Julie,

My husband has severe apnea and has to wear a CPAP machine as well. I am sure you will have to help him at night for the mask goes over his head. I am not sure how bad Larry is with his stroke and what he can and cant accomplish on his own so my advice is to see when the guy comes to fit him with a mask. There are two types a nose only mask and a full mask that fits over his nose and mouth. If he sleeps with his mouth open I advise you to get him the full mask. My son has the nose only mask because it doesnt scare him as badly.

Im sorry Larry gave you a scare but I am glad he is doing good. The next time he starts coughing and wheezing like that try to lift one of his arms it will help him be able to breathe better. Caydens dr told us to do that with him when he choked on stuff too and I do that with all of us and it works with an adult as well.

My prayers are with you both

Dyan

Dyan, thank you for your input on the sleep apnea. Larry was able to try the two different masks in the study. He liked the one that covered his nose the best. He also sleeps a lot with open mouth and there is a strap to help keep it closed.

I will try the arm lift next time. I remember vaguely asking the kids when they were little to lift both arms when they coughed. Larry doesn't have much trouble usually but has to drink with a straw. I suspect that it went down the wrong way.

Bless you and I wish the best for your son's recovery.

Julie

Julie: shredded wheat is the worst. Take a tip from my Mom. Cereal in the bowl and fill bowl with warm water. Drain the water; then milk, sugar, fruit-whatever he takes. Cold milk will not soften the wheat.

With the CPap, some considerations. He may be incontinent for a bit. Limit the liquids after 6pm, toilet before bed, Depends and maybe a bed pad. The kidneys work best over night, so that should make any accidents minimal while he is getting used to deep, restful sleep. A texas catheter for a while. And the spillproof urinal, that can only be bought on-line for about $40.00. It is very heavy, but even if he drops it, all is OK. Will wake up the little kitties tho-lol. Funny, I bought one for Bruce first week home. Never been used-lol. Wishful thinking I guess.

With the CPap, the strapping onto the face can be "confusing" is a good word. Verbally describe what you are doing, as you help Larry put it on. It will reinforce what is on his face, and also help him understand how to take it off if he needs to. It is scary to begin with and a bit claustrophobic, but when he realizes the restful, sound sleep he is getting, you can then move on to the other issues.

I am sorry about the diagnosis and yet another thing to have to manage for you, but think you may see wonderful results. Good week, Debbie

Julie, Dan has sleep apnea and is supposed to wear a CPAP. He wore it for about 6 months and then started refusing to let me put it on him. He said it kept him awake at night. It was very loud. The mask is a pain in the neck to put on.

Dan has a history of aspiration so choking always scares me.

Good luck with the CPAP.

My husband, Lauren, has central sleep apnea, diagnosed after the stroke. He not only has spells of apnea but also simply stops breathing and goes for up to 30 seconds without taking a breath. He has a BiPap which adjusts to these episodes with an increase in the forced air that makes him take a breath. He uses the mask that covers his nose and mouth. I thought he would never tolerate it but he has done pretty well. He will still have nights when he pulls it off but mostly he leaves it on and sleeps much better as a result. Our machine is not noisy at all unless there is an air leak in the mask. I have to get up and adjust the mask and the noise goes away.

Lauren has a catheter so doesn't get up at night very often. I will say that he doesn't have any trouble at all taking it off, but I have to turn it off or put it back on for him. But he is pretty dependent in every area of activities of daily living. Not much he does on his own.

I rest much more comfortably when he uses the BiPap. Those long pauses with no breathing scare me a lot and keep me awake more than any other thing. I hope Larry is able to manage his on his own. There is an attachment on Lauren's that can disconnect from the machine without taking the entire mask off but I don't know if that is on all of them, or whether it would feel weird to leave the mask on while going to the bathroom.

I hope it goes well for you both.

Donna

Julie, Most of my family (myself included) have CPAPs. I am one of the few who prefer to the nose only mask! One thing we all agree on is that it takes often 4 to 6 masks to find the one that really works for you. Mine is quite quiet so if there is noise there is a leak. The recommend wearing the mask during waking hours just to get used to the feel of it before trying to sleep with it. I learned to that hooking the hose over my head helped with the flow of exhaust air. The last couple of masks that I have used allow you to detach the hose quickly and easily right where it fastens onto the mask. That makes going to the bathroom faster and easier. Since the goal of the CPAP is to sleep deeper and longer it may mean getting up at night is reduced. That could mean a bigger mess in the morning or maybe he will be more rested and able to control things better. It is a pain to get used to so make a commitment to stick with it for at least 90 days. Somewhere in that time you go from wanting to throw it out the window to acceptance. Most of my family refuse to go anywhere without their CPAP.

Ruth

I USE A CPAP TOO ITS NOT TOO BAD IT WILL TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO BUT IT HELPS ALOT BUT AFTER YOU GET USED TO IT IT WILL BE HARD TO SLEEP WITHOUT IT THATS WHAT I FOUND OUT

Julie,

I got the sleep CPAP after my study at the VA. There are several different mask that can be used. I was keeping my wife awake often so I stopped using mine. It sits at the foot of my bed collecting dust on the case it's in. Hope Larry can use his when it comes and it helps him sleep and not keep you awake. :big_grin:

Fred!