husband getting CPAP tomorrow

sztoomuch

When my dad was first diagnosed with apnea, he wouldn't believe it. He was sure that the doctor was pulling his leg and just wanted to make more money.

After going through a lot of cajoling and many attempts at reasoning, the doctor finally showed him the video of his sleep test. My dad saw himself sleep, heard himself snore, saw himself stop breathing.

That worked like a charm. My dad wouldn't be without his CPAP now.

It takes a while to adjust to the CPAP and to adjust the CPAP to you. I will be getting my first one this week...and my doctor told me that mine will easily fit in carry-on luggage. It is small enough and quiet enough that it can be used in an airplane. The new ones are not loud.

mkgb

Also if he is stubborn and refuses to continue with treatment. Discuss the surgical options instead. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy as an adult is worse than an emergency C-section with an ineffective epidural. Then top it off with a side of UPPP. These are not pleasant.. but in the end it normally helps most snoring tonsil obstructed apneas.

It help drop me to mild from severe sleep apnea. My snoring went away as well. My ENT told me most snoring is a result of enlarged tonsils. Just a thought. I am hoping that he settles in with his CPAP. Also look into sleep apnea monitors for your crib. Sleep apnea tends to run in families and your child may have it. Mine did. He was stopping breathing over 30 times a minute. How scary is that? Much scarier than my own 60x. Why? It was my baby. Well at the age of 4 he was officially diagnosed and got his own CPAP. He is 5 and 2 months now. He sleeps 12 hours a day on his CPAP. You might let your husband know there is a five year old out there that uses his CPAP with out fail. Only the rotavirus caused him to spend a night or two with out it.

MG

__________________
If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.

nora01

My suggestion would be to tell him the damage done to his heart for all of the times he stops breathing during his sleep. That ususally works.


My suggestion for you to get used to the noise of the CPAP is a small table fan. I use this so the noise from my husband's cpap does not bother me too much. Sometimes if the mask move / comes off when he's sleeping becuase moves around a lot.

Ol'Line Rebel

News my husband sent me:

His CPAP has a humidifier; is this something beyond a normal CPAP?

He says the machine is quiet; I'm not too worried about it because it seems they are rather subdued. And it's white noise (I guess).

He also finally got some data. We were never told any before. He said he's mild at about 7 episodes per hour. Sounds weeny compared to some here. But believe me, he is a horrid snorer, nonetheless!

(He also has some other possible signals - highish blood pressure avg. 140, overweight pushing 300 now, gets sleepy easily - yawns alot even by late afternoons, etc.)

bethsheba

Smart doctor, !

Yes, I've flown with mine as carry on baggage. Although I've never had any problems with security clearances (many people travel with them so security people know what to do), I do carry a letter from my doctor in my cpap case so that I have written documentation that the machine is a medical necessity.

Bethsheba

bethsheba

Now that is interesting, MG!

Good point...MG, just out of curiosity, is it possible for your child to outgrow his apnea? Or is it something that he will stay with him? Children change so much with age and there are so many different causes for apnea...I would just be curious to know if apnea is something you could grow out of...

Ah, what we can learn from children...

Bethsheba

slipperyslope

The new machines are NOT noisy at all, so that won' be a problem, you will hear a slight hum but its nothing compared to a person snoring.

It took me 3 mask's to get one that fit decent enough, so plan on him having to try several mask's to find the right fit, I got mine online at a great place, make sure he buys insurance so you can return it, its SO worth it otherwise its non returnable. ( if you buy online) It takes time to get used to the mask, so please make sure he sticks with it, and does not give up after a few days. it took me about a week to get used to it. Now I am 2 months into my mask and I am liking it okay, but I am getting pressure sores on my face and an irritation from it, its always something and nothing is perfect but he will not snore at all with his mask so make sure he sticks with it!!

SS

P.S I am sleeping SO much better now and so will he.

mkgb

Now that is interesting, MG!

Yeah I thought so. My mom, my dad, my son, and I have minimal snoring since our T&A's.. but we still have apnea.

