What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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zonker
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by zonker » Sat May 18, 2019 11:17 am

palerider wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 9:52 am
reader2580 wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 7:13 am
ajack wrote:
Fri May 17, 2019 10:33 pm
I would try 13cm, The dream station is slow to respond. CPAP isn't a magic wand for most people. It took 3 minths for me to adjust and my first effect was that I wasn't as sleepy in the afternoon.
I have the older System One 60 Series. I am thinking about the Resmed machine if I replace mine.
Almost everybody that moves over to Resmed likes them better than Respironics... not everybody, of course, but most.
i'm absolutely convinced that my move from resperonics to resmed was THE critical factor in improving my ahi numbers. really wish i'd started with the bloody thing.
people say i'm self absorbed.
but that's enough about them.
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dojiscalper
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by dojiscalper » Sat May 18, 2019 10:02 pm

I had the same experience. The Phillips machine wasn't getting the job done and the resmed I'm using now is working very well.

ajack
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by ajack » Sun May 19, 2019 6:21 pm

reader2580 wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 7:13 am
ajack wrote:
Fri May 17, 2019 10:33 pm
I would try 13cm, The dream station is slow to respond. CPAP isn't a magic wand for most people. It took 3 minths for me to adjust and my first effect was that I wasn't as sleepy in the afternoon.
I have the older System One 60 Series. I am thinking about the Resmed machine if I replace mine.
I would get the resmed for her, if you do change. Your machine can be titrated to you. Try 13 and the other persons suggestion of 14. I think the rise in pressure will help a lot.

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SleepySunflower
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by SleepySunflower » Wed May 22, 2019 9:34 pm

Sometimes achieving successful CPAP therapy depends on putting all of the pieces together with your sleep team which includes your sleep doctor, durable medical equipment supplier with experienced technicians, and YOU. Keep trying, it's worth it!

My mouth started dropping open at night after using CPAP successfully for many years. I tried various chin straps and disliked the additional stuff on my head. I tried a few different full face masks but either had air leaks or found them uncomfortable. I got an adjustable cervical collar at Walgreens drugstore for ~$20(?). There is a string on the foam collar that can be cinched down under your chin. That collar helped for a couple years until I grew tired of it. I recommend trying the adjustable collar if you haven't already.

Since then, I've been using 1" wide paper first aid tape that I fold back the ends in order to easily pull the tape off. Initially, I put a small piece of tape about 3" long vertically across my lips, oriented from under my nose to above my chin. This kept my mouth closed at first and I did this for a year or so. Then I started having air leaks out of the corners of my mouth so I started taping my mouth shut horizontally. You can tear a small horizontal slit in the paper first aid tape for the area that goes over the middle of your lips if you wish. I did that at first but don't bother to any longer. Now I just apply the paper first aid tape (with the ends folded back) over my mouth after putting my mask on and ensuring breathability.

When I'm congested due to allergies, I use Flonase or a generic equivalent before bedtime to clear my nasal passages before putting on my mask and tape.

I've found that finding a sleep clinic doctor that is knowledgeable and patient is important. Finding a durable medical equipment supplier that specializes in CPAP and knows about proper mask fitting and therapy totally makes a huge difference in finding the equipment that works correctly for you! CPAP equipment is continually evolving so it's helpful to go into a DME office to see what's new and if it might work for you. Customer Service at www.cpap.com is excellent and they can help you over the phone plus they have mask insurance.

I understand that you're tired, but don't give up! Good luck!

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palerider
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by palerider » Wed May 22, 2019 10:12 pm

SleepySunflower wrote:
Wed May 22, 2019 9:34 pm
Sometimes achieving successful CPAP therapy depends on putting all of the pieces together with your sleep team which includes your sleep doctor, durable medical equipment supplier with experienced technicians, and YOU.
Mainly *YOU*... the other parts are optional, and all too frequently, a hindrance.

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Peony
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by Peony » Fri May 24, 2019 5:05 pm

reader2580 wrote:
Wed May 15, 2019 11:10 am
Miss Emerita wrote:
Tue May 14, 2019 8:18 pm
I hope you will persevere. It sounds as though you used machine for a while in the past, then stopped for a while, then started again fairly recently. Do I have the right picture?
I switched to mandibular advancement for two plus years after the doctor clearly saw I had made a good effort to make CPAP work for two to three years and it failed. I started to have problems with my dental appliance last June or July so I went back to CPAP. I started down the road to Inspire, but I failed the sleep endoscopy. The ENT surgeon stated that neither Inspire nor mandibular advancement will help me. She said my options are CPAP or a very painful surgery that only helps 50% of patients.
Hi Reader
Can you tell me more about the mandibular advancement device? What was it called? What problems did you end up having with it? Im considering something similar. Thanks!

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Fri May 24, 2019 5:24 pm

Peony wrote:
Fri May 24, 2019 5:05 pm
Can you tell me more about the mandibular advancement device?
Here is a brief introduction - https://www.sleepassociation.org/sleep- ... nt-device/

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Becca59
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Location: San Antonio, Texas

Re: What to do when all methods of sleep apnea treatment are exhausted?

Post by Becca59 » Sun Jun 02, 2019 6:43 pm

I just got back from vacation.Did not take my laptop with me, and was "off the grid". That's the way I like vacations. Reader, I hope you are doing better with your CPAP experience. I agree with the people who said they had better luck with Resmed products. Since you have tried the Respronics Amaraview and Dreamwear with no success, why not try the Resmed F20 or F30? I went through several masks because I could NOT give up. Chin straps didn't work for me, but I am glad I found a full face mask that worked for me. I too tried the Phillips dreamwear and other Respronics products. I then switched to Resmed masks. I tried the F20 for her first, and that was better, but the F30 was the best. Please give Resmed products a try.
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