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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / September 2004Cinders meets an alien
I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a medical condition where you periodically stop breathing. There are several possible causes, but, in my case, I apparently have an inherited tendency for my windpipe to "relax" too thoroughly when I am asleep, collapsing all of the way shut. The result is that I cycle between normal breathing, not breathing, and rapid breathing (forcing the windpipe open again). This doesn't happen when I am awake. The main problem with this is that it prevents me from getting deep sleep, and the resultant stress aggravates other medical conditions such as high blood pressure. This used to be treated with surgery, but they now prescribe the use of a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine, which blows air into my nose to keep the air pressure in my lungs high enough to keep the windpipe open. When I go to bed, I have to wear a mask, somewhat resembling a blue rubber pig snout, that fits over my nose and is connected by a hose to the CPAP machine. A net of elastic webbing fits over my head to hold the mask on, and makes me look somewhat like the villain in a pro wrestling match. I got the equipment about a week ago, and Cinders was understandably rather wary of my new appearance for a couple of days. She would get up on the bed, but only at the foot end. Now, she has resumed coming up to the head end of the bed to be petted, and I just hope that she doesn't ever get ideas about playing "hunt the snake" with my breathing hose.  SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria ---------------------<snip>---------------------- >When I go to bed, I have to wear a mask, somewhat resembling a blue >rubber pig snout, that fits over my nose and is connected by a hose >to the CPAP machine. A net of elastic webbing fits over my head to >hold the mask on, and makes me look somewhat like the villain in a >pro wrestling match. ---------------------<snip>---------------------- I've had to use a CPAP machine for several years now. In time, you won't even know it's there. Fortunately, my Lady Jane Grey still loves me and lays on my chest most nights. I still get to fall asleep while getting my favorite type of kitty loving, beard snuggles. A piece of advice if you find it cumbersome to breath when the machine wants you to. The prescription for the device is usually written as something like 12, 6, 4. The first is the high pressure, the second the low pressure number (in pounds/square inch for our international friends), and the last is usually the frequency at which the machine tries to get you to breathe. You may safely turn the frequency setting to off and your body will regulate your breathing. Try it only if you are troubled by using the machine's breathing cycle. Aarrrggggh! (Still a couple of hours left of ITLAPD in CA's pacific daylight savings time) O J > ---------------------<snip>---------------------- > >When I go to bed, I have to wear a mask, somewhat resembling a blue [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > setting to off and your body will regulate your breathing. Try it > only if you are troubled by using the machine's breathing cycle. Sounds like you are describing at least a BiPAP machine, and possibly a demand ventilators. Standard CPAPs don;t try to set breathing. >Sounds like you are describing at least a BiPAP machine, and possibly a >demand ventilators. Standard CPAPs don;t try to set breathing. Since I looked it up, I now know that 'CPAP' stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. Mine *is* a Bi-PAP machine. It has separate pressure settings for breathing in and breathing out and an option to set a minimum breathing rate. You're the first person I've met in the health care field who seemed to know the difference. My compliments and thanks for the heads-up. Everyone else seems to use the term CPAP as a catch-all word for any pressure system to prevent apnea. Regards and Purrs, O J > Since I looked it up, I now know that 'CPAP' stands for Continuous > Positive Airway Pressure. Mine *is* a Bi-PAP machine. It has > separate pressure settings for breathing in and breathing out and an > option to set a minimum breathing rate. During my sleep study, they tried both a CPAP and a Bi-PAP on me to see which would work best. I had a terrible time with the Bi-PAP - it was "breathing" faster than I did. So it would start trying to force air into my nose before I was finished exhaling the previous breath. Naturally, this disturbed my sleep quite a bit. Of course, this was in a sleep clinic with technicians at the controls. When you have your own Bi-PAP, can you set the pace of the breathing to match your own? Joyce > > Since I looked it up, I now know that 'CPAP' stands for Continuous > > Positive Airway Pressure. Mine *is* a Bi-PAP machine. It has [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Joyce Kind of two answers. First, you can train yourself to work with forced air, as that's a method used for military high-performance pilots -- they get forced air and have to consciously exhale. I can't speak to BiPAP machines. The sort of ventilator used in ICU definitely can be set to the physiological response of the patient -- not a strict timer as much as pressure or volume in the system. A forced rate generally is only used with comatose patients. When you start forcing the rate, additional, highly specialized variables come into play. Ventilator orders are not simple to write. > I can't speak to BiPAP machines. The sort of ventilator used in ICU > definitely can be set to the physiological response of the patient -- > not a strict timer as much as pressure or volume in the system. A > forced rate generally is only used with comatose patients. They claimed the BiPAP would respond to my breathing pace, and alternate blowing and not blowing the air accordingly - but it felt forced to me. When it started blowing air into my nose in the middle of my exhale, I found it hard to believe that it was "responding to my breathing pace." Maybe I could have gotten