Serious question for apnea/CPAP people

[arnoldblack]

I am a sloppy SHW Powerlifter (around 360, should be 275. Lbs. are down almost 20 from a couple months ago, continuing to bring the weight down, which will potentially solve my problem) with pretty severe sleep apnea. I had a sleep study done 4 years ago and was told in the morning that I was waking up as many as 60-70 times an hour and absolutely was going to need a cpap. Unfortunately, I lost my job and health insurance, and couldn't afford to follow up and get all that addressed. So, I just lived with it. When I weighed 275, i was fine, and now that I'm so fat, I can't sleep because of the apnea and then have no energy to train and get my metabolism up, so losing the weight is slow, which means the apnea continues, etc., etc.

Fast forward to now. I shared a hotel room last night, and was told this morning that not only was i making snoring noises that have never been heard before, but watching me sleep was frightening as a lurched and snapped around all night trying to get air in. That's pretty standard for me, and has been for years. Needless to say, I'm ****ing exhausted all the time.

Sorry this is so long, i'll cut to the chase. I have just ordered the records of my sleep study. i still do not have insurance (self-employed and poor). Assuming I can purchase a cpap (which, based on some internet research, seems possible), can I set/calibrate it myself or is that idiotic and I need a physician to do this?

I know there are quite a few cpap users here, anyone have experience with doing it themselves?

 

[RageBlanket]

Just calibrate it yourself. My PCP told me the number they give you is a baseline, and you can adjust based on your sleep, how you feel, etc.

I think I started around 12 and ended up at 14.

 

[TubaBuddha]

Haven't done it on my own. The pressure level is important, but even more so is the kind of mask you get. I had trouble with the one that is a cone that came with the machine that goes over my nose. Had trouble sealing it to be able to work correctly. I now have a 'pillow' version. It has a port for each nostril. Like the oxygen tubes in hospitals. Except that it fits tightly enough for it to work. Also using the chin strap to keep your mouth closed in sleep is extremely important. You will be amazed at the difference after use. I has at least 25+ years of no real sleep. The heavy brain, foggy feeling went away after the first use.

 

[Bigwhite]

Yeah all they do is preset the pressure. For you anything will be better than nothing. I ended up getting the surgery.

 

[Mike_RN]

I'm doing another sleep study next Tues. My ENT doc is a friend, I'll ask him if their is a generic algorithm used for the base line (bodyweight considerations, height etc.) I was horrible at 240lbs but sadly just a bad, just a little less loud, at 200. I'll be back with whatever I can gather for you next Wednesday.

 

[Warrior45]

I have seen them for sale on Craigslist many times. I would get a new hose and mask though. I also found out how to change my settings from a quick google search.

 

[Tattood13]

You can find them cheap. Craigslist, eBay, and there are health places that sell used and rebuilt machines. I sold my old machine for $150 and it was a year old. As far as the settings, all you have to do is google the brand and machine make/number and it will bring up a pdf file. You can probably call the Dr that did your sleep study and tell him your situation and could he give you the idea settings for when you find a machine.