The readings won’t lie. And, FWIW, many insurances won’t pay for an in-clinic sleep study (or anything else) without a home study first.
That’s great that he slept well! Who knows, maybe that bp issue has been enough to cause a cascade of issues.
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I’ll make sure he puts the dam thing on tonight. And for the required number of nights. Nobody but us is paying for it.
@NancyM I get why you might feel the sleep apnea study might be a bit of hocus pocus, but in my experience, it was very scientific. He is either having apneas or he isn’t, and if he is, they are either over the threshhold for treatment, or not. As I mentioned above, I’ve been on a CPAP for a very long time (since 2002), and I still could not get my machine replaced a few years ago without another sleep study proving that I needed it. That last sleep study was fun, in South Carolina with a hurricane approaching. But I got it done, and the hurricane held off for a few days.
I’m glad to see he had a better night. Hang in there! Hopefully it’s a sign of more improvement to come.
Rebecca
The thing with untreated sleep apnea is that his heart will keep having to work overtime all those times a night he quits breathing and then heart has to play catch up.
Over time, his heart will enlarge and become flaccid, valves leak, bp get higher spurts and some time a stroke or heart attack will happen, that may just incapacitate or kill him outright.
That is the picture my doctor presented, backed with many good studies over decades now, why he himself has been using one for some years now.
I don’t like the CPAP therapy and can’t tell if does anything.
Then, I have over years learned to manage with any deficits brought on by poor sleep.
Others can tell, some immediately during sleep testing and feel immediately better.
He should try to keep that up, get to the website where he can track every morning what the machine said and learn from it how he slept.
My doctor said it will change depending on your day, how stressed you may be, the weather, what else your health is doing, but the average of every month nights will tell the story, if the therapy is working for you, so he has to give it a good try over time, his future health or possible disabilities caused by sleep apnea depend on it.
If he is very uncomfortable, try another kind of mask, up the humidity or tweak the pressure range up or down, the doctor will do it for you if you tell him why it is not working for you as your machine is set.
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When I had my first sleep study in 2002, I spent an hour just being measured. The tech came in and said he was supposed to wait four hours to try me with a CPAP, but he was afraid I was going to die on him. So he started that part of the test early.
Oh, my! Even though I started on the CPAP after midnight that night and got up at 6 am, it was the best night’s sleep I’d had in a year. I hounded my doctor for my CPAP prescription, then hounded the supplier until I had my own. It was a life changer.
Rebecca
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LOL it’s not ME that feels this way! It’s his distrustful attitude, due to his early upbringing, of feeling disappointed in life, let down when he extended trust or depended on someone. He expects everyone of taking advantage of him or ripping him off for their own profit, always. That’s why he tries to educate himself as much as he can in advance of any situation he finds himself in. He’s quite an amazing person, actually, very intelligent, sensitive, and caring, self educated entirely, but with huge insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. He does not participate on social media, because he can not write. But he can read, taught himself. Learning disabilities, never diagnosed 50+ years ago and of course never treated, so spent most of his limited time in grade school being told he was stupid, and sitting in the hallway. Went to work at 13, to help his mom feed the family. Then earned his helicopter pilots license as a young adult, and tutored others to pass their pilots exams. Very intense personality, complex, and damaged. Completed farrier course, top quality farrier, very popular. Farmer now, learned how, and looks after as much of the mechanical repairs that are required here, because he expects to be ripped off by any mechanic we have to hire. See what I mean?
He is quite a self made man! It’s too bad he’s distrustful. I would imagine that would not change at this point in his life. We are all influenced by our early years, for better or worse. Sometimes it’s both good and bad, all at the same time.
Rebecca
Coming late to this, but, I have sleep apnea and the restless legs that can sometimes go along with it. My leg problems usually come when I wake up in the middle of the night and am trying to go back to sleep. I use a natural remedy, Hylands’s Restful Legs PM. I am a natural remedy sceptic and when I first tried this, I was not at all confident that it would work. Much to my surprise, in my case, it did. I don’t have to use it as often as I did before I got the CPAP, but when I do, it’s almost immediate relief. That could be my mind, I guess, but whatever it is, I’ll take it.
Also, lots of people have trouble getting used to the CPAP. There is an alternative treatment these days called Inspire. I don’t know more than what I see advertised, but apparently it is inserted in your body and all you have to do is click a button on a remote to turn it on and off. I haven’t checked into it because I am one of those fortunate people who didn’t have a bit of trouble getting used to a CPAP. Put it on the first night, fell asleep immediately, and had the first decent night’s sleep I had experienced in a long time. I was so tired before that I fell asleep while driving one day on my way to work, luckily waking up quickly enough that I didn’t cause an accident. That was my kick in the butt that I needed to do something, and quickly.
I hope that your husband is able to find a solution.
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Inspire is an operation where the surgeon implants a wire under your tongue that is activated by a little device the size of a matchbox implanted under your clavicle.
When turned on, it will make your tongue move to keep your airway open for you with a bit of an electrical signal you don’t even feel, can sleep right thru it.
Generally that is recommended for those that absolutely can’t use CPAP for some reason or other, some medical, some just not being able to get used to it.
I too did fine with CPAP, just can’t tell feeling any better or worse with it.
The metrics of the machine say I am doing better by far than when I was tested without it, so have to believe is helping.
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My husband just had this device activated, after it was installed a few weeks ago. Life changing, and probably prolonging.
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OK here is the update, to the best of my ability, as far as I know. He had to do the “test” for the RT twice, because the first time didn’t work well, just got back from the second meeting with her yesterday. She said his test showed “moderate” sleep apnea. He did not bring home the CPAP machine for the free home try out. I thought that was what we were there for. He doesn’t think that the test showed numbers that were THAT much different from normal, suspects the RT of trying to sell the unit to make $$$$$. Doesn’t think that he will be able to sleep with the mask in place. Doesn’t want to try it to see if he can. Doesn’t want there to BE an issue that needs any “treatment”. I think it’s called “denial”.
I’m just letting off steam here, sorry. But I know what he gets like when he doesn’t sleep well, and it rubs off on me because I live with him. Let alone worrying about him and his health. He worries too, which makes it all worse and sleep less likely and increases anxiety, but is resistant to admitting that the almighty bod has an issue that is substandard from it’s initial parameters, at 62 years of age. The RT told him that he will likely not need the BP medication he is now on any more, if he uses the CPAP. His blood pressure is now good, on a very low level of the BP medication. Doc also said that he may not need to be on it long term. He would simply like the problem to not be there after all.
Anyway, thanks for your help here. He sees the doctor today, bringing the test results from the RT with him. He reports that he did not sleep well last night. He hasn’t been eating the CBD gummies at bedtime.
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Good luck getting him on board.
I too was super resistant, really didn’t have any symptoms because I had adjusted to poor sleep hygiene.
What convinced me is when my doctor said, he too is on CPAP and the best way he can get along with it is to ignore it, don’t think about it, like is not there.
I still have the occasional bad night where the machine tells I quit breathing 50+ times, normally if I did too much or allergies are rampant, but overall I get by with a dozen times, which is normal.
Tell DH that is about sleep hygiene, needs to treat that therapy like brushing teeth, something that needs to be done and ignore in the greater things to do in our lives.
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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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