Way Off Topic: Sleep Apnea and Obesity

[erikmannie]

I picked up my nose mask today. I was unable to change the setting on the CPAP machine from “full face mask” to “nose mask” because this change is made online, & I was unable to create an account on ResMed (maybe their server was having issues?). While I considered destroying the machine in a fit of rage, I settled on sending an email to the Support Team.

I will use the nose mask tonight, even though the machine is still set to “full face” mask. I need to log the time for my DOT compliance.

I have high hopes for the combination of:
(1) CPAP therapy,
(2) weight loss and proper nutrition,
(3) stress reduction (!!!!!) which should include marriage counseling,
(4) exercise,
(5) a lot more sleep (I am very addicted to YouTube on my phone, in bed, until late into the evening),
(6) breathing exercises, and
(7) adequate hydration and electrolytes

Adequate sleep, hydration, exercise, stress management, breathing, exercise and proper nutrition are the Big 7, right?

 

[erikmannie]

One thing about my wife & our marriage. She is actually great, but there is epic incompatibility between us. She is really family oriented, but I prefer to be by myself (or with another 1 or 2 adult males) in the shop, or *quietly* looking at a book or my phone.

We have kids & grandkids, but I prefer adults. I get along okay with guys if they are polite, but I don’t really enjoy hanging out with females very much. I might have a way of bringing out the worst in women; my wife says that I am a misogynist. I get along fine with my tools!

Update: I think the nose mask is going to work!

 

[Aaron_W]

For me, carbonated water helped a lot. I used to drink a lot of soda.
I didn't like them at first but it has grown on me. People are creatures of habit, and it fills my habit that sodas did. It's bubbly, it is convenient (cans), but no calories, no fake sugar, cheaper, and I'll drink them. They also have some mixed with unsweetened tea, for a caffeine boost.

I don't think I've been this hydrated in years.

What ever you do, pick things that you will be able to stick with.

Also on the low carbs thing, moderation. Low carb diets are popular because most people are not very active, they have office jobs. Low carb is fine for them. Carbs are not bad if used, but lots of carbs and little activity equals stored carbs stored as fat. You have an active job, you may find you need carbs when working, just don't load up on them on your days off or after work. Not all carbs are equal, big difference between Hostess cupcakes and a quality energy bar.

I occasionally had firefighters who would do the low carb thing, and it didn't usually work out well for them. They would run down much faster than the guys who just ate a more balanced diet. Basically carbs have a place, but they can be quick energy or quick to pack on weight.

 

[Provincial]

I picked up my nose mask today. I was unable to change the setting on the CPAP machine from “full face mask” to “nose mask” because this change is made online, & I was unable to create an account on ResMed (maybe their server was having issues?). While I considered destroying the machine in a fit of rage, I settled on sending an email to the Support Team.

I will use the nose mask tonight, even though the machine is still set to “full face” mask. I need to log the time for my DOT compliance.

I have high hopes for the combination of:
(1) CPAP therapy,
(2) weight loss and proper nutrition,
(3) stress reduction (!!!!!) which should include marriage counseling,
(4) exercise,
(5) a lot more sleep (I am very addicted to YouTube on my phone, in bed, until late into the evening),
(6) breathing exercises, and
(7) adequate hydration and electrolytes

Adequate sleep, hydration, exercise, stress management, breathing, exercise and proper nutrition are the Big 7, right?

Your experience with lack of support from Kaiser matches mine. They have one thing in mind - sell hardware. Customers are a nuisance and they dodge communicating with them except to push sale of equipment.

They pushed me into getting a new CPAP machine using a phone call. The purchase was structured so I was the one who contacted their vendor, Apria. Kaiser was supposed to spec the machine just like the old one, but apparently didn't do it, so Apria sent a mask with the machine, instead of the nose piece, because that was the standard configuration. Kaiser at first tried to dodge responsibility, then finally helped me straighten it out. Apria is absolutely unethical, and double-billed me the copay. My wife paid the second billing, but fortunately used a credit card so we were able to get the money back.

