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Hey, apnea bastards!


Randomguy

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I have a CPAP machine now, what is the drill with it?  How long does it take to get used to?  Do you really need distilled water or any water with it?  Does the mask ever smell less like you are in the hospital having surgery?

So many questions!

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#2 uses a nose pillow instead of a mask. We clean it daily with alcohol-free cpap wipes, give the whole tube and mask a soak in vinegar and a drop of dish soap once a week, and then replace the nose pillow every six months, at least. We use distilled water. We track his time using it.  He wears it at least five hours a night before taking it off to sleep on his stomach instead of on his side. A lot of nights he wears it seven or eight hours. 
He gets auto delivery of replacement nose pillows and tubes. 

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I don;t think there is a need to use distilled water, but the reservoir will then need to be replaced more often - I think I am on aboot a 3 or 4 month cycle.  I also have always had the nasal pillow and it is very easy to use.  It did take me quite a few months before I was totally comfortable with the whole shooting match.  I think I was a mouth breather before, and I was surprised it was so easy to kick that.  I just wash mine with dish detergent and water once a week.  I am a real evangelist for them, because it stopped me from waking up gasping a few times per night.  A huge improvement.

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30 minutes ago, Ralphie said:

I don;t think there is a need to use distilled water, but the reservoir will then need to be replaced more often - I think I am on aboot a 3 or 4 month cycle.  I also have always had the nasal pillow and it is very easy to use.  It did take me quite a few months before I was totally comfortable with the whole shooting match.  I think I was a mouth breather before, and I was surprised it was so easy to kick that.  I just wash mine with dish detergent and water once a week.  I am a real evangelist for them, because it stopped me from waking up gasping a few times per night.  A huge improvement.

I am hoping for good results, although I have heard some others say they think using the machine is like being waterboarded.

Tonight will be the first night for me, and I am trying to be optimistic.  That mask does smell pretty bad, though.  Full face for me, I am a mouth breather (deviated septum) and a side sleeper exclusively unless you include anytime I am sitting up and fall asleep, which is most times I am sitting up.  Apparently I stop breathing 20-40 times an hour, so this is a fine thing to try.

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2 hours ago, Randomguy said:

I have a CPAP machine now, what is the drill with it?  How long does it take to get used to?  Do you really need distilled water or any water with it?  Does the mask ever smell less like you are in the hospital having surgery?

So many questions!

Yes it's worth it.  Took me about a year to get used to it.  I've had it now for about 7 I guess.  Now I find it difficult to sleep without it.  I have a nasal mask only even though a full mask probably would suit me better.  Can't sleep with it though.  I always used distilled water.  That shit is going into your lungs, nose, esophagus, etc... and you need to clean it out daily or at least weekly.  It's a nuisance but you're going to feel better.

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Nose pillow here, new last month. I use distilled water (mostly) it cuts way down on the calcium-like deposits in the reservoir. I wipe the mask down with PPE wipes about every other day or so. It may begin to have an aroma if you don't. I rinse out the hose about every week or so. The two newest massk have the air feed at the back of the head. I feed the hose down from above & it stays out of my way when I roll side to side. I also use a chin strap to keep my yap shut & prevent the incoming air from rushing outta my mouth & making it feel like the entire forum's cycling socks got washed out in there.

Newest Mask:

image.png.92dc5c3ac4d9be9c4b6d93783ef892e4.png

Last mask:

image.png.e0ee9b10b4984da2515dffae138a8c2b.png

 

First mask:

image.png.fc040a36e188ca81bba3b93234b53bbe.png

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18 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

I am hoping for good results, although I have heard some others say they think using the machine is like being waterboarded.

Tonight will be the first night for me, and I am trying to be optimistic.  That mask does smell pretty bad, though.  Full face for me, I am a mouth breather (deviated septum) and a side sleeper exclusively unless you include anytime I am sitting up and fall asleep, which is most times I am sitting up.  Apparently I stop breathing 20-40 times an hour, so this is a fine thing to try.

My roommate in the hospital had a CPAP thing.  It was the noisiest thing in the universe.  The CPAP machine and the TWO TVs he had on made it impossible to sleep. 

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4 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

My roommate in the hospital had a CPAP thing.  It was the noisiest thing in the universe.  The CPAP machine and the TWO TVs he had on made it impossible to sleep. 

My new machine (~1 year) is really quiet. Even the older one just sounded like a small fan in the room.

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24 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

My roommate in the hospital had a CPAP thing.  It was the noisiest thing in the universe.  The CPAP machine and the TWO TVs he had on made it impossible to sleep. 

We’re the two tvs on the same channel? :scratchhead:

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It seems sort of weird that so many people need CPAP machines now.  Granted, people are heavier than they used to be, but my BIL is very skinny now and he still needs one, so the advice to loose weight can't help all cases.  I was also thinking that up to 150 or so years ago, those of us who needed appendectomies or gall bladder removal would probably have died a much earlier death.

I can't sleep in a recliner without waking up choking.  In the front seat of a car, there is a very fine line on how much reclining of the seat I can do if I am planning on snoozing.

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2 hours ago, Parsnip Totin Jack said:

Mild sleep apnea here. I don’t use a CPAP. Probably die in my sleep one day,

Yeah... I went to the initial visit with a sleep doc.   I asked, if I'm diagnosed with sleep apnea, what's the solution.   He explained the CPAC machine was the only option. 

I figured... the other option was to skip it all.  That's my plan. 

I'm hoping sleep apnea takes me before Alzheimer's gets me.  

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46 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

My roommate's sounded like Darth Vader biking up a 10% climb.

When #2 was in the hospital last year with pneumonia, he needed a more powerful machine than the one he uses at home. Lungs filled with infection need that. His mask was huge, too. We told him he looked like a tie fighter pilot, which he loved. This guy is all about cosplay. 

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