My Dr prescribed cpap, even though I am low risk. After 8 days I could no longer expand my lungs to breathe, oxygen dropped from 98 to 94, 2 days woke up with headache, became lethargic, didn't care if my hair was combed etc. I quit using it after 8 days. That was 3 weeks ago, still have a hard time breathing. At this point I fully believe that thing ruined my lungs. (I am a tad better, but not at all back to normal). The company of the machine says the settings need to be adjusted, really? I am scared to death to try again even if they do adjust it. I will say it did help me sleep through the night. Thank you Chris
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I have moderate sleep apnea. I also have emphysema (copd), and I have lost both upper lung lobes to lung cancer. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 6 months after my first LC surgery. My breathing gets very shallow and my oxygen level plummets. I started using a cpap machine, but I insisted they set it on auto (it would automatically adjust to my breathing and the incoming air pressure would drop down when I exhaled). It did help me sleep better, and I didn't snore, so hubby was happy. I used it until after my second LC surgery, I started having a hard time exhaling against the incoming air so I stopped using it. Now I am just using supplemental oxygen overnight, I hate it and I kinda miss my cpap.
You should know however, that it takes time to get used to sleeping with the cpap machine. If you do decide to give it another try, insist they set it to automatically adjust to your breathing. That should make it much better for you and much easier on your lungs.
First off cpap machines are usually prescribed after a sleep test has been done and during that sleep test it was found the person STOPPED breathing for X amount of times during X amount of minutes. What the cpap machine does it it takes over and pushes air into your lungs so you don't die while your sleeping although most people would wake up before that. And since it is pushing air into your lungs you will sleep better, more rested and stop snoring. Your lung muscles may get sore since they have not expanded that much while sleeping in the past.
Oxygen machines provide you an increase in oxygen if your lungs can no longer do it for you.
The two usually are not related but can be used together. There is a difference in "air" and "oxygen".
Waking up with a headache, being lethargic, having depression etc can be signs of lack of oxygen.
The cpap machine would not cause those symptoms but it may need to be put on a higher level - which would be the adjustment they are talking about.
Do you have copd? At 98% I doubt it unless that is the reading on your oxygen, but I would think if you do then you have been prescribed oxygen at night.
You should be using your night oxygen with the cpap not instead of the cpap. If your not using your oxygen at night then that would be another reason your have those symptoms.
What I am trying to find out is if you have hooked your oxygen machine up with your cpap machine at night.
In other words did someone or have you hooked up the adapter (with or without an additional one-way valve) to connect the oxygen supply line with the tubing used by your CPAP device, or even your mask may have a special adapter built into its design?
That is almost exactly how things work out for me as well! I haven't been able to use my cpap for a while now, mainly because I have forgotten that it's there. But, I can't use it!
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