Sleep apnea and potential treatments

Hello @wgatap21, Welcome to Connect. I have obstructive sleep apnea and have been using a CPAP a little over a year now. Like a lot of people I have also struggled a little getting used to it. Most of the struggle was with the mask. I saw an ad for the Inspire device and was kind of excited until I found out it was a surgical implant. Thank you for starting the discussion. I think it may be helpful for yourself and others struggling with a CPAP. Here's some information I found that may be helpful. It looks like there are some eligibility criteria used by Mayo Clinic for the device.

How solid is the evidence for an implantable sleep apnea device? NBC’s story doesn’t say (May 18, 2017)
-- https://www.healthnewsreview.org/review/how-solid-is-the-evidence-for-a-new-implantable-sleep-apnea-device-nbcs-story-doesnt-say/

Mayo Clinic - The emerging option of upper airway stimulation therapy
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/pulmonary-medicine/news/the-emerging-option-of-upper-airway-stimulation-therapy/mac-20431242

Most of the people I have talked with that have used CPAP have said that it takes about a year or more to realize the benefits of using a CPAP. May I ask what caused you the most discomfort trying to use a CPAP?

@wgatap21 the site mentions that you must prove that other methods have not worked for you. Since you never really tried to use the CPAP machine, I doubt you would qualify. Since sleep apnea can cause heart attacks and stroke, I would ask what reason keeps you from using the CPAP machine to keep from getting these?

in my original message, I said"I tried CPAP"...twice!!! Also, my wife is a very light sleeper...the does make a humming noise in a quiet bedroom. Trust me me if it worked 12yrs ago..and again 6 yrs ago, I would have usedit!!!

Quite a number of you have gotten to know @johnhans, one of the members in this sleep apnea discussion. To learn a little more about him, please take a moment to read his Connect member spotlight, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/about-connect/newsfeed-post/encouraging-others-by-letting-them-know-ive-made-it-meet-johnhans/.

Also, share it with others, if you'd like, on your social media accounts.

I have tried it two different times over the years with two sleep studies done. Cannot sleep with CPAP!!

My husband recently got a CPAP. I used to use a white noise machine at night (due to dear husband's snoring), but now the CPAP is like the white noise I was used to. I'm sleeping a lot better with his CPAP.

I totally acknowledge a CPAP is quite a contraption to wear to bed. Have you talked to your sleep specialist about how to handle the CPAP issues or about any other alternatives, @wgatap21?

I have Had two sleep tests in the last 15 years. After each one I tried I tries CPAP...unable to sleep Machine was noisy. So I’m looking for someone who has experienced this new device from INSPIRESLEEP, FDA approved and so far very successful! Thx

@wgatap21 from what I've read it does look promising if you fit the eligibility criteria. This is some information found on the Mayo Clinic site here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/pulmonary-medicine/news/the-emerging-option-of-upper-airway-stimulation-therapy/mac-20431242

"Screening requires drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) performed by specialists on staff. Patients are excluded if DISE reveals complete concentric collapse at the retropalatal airway, as protrusion of the tongue will not resolve this pattern of airway obstruction."

Also, it looks like there is a good chance it's not covered by insurance or you will have to go through a process to get it covered.

Reimbursement is key to Inspire Medical’s strategy -- https://www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com/reimbursement-key-inspire-medical/

I'm really hoping we can hear from members who are using the Inspire device.

About the noise - my first CPAP, the DreamStation was not too bad for noise but I recently switched to using the DreamStation Go Auto CPAP travel machine as my full time CPAP because it's smaller and it is really quiet. Surprised me that I get better AHI numbers on the DreamStation Go but that may just be a coincidence.

Thank you

I too have found it impossible to use a CPAP machine. I was diagnosed about 10yrs ago. I was successful for a couple months, and dropped a bunch of weight, but sleeping with it got harder every night till sleeping with it was impossible. I then tried again about 5 years ago with no improvement. This last year my family Dr sent me to a new sleep Dr(Choke Linton). Explained to me that he deals with people that have major problems using there CPAP machine and he has had fantastic results with patients returning to using there CPAP. I was re tested and found to have both obstructive and Central apnea. A new and different machine was ordered at the tune of 8000.00. When I went in for my consultation on use, and to pick up this new CPAP I was instructed on how to turn it on and off. No special instructions! I left without a CPAP machine. The sad fact, either you can use it or you can't, and personally I have not found anyone that can change that regardless of the smoke there blowing.