Sleep Apnea

Ive had it for a long time. ~7 years ago I had the UPPP ? operation and that didnt help. Also had my tonsils out and my uvula removed. Nothing helped.

Tried the CPAP and while my breathing during sleep really improved (according to the sleep study) I felt more exhausted in the morning than I did without wearing the mask. Plus I had to deal with the extremely sore dry throat the CPAP gives you.

The CPAP may give me a few extra years on my heart but whats the point if every day is miserable ?

So Friday I have an appointment to get fit for a Sonomed oral appliance to see if that helps.

Anyone have one of those ?

 

Jerry, the leading causes of Sleep Apnea are:

- Obesity
- Pro-Inflammatory Foods that cause congestion: wheat, corn, grains
- Lack of exercise
- Alcohol consumption too close to bed time
- Stress
- Deviated Septum
- Noisy sleep environment
- Bad Girlfriends/wives!

Save your money and time in the Dr. office and try one or more of those options.

-Billy

 

Sorry to hear you're suffering from the results of SA.

First, the CPAP machine should have had a humidifier either attached to it or integrated into it to eliminate the dryness of breathing the forced air and this may have made it more tolerable for you.

As far as oral appliances are concerned:

They do work for many patients because they hold your lower jaw (mandible) in a forward (protrusive) position and prevent your tongue from collapsing backwards when you sleep.

The 2 most popular are the TAP and the Somnomed.

Definitely worth a try...good luck !

 

I can 2nd what rocketman said above. Hopefully the oral appliance will help.

If not, there's this not-uncontroversial approach. (Benefits: it is cheap and reversible. Downsides: it may not work)


http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/sleep-disorders/archives/Snoring_apnea_abstract31.htm

 

I will be receiving my Sonomed on Sept 9th. Its the newest version that includes a piece to not only move your lower jaw forward but to hold your tongue from falling back into your throat.

Only problem was my insurance wouldnt cover it so i had to pay full price out of pocket which was enough to have been a down payment on a new daily driver !

But if it works its so much more pleasant than the CPAP.

 

Did you get your new appliance...what are your thoughts ?

 

^+1^ - have followed this thread with interest in your well-being.

 

I had the CPAP for a few weeks and it worked truly great, except sleeping in something like SCUBA gear had me turned off
so
Dr challenged me to a MyTAP/MAD device. Took some getting adjusted to the jaw always needing morning adjustment,
BUT
taking the home sleeping test twice it now looks like the MAD device is worthless and only good to stop snoring: RATS.

Dr, is now challenging me to a NEW device that looks very simple, inexpensive, and very portable: Provent Therapy - Using Provent

PROVENT is a simple one-way valve to the nostrils causing back pressure: genius.

HOWEVER, getting mine shipped soon but here is the reason for my post:

QUESTION: Has anyone tried this device. I have mild apnea and these lesser devices are more ok for low cases.

thanks
rik
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I was diagnosed with pretty severe sleep apnea about 9 years ago. The CPAP never bothered me too much and it seemed to really help. The last couple years I have been exercising a ton (cycling mostly) and have a pretty low stress life. I tend not to use the CPAP so much anymore and my wife says I don't snore or have any breathing interruptions at night. So...even though they told me I'd have this for life (and not a good candidate for surgery), it seems I might have it beat.

Good concept but personally I'd probably rather just throw on my CPAP mask at night. These could be a great solution for travel though.

 

Followup:

Yup. The PROVENT was nifty but worthless, even more so than the MyTAP/MAD.

Had it so Dr has already prescribed the CPAP, with humidifier, and getting it programmed and to me shortly.

gawd....bring on the iron maiden. Luckily it's only nasal as that was adequate and desired.

 

I too have severe apnea and I tried losing weight, not drink alcohol etc... Took me two years to get used to the cpap but now I swear by it! Can't sleep without. It's a PITA but I feel a 1000 times better.... Part of life I had to accept . My wife calls me top gun or darth Vader ... We laugh about it. The only inconvenience is when you travel cause you have to bring it with you. Other than that it's the only proven method that works . Don't get drowsy anymore especially when driving and I wake up rested. Once you get used to it you won't be able to sleep without it. Resistance is futile!

 

Have yourself checked for food sensitivities. They can have an effect on snoring, sleep apnea and bruxism.

 

The only way to know if an oral appliance will benefit is to take it back to a sleep lab and wear it one night while being monitored.

Please do not listen to anyone who tells you that it is an acceptable substitute for a c-pap without properly evaluating you overnight, just like you did with your c-pap.

 

I have been dealing with this as well since 15+ years. Have already removed tonsils, adenoids, and tubes in. Tried CPAP, and like everyone else said - couldn't deal with the sore throat. Currently going Billy's method, a few of those things on there I can definitely improve...so we shall see within the next few months before I need to move to something more serious.

 

I was diagnosed with SA about 15 years ago and got a CPAP machine - brilliant! Dr told me to loose weight as that was the key contributing factor. I lost the weight and the SA went away (so I sold the CPAP machine).

Fast forward to now... and the last twelve months have been stressful and I have put most of the weight back on (and it is much harder to shift these days!)... so I bit the bullet and went in and just bought the cheapest automatic CPAP machine off the shelf. Amazing how far they have come in 15years! Yes I probably should have had a sleep study to confirm... but for $700 I am sleeping again so my days are more productive... and I'm loosing weight too. Best $700 I've spent in ages!

 

Wow that's great, congrats. Makes sense. How can you manage diet and exercise when you're tired all the time?

 

I didn't know you could buy a c-pap without a Rx from a doctor, even off the internet.

 

Thanks - that was exactly my thought after failing for some time11

Sure - at least in Australia - although I can't claim it back from health insurance because I didn't get a referral (but didn't have the time to go through the process and faff for what would have been a trivial saving). Order online with free delivery - Cpap Machines and Equipment | Cpap and Apap in Perth

That said I didn't do it blindly and went in to see them - plus I did some research on them and the new machines automatically detect how much pressure to supply and regulate themselves (15 yrs ago they were set during the sleep study). Having had a fixed pressure version I can say this new machine is like an FF vs a model T-Ford!

 

Great to hear man.

 

Thank you for the link.

 

You can't buy everything but you can buy the components. TSA lost my CPAP and I have a hard time sleeping without it. Went on Craigslist, bought a new machine still in the packaging for $400 ($1300 through my insurance), went online and programmed it to my settings.

For those having difficulty with CPAP, current UPP using robotic surgery allows for more "clearance" and may be more effective. Still hurts like h...

 

I need to look into something. CPAP broke, now I just deal with it aka wake up every 2 hours and horrible sleep patterns. Maybe I need to browse Craigslist...and look into this robotic surgery.

 

Resmed S9. Even if you find a used one, they can be refurbished to new condition