sleep apnea

I have been using a CPAP for over 10 yrs now. I don't ever sleep without it. Of the dozen or more people that I know there is one resoundingly common observation..."Boy do I ever feel better in the morning!"
Some years ago there was a story about a 51 yr old man in Toronto, diagnosed with sleep apnea, that used his CPAP for about 3 months. After having felt so much better he stopped using it. He died of a stroke 3 weeks later.
Do yourself a favour, if you are diagnosed with sleep apnea and there is a recommendation to use a CPAP... DO IT! OHIP covers a good portion of it because it is considered a disability. If you have health insurance then they will pick up a good portion of the tab from where OHIP leaves off. Buy a good mask. REPEAT after me... Buy a good mask

Another thing to to Consider is if you don't use the treatment the doctor can get your drivers license revoked.... as it is a disability. .

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Has anyone else noticed that wives are less irritating after a couple of weeks of using the CPAP. It's like magic that a machine connected to me, took the bit ch yness out of her.

Good thread, I think I'm a candidate for one of these machines. Time to book and appointment. I never realized how common this is.

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Originally Posted by last5oh_302

Good thread, I think I'm a candidate for one of these machines. Time to book and appointment. I never realized how common this is.

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The start to end process will frustrate you.
step 1 go to family doctor and get a referal to a sleep clinic
step 2 wait for the sleep clinic to call you with an appointment date in the next 6 months
step 3 go for your sleep over
step 4 wait for your appointment with the sleep doctor to review your results / consultation . If the doctor finds you will benefit from using a CPAP machine, they will contact the sleep clinic to set up another over night sleep with a machine and provide you with a p.
step 5 go for a sleep over and will find out what pressure the machine needs to be set at
step 6 go back to the sleep clinic to pick up your doctors prescription for a machine and prescribed pressure setting.
step 7 if you have medical insurance benefits, send in the prescription to find out if they will cover the cost or how much of it will be covered. (the first $650 will be covered by the Ontario Assisted Devices Program)
step 8 once you have heard back from the insurance company, call the sleep clinc to book an appointment for the mask fitting and machine. CPAP machines / mask packages retail from $1200 to $2200 dependent on built in humidifiers , heated or non heated hoses etc.
step 9 go home with your machine and train yourself to sleep with something stuck to your face, after a few days, like others have said, you won't want to sleep without it.
step 10 go back to the sleep clinic with the machine or SD card so that they can review and share results with you of how well the machine is working for you.

It can be a long process, but well worth it. It took me 4 months start to finish, and that was only because of my flexibility to be on their last minute cancellation list, I would get a phone call at 3 pm and asked if I could be at the hospital for the sleep over at 8 pm that night.

Just thought I would mention this, as it's not a quick and easy process like I thought it was going to be.

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Originally Posted by topher

Another thing to to Consider is if you don't use the treatment the doctor can get your drivers license revoked.... as it is a disability. .

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got a letter in the mail one day saying I had to have a doctors note by a certain date or risk losing my license. went to the doctor who had been treating me, he asked a few questions and I was on my way with a note to get my license renewed.
if I had been in the middle of the time when I was not using the CPAP, I would have had to lie to him and tell him I was using it, and he would have any number of ways to test this and prove me a liar. so if you are advised by a doctor that you have sleep apnea, get some sort of treatment or else they could take away your license tomorrow.

another thing to consider is life insurance eligibility. I am of the belief that regardless of what it is you should be completely honest with your insurance provider. if you have a claim you don't want them to come back and deny it based on a question answered incorrectly in the past.
so I told them I wasn't treating my sleep apnea years ago. three different companies all denied me, and didn't have any options for me due to this. now that I have a kid I will be getting quotes soon for life insurance at which time I hope they approve me now that I am actively treating sleep apnea.

it has a wide range of affects on your life and not all in the bedroom.

and it can be definitely more serious than a sleeping at night problem. I remember being in a Doctor's office ,and while talking to a guy he immediately starts snoring. Now I can be boring but.................:)

(Hope he didn't drive to the Dr.'s office.)

After some 7 yrs after being diagnosed, I had to do an Alertness Test. What a PIA ! Anyway, after sitting in room all by my big self and managing not to fall asleep after two hours I got the PASS. Just another means to assess whether sleep apnea is being treated effectively.

Before I started my cpap treatment my BP was 190/80 (that's crazy bad) 3 mths later i was 150/40... (that's high/normal) the cpap saved me from having to spend a life of high blood pressure pills... also went from drinking 3 pots of coffee to a travel mug a day... the first month was h@@l but after the first Month of no sleep you get used to it.... and you suddenly wake up.. looking back to before I had my cpap, I have absolutely no idea how I functioned... I compare it to a 1 hour sleep versus 8 hours...

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Originally Posted by topher

Before I started my cpap treatment my BP was 190/80 (that's crazy bad) 3 mths later i was 150/40... (that's high/normal) the cpap saved me from having to spend a life of high blood pressure pills... also went from drinking 3 pots of coffee to a travel mug a day... the first month was h@@l but after the first Month of no sleep you get used to it.... and you suddenly wake up.. looking back to before I had my cpap, I have absolutely no idea how I functioned... I compare it to a 1 hour sleep versus 8 hours...

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I woke up 60x per hour in my test. there is a good chance I have never slept more than a minute straight before my CPAP, or atleast since it had been affecting me.