Hi folks,

I'm a newbie with the sleep apnea condition so please be gentle on me.  

I have been to the sleep lab three times. The 1st time was a bust with no sleep. The 2nd time I thought was also a bust but apparently I slept enough to yield results. The 3rd time, just the past evening, I was back to see if the CPAP was helpful... which apparently it was.

Some of the results:

-Recommended pressure setting of 8 cm H20
-Apnea/hypopnea index: 56
-RDI: 58

They had me on the Respironics ComforGel - Full Face mask... not sure about the machine.

A little about me... the sleep failure...  

-51 year old male
-270 lbs (should be 180 lbs, working on it... really!)
-diagnosed with high blood pressure several years ago.
-now under treatment for high blood pressure... pretreatment readings were 170/100.
-I am tired most of the time. Can easily fall asleep while watch tv in the evenings.

My dilemma now... and perhaps it is not a dilemma at all...

-Should I put of getting a machine and concentrate on losing weight to see what effect this has on the apnea? A brief read earlier through some posts seem to suggest this is the wrong approach as losing weight may have little effect.

-Should I consider a higher end machine like the "REMstar Auto M Series with A-Flex" or start with a basic model? My thoughts here are that perhaps later on I may not need a machine so why go for the high end when the low end model will do for the short run.

The only experience I have with cpaps so far is my husband's, but I can tell you what I've read and experienced with sleep apnea, as I have it too. From what I know, once you have it, you have it. You can improve your blood pressure, etc. with cpap and weight loss, but weight loss is no guarantee you will ever get rid of it. And it's really hard to lose weight if your're too tired! I was dx'd with mild apnea 6 years ago and told to lose weight. I've been too tired to exercise, so how am I supposed to lose weight? I'm sure there are more experienced people on here who can give you a more intelligent response. Just my two cents! Good luck and God bless!

Don't start with a basic model. Get a "Data Capable" machine to start with. If you can get an "Auto", I would recommend it.
However, there are several nice Data Capable machines that are not Autos.
Then get a card reader, software, and follow your data.
This is your therapy. The more you know about your treatment the more likely that it will be successful.

Hi Paul and Welcome!!

Get your machine.  Untreated OSA causes weight gain by several mechanisms.  First, because of the extreme fatigue, our energy levels decrease and we are less active.  Secondly, some people eat more and eat more unhealthy foods in attempts to increase our alertness and metabolism.  Untreated, I couldn't figure out why I ate spoonful of raw sugar at 4 PM.  Finally, sleep disruption raises the level of the hormone ghrelin, which increases appetite and decreases the utilization of fat stores and it lowers the level of leptin, which decreases appetite, increases the utilization of fat from fat stores and increases base metabolism.

Keep us posted!!

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Thanks for the responses folks!

After reading more I can see that my AHI index of 56 places me in the severe category. I will make some phone calls today and get the ball rolling on getting a machine.

I decided to take action on this issue today.

Called one CPAP provider early this morning and left a message asking them to call me back. No call back all day long. Okay, they are not the most responsive... do I really want to get tangled up with them? NO! Maybe I'm too impatient. <shrug>

Called another bigger outfit who called me back in 10 minutes. Setup an appointment for Monday. They offer 30 day trials so I will go with that initially. I'm hoping I can trial with the same equipment that I will end up purchasing... makes no sense to me to trial on different equipment than what I purchase after the trial.

I also thought I was going to be on my own with purchasing this equipment, but also found out today that the medical plan at work will cover 100% of the cost which is fantastic news!

During my Titration, they told me my AHI was around 20, which put me at the Moderate Apnea range (AHI of 15-30).  I snore every single time I fall asleep and my wife is pretty frustrated with it.

I just got my machine and I'm having some issues.  I posted them in another listing:
http://www.apneasupport.org/viewtopic.php?p=118942#118942

I'd be interested to hear feedback and advice.

Thanks!

Paul..let them know from the get go that you want a fully data capable machine...shoot for the best.  Insurance pays by a code, not a specific make and model.  For the same price you can get a bottom shelf or one with all the bells and whistles...it is the DME who tries to get you take a run of the mill machine due to their profit margin...but they make $$ no matter what, just maybe not as much.

Good luck


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BiPAP Auto M 13/8 Mirage Nasal Swift. 20 years+ undx'd. RLS/PLMD, Hypersomnia & more.

Paul, I have a weight issue primairily because of my OSA.  Before CPAP it took considerable effort to lose weight and putting it back on was way too easy.  There are several articles about weight and OSA in the FAQs and and out on the web.  I've been on CPAP 3 months and started dieting and exercising about a month ago.  I've lost 18 lbs and probably have close to 50 to go.  Getting on CPAP may be the only way to lose that weight.  For one thing it does increase your metabolism.  I went to my cardiologist a few weeks ago and my blood pressure dropped considerably and my cholesterol dropped 30 points.


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REMStar Pro M w/ c-flex and heated humidifier
ResMed Swift LT nasal pillow
Encore View Software
12 cm H20, 13 cm H20
CPAP start date: June 4, 2008