So sorry you are dealing with his denial. Best of luck on getting him on board.
Rebecca
Which CPAP do you have? Mine doesn’t tell me anything. I feel slighted!
Rebecca
I have a ResMed 11, it has a card/chip and sends the metrics to the Dr’s office every morning.
You can sign for their web site, myAir web and read there your basic numbers every morning.
You can also download OSCAR and get the detailed report with all kinds of charts as the doctors get.
@Bluey very cool. I have a Philips that was recalled about a year or two after I got it. I haven’t done anything about replacing it, and of course the manufacturer hasn’t yet made a replacement available at no cost. I bet now that I’m on Medicare, I could probably just get a new machine. I just haven’t felt like dealing with it, since it does work and I have so many other medical issues going on.
Rebecca
Try this place to learn how to download OSCAR, works on Philips:
Thanks!
Rebecca
I have the ResMed 10 and can do the same thing. Well, I could if I could get back into the site. I tried yesterday but, for some reason, when I try to sign in it tells me I have the wrong password. It won’t send me a correction pathway, and when I try to rejoin, it tells me that I already have an account. I have a feeling it’s trying to text me the correction information on my landline. I have an appointment with the sleep clinic in January and I’ll take it up with them. I’m eligible for a new machine this year on my Medicare plan, so I’ll have to look into the 11.
OK here’s the update for you, if you are interested. He’s had the CPAP for a week or so now. He hates it. It’s a “loaner”, for him to “try out” for a few weeks or so. He puts it on at night, but has not really been able to sleep with it on. Maybe dozed off for a few minutes now and again. The therapist said to just try it for a while each night, and if he’s not asleep in half an hour, take it off. So that’s what he’s been doing. A couple of times, it has been on for an hour. The unit transmits the results of each night’s activities to the therapist, and to him as well… but there’s not much, obviously. Because he says he’s not asleep, and the unit records “0 events”. But he is getting at least some sleep these days, though probably not enough. But things are improved, with the sleep he’s getting. He still thinks that the whole thing is a bit of a sham.
I don’t know what to think. I sleep fine. I think that breathing irregularities are probably quite normal during sleep, and most people shift around, grunt a bit, reposition, and continue sleeping. That this sort of thing is normal. And I suspect that what he has is “insomnia”, due to the active brain being hard to shut down. Apparently, my brain shuts down a lot easier. But unless he can actually sleep successfully while wearing the thing, it isn’t going to work, is it? So far, that hasn’t happened.
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Forgive me if I’ve missed it, but …has he/would he consider therapy? It sounds like he has had a lot of difficult things to get through in his life and may not know how to work through them. Cognitive behavioral therapy could be very helpful to identify thoughts that are true or have value, and thoughts that we think are true due to anxiety but they’re not.
It sounds like you guys are in an area with few medical providers. I have NO firsthand experience with any of the online help services, but could be worth a try. Psychology Today’s website also has a searchable database of therapists that you can filter by location, specialty, insurance, etc.
ETA: not saying that there’s not a physical issue, just that our mental health is more tied up with our physical health a lot more than most people realize.
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Can he try different mask types?
I couldn’t sleep with a regular mask, because if I tried to sleep on my side, it would shift, leak air and whistle. But the nasal pillows were great. Nothing big on my face, it didn’t shift, and no problems with getting air.
what do you use? DH and I have been trying for years to find him the “perfect” pillow for his apnea.
I actually got off the CPAP when I lost weight several years ago. Sorry, don’t remember what kind they were, but I think ResMed.
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Since I posted this, I have talked with one of my best friends who is a general practitioner. She agreed with me that going to the sleep specialist to do the sleep test given that we already know the root cause and there isn’t much that can be done is getting into silly territory.
With that said, I figured why not give melatonin a try since its cheap and easy to get. I haven’t given it much thought because I am GREAT at falling asleep. I have been taking the low end dose now for almost two weeks, and while I dont need it to fall asleep, I think I may be getting a little better quality sleep? It’s hard to tell, but I feel slightly better upon waking up in the mornings. Still need a mid day nap and while the need is there, it also seems a little less pronounced. Im going to keep going with it for now anyways.
