CPAP anyone?

I have been tested for sleep disorder because I am ALWAYS TIRED and sleepy with little to no energy. For a long time I thought that it was just the Rheumatoid Arthritis but after last night I am not so certain.

I spent the night in a sleep lab at the hospital, with tubes going into my nose and positive pressure air being slightly forced into my lungs, by a machine called a CPAP.

Folks! I feel like a NEW PERSON! I have not felt this good in 15 years!!!! It is like a miracle. Has anyone else had this problem and use this type of machine?

What is CPAP? What does it do?

Cool, yr!! I'd never heard of CPAP until this moment, but here's what I just found on Wikipedia...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPAP

Will you be doing this again?

This was my final test. The results now go to my doctor with a recommendation that I be prescribed the machine. I am still feeling wonderful!!!1

I have never heard of this...very interesting. Glad you are feeling so much better!

What happens during sleep is that your body repairs itself. If sleep is not sound due to snoring or other types sleep disturbance, the body is tired and not refreshed. My body wasn't getting enough oxygen during the night also.

The machine forces the airway to open and one gets the oxygen they need. If one is being woke up every few minutes due to short breaths or even not breathing, then the next day it feels like you never even slept.

For me, this is a God-send.

good YR! glad you are feeling better after this sleep study.

i have a client who uses one. and come to think of it, his behaviors in the morning are a lot less.

My brother-in-law uses one and it has been wonderful for him. His trouble started with his weight, but he has lost most of that, but still uses the CPAP for its positive effects. It is good that this device can help you to.

I put them on patients daily Barbara.

Have your doctor order one with c-flex. It'll make the exhalation part more comfortable. And make sure he also orders one with heated humidity. VERY important.

Let me know if you have any problems I can help with.

They can be life saving.

Hi yellowrose,

Yes I am familiar with CPAP. I type on them all the time and know people that have them. Glad it is helping you.

About your RA, just curious, does the doctor prescribe glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate? Im scared of Celebrex and some of the other arthritic medications as my sister was using Celebrex, and it makes your joints more flexible, etc., and she had a slight trip down a stairs that should have only sprained her ankle, and instead it tore all her ligaments with her foot actually lying to the side. It was gross and terribly painful. The doctor thinks it was worse because of the Celebrex. He told her to get off the stuff and start taking
G and CS.

GCS is what the body naturallly produces like estrogen or testosterone, and when you get older, the body produces less. If you take it, it helps naturally make your joints more flexible, builds cartilage, etc. I have RA too and I have been on GCS for about 3 months now (1500 a day) and it is amazing, I dont have the pain and stiffness I had before. I use The walmart spring valley brand double strength. They have been using this in Europe for years. Some doctor wrote a book about it a while back that was on the New York TImes best seller list. The doctors I type on are more and more moving towards this and getting off the arthritic drugs if people can.

Anyway, sorry got off the subject, but I love GCS and try to tell eveyrone about it.

jannie

I use the MSM/glucosamine combo. I think chondroitin can interact with other medications. Also fish oil good for arthritis!:)

I have been on CPAP for nearly 9 years now for obstructive sleep apnea. It has definitely made a very positive difference in my life.

I know that this is right up Bella's alley, but I have to tell you a little secret, Barbara.... I stopped using the humidifier after the first 3 months. :D shhhhh don't tell Bella. :p

For me, I didn't like the hassle of having to clean the humidifier so frequently just to keep those little moldy germs out of my equipment. I also didn't like the fact that I frequently woke up with water droplets all over my face. And after all these years without it, I have never needed the humidifier. And a friend of mine at work on CPAP says the same thing about hers, too.

Good for you!!!!

I am a CPAP user for almost 2 years. What's your pressure setting going to be? Bella is right. Make sure you get a C-flex, they are the best!! They come with a humidifier, no choice. This is the latest technology, and it's wonderful. CPAP has changed my life. Like you, I was always tired. The day after my second night in the lab, I woke up so refreshed, I couldn't wait to get the machine. I have never slept one night without it since....I won't even take a nap without it, and I travel a LOT and I never leave home without it.

If you want to talk about specific applications to interface the machine with you, I'll be happy to discuss it. That's really the ticket to making it work for you. I had to play around with masks, and I never could use the nasal pillows that are so popular now. I just felt like they were blowing my nostrils to kingdom come. My mask is made by Respironics and it's the one that is aqua colored gel all the way around...it's really cushy, no air leaks.

Personally, I love the humidifier. The trick for me was to use it at the lowest setting, my doc turned me on to this fact. I hated the warmth when it was set at 5, so I turned it down to 1, and it's perfect. I rarely get a cold or upper respiratory infection and I think part of the reason is that the humidified air is really good for older lungs and keeps them moist and healthy. This is esp good if you tend to not drink enough water on some days.

Hey, it ain't sexy, but it's changed my life!!

I also use the aqua colored gel mask by respironics. In fact, I never had success with any other type of mask other than gel masks. I never use the rest that fits on the piece above the masks though (between the mask and the forehead). It always caused pressure sores for me.

Hey Katrina, I know lots of people who hate the humidifier too. It's really individual, what works for one, doesn't work for the other.

The newer gel mask from respironics doesn't use the gel piece in the forehead, it uses a bar with a longer soft plastic cushy piece. It's a good mask. The gel is lighter too, with a silicone cover that helps seal.

You do still have to specify the humidifier though, they are integrated, but it's two seperate pieces, and insurance wants both on the order initially, if you get one.

I'd also recommend trying the Swift, by Resmed if you want more freedom. It is a nasal pillow system, but it has nothing over the front of the face, you can even wear your glasses or watch tv or read with it on.

Make sure your company you get your cpap and mask from is willing to let you try a different mask if you want to. Money's tight in the medical industry these days, and they try to stick you with the cheapest they can, machine wise and mask. That's why I said make sure your doctor orders the c-flex. If you don't need it, cool, but if you do, you have it. My own company has a list of cheap masks that they "prefer" we use. Pooh. I want my patients to actually use this machine that could save their life. I want them sleeping comfortably.