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Two machines and neither make me feel much better in the morning
I've been a sleep apnea patient in Leeds for about 10 years. I was diagnosed following an at home test and visit to the consultant as having borderline S.A. and as I was offered a standard Resmed S9 CPAP machine decided to have a go. My symptoms of repeatedly waking up at night with a pounding heart and short of breath needed treatment. After the usual problems mainly with the mask, these were resolved when I switched to a full face mask. Nose only didn't work for me as my mouth opens during sleep. I got to know the machine, learned how to take the humidifier apart and clean it and regularly checked my results which showed mainly a good mask fit and mild AHI of about 14. However, I never ever experienced the expected "waking up refreshed, as if I had a good night's sleep." There was a marginal difference sure but despite several more visits to my sleep clinic, when it was open, I never progressed beyond this point.
Wind on a few years to about 6 months ago and as I was still reporting no significant improvement I was offered and took a new control unit to clip onto the humidifier. This is a Resmed AutoSet CS-A PaceWave. It took some time to get used to the increased air pressure just when you're dropping off to sleep and a good mask fit is essential. This seemed to help me slightly better but suffers with the problem that you need a technique to access the readings for the night before. Having learned that, my AHI was showing as anything between 0.1 and 1.4. My thinking is that there is no way it's as low as that.
So my conclusion with both of these machines is that they seem to help slightly in that the number of times I wake up every night gasping for air and with very fast heartbeat is reduced, but is still present with both. Furthermore, about 10 years suffering this must be having a detrimental effect on my heart and may have contributed to my peripheral neuropathy in both feet and legs which is worsening. American studies have connected the two disorders but few UK doctors acknowledge the connection. I also suffer with night leg movement.
I am reaching out with this post very much as a last resort. I know that I could do with a proper hospital based sleep test as (not available during COVID) as at home overnight tests including oxygen levels have not pinpointed where the problem lies. A strange facet of my problem is that when I went away on holiday I rarely took/used my CPAP and usually slept much better and largely without the symptoms I have described.
Any suggestions from medically qualified readers or indeed anyone who has faced a similar problem and hopefully overcome it would be most welcome. At 79 I need to get this sorted. I am relatively fit for my age and exercise regularly, used to go to the gym 3 times a week when it was open. I have a recently diagnosed marginally high blood pressure for which I take tablets. I rarely snore and my condition is drifting towards central sleep apnoea rather than obstructive.
Thanks very much for any help you can give me ;-)
Wind on a few years to about 6 months ago and as I was still reporting no significant improvement I was offered and took a new control unit to clip onto the humidifier. This is a Resmed AutoSet CS-A PaceWave. It took some time to get used to the increased air pressure just when you're dropping off to sleep and a good mask fit is essential. This seemed to help me slightly better but suffers with the problem that you need a technique to access the readings for the night before. Having learned that, my AHI was showing as anything between 0.1 and 1.4. My thinking is that there is no way it's as low as that.
So my conclusion with both of these machines is that they seem to help slightly in that the number of times I wake up every night gasping for air and with very fast heartbeat is reduced, but is still present with both. Furthermore, about 10 years suffering this must be having a detrimental effect on my heart and may have contributed to my peripheral neuropathy in both feet and legs which is worsening. American studies have connected the two disorders but few UK doctors acknowledge the connection. I also suffer with night leg movement.
I am reaching out with this post very much as a last resort. I know that I could do with a proper hospital based sleep test as (not available during COVID) as at home overnight tests including oxygen levels have not pinpointed where the problem lies. A strange facet of my problem is that when I went away on holiday I rarely took/used my CPAP and usually slept much better and largely without the symptoms I have described.
Any suggestions from medically qualified readers or indeed anyone who has faced a similar problem and hopefully overcome it would be most welcome. At 79 I need to get this sorted. I am relatively fit for my age and exercise regularly, used to go to the gym 3 times a week when it was open. I have a recently diagnosed marginally high blood pressure for which I take tablets. I rarely snore and my condition is drifting towards central sleep apnoea rather than obstructive.
Thanks very much for any help you can give me ;-)
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