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Is CPAP a scam?
I just went for a sleep study and the main reason I went was because the ENT that I saw sent me because I mentioned that I snore. I'm thinking "OK" Turns out the results say I might be a little on the high side for sleep apnea, and the snoring is caused by my soft palette being too long and possibly extending down into the airway. Anyway The first thing they want me to do is use a CPAP machine which I think while OK rules out exploration of other things. Anyway this was the phone call from where I did the sleep study. I said I didn't want to do another study with the mask but explore some other options, namely surgery. But haven't people snored since the dawn of mankind and only now people see a problem? I mean if they cut the palette and it fixes everything then there's no need for a machine is there? So they don't make money? Anyway I don't know I'll see what my ENT says when I see them. Dec 03 12 08:14 pm Link If you try the machine, and it doesn't work, you can try cutting parts off. If you try cutting parts off, and it doesn't work, they're still cut off. CPAP is quite effective for most users, and it's far less invasive than surgery. Dec 03 12 09:14 pm Link A scam? Are you kidding? My buddy has such severe sleep apnea that he stops breathing for up to 30 seconds at a time. Without his CPAP he is at risk for dying in his sleep. Are you overweight? Some people with mild sleep apnea can relieve their symptoms simply by losing weight. My buddy even had some surgery on this throat but it didn't help. A relatively new procedure involved cauterizing something in the throat (maybe the soft palate?) to tighten it up and that relieves or eliminates symptoms in some people. Anyway, no CPAP isn't a scam. Do you need it? That something you need to discuss with your doctor. Dec 03 12 09:29 pm Link CPAP therapy is a valid medical treatment, so far the best, for sleep apnea. And your statement about snoring since the dawn of and just now becoming a problem made me chuckle. How stupid. People have died of sleep apnea (causing heart failure due to the stress repeated and brief awaking at night puts on the heart) since the dawn of mankind, but it is only the last 20 years or so that research uncovered sleep apnea and the link to heart failure. That's called progress in science, yes? Why would you find that so strange? There is a strong correlation between sleep apnea and being overweight. So if you are overweight you can cure yourself be getting to normal weight. Meantime, use CPAP to reduce stress on your heart. If you have sleep apnea I suggest some fast and thorough research into the problem before it kills you. Dec 03 12 09:38 pm Link My husband was overweight, had hypertension and onsets of diabetes and was swallowing a handful of pills for all of the above and then some. I wanted to strangle him because of his snoring. Then I started to pay attention: he stopped breathing approximately 30 times an hour, for more than 10 seconds. Off to the sleep lab. Apnea. With the right diet, exercise and his CPAP we got him off the meds. He dropped 40 lbs and he's still going. He is happier, more alert and healthier because he gets a better night's sleep. Talk to your ENT. Dec 03 12 10:10 pm Link I work with CPAP and BiPAPs all day every day. My patients call me at 3am in tears because their CPAPs have broken... they make that much of a difference to those patients. Choosing the right mask and getting used to it is ideal. Give the sleep study with the mask a shot, and a month or so, see if it's worth it. Respironics True Blue is my most recommended mask. If you give it a try, use the mask before bed while watching TV... get accustomed to it. For those they make an impact with... they make a BIG impact. Dec 03 12 10:12 pm Link Depending on how overweight you are and the details of your apnea, there are other options. There is a product here that is said to be an alternative to a CPAP machine. It's basically what looks like a boxer or football mouthpiece, but it's molded in such a way to bring your bottom jaw forward (I think) which keeps your airway open and can solve your snoring and more mild apnea problems. I'm too lazy to find you a website, but just know that before you hook yourself up to a machine that restricts your movement and makes noise, you may want to look into other options. Dec 03 12 10:15 pm Link I have it really bad. I stop breathing 95 times an hour. I have been using my machine for a little over 2 years now. I can not sleep with out it and I wouldn’t want to try. If I go to lay down and watch tv I put it on just in case I fall asleep. Do I think I sleep better with it. Hard to say since I have an usual sleeping patterns with my work schedule. The only bad thing is I notice is that I fart a lot! Dec 03 12 10:24 pm Link AdelaideJohn1967 wrote: Hi, Dec 03 12 10:29 pm Link -JAY- wrote: I've heard that sort of thing before, in fact a neighbor was just telling me the other day that he uses one and it's so important that he has a spare in case his breaks. Dec 03 12 10:43 pm Link Good Egg Productions wrote: Like this: Dec 03 12 10:43 pm Link It's been a while since I looked into it, but surgery should probably be saved as a last resort. If they carve out sagging flab, it is likely to grow back again. Stiffening implants were being experimented