Get everything, and I mean EVERYTHING in writing from Kaiser Sleep. When there is a problem, the people answering the phone use a script trying to get you to accept responsibility for what was done. Once I figured that out, it was interesting dealing with them, kind of like a sneaky lawyer trying to trick a witness to say something to weaken their testimony.

They told me in the phone that my Apnea was now worse, and needed a new, improved machine. Then they told me they no longer supply the machine themselves, but would give me a referral to Apria, and sent me a form to fill out and email to Apria. It turns out that this was just a sales gimmick and meant to create a paper trail to make me look like I decided to buy the machine without any input from Kaiser. I am in the process of making Kaiser produce the referral paperwork, including the diagnosis update for my Apnea. They are stonewalling, and I believe there is no diagnosis.

Your experience with being unable to create an account with ResMed is explained by the fact that Kaiser puts itself between you and ResMed. This makes warranty and problem-solving very difficult. It also creates a system where Kaiser, Apria, and Phillips (ResMed), or other manufacturer can all avoid responsibility by pointing fingers at each other. I'm experiencing this in dealing with Phillips and Kaiser on getting a recalled machine replaced. Phillips insists that the machine be programmed before sending it to me, and Kaiser says I have to receive it before they will program it!

Another trick Kaiser uses is to send emails that do not allow responses, so you have to fight your way through the phone tree to get to someone who will talk to you, but never to someone with responsibility. Then you get one of the emails that do not address the problem, but no way to respond.

After my experience, I see Kaiser Sleep Medicine as a "boiler room" sales organization. Kind of like buying a condo time-share based on a phone call.

All this is my view of my experience. I hope your experience is better.

 

[savarin]

For me, carbonated water helped a lot. I used to drink a lot of soda.

I use a soda stream for just that, I also find it removes the taste of chloramines and chlorine.

I occasionally had firefighters who would do the low carb thing, and it didn't usually work out well for them. They would run down much faster than the guys who just ate a more balanced diet. Basically carbs have a place, but they can be quick energy or quick to pack on weight.

This is what happens when you go low carb but not keto, your body is still using glucose as an energy source. If you are fully into ketosis you get all your energy from burning fats either from your fat intake or body fat. Because of the way fat has been demonised so heavily for donkeys years most of us are scared of eating the amount of fat required on a keto diet. I never ran out of energy when I was cycling on keto I could just keep going.
You really need to do your own research, real research from scientific organisations and dig deep. I went through all the early stuff from the University of Newcastle, not from some nut jobs on you tube.
The Australian diabetes org has at last starting promoting keto as a method of reversing type 2 diabetes with weight loss as an added bonus.

 

[Aaron_W]

I use a soda stream for just that, I also find it removes the taste of chloramines and chlorine.

This is what happens when you go low carb but not keto, your body is still using glucose as an energy source. If you are fully into ketosis you get all your energy from burning fats either from your fat intake or body fat. Because of the way fat has been demonised so heavily for donkeys years most of us are scared of eating the amount of fat required on a keto diet. I never ran out of energy when I was cycling on keto I could just keep going.
You really need to do your own research, real research from scientific organisations and dig deep. I went through all the early stuff from the University of Newcastle, not from some nut jobs on you tube.
The Australian diabetes org has at last starting promoting keto as a method of reversing type 2 diabetes with weight loss as an added bonus.

In fairness it was a tough job to have a strict diet with. When you are out in the forest for two weeks working 12-16 hour shifts you eat the food provided in camp. They will make an effort to address diet restrictions, but beyond basic vegetarian meals that basically comes down to extras of the stuff you can eat, not a special meal. You are basically at the mercy of what is served, and the focus is high calorie intake (carb heavy). The guys trying to strictly follow paleo or keto etc likely were not eating enough for the work being done, and being young and fit didn't have much in the way of ... stored reserves.

