Biguglygremlin

It's interesting that they would write a report on a single patient but this was a patient who maxed out his machine which would create all kinds of problems for most people, especially bloating (aerophagia).

I have all the usual issues with pressure differences in the ears while using my CPAP but it's no worst (on a pressure of 12) than driving down a small mountain and certainly not as bad as catching a plane.

As Sierra has implied the situation could be made worse by any kind of infection or blockages although I have a suspicion that blockages, although they may make the pressure fluctuations more noticeable, might actually be a protection, because it seems to me that the real problem is likely to be the actual air flow rather than the pressure.

If that is the case then it's like a form of dry mouth but in the ears and earplugs may help in theory but for me they would emphasize the pressure fluctuations and probably cause ear-aches.

It's a tough spot to be in itsdrew93 and probably the point where many patients fail to continue with therapy so it is a very important question.

All I can suggest is that you have to decide if it really is important for you and if it is you need to follow through because you have made a decision and are determined.

The other aspect is a kind of conditioning to de-sensitize the whole process and train yourself to accept it as normal. Wearing the mask (minus the hose) while reading or watching tv or browsing online etc.

I'm not sure that I ever achieved that but even without it sheer stubborn mindedness and determination can do the trick.

I used to think of snoring and apnea as natural processes of aging and the sleep industry as a commercial and largely unnatural industry bent on accruing power based on fear and the misuse of statistics. Unfortunately I still have that view.

I don't consider that I was uninformed then and I don't feel uninformed now so, although this may look like denial, I'm not sure that is the correct word for what I believe to be an informed choice, even when that choice is to ignore something or do nothing.

Five years ago, I had a suppine AHI of 70 and max desat of 77% yet I would have continued to avoid this road if the wife had not been so worried about it.

Yes I was always tired and had been for 25 years so it was sensible to explore any avenue that could address that issue but to be quite frank CPAP has not made any discernible difference to the sleepiness and fog in my case even though I use it 100% of the time.

Some would argue that I'd be dead by now if I didn't have the CPAP but in my twisted reality that would just prove that they are victims of the scaremongering and misinformation mentioned earlier.

Yes I will eventually die of heart disease or diabetes or some such weight and lifestyle related disorder EVEN IF I USE A CPAP unless I lose a lot of weight and improve my lifestyle.

So I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, while the CPAP converts are hard at work espousing the articles of their beliefs, how do they ensure that they have not been indoctrinated with misinformation.

I don't claim to have all of the answers, just endless questions, but it seems to me that oftentimes information and statistics are used to hide the bigger picture. :)

At first I thought it was a good idea.

What harm can there be in a bit of chanting right?

Then I read up on it and guess what?

It's a trap! Chant-Mantras

Not only is it a lot harder than I can deal with

But it seems to lead right back to

Candles and incense!

I don't want to worship my CPAP machine.

I might think about setting up an altar to my fridge though.

That's as good a reason as any to follow Sierra's advice.

Drown it all in vinegar!

It'll stop the dog from eating it.

And keep those bears away too!

That depends on what we're talking about!

My head is 61cm (24in) which is not small but I need to use the same gear for a long time and if the straps stretch beyond the velcro in the first few months I don't want to be resorting to rusty staples and sticky tape to hold it together.

So regardless of reality ....... size matters! :P

last night I was fighting for my life, and almost died, because of a tangled air hose.

The irony of the situation is that I'm not sure if it was a curse or a blessing.

Let me rewind back to the beginning.

Once upon a time in a far off kingdom.

There was a monster.

I'm not sure that I can even describe it properly so suffice to say it was dangerous but not particularly scary.

It crept up on me and attacked so I disposed of it.

But as we all know, monsters rarely travel alone and sure enough, there was another monster and this time I saw it coming and that's where my problems really started.

I found that I couldn't move into a proper defense position.

Even so it was just one and not that scary so I dealt with that one too. No hassles. I've dealt with monsters before.

It was no surprise when the third attacked but still I was disadvantaged, by having to allow it to be right on top of me before I could destroy it, because I couldn't move forward or even sit forward to defend myself.

I knew, as you do, that they would keep coming and realized that inevitably they would get meaner and more numerous.

It would only be a matter of time before I had to deal with more than one at a time and I may be good but I'm not that good.

There was no way I could hope to survive while I was restrained in this way.

So I devised a desperate strategy to gather them together, in the hopes they would attack each other, and while they were distracted I made my escape.

Only to find, on waking, that I couldn't sit up because my air hose had tangled itself around the bedhead.

Now I might not be the sharpest sandwich at the picnic but I'm not a total idiot.

I know that nobody wants to read about my dreams.

So what is the point of this?

The point is that the tangled CPAP air hose worked!

Yes it nearly got me killed in that other reality, but it saved me from breaking something or somebody in what we refer to as the real world.

It seems to me that the dream state is a fragile structure with the brain struggling to process a complex mix of reality and illusion.

So how did the restraint offered by a nasal pillows mask and air hose, which is fairly tentative, manage to restrain my RBD movements?

It certainly surprise me because that gear falls off or falls apart of it's own accord without provocation.

Obviously the CPAP system wasn't designed to be used as a leash although it may well feel that way.

So what does it all mean? Where do we go from here?

Could a pretty pink collar and chain, securely shackled to the bedpost, become the latest craze for RBD sufferers? :O

Hi tbachCPAP

I doubt that you will find absolute proof anywhere but I could think of five possible theories.

The first one is your "old fart" theory which underlies everything for most of us.

The second is stress, worry, imagination, coincidence, anticipation, etc.

The third is the potential impact of constant humming and hissing that is the curse of the machine.

The fourth is the pressure imbalance created by the therapy that pushes through the ear canals.

The fifth is the impact of severe sleep deprivation that can cause enough sleepiness to take half the morning to get the brain back in focus and the ears are useless without the brain to process and translate.

Then, of course, there is all of the above and none of the above.

Maybe even the swimming or choice of music? :)

So it probably comes down to spin the bottle, flip a coin, roll the dice or toss some darts, whatever works for you.

Some of us are easily amused.

Of course most things are more fun with a twist. :O

Hi JRES

It's a great story.

Thanks for posting it. :)