one hour ?? Wow - my husband is probably right there with your friend - he does it all night long now - I wish he would look into this asap - but I just can't talk him into it - men are more stubborn than yorkies.

[ - men are more stubborn than yorkies.[/QUOTE]

Villette...you said it! My friend (a male) even still doesn't use his machine all the time, but the difference in him when he uses it is phenomenal. He was on holidays with us and didn't take his machine and was falling asleep constantly...even in the middle of conversations and in the middle of meals. Finally I was able to borrow one from another friend so he could enjoy his vacation. Yes, men can be a wee bit stubborn.:rolleyes:

I pray things work out for your hubby. The wait for transplant must be so difficult.

My mother was placed on CPAP a couple of months ago because she failed her sleep study test. It took a little getting used to but now she is doing fine with it:) She is finally getting at least a solid 7-8 hours sleep each night whereas before, she was having interrupted sleep at night.

Sorry, just saw this thread.... I'm a HUGE supporter of the c-pap machine. My husband finally went in for a sleep study about 6 months ago and the results were amazing. He averaged over 60 episodes (of where he'd stop breathing) an hour! After the first hour, they woke him up and put him on the machine because there was no doubt he was a great candidate for it. He's always been a loud snorer but it was the time where he actually jumped out of bed gasping for air and couldn't catch his breath for a good 2 or 3 minutes that finally convinced him to go in for the study. His only problem with it is that he still only has the partial face mask (that just covers the nose) and with his allergies, if he's real stuffed up, he can't use it. To fix that problem, he just needs to go in for a check-up and get the dr. to prescribe the full face mask for him to use during those times. Just haven't done that yet.

It's really incredible the quality of sleep he gets now. And if you're a light sleeper in bed with a loud snorer, you know that it takes a toll on your nights also. I personally sleep like a log and almost nothing short of actually shaking me will wake me up so his snoring didn't really bother me.

My dad is also wanting to do a sleep study and I know he would qualify for the c-pap but his insurance doesn't cover it. Around here, it costs about $1100 for the sleep study and then the cost of the machine. Luckily, our insurance covered it for my husband so the cost is minimal (rental of machine).

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

My sister uses one. My mom says that she is more alert during the day and doesn't stay in bed as much napping.

My ex husband has been using a cpap machine for 10 years or more. He was AWFUL without one. Life was hell for him and I for 2 years before he went to the sleep clinic. I know now that he cannot live without that machine!! I tried it once and I am not sure how people get used to it..but if its a matter of life and death and peace and serenity....it wouldnt take long I guess....your husband will be glad he did it!!

Dawn

My hubby has appt with the lung dr friday morning. They will not bring the cpap machine until after that appt. So needless to say I am sleeping very little until then. I have taken Friday off from work so that I can go to his appt with him. Guess they will be doing some more tests during his appt as I think he is going to have to be placed on oxygen too. He is so down in the dumps and feels so terrible right now. Plus there are some other things going on in our family that is not helping our stress level at all. I may either have a nervous breakdown or become an alcoholic. I just haven't decided which. Can anyone tell me how big the cpap machine is? I have cleaned our bedroom up but am trying to decide where to put the machine and want to have everything ready when they deliver it.

Good luck - my husband is both depressed AND on oxygen 24/7 - it's Not fun. Try to make sure your husband knows he CAN do little things and it won't hurt him - there is nothing worse than someone who just gives up ...believe me - the stress on you will be enormous.:(

Good luck.

Not very big at all. Probably a little bit smaller than the small George Forman grill but then again I have the large grill now so maybe I'm not remembering the size of the small one too well. Having a hard time describing it. Maybe about 8-10 inches long, 6 inches wide, 5 inches tall. It sits on my husband's nightstand and does not take up too much room. Sounds like your husband has other issues adding to the stress. I hope all the testing and such go well for him and he agrees to do whatever is needed to make life for both of you a little easier. My thoughts are with ya'll!

Angie described it well...about the size of a small vcr or something similar to that. It'll sit on a night stand and usually comes in a nice carrying case if you have to take it somewhere. Let him know, though that there are different types of headgear so that if he finds the kind he's using uncomfortable tell him not to give up, there are so many different choices so there will be the right one for him. Hopefully he'll be able to try different ones till he's able to find the kind he likes most.
I hope all goes well with you both. It's difficult dealing with illness/disability in the family...it certainly changes things, but a good sense of humour can sure make life alot easier.
all the best to you both.

Thanks you guys for all the kind words. You all always know what to say to make me feel better. He has been disabled for almost three years but is it really getting bad. All of my kind words and support seem to be falling on deaf ears right now. Hopefully once Friday is over things will get a little better. I am gettting pretty stressed right now and have seemed to dealt with everything pretty good until now. And when I get stressed I tend to get snappy. And I know that is not good. Some days he doesn't want to talk to anyone and just spends most of his time in bed. Heck I know he doesn't feel good. You can look at him and tell that. But I just feel like he is giving up. And I always said I would not give up hope untill there was no hope left. He is talking a little more today but not much. Just sets in his chair with Graff or goes to bed. Someone tell me how to get through to him!!!

Lora I'm Deb and it sounds like you have a little battle fatigue .I to have a lung disease for 2 years now and until recently re clamed my life ya see sometimes when your really ill you loose yourself in all being totally cared for by someone else you may forget that you are a worthwhile person and need to make the most outta any life you have , this is a learning curve that can't be taught but can be shown through example . Take action in your own life to take care of yourself and it will be the most you can do for a ill person A Gift " so to speak ..Good luck And stay strong :littleang

good stuff
 

I have an Uncle that uses it he did not want to but once he got used to it he found that he felt better in the morning not as tired

My husband is totally disabled with heart and lung problems and he sometimes gets depressed too. That is the primary reason we got Rowdy a year and a half ago and Rexy this year. They keep him mightily entertained. And if he doesn't feel good, they will usually go to bed with him. They are always with him during the day and I think this really helps. It also helped when we got Rexy because he and Rowdy play so much that it is really entertaining for my hubby.

His heart doc also talked him into taking a small dose of anti-depressant, Effexor 75 mg. I think it really helps. He takes a load of pills everyday and so I don't even think he remembers now, that he takes an antidepressant.

He has wanted an aquarium for some time now and I have not resisted, but have not facilitated it either. Well a couple of weeks ago he found one on craigslist at a great price - fish and all - and his son-in-law went to get it and set it up for him. His spirits have really been brighter since he got it - he just loves sitting and watching the fish. I think it helps him sleep too. He sits in front of it before bedtime and puts on the headphones with classical music and just chills out. When he does this, he can usually go to sleep without a sleeping pill.

People need something to look forward to - even if it is a tiny little thing. I know it is really hard, I can't imagine how it must feel to not be able to do much of anything that you are used to doing!!! :( I just try to be as supportive and positive as possible, without being like a mother hen - but sometimes my feathers stick out a little bit. :)

My best friend's mother and my aunt uses one. If he needs one, he has to use it. It means he's not getting a sufficient amount of O2. Sleep apnea can be deadly. It's noisey, but he'll get used to it.