used to it, but fortunately I got a CPAP instead, so I didn't have to find out. Joyce > > I can't speak to BiPAP machines. The sort of ventilator used in ICU > > definitely can be set to the physiological response of the patient -- [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > instead, > so I didn't have to find out. I understand the physiology of a full-capability ventilator well enough to design software to monitor them, but prescribing anything that either forces breathing or responds on demands takes extreme skill. There are all sorts of subtle factors that need to be considered to set the triggers, the amount of air, etc. I will admit that I giggle a bit whenever I see one of the parameters, Auto-PEEP. (OK, it's positive end expiratory pressure, and it gets VERY complicated). > >Sounds like you are describing at least a BiPAP machine, and possibly a > >demand ventilators. Standard CPAPs don;t try to set breathing. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Regards and Purrs, > O J If it has the option to force a breathing rate, it's more than a usual BiPAP and getting close to a hospital-grade ventilator. A ventilator has to be fairly intelligent to know when to force a breath for a potentially conscious patient - that can be quite unpleasant unless you are trained to do it. There are a great number of knobs on a hospital ventilator, but the basics would be a timer, coupled with either a pressure or volume sensor. It sounds as if it would be useful to get a respiratory therapist or chest physician to go over your treatment plan in general. >I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a medical >condition where you periodically stop breathing. The CPAP sounds like a clever device! I'll have to ask my father if he's ever considered it. He's a loud snorer, and has very obvious sleep apnea. I don't know if it's caused him to suffer from insomnia, but my mother would have trouble sleeping, what with his snoring, then stopping, making choking sounds, and starting up again. These days, they sleep very far from each other, on opposite wings of their residence, and with their hardwood doors, nobody can hear a thing. Problem solved? Well, maybe not quite - I don't want my dad to wake up dead. :) >>I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a medical >>condition where you periodically stop breathing. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >Problem solved? Well, maybe not quite - I don't want my dad to wake >up dead. :) Your description is classic for apnea. Your dad needs to get himself on one of these without delay. It's covered by my health insurance, so maybe your father will get that benefit if he's covered. Seriously, he's risking heart attack and stroke, not to mention falling asleep while driving. Regards and Purrs, O J >Your description is classic for apnea. Your dad needs to get himself >on one of these without delay. It's covered by my health insurance, >so maybe your father will get that benefit if he's covered. >Seriously, he's risking heart attack and stroke, not to mention >falling asleep while driving. I'll be sure to ask him what he's doing about his condition. I'll be sure to mention the heart attack and stroke thing - the scarier the argument, the better it works on him. He's been like that for a long time. I remember once we were on a flight together, and I mentioned that he was snoring during part of the flight. He seemed concerned all of a sudden, and asked me if it was terribly loud. I told him that I could hear it over the engines. From the bathroom. With the door closed. While the toilet was flushing. :) Lots of purrs and best wishes that you have no more trouble breathing and that Cinders accepts the mask (and leaves it alone) really soon, SignaturePolonca & Soncek > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > doesn't ever get ideas about playing "hunt the snake" with my > breathing hose. ... Now, she has resumed coming > up to the head end of the bed to be petted, and I just hope that she > doesn't ever get ideas about playing "hunt the snake" with my > breathing hose. ...> John F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com I hope the breathing machine works for you. I bet you'll appreciate getting a good sleep. Does it restrict rolling over so that you can change your sleeping position? Well, I guess that won't matter, anyway because when you sleep with a cat, the cat does that. Annie >... Now, she has resumed coming >> up to the head end of the bed to be petted, and I just hope that [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >position? Well, I guess that won't matter, anyway because when you >sleep with a cat, the cat does that. I've got enough hose length to be able to roll over. The main problem that I have had so far is that, when I shift position, the mask sometimes moves slightly away from my face, resulting in a cool breeze blowing on my face (distracting) or a whistling sound (even more distracting). The only solution that I have found so far is to fasten the straps tightly, which produces a third type of distraction. SignatureJohn F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > fasten the straps tightly, which produces a third type of > distraction. If you have a gel mask, it can be put in hot water and then applied so that it molds to your face. With time, it becomes pretty automatic to adjust it -- my mask actually is broken at the upper headstrap part, but I've adapted so that I get adequate air, until I get a replacement. > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > fasten the straps tightly, which produces a third type of > distraction. If you have a gel mask, it can be put in hot water and then applied so that it molds to your face. With time, it becomes pretty automatic to adjust it -- my mask actually is broken at the upper headstrap part, but I've adapted so that I get adequate air, until I get a replacement. > I've got enough hose length to be able to roll over. The main > problem that I have had so far is that, when I shift position, the > mask sometimes moves slightly away from my face, resulting in a cool > breeze blowing on my face (distracting) or a whistling sound (even > more distracting). Yes, I remember that from sleeping with the cpap. I woke up tons of times from all that disturbance. > The only solution that I have found so far is to > fasten the straps tightly, which produces a third type of > distraction. Known as a "headache". :) When I slept with the straps too tight, I'd get a big headache from it. Also, deep red welts on the sides of my nose from where the mask was digging in too tightly. It was a constant struggle between too loose and too tight. Joyce > ... Now, she has resumed coming > > up to the head end of the bed to be petted, and I just hope that she [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > the cat does that. > Annie I use one as well. The trick in keeping it from tangling when you roll over is to turn the facepiece so that the hose goes over your forehead and straight to the machine (literally over -- it's sticking out from in front of your nose, so it won't make contact with your head). <snip> >I got the equipment about a week ago, and Cinders was understandably >rather wary of my new appearance for a couple of days. That's a terrible feeling too isn't it? I can't wear my cat ears inside the house at all anymore, because my little Darla just absolutely comes unglued. >She would get >up on the bed, but only at the foot end. Now, she has resumed coming >up to the head end of the bed to be petted, >and I just hope that she doesn't ever get ideas about playing "hunt the snake" with my >breathing hose. I know what my Marley Anne would do with it. She'd promptly sharpen her claws on it. She likes to sharpen on the strangest things......especially the vacuum cleaner hose, but the tires of a parked bicycle or the bottoms of any shoes will also do nicely. Take care of yourself John F. Eldredge, and sweet dreams! We all need our R.E.M. -bonbon In article ><snip> John I hope Cinders adjusts and that you get a good nights sleep. Suz Macmoosette Thank Heavens There's Only One =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= Waiting for inspiration. Please hold while I contemplate my navel. |\__/| (=':'=) (")_(") > When I go to bed, I have to wear a mask, somewhat resembling a blue > rubber pig snout, that fits over my nose and is connected by a hose > to the CPAP machine. A net of elastic webbing fits over my head to > hold the mask on, and makes me look somewhat like the villain in a > pro wrestling match. Six years ago I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea and was prescribed a CPAP as well. On the first night I used it at home, Roxy - who was about 6 months old - sat across the room from me, kind of leaning backwards, with a shocked look on her face. I mean, there I was, wearing this mask, with a long hose connecting to a noisy machine. She might have thought I was wearing a vacuum cleaner on my face. :) So she was understandably alarmed. Over the months, though, both she and Smudge got quite used to it - and no, John, there were no "hunt the snake" games. :) Over the next few years, I tried sleeping with and without the CPAP, and I found that my quality of sleep was about the same either way. There's a certain awkwardness factor that comes with having a vacuum cleaner on your face, but if your apnea is bad enough, the benefits far, far outweigh the inconvenience. For me, though, I think they more or less balanced each other out. I'd wake up with neckaches and backaches from sleeping in odd positions, and from tensing up in response to the tangled hose and other problems - and that interfered with my sleep as much as the extra air pressure improved it. The severity of my apnea was only slightly above the lowest that is clinically treatable, and in the end I stopped using the machine. Joyce > > When I go to bed, I have to wear a mask, somewhat resembling a blue > > rubber pig snout, that fits over my nose and is connected by a hose [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > above the lowest that is clinically treatable, and in the end I stopped > using the machine. If you want to get REALLY strange looks, wear it, using a battery pack, on a transoceanic flight. I'm definitely glad I was in business class; there probably would have been no way to set it up in coach. The cats have always ignored it, unless the hose comes loose and directly gooses them with an air blast. > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > normal breathing, not breathing, and rapid breathing (forcing the > windpipe open again). This doesn't happen when I am awake. (snippety) Purrs for peaceful sleep for you and Cinders! ------ Krista John F. Eldredge had something important to tell us on Sun, 19 Sep 2004 23:06:54 -0500: >I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a medical >condition where you periodically stop breathing. There are several >possible causes, but, in my case, I apparently have an inherited >I got the equipment about a week ago, and Cinders was understandably >rather wary of my new appearance for a couple of days. She would get >up on the bed, but only at the foot end. Now, she has resumed coming >up to the head end of the bed to be petted, and I just hope that she >doesn't ever get ideas about playing "hunt the snake" with my >breathing hose. I'm sure Cinders will get used to it, and I hope you will too! SignatureKaren AKA Kajikit Here kitty kitty kitty... visit http://www.catslaves.org! Come and visit my part of the web: Kajikit's Corner: http://www.kajikitscorner.com Allergyfree Eating Recipe Swap: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Allergyfree_Eating Ample Aussies Mailing List: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ampleaussies/ >I was recently diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a medical >condition where you periodically stop breathing. There are several >possible causes, but, in my case, I apparently have an inherited >tendency for my windpipe to "relax" too thoroughly when I am asleep, Good luck with the machine. I understand from people who have used it, it has been almost life-changing for them. They feel so much better. |
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