Learn Me: Cpap Machine

Last week I went in for my first ever Sleep Study off the suspicion of needing a Cpap machine.  About 2 hours into the test, I failed so miserably that they then outfitted me with a Cpap machine for the rest of the night.  

Later this week, I have another appt where they will read me the full results of the test but I know the answer will be, "you need a Cpap machine."  

So, what should I know?  What will they try to convince me of and what is the real experience truth?  

I am insured but unsure what this will run me.  Rent/buy/covered by insurance?  How does that work.  

You took the words right out of my mouth john. Im in the same boat here. 

My wife and I have had ours for about two years. The sleep study place keeps reminding us that we are eligible for new "supplies", but most of that stuff should theoretically last forever, the only exception being the masks, which are made of pretty soft silicone and lose their elasticity over time. Clearly, they make money on the stuff. They also wanted us to come back and see the doctor every three months, which is way more than necessary and costs us like $100 every time, so we go once a year. All they can really do is adjust the pressure on the machine, anyhow.

As far as care and feeding of the machines, they are pretty foolproof. Once every couple of weeks I take off the hoses, masks, and water tanks and wash them in hot, soapy water with dish soap. The elastic headgear stuff I soak in Woolite and water, then rinse and air dry. We use reverse osmosis water in ours, but they recommend distilled. No problems so far. I got some "cpap wipes" from Amazon that we use every couple of nights on the masks.

We never experienced the whole "Best sleep I ever got!" thing that some people do when they use them, but they do help, I feel more rested if I use it. It takes a few nights to get used to having that thing on your face, though. 

My father is on his second machine, although this one isn’t exactly a C Pap. CPat? IDK. No idea about cost, VA covers everything. 

The takeaway is;

1, wearing the mask overnight, it takes getting used to. 

2, the hose. Do you toss and turn a lot? Active sleepers tend to have issues. 

3, white noise. They can be loud in the otherwise quiet night.  

Once you get past that they are great. It certainly beats dying because you stop breathing in the middle of the night. 

I’ve had a BiPAP machine for about ten years. The change it made in how I sleep is incredible.  Keep everything clean and change the masks and hoses regularly.  I had trouble getting used to it, it probably took six months, but now I can’t sleep without it.  

Wife's been on her's for about 4 years. They replaced her old one last year. Being a teacher, the insurance covered all of it except new hoses and mask which runs about $30 every 3 months. 

Trust me, you need it You won't believe how much better you sleep with it. She gained tons of energy and her memory (while still terrible) has drastically improved. It does take a little getting used to at first but well worth it in the long run. 

Spend the time to find the mask that suits you.  Nose only didn't work for me, even with a strap holding my jaw shut.  Half mask that covers the mouth and pushes against the bottom of the nose irritated the skin by my nostrils, full mask can make my eyes feel odd.

It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the mask, and the feeling of inflation.  I enjoy the ability to breathe more than I dislike the inconvenience of the unit.

Masks are pricey, but mine is just starting to need replacement a year on.  Cleaning  is just one more chore...

I had several incidents where I woke up with chest pains and dizziness. Thank don’t miss that at all. I wish I had gotten it years before.

About 4 years in and still getting used to it. It does what is advertised, and I do get a better nights sleep. The issue for me is that I cant fall asleep with the "Alien" stuck to my face unless I am pretty much falling asleep on my feet. Hence bedtime has gone from 11 pm pm to well after 12 pm.  For a while I tried sleeping pills to get over the hump, but not my cup of tea.  Get 5 hours of sleep that is arguably "better" than before.

The real winner is the wife-unit. I am a world class snoring machine to the point where when camping, people have moved their tents in the middle of the night to get away from my camp-site. The C-pap puts an immediate end to this.  The option at the time was to move into a "Snoratorium" .  

My wife has one, I think it's her third one.  It's covered under insurance and they just switch to newer ones.  She also has a portable she uses which is really nice if you travel because it's small and battery powered (if need be).  She bought a ultraviolet cleaner for it, but I don't think it helped much more than regular soap and water washings.  Agreed on the hose piece, it can be a little odd to get use to, but most of the masks have the hose swivel, so it's easier to deal with.  There are lots of mask options to choose from.  She originally had the one that covers her nose and mouth, but it bugged her, so now she has one that just connects in her nose.  Kinda like a larger O2 hose you get in the hospital.    Not sure if it's required, but plan on only putting distilled water in it. 

I have a serious question, though.  Has anyone on the board gone to a sleep study and NOT come away with a CPAP machine?  Every person I know who had a study done ended up with one.  I'm sure it helps a lot of people, but it seems like everyone "needs" one.

-Rob

Big, nearly life-changing difference for me. My insurance covers "rental", but I wish i could just buy one.  We do buy the replacement nose pieces (I would prefer a mask, but the company was dead set against it), filters, and a spare resevoir off of Amazon.  I also shopped around on Amazon to get different headgear and a nose piece that worked better for me.  

Clean and/or replace the filter, hoses, and reservoir regularly; I get a sinua infection if my filter gets dirty. I also fiddled a bit with the temperature on the heating element to get the best blance between enough moisture and the water lasting all night. I am an active sleeper, but I now seem to adjust my headgear in my sleep. 

In reply to rob_lewis :

I knew I needed one going in. I was a buzzsaw, and my wife told me my breathing stopped multiple times every night. 

