The Life of a Story in Progress XVI: Obstructive Sleep Apnea

I use a CPAP machine that allows me to breath throughout the night. Without the machine, I have an average 82 obstructive and 48 hypopneas, with an index of 32 per hour. During my sleep study done in 2002, I had a sleep efficiency of 51%. That's not good. In some portions of the study, desaturation of 85% was observed. That's worse.

This condition is treated with a CPAP machine and it is called Sleep Apnea.

Here's a picture of my mask. I use a Resmed Ultra Mirage II Nasal mask. The mask only covers my nose. Accompanying the mask is a 12-foot hose, a bacteria filter, 2 other air filters and a water reservoir to humidify the air so I don't wake up with a dry my mouth/throat. I have to wear the mask every time I sleep. Even for a quick nap.

I've tried  a LOT of different CPAP masks over the years looking for the most comfortable out there. In all the years I've been using CPAP therapy, I've always returned to the Resmed Ultra Mirage II Nasal. It is, in my opinion, the best mask out there.

Sleep Apnea is potentially a life-threatening disorder.

I'm not overstating the risks involved with not using a CPAP machine when you need one. The risks involve: build-up of carbon dioxide in the blood because oxygen isn't getting in there which makes the heart work harder trying to remove that excess carbon dioxide. So, not good for the heart.

Obstructive sleep apnea increases the risk of stroke and sleep apnea is associated with increased risk of atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure and other vascular diseases. So, not so good for the brain either.

Here's someone reading in bed. Ha Ha Ha HAH! That's funny. You can't wear glasses and have a mask (physically impossible with the mask I use). This guy's head straps are forcing his eyeglasses arms to dig into his head, trust me. He probably took the mask off right after the picture was taken.

This guy is just pretending to sleep because if you wear that type of mask, it will move with the weight of your head and air will leak. This leaking air will either wake you up, give you dry crusty eyes or just make wearing the mask useless (it's not pushing in enough air to actually work).

Since untreated sleep apnea prevents one from getting quality sleep, people with sleep apnea often experience severe daytime drowsiness, fatigue and irritability. They can have difficulty concentrating and they might even fall asleep at work, while watching TV, or even when driving. So, not so good for your general welfare (especially that driving thing...)

This mask is just plain stupid. The only way this mask could work is if the wearer was in a coma.

To round it out, sleep apnea can also affect: choking, morning headaches, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, moodiness, irritability, depression, sudden hearing loss and even small brain lesions. There are more risks involved but I think you get the picture by now.

Initially, I was given a CPAP machine which was covered by my health insurance. The machine became my property. This type of machine blows air out at a steady pace (my need was 10cm water, this is how they measure the airflow pressure.) When you wear this mask and exhale, you have to exhale against the force of the air coming in. It takes some getting used to and the attrition rate is high.

As technology progressed, they started to make BI-PAP machines. They blow air in like a CPAP machine but they detect that slight fraction of a second when you begin to exhale and they stop blowing air in until you begin to inhale out. Which is VERY cool.

This woman has nasal pillows (pillows of hard plastic) shoved up her nose and what's holding the whole thing in place? A mouth guard. The mouth guard has a plastic wedgey thing that sticks out and it's held between her teeth, keeping the mask in place. This mask is just plain stupid. Not only does she have the whole thing pressing against her face, she also has stuff up her nose and a mouthful of gummy teeth guard stuff.

Here's another example of nasal pillows. These things are not comfortable when you try sticking them into your nose and after about 5 minutes, they start to burn and become quite painful. Essentially, they spread your nostrils apart and you're not supposed to mind this, I guess.

There came a time a year ago when my machine stopped working. I went to the durable medical equipment company and asked for a new machine. But no, they wanted to fix it. And so they did. I complained. I had been using that machine ten years. I expressed my concern that the machine might again malfunction and I was concerned that if any electrical thing did short out inside the machine, that potentially smokey or other wise unhealthy air would instantly be pumped into my lungs. They had no particular comment. I asked how long I was expected to use this machine and was told "until it no longer works." The woman commented that she knew someone who has been using the same CPAP machine for 20 years. 

That's nice. Maybe she'll end up holding the record for "the person who lived and didn't die from using the oldest and most outdated life-sustaining CPAP machine."

Some women find the CPAP a real turn on. This woman is really excited about this guy's headpiece.

Today, I needed a new CPAP hose, so I called my durable medical equipment company to order a 6-foot CPAP hose. My insurance pays for one hose every six months. I actually need two, but they only pay for one. The co-pay for one 6-foot hose was over $40.00. I thought they were looking at the wrong item—they double checked and the co-pay for the hose was indeed a little more than $40.00.

This was really a rip-off because I can buy one on cpap.com $8.75. I’m not kidding. The shipping is another $7.00 but in the end I can get a hose from them for a total of $15.75.

These are the things that make health care so expensive.

I was not happy.

I hope you've learned something about obstructive sleep apnea in this post. If you have any questions or if you are new to using CPAP therapy and want some advice, leave a comment.

Here's how you look during a sleep test. You're supposed to fall asleep with all this stuff on you. What you can't see are the sensors attached to chest, back and legs.