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Well, he went through a tough time a few years ago, and did get some therapy. I guess it was helpful- he got over it I guess. But yes, he does have troubles, self inflicted for the most part. I dunno much about it, I guess I don’t personally take on the world’s ills like he does. He tends to hang on to stuff that bothers him. He does like to torture himself about things he has no control over, and nothing is ever really good enough in his life. I think that this sort of stuff keeps him troubled… more than I know. He trusts no one (well, maybe me more than anyone else). He thinks that this PT is just trying to sell a CPAP machine. His thinking is… when he did the first “sleep test”, at home, with the deal on his finger to test his sleep (???), he didn’t sleep. He says he was awake all night long. Then the PT told him that he had “moderate” sleep apnea. He said that he had not slept. How can you have sleep apnea if you are not asleep? The PT said that it showed that he had it. So then he thinks she’s a sham. Then he also says that he thinks she knows what she’s talking about at other times. But it’s a good question… how can she diagnose sleep apnea if he’s not asleep?
I’m leaning more towards treating insomnia. I’m thinking a try at hypnosis. He does not believe that people can truly be hypnotized, I have explained to him that it does happen, and it is a real thing. And I think he’d be very susceptible (not that I’m a specialist myself, but just a hunch). I’d like him to go to bed, and give him the cue installed, snap my fingers 3 times, and he’d be out like a light (maybe). But that’s going to mean that the attempt to use the CPAP is over I guess. He hasn’t quit yet.
It’s a very small mask, just goes over the nose. It was the slightest one, the lightest one, the least offensive one. But he can’t sleep when it’s on… other than maybe for a doze for a few minutes. The lack of sleep makes him irritable, which then rubs off on me. But I suffer much less than he does with this situation.
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Well, this probably isn’t the right solution, but works for me:
I found the antihistamine in NyQuil gave me the best night’s sleep. Looked it up: doxylamine succinate 6mg. Not the usual antihistamine, but I found it in Unisom Sleep Tabs – except they are 25mg! So I split the pills, or actually semi-crush them, because 1/8th of a 25mg tab works for me, so 2-3mg.
I noticed that NyQuil has increased it’s antihistamine since I last used it, and it now contains 12.5mg doxylamine succinate.
CBD, melatonin, magnesium… none of those work like this. I figure I am okay with an antihistamine because my doc will recommend Claritin daily for half the year for post nasal drip, and I only take this when I can’t seem to sleep.
YMMV!
If he has sleep apnea, he really needs to treat that to get a handle on the blood pressure. I am slim and fit, and I was diagnosed with sleep apnea at age 40. One of my daughter’s was also diagnosed, but hers resolved with tonsil/adenoid removal. Other members of our family have been tested and do not have it, and there are other treatments besides CPAP. I couldn’t tolerate CPAP either, but I did RFA ablation of my turbinates, a quick outpatient procedure, and also have a dental sleep apnea mouth guard, which is much easier to tolerate and works well for many people. It makes a huge difference in terms of energy level, mood, blood pressure, and even sleep anxiety.
I’ve had dreadful sleeping for many years.
I mainly sleep on my side or on my belly sometimes.
I had to have a sleep study done but I couldn’t sleep in the positions I normally do as the machine would make noises.
I had to keep rolling on my back.
It came back as slight sleep apnea but I disagreed with that.
If your hubby normally sleeps on his side or belly then the sleep machine might not be the thing for him.
I’m not a Dr of course.
I have found that if I take melatonin and wear amber glasses it really helps get my brain into ‘sleep time’.
Because I spend a lot of time on the computer the white light makes the brain think I need to be awake.
Wearing the amber glasses when on the computer is telling my brain it’s time for sleep.
I don’t know if that is of any help.
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this does a reasonable job for me, without the unwanted side effects of diphenhydramine (which you shouldn’t regularly take for sleep anyway). And yes, I have to halve the pills too. But, sadly, after a couple of nights, it doesn’t do the job anymore, so it’s something I have to cycle through, with a good week+ in between
The high blood pressure issue has been solved with a low dose medication, which will be further reduced soon, and probably removed entirely, if we can get past the lack of sleep issue. Because the lack of sleep issue truly is the root of the problem, we think.
But my question remains… Can sleep apnea be diagnosed in the overnight test with the sensor on the finger, if the patient is NOT ASLEEP all night long while the test is conducted? Is this therapist just trying to sell a CPAP machine for $3000?
Do you have a proper sleep study in the hospital or accredited sleep lab?
If you do, your insurance will pay for the machine and all supplies now and later.