Good point...MG, just out of curiosity, is it possible for your child to outgrow his apnea? Or is it something that he will stay with him? Children change so much with age and there are so many different causes for apnea...I would just be curious to know if apnea is something you could grow out of...

Some do.. most of these will be cured of their apnea by a simple T&A. My son has had all the surgeries and still has severe sleep apnea. Every time he grows and gains weight his CPAP demands go up. He started needing 5.5.. now he is at 7.6 and due another titration. The MD thinks my son will need it for life. He has a restricted airway and elongated pallet like me. Well at least he has a CPAP and tolerates it.


Ah, what we can learn from children...

Oh tell me about it. I had an ultrasound of my thyroid done last week, and he over heard me making arrangements with my husband for school end pick up. He was serious and asked me why I was getting an ultrasound. I told him the MD needed to look in my throat. He asked if I was getting it done in the hospital. I told him, yes. He said, "GOOD, the doctor needs to take the baby out of my throat and put it in my tummy where it belongs!" I lost it. Laughed really hard and had to tell him I was not pregnant. His aunt is and he saw the ultrasound over Christmas.. so he made the connection. Goosh! He comes up with some of the best lines.

MG

PS
The note from the MD is a good idea.. I need one for all our bags. We hauled three to Disney World and back on an air plane. Other than bogging down security as they openned all the CPAP asn swabbed them and such.. there was no delay.

__________________
If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.

slipperyslope

I bought the humidifer with my machine and don't use it. I found out it was causing more problems than good, it made me cough, sneeze, and my nose was filled with mucious. I also like the feel of cool air going through vs hot air, so I just don't need it anymore. It also would creat condensation and my mask would drip water onto my face that would keep waking me up so I bagged it! I tried it for a month, at different levles so see if I was using to much or not enough, and every time I used it I was blowing my nose all day long and had a dreadful cough.

SS

Msminnamouse

I had a sleep aphnea machine. He probably won't like it. It's uncomfortable. I kept ending up taking it off some time over the night even though I was out like a light on Ambien. If I didn't use Ambien, there was no way I could ever have fallen asleep with it on.

Also, even though mine had a humidifier, the back of my nose and throat would get dry and painful.

The machine isn't that loud. It sounds kind of like white noise.

Good luck! Maybe if it does fall through, he can try those nose strips. They stick across the bridge of your nose and they're stiff and slightly widen the nassal passages because of this.

mkgb

If dry throat and nasal membranes are an issue you should look into Ponaris nasal oil and Pretz PH balanced Nasal spray. These were recommended by my ENT and have been tremendous for dryness and membrane irritation. These often need to be ordered by your pharmacy.. but they are OTC and need no script.

Just thought I would share that one.
MG

__________________
If we learn by our mistakes, I am working on one hell of an education.

Ol'Line Rebel

Trust me, we've been through all the little OTC things. They don't work - certainly not well enough to resolve this problem even 50% of the time!

And the last attempt - nose clips - was the example of how DH declares he doesn't like and just stops using it. In 2 days he complained and dropped, despite my buying a 30-pack just to try anything. (I myself tried them, and I didn't see much wrong with it.)

bethsheba

MG,

Thanks for answering my questions about outgrowing the cpap...I was just curious but I do know that for whatever the reason some things changes with time.

Laughed about your little guy's comments...they're always thinking aren't they?

Oh, I haven't flown recently but my cpap has never been swabbed, hmmm.

Bethsheba

bethsheba

I'm so glad you are sleeping better now. Yes, it does take awhile to adjust and to fine tune the fit. The first time I slept with my mask, I was wearing it upside down! I, too, had problems with pressure sores and skin irriatation...but a diffent mask solved those problems for me. If you're still getting pressure sores, you may have the straps too tight or you may need to try a 4th mask.

I originally got fitted at a home health supplier, but once I found the right mask I ordered elsewhere ($175 at the home health suppler but $59.99 elsewhere---one reason alone why our health system needs to be revised).

Bethsheba