Sleep Apnea Treatment

Question by : What do you do about Rashes from Apnea Machine?
My father wants to know if anybody has suffered from skin rashes from using an Apnea machine. Does anybody know what to use?? or what to do? He has to sleep with it everynight, and has been using it for years. It is around the face where the straps go and his nose is very dry and a little rashy..any advice would help, thank you.

And he does not have insurance, so we are trying to find something from the pharmacy..

Best answer:

Answer by Jerry
The skin issue is probably not be a true rash, but rather annoyed by the friction of the straps rubbing against it. That happened to me as I was starting CPAP use. A few ideas:

Try hydrocortisone cream or spray to calm the irritated skin.

Try loosening the straps a bit. If your father sleeps on his side, the pressure of his face against the pillow can keep the face mask in place without being so tight.

Try routing the tube down to the mask from above his forehead instead of up from below. This will lessen the amount of air flow around his nose and help prevent drying out.

Make sure the equipment is cleaned daily, especially the parts that come in contact with the skin.

See how long it has been since your father replaced the nose piece.

Soak the water tray in white vinegar every so often. Make sure it is rinsed and dried daily.

Best of luck.

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Question by Marcial M: do i have a sleep disorder? i slept about 9 hours but still i can’t sleep.. anywhere i go, i feel sleepy…?
anywhere i go, i feel sleepy especially when i am not thinking of many things. i slept sometimes about 7 hours at night but when i go to school i feel very sleepy. but sometimes there are factors disturbing my mind like thinking of many things that’s why even i sleep for many hours, i still can’t sleep because i am just thinking of something……but that’s not the main reason because sometimes again i sleep at night very well and wake up in the morning good.. but wherever i go, i felt so sleepy like i want enjoying sleeping for many hours and even after that many hours past, i still feel sleepy and want to go back to bed again…now can you give comments base on my experiencing why i am falling asleep easily?
i have sinus..then i can’t breath well, it’s hard to breath…and i went to clinic from the past month, the doctor told me, i have bronchitis…

Best answer:

Answer by Altrissa
You may have sleep apnea. Even though you think you are sleeping for 9 hours, you’re actually waking up many times during the night, interrupting your sleep/wake pattern to the extent that you’re not getting enough actual sleep.

Are you overweight or have sinus issues? Those are two of the most common causes of sleep apnea, but anyone can have it. The best way to tell is to go to a sleep clinic where they can give you a machine to monitor your sleep habits.

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Question by : Question about functional orthodontics? Expander?
I have begun functional orthodontic treatment (I’m 26, F) my problem is v. narrow upper jaw (both wisdom teeth and bicuspids extracted years ago, and lower wisdom teeth also gone). I have tmj, sleep apnea, and a recessed upper jaw as a result. My question: My orthodontist proposes replacing the missing teeth, and to this end he has given me an expander for my upper jaw, which is made of acrylic, has one midline screw, and just wires which attach to one molar on each side. Looks like a Schwartz expander, I think. Form what I’ve read, it seems that these are only used for children when trying to expand the jaw, and that after childhood, these appliances will only tip the teeth. I am spending alot of money, and the success of this treatment is very important to my health and airway. Will this appliance just tip my teeth outwards, or can I expect my jaw to expand? I’m to turn it once every two days.

Can anyone shed some light?

Best answer:

Answer by Chris
If you google ’schwartzexpander’ there’s more info than you need.

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Question by kenneltech: Need help badly about a doctor?
I have been going to a sleep doctor who is about 35 miles away because I have severe insomnia (all my life), severe sleep apnea, and now some other problem that makes me “nod off” during the day (not narcolepsy). He medically banned me from driving as I drove off the highway once when I nodded off. He also won’t tell me what disorder this is unless I come into his office! I told him I can’t get there because I’m medically not supposed to drive and that I am afraid to drive and asked him why he just didn’t call in the prescription that is supposed to help this, I will take it for a week or so, then I will have no problems driving up! He won’t do it. I do have to tell you that there are only like 3 of these REM Sleep Specialists where I live, and he has a pretty big ego.

Anyway, because I have had to cancel twice (and he knew the reasons, and I am not a difficult patient), he will no longer prescribe my sleep meds. I need those meds as this is going to be a very long journey, I am in Cognitive Behavioral Treatment, am on CPAP, and it is going to take a long time before all this insomnia gets straightened out. Anyway, I told him this was abandonment, and he got really upset and I have no medication.

Isn’t he supposed to prescribe my medications until he finds me a comparable doctor, or until I find one? I am desperate.

Best answer:

Answer by Cindy
He is not refilling your meds because he wants to see you in his office. If you are taking something like Ambien he cannot refill it without you following up with him. I wouldn’t have made him mad either. I know doctors and trust me even the best don’t like to be threatened. No, he doesn’t have to find you a comparable doctor either. By canceling your appointments and refusing to come in you have in fact abandoned him. Even if your reasons were good ones. He does have to send your notes to another doctor when they are requested. He also must give you a copy of your records if you request them however, usually they require you to come in and sign a release for the records. Also they may charge you a small fee for copying the records. Not all doctors do that but some do. He won’t charge you for sending them to another doctor but you will still need to sign a release. This is a HIPAA regulation.
Do you not have a friend, parent, sibling, etc that can drive you to his office? Surely you know someone that will take some time to drive you to the doctor so you can get your medications. If I had to take a taxi to go see him I would. It may cost you some money but it would be worth it to get the treatment that you need. I will also tell you it is very unusual for a doctor to give sleeping pills to someone with sleep apnea. They can cause many problems if you are not monitored properly. Another reason he is not calling in your medicines.
If you are canceling appointments and refusing to come in to talk to him you may need to find another doctor because he may not feel comfortable treating you any longer.
Find someone to drive you if you are able to get an appointment with him, apologize to him when you get there, and then do what he says.. He really does know best in this situation.

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Question by : What do you think about this?
In 2010 I woke twice in that year gasping for air and couldn’t breath. Last night I did the same thing but this time I’m worried because I’m 5 months pregnant. Every time I have experience that, I felt like I was gonna die. I think maybe it was an asthma attack but I don’t know because I don’t have asthma or maybe I have obstructive sleep apnea.

Best answer:

Answer by Helen R.
Hormonal changes & weight gain during pregnancy can trigger or worsen sleep disorders! I would recommend heading to a sleep center — don’t self-diagnose.

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