with, but I never followed up on the results. I am looking forward to the day when they make custom-molded masks. Has anyone heard of that yet? Small-Medium-Large just doesn't do it for me. At present, I am doing without CPAP and sleeping on my side, with a concave-curved foam pillow positioned under my chin line to keep my jaw and head from tipping downward towards my chest. It's like stretching the breathing pathway open the way you would do with CPR. Dec 03 12 10:56 pm Link Lightcraft Studio wrote: It's a difference of waking up really awake and ready to go, vs. wanting to roll over and go back to sleep (because you have been deprived of deep sleep). Dec 03 12 11:00 pm Link -JAY- wrote: Particularly when you roll over and smack your spouse with it. Dec 03 12 11:03 pm Link Guss W wrote: Funny this thread came up today, since my home test kit arrived today... and I'll try to use it tonight to record my sleep. I'm doing this to see if sleep patterns have anything to do with my wonderful cluster headaches. Perhaps a CPAP machine might help with those. Dec 03 12 11:22 pm Link Lightcraft Studio wrote: I'd say that the "physical need" is there to begin with, otherwise-- what the hell is the point?? "Oh, you don't need to breathe! It's psychological!" Dec 03 12 11:22 pm Link Becks wrote: No... I mean for someone who lived without it for years and years, and then starts on one and uses it for a time. I assume they could still breathe just as before if they stopped using the machine... or can they? Does a mechanical assist in breathing in your sleep make your body change in any way... in a way that would make you dependent on it? Dec 03 12 11:27 pm Link My mom stopped breathing almost 400 times in one night. She has a CPAP and sleeps so much better with it. They found sleep apnea may be the cause of her migraines. My husband snores really bad, the ENT mentioned he had the issue with his palate also. But that the surgery would be last resort. It only has a 50% success rate, and is extremely painful. Most people after they have the surgery still have to use the CPAP. Some insurances won't cover it until you try the other (cheaper) ways to control your sleep apnea. Dec 04 12 05:41 am Link Lightcraft Studio wrote: The machine doesn't cause any physiological change that I've ever heard of. It simply keeps one breathing steadily all night, so your brain gets enough oxygen and you can function better during the day. Many people are at risk of dying in their sleep without a CPAP, because one of the weird things about sleep apnea (for some people at least) is that when the body stops breathing, it doesn't wake you up, so you can suffocate in your sleep without knowing it. Dec 04 12 05:52 am Link Kevin Connery wrote: OP - I strongly urge you to consider this advice very carefully. I had the surgery. Biggest mistake of my life. Not only did I have to pay out of pocket (8K), it did not stop my snoring. Dec 04 12 07:49 am Link Don't get surgery! At least TRY a CPAP. They're incredibly successful! Dad had sleep apnea. He snored terribly. The minute he got a CPAP, he stopped snoring, and slept much better. My Mom now has one, as well as my aunt, and they say they can't sleep without it. The not snoring part is an added benefit. The need is from apnea. I'd go on vacations with my Dad, and I'd hear at night he wouldn't breathe for a full 30 seconds at a time. Dec 04 12 12:33 pm Link Lightcraft Studio wrote: I don't think you understand sleep apnea. The physical need to have one happens BEFORE you get the CPAP. You already can't breathe. CPAP helps you breathe. There's absolutely nothing psychological about it. CPAPs are not a placebo! Dec 04 12 12:35 pm Link Carlos Occidental wrote: I understand that... however, I know one person who uses a CPAP machine to ward off cluster headaches (which is the reason I'm interested). He stumbled on that as a possible solution pretty much by accident... he never thought he had any sort of sleep problems, but took the test and was told that he did in fact have sleep apnea. He believes that using the machine helps ward off the cluster headaches, and also makes him feel more rested. Dec 04 12 01:17 pm Link I see what you're saying now. And, you are correct! People who use CPAPs are happier because they can sleep better. It is a side effect of being able to actually sleep! So, in that case, you are indeed correct! But, if you sleep like shit without it, why would you want to go without it? It really sucks to get a shitty night's sleep. If you've been out in the sun too long, didn't drink or eat enough, and exercise to the point of having a little headache, taking two ibuprofen will kill the headache in an hour, as drinking water and eating won't kill the headache fast enough. So, saying that taking ibuprofen for a headache does have psychological side effects. Happiness. Dec 04 12 01:21 pm Link My mom stopped breathing 372 times during her sleep study. Why do you want surgery? Why not try the machine? Dec 04 12 01:30 pm Link C h a r l e s D wrote: Of course if it does provide better sleep one would want to continue to use it. Some folks start using it for no reason other than to stop snoring (and mainly to appease someone sharing their bed, and not themselves). Dec 04 12 01:36 pm Link I would not recommend surgery either. I've looked into this a lot. Please research online for things that can