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Good point Truckerdad. If you have dogs or cats or live on a dusty road or keep your windows open a lot, you might have to clean your filters more often and change the allergen filters more often. There might even be a "seasonality" to it where you have to check, clean and replace more often in the summer. Probably best to just get into the habit of checking the allergen filter and cleaning the other filter weekly. Then you know all is well. Why wait for a problem!
Welcome 213376 Your case is very interesting but without a physical examination and a full history no one can or should advise you about specific meaning of these results. This site is not allowed to post medical advice. Radiologists and anyone who reads any type of test, report only what they see. It is up to the physician who can see and talk with the patient to interpret the information in light of their findings AND input from the patient. Then to devise a clinical plan based on everything available.
You obviously understand the many things about the report so can be your own advocate to make sure one of your physicians or your physicians as a team answer your questions. Anything else would be a guess. Others in the forum and your own web searches may be able to direct you to literature to provide your physicians to add to their knowledge and help them help you. You are certainly invited to keep posting as you as you learn as it will be of interest to many users on the site! Welcome.
What great conversations about cleaning. One very simple think I don't think I've seen mentioned is the filter on the blower intake. They are easy to clean (ck manufacturer instruction for your particular unit) and an important part of good CPAP unit hygiene. Many units have an option to add a finer filter this time of the year to help keep allergens out. Most of those are disposable I believe.
Has anyone used the allergen filters to help with dust and pollen? Has it helped?
You can go to your account page and enter a user name and opt to upload a picture if you wish. I think you are probably registered as anonymous right now, hence the number only. https://myapnea.org/account
Glad you are putting the sleep team to work to help you Gram. Can you describe some of the things they have done to help "fit" the CPAP to your comfort? I understand the more complex the therapy device, CPAP, APAP, BiLevel or ASV the more tweaking it might need to fit your individual needs. I also understand that as the therapy is used more and more, sometimes the needs change (for the better) so more tweaking is needed. Is that the kind of help you got?
Good advice...there are several different types of dental devices and some dentists specialize in one or maybe two. It's a good idea to check recommendations of several sleep trained dentists and as suggested, also see who your sleep doctors might recommend. Remember too, dental devices are not recommended for moderately severe to severe apnea. It takes some research like you are doing. Hopefully this network will help provide answers and protocols to make it easier to match the right dentist and device to patients.
Good point MikeJ. That's something we all wrestle with in most areas of daily living as we age. Everyone deals with it differently. I think I'll make an effort to find the humor in it from now on. As they say, it is what it is :-)
Wonderful comments 295563, Ruby and Mike. So, like always, I now have more questions.
What would it take to think of the CPAP as a team effort, as a gift to your spouse to keep you healthy and happy so you will have those beautiful golden years of retirement you have been planning for? A gift so your spouse can sleep comfortable without worrying about you? Could CPAP just be part of your life planning like eating well, exercising, saving $$$ etc.? How about the humorous approach as noted in post #7?
Just a comment about ASV therapy.... I have had extensive experience with these devices. These devices are complex and they are usually used to treat complex, complicated health conditions including central, mixed and obstructive apnea. Individualized therapy is important and takes constant monitoring by someone who knows the technology AND the physiology of the pathologies being treated to accomplish. It also requires the team to thoroughly understand the detailed downloads the ASV units provide. The treatment team always should also include the patient so your input from your own education on the topic can be quite helpful. The team is essential.
Thanks for that post. Sounds like the ideal would be a pulmonologist well trained and actively practicing in sleep medicine who is willing to team up with others in sleep like dentists and allergists. Healthcare is moving toward a more team based, patient centered approach. Do you think that would be helpful to you and others like you?
Have you completed your surveys so your struggles are documented in the network pool? That's important so researchers see if this is a problem for many in the network and decide to investigate. That's how new treatment protocols can get developed.