I've had mine for almost 4 years.  I wish I had gotten it 4 years before that.  I forget exactly how they are scored, but I went from having 60-75 'incidents' per hour to literally 1.  The very first night I used it, I woke up 8 hours later in exactly the same position I fell asleep in.  Before that I would wake up all the time, and usually needed a toilet break somewhere around 2 am, and I was fatigued all day.  The change in my life has been ridiculously good... and also in DW's life!  She sleeps better now than she had in years with me sawing away beside her.

My sleep studies were very expensive - like, $2000-$2500 out of pocket, all told, even with insurance.  But once the machine was prescribed, I think I paid $10/month rent-to-own on the machine itself, and after I had paid for a year, the rent went away and it was mine to keep.  I see the sleep specialist once a year, he downloads and reviews my data, and tells me to come back next year.  That is fully covered by my insurance.  My numbers are great and I use it every night because I sleep so much better with it.  It took me very little time to get used to it.

I have the little nose-only mask, which works well for me.  It's not as comfortable as no device, of course, but it's pretty minimal.  I get a complete accessory kit (hose, filters, several nose pieces, silicone headgear, about $75) once per year and toss the old ones.  I do take the hose and headgear apart every day and hang it up to amke sure it dries out.  That stuff I clean every 3-6 months.  I replace the silicone nosepiece every 6 months or so, and clean it thoroughly with antiseptic at least once a month.

I'm sure if I lost 75 pounds, I would snore less, and that's the ideal solution... but it's also unlikely.

[edit] The only time I haven't used it was on a short trip a couple years ago when I brought the machine but forgot the power supply.  For those couple nights I woke up regularly, with real anxiety from the interrupted breathing.  Never made that mistake again.

rob_lewis said:

I have a serious question, though.  Has anyone on the board gone to a sleep study and NOT come away with a CPAP machine?  Every person I know who had a study done ended up with one.  I'm sure it helps a lot of people, but it seems like everyone "needs" one.

Personally, I think that if you have an issue that's making you get a sleep study done in the first place, it's pretty much guaranteed that you already needed one long before you decided to pursue it.

Streetwiseguy said:

Spend the time to find the mask that suits you.  Nose only didn't work for me, even with a strap holding my jaw shut.  Half mask that covers the mouth and pushes against the bottom of the nose irritated the skin by my nostrils, full mask can make my eyes feel odd.

It takes a couple of weeks to get used to the mask, and the feeling of inflation.  I enjoy the ability to breathe more than I dislike the inconvenience of the unit.

Masks are pricey, but mine is just starting to need replacement a year on.  Cleaning  is just one more chore...

the wife tried so many versions. The whole face one worked, but her tongue would split (she didn't take jokes about forked tongue well either for the record). She ended up with a nose only and a band around her face to hold her mth closed for a while as well. 

I know I need one, but they just look so uncomfortable. 

rob_lewis said:

I have a serious question, though.  Has anyone on the board gone to a sleep study and NOT come away with a CPAP machine?  Every person I know who had a study done ended up with one.  I'm sure it helps a lot of people, but it seems like everyone "needs" one.

-Rob

We are testing everyone at work with a neck over a certain size for apnea and there are people that don’t need treatment.  There are also people like my brother that are in excellent shape but through what seems to be poor genetics he has apnea. He is able to get by with some kind of mouth gizmo rather than a machine.

In reply to rob_lewis :

My father did. He didn't need one. 

Streetwiseguy said:

full mask can make my eyes feel odd.

I have the same issue. The air vent on my full mask blows right into my eyes which causes my issues. There is no way to direct the air, at least with the mask I have. I just may try a pair of swim goggles as goofy as that sounds.

Other than that I love my machine. Also my blood pressure has come back down to near normal since I’ve been on mine.

In reply to drainoil :

The air vent is the most annoying thing about it. I cant stand to have the air blast on my arms as I toss and turn so I spend way too much time adjusting.  Four years in and some nights I still say "berkeley this" and yank it off so I can have a normal sleep.

In reply to rob_lewis :

I did. Went through the sleep study mainly for other issues such as high blood pressure that medicine didn't control well. Did find out I have sleep apnea when sleeping on my back, they told me to sleep on my side. I find if I do sleep on my back I get out of breath but on my side I sleep well. Had a couple other medical things pop up, pre-diabetic. So I went on the diabetic diet, drastically reduced carbs and sugar intake, healthier & smaller meals which means 3 small meals a day instead of the 2 larger meals I was doing and regular exercise. Lost 35 pounds. Back to my army weight now, just situated differently than when I was young(er). Blood pressure still isn't what it should be, even with medicine but better than it was. Still classified as pre-diabetic which is better than being diabetic. I sleep better now and have more energy. Also some of my old injuries that was limiting me bothers me less now. Still avoiding a CPAP machine though.

the wife is on oxy. I think i'll try it

that would be oxygen, not oxycotton....

I have a CPAP and use the Swift FX nasal pillow setup, as the full masks would just get pushed off if I turned my head to the side or tried to sleep in any position except on my back (and I can't sleep on my back very well). The Swift is lightweight, and I barely notice it on there. The machine is also VERY quiet and the only time the mask makes noise is if the air vent blows directly on the covers.

Chris_V said:

I have a CPAP and use the Swift FX nasal pillow setup.

That's what I have, too.  It works pretty well.