help with your snoring or apnea. Some things I remember off the top of my head... *Don't drink alcohol before going to bed. Alcohol relaxes your muscles too much and your throat too. Relaxed muscles is what causes the throat to collapse during sleep. *Lose the weight. Get into the normal range if possible. *Sleep on your side, not on your back. Before you dose off, get on your side. Your deepest sleep, and therefore most relaxed muscles, happen in the first hour or so of sleep. The soft palate won't collapse to the back of your throat, just hang to the side. I would suggest trying the CPAP. I understand that it really works in cases of apnea. This is all I can think of right now. My 2 cents. Dec 04 12 01:39 pm Link My best buddy uses the machine -- it took some getting used to, but he swears by it. I know a fellow photographer who had the surgery. He swears by that, too. I don't know, but many doctors are reluctant to do surgery when there is a less invasive solution. So, either way seems to work, but one (surgery) has some more risk than others. Talk to you doctor, not an EMT (who shouldn't be giving you medical advice in the first place). Other factors may indicate one solution is better than you than others. But to answer the question asked in this thread's title: No, CPAP is not a scam. Dec 04 12 02:53 pm Link Lohkee wrote: Good lord! I already choke like that when I get something down the wrong pipe. Its so irritating! I usually run into another area so I don't scare the shit out of people. Especially at work. At home my kids freak out, I've turned blue so many times from doing that. Ugh, I feel for you!! Dec 04 12 03:02 pm Link Don't confuse snoring and sleep apnea. While they often coexist, it is possible to snore and not have sleep apnea, and it is possible to have sleep apnea and not snore. Some of the surgeries may fix the snoring, but not correct all of the airway obstruction. The recovery from surgery is quite painful from what I've been told. Why not start with the cheapest, and least invasive therapy first. And that would also include weight loss (Yes, easier said than done). As far as becoming "addicted", a well adjusted CPAP may be the difference between breathing or not breathing, and healthy restorative sleep and poor quality sleep. Being addicted to breathing and sleeping well sounds pretty natural to me. Dec 04 12 03:08 pm Link Fergy wrote: Consider yourself very lucky that you can get to somewhere private. I have about 5 secs to get down on the floor before the lights go out so as not to hurt myself. It really SUCKS! I don't go out much anymore. Dec 04 12 03:12 pm Link Pinup Fantasies wrote: I had dinner with another friend of mine last weekend, and we were talking about this. He said he did the sleep study and was told that he had severe apnea. I asked if he uses the machine now... he said he doesn't. I asked why, and he said that he's used to being tired all the time and just manages to adjust. He's already retired, so I guess at this point in his life he doesn't care too much. Dec 04 12 03:30 pm Link Lohkee wrote: I have that happen about twice a year. I swallow the wrong way (no food or drink involved... just saliva seeming to clog up the windpipe or something). It's very Dec 04 12 03:33 pm Link Kevin Connery wrote: I've had one since early 2011, and quit and go back like a bad relationship. Dec 04 12 05:27 pm Link it is certainly no scam. i got a machine a few years ago after suffering with ridiculously bad obstructive sleep apnea my whole life. it took me exactly five minutes to get used to it, but i do know others that have never been able to get comfortable with it. i'd love nothing more than to not have to use a machine to sleep, but at present it is the most effective form of treatment for me. obviously, ymmv...but it's no scam. Dec 04 12 05:36 pm Link My father in-law and my pastor both have sleep apnea and use cpap machines. They have helped them so much. The simple fact that before using it little to no oxygen was getting to their brains and now it is makes a huge difference. If they don't sleep with the cpap now they will get horrible headaches.They really do help them sleep better now before Adam my pastor said he could sleep all night and wake up feeling like he hadn't slept at all. Now with his machine he feels fully rested like he should. I actually want my husband to get the test done I think he may need one also. Dec 04 12 05:38 pm Link Good Egg Productions wrote: Yeah I know about those. No I'm not overweight. I've held my weight fairly consistently. Hasn't gone up or down for years. Dec 04 12 05:40 pm Link Looknsee Photography wrote: Not an EMT but ENT Ear Nose & Throat specialist......... Dec 04 12 05:48 pm Link Sita Mae wrote: But the strange thing is that my oxygen intake for that night was between 97 and 98 %....... They had the tubes up my nose to test oxygen intake.....So I can't explain that. Dec 04 12 06:00 pm Link AdelaideJohn1967 wrote: First, in almost all cases, if there is a reasonable alternative to surgery then you should choose the alternative. Dec 04 12 06:18 pm Link |
... especially for witnesses. It happened a few weeks ago when I was waiting to get blood drawn.... had about four lab techs rush over to me, one tried to do the Heimlich maneuver... I couldn't talk to explain that there wasn't food stuck or anything. Pretty embarrassing actually.