Totally agree on nutrition, so much of it is guessing and marketing, very hard to get really reliable info that hasn't been doctored by lobbyists, so a lot of trial and error.

 

[Cadillac]

I was told you can now take the sleep test at home is that correct? They give you a devise similar to a fit bit that you sleep with and it automatically gets sent to the doctor. My problem is finding time to do the sleep test. Which I’d get crappy sleep anyways just because I’m not at home in my bed. I wake up about every two hours at night. Find myself getting a snack or a pee. Been doing it for 10-15yrs. Feel good when I wake but it really annoying waking up. I don’t snore and I don’t think I have any problems with breathing.

 

[Inferno]

I was told you can now take the sleep test at home is that correct? They give you a devise similar to a fit bit that you sleep with and it automatically gets sent to the doctor. My problem is finding time to do the sleep test. Which I’d get crappy sleep anyways just because I’m not at home in my bed. I wake up about every two hours at night. Find myself getting a snack or a pee. Been doing it for 10-15yrs. Feel good when I wake but it really annoying waking up. I don’t snore and I don’t think I have any problems with breathing.

Set up a camera and record your night. You might be surprised.

For the sleep test, my ex and a friend both said they were given a super mild sedative to get to sleep. When I was talking to the clinic to schedule mine, they told me I would have a choice of bed softness and they even had sleep number beds. (I have a sleep number bed).

For me, I wake up every night, wide awake, after3.5 hours of sleep. 15-30 minutes later I start to sweat so I turn on a fan (alexa operated). After an hour to two hours I will drift back off. Then my alarm goes off.
This has been going on for over 10 years.
Before that I would wake up at the same time, wide awake, but go back to sleep pretty quick. When I woke up I'd have almost no memory of having woken up. When I was waking up, in the middle of the night, though, I was well aware it was a normal think and whatever I was thinking about was clear and coherent. I'd often solve issues that I had before going to bed.
How do I know this? Because I started to record what I was thinking about when I woke up in the middle of the night.

Here's the funny part. I think the insomnia that I have now might be a weird virus. I only say this because a friend of mine was talking with me about her insomnia. It was identical to what I have now and mine started about six months after I met her.

 

[Aaron David]

My in-laws were very incompatible. So much so that Joe lived most of the week close to his job, while she was in the house. And when they retired (both on disability) they quickly found that sharing a house didn't work. Not for the reasons you state, but it worked out the same. They ended up living in separate towns in California, and would see each other for holidays, things of that nature. But, in the end, they sold out and bought a large place in Tennessee, were his family was from. She lived in the house, while he lived in a granny unit attached to the garage. And they saw each other every night for dinner, and often had breakfast together. Worked really well for them, as they could see each other when they wanted too, and no more. Having someone around when you need it, either for help with emergencies or just to watch a movie with, goes a long way to relieving some of the issues and fears of old age.

My wife and I have, over the decades we have been together, come to a different solution; I take a long vacation every spring, by myself. I go and look at things I like, such as steam engines and gun shows, things that she has no interest in. And she, an only child raised in the country, gets time alone. Once we figured this out, our marriage has only gotten better. So, see what you need and what she needs and come to some sort of conclusion. Only the two of you will know, but I am sure that there is one.

As far as CPAP or diet, work with a dietician to get the later under control, as I am sure your insurance will help with that, if only because it helps keep cost down. And you might find you don't need the machine once you get the other things under control.

 

[Cadillac STS]

There is an at home sleep study machine to use. It is a little more than a fit bit but no big deal to use

There is a box that you place on your chest held on with a strap so it can check your heart rate and chest movements and also a nasal cannula like people use for oxygen that measures air going in and out. Wear it for a night and turn it in to get information off it. Sleep in your own bed. If there is a significant problem they may want a full in cliic sleep evaluation but at least you get the screening.