A breathing  technician (hopefully he is, guess therapist) will be coming by house on Monday to deliver a bipap machine and fit me for masks.    The lady told me my bipap would be set at 10 inhale and 6 exhale.  Does that sound about average, above, below?  I think I remember my Dr saying that my O2 levels were around 85 but can;t remember the other levels.  He identified it as mild apnea, but apparently mild enough to warrant a bipap.  And boy those things are expensive.  Its around $4k.  Thank goodness for a copay of $10.

Thnaks all, looking forward to a good nights sleep next week and to a lowering of bp and reecution in afib epsisodes.


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Tim in Houston

I got my machine last week.  It took a night or two to get used to it.  I have a full face, because with nasal if you open your mouth at all, air comes out and feels funny.  I really think it is helping me.  I feel better each day.  my oxygen level was 73 and my machine is on 18/14.  I hated the idea of a machine, but only a week later I kind of look forward to going to sleep.  I haven't slept thru the nite for years, even with pills. Now the last 3 nights I went 7 hrs without waking up.  Good Luck

timwalker69 wrote:

A breathing  technician (hopefully he is, guess therapist) will be coming by house on Monday to deliver a bipap machine and fit me for masks.    The lady told me my bipap would be set at 10 inhale and 6 exhale.  Does that sound about average, above, below?  I think I remember my Dr saying that my O2 levels were around 85 but can;t remember the other levels.  He identified it as mild apnea, but apparently mild enough to warrant a bipap.  And boy those things are expensive.  Its around $4k.  Thank goodness for a copay of $10.

Thnaks all, looking forward to a good nights sleep next week and to a lowering of bp and reecution in afib epsisodes.

Hi,

There is no average pressure for sleep apnoea. A person with mild/moderate apnoea might need a pressure of 16/17 and someone with severe apnoea might need only 6/7. The pressure level is set to what is required to clear the apnoea event, not the number of events and mild/moderate/severe is determined by the number of events.

The most important item of equipment for you is the mask, as it is the interface between you and the machine. If the mask is not right then you can have a Rolls Royce machine costing $10K and it won't work for you. It is vitally important that you see a good selection of masks, try them on and take your time choosing. Don't let them push you into something you don't want.

Google some of the internet suppliers, see the images of the different masks (they are numerous) and have an idea of what you might like to try out.

Don't be afraid to ask questions here, or from the supplier.

Hope you get settled with your machine and start enjoying the benefits.

Kind regards,

Daniel.


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The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

timwalker69 wrote:

A breathing  technician (hopefully he is, guess therapist) will be coming by house on Monday to deliver a bipap machine and fit me for masks.    The lady told me my bipap would be set at 10 inhale and 6 exhale.  Does that sound about average, above, below?  I think I remember my Dr saying that my O2 levels were around 85 but can;t remember the other levels.  He identified it as mild apnea, but apparently mild enough to warrant a bipap.  And boy those things are expensive.  Its around $4k.  Thank goodness for a copay of $10.

Thnaks all, looking forward to a good nights sleep next week and to a lowering of bp and reecution in afib epsisodes.

Hi,

I assume your doctor prescribed the bipap?  If so, you might ask why they specifically want you to have a bipap rather than a straight cpap or an auto cpap.
I have a bipap, and to be honest, I'm still confused why, a little.  I have heard it's used on people who require high pressures, and my inhale pressure is 18.  There are other conditions which might warrant it.  It would be nice to be clear on why you need a bipap, IMHO, for future reference.

Good luck!


Linda

I go to the sleep clinic to see the Dr in two weeks.  Will post.  The tech I talked to said it is because the intake pressure is higher and easier to breath.  Also was told it was slightly mmore comfortable.  We will see,

Thnaks for all who input.
Tim


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Tim in Houston