Sleep apnea and Backpacking

[NCflyfisherman54]

There is now an EXP 96 pro boasting 4-6 nights hefty at $533 and 6.5#
Has any on looked into the new implant, looks kind of like a pace maker?

 

[Loco4dux]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 3 1/2 years ago and have been using a cpap ever since. I've debated getting one of the small battery powered CPAP machines so I can resume backpacking & backpack hunting but have not yet.
My dentist introduced me to a new(ish) treatment called Vivos. As part of the evaluation, they did a CT scan on my head & neck. My trachea narrows to 1-2 mm. Normal male is 25 mm.
The Vivos treatment (oral appliance) is supposed to increase the trachea to near normal size over the course of 12-18 months. Many patients don't need their cpap after 2-3 months of Vivos treatment. I really hope it works!

Vivos – Therapeutic

vivoslife.com

How’s this working out for you? I just had the initial office visit to learn about this today.

 

[BadDogPSD]

How’s this working out for you? I just had the initial office visit to learn about this today.

Still waiting for the appliance!

 

[ryjack70ss]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 3 1/2 years ago and have been using a cpap ever since. I've debated getting one of the small battery powered CPAP machines so I can resume backpacking & backpack hunting but have not yet.
My dentist introduced me to a new(ish) treatment called Vivos. As part of the evaluation, they did a CT scan on my head & neck. My trachea narrows to 1-2 mm. Normal male is 25 mm.
The Vivos treatment (oral appliance) is supposed to increase the trachea to near normal size over the course of 12-18 months. Many patients don't need their cpap after 2-3 months of Vivos treatment. I really hope it works!

Vivos – Therapeutic

vivoslife.com

I am a head and neck surgeon and treat OSA also. I would double check what they are telling you. The Vivos is an oral appliance. A trachea diameter of 1-2 mm is not compatible with life. Not sure what an oral appliance would do to correct that. An oral appliance pulls the mandible forward to, hopefully, bring the tongue with it as many tongue muscles attach to the underside of the chin. I do hope this works for you, though! Many insurance companies want patients to try these before we offer certain surgeries. Best of luck!

Also to many of the readers, a misconception of OSA is you will suddenly die in your sleep from not breathing. Most of my patients have gone years without treatment of their OSA. They feel tired during they day and it increases health risks over the long game. We also make people stop using CPAP for many of the cancer surgeries we do until they heal, which can be weeks. You all may want to check with your sleep physician and get their opinion about risks to your health if you don’t take it with you on a hunt if it is more inconvenient to drag it along. Granted you will still snore and you may have daytime sleepiness if you suffer from that.


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[BadDogPSD]

@ryjack70ss Thank you for the information. I'm hoping it will work too. Mind if I PM an image to you?

 

[NCflyfisherman54]

@ryjack70ss​

how long has this OSA Surgery been going on with the Device under skin to stimulate the tongue.​

i was diagnosed and have been using a cpap since about 2008

 

[ryjack70ss]

@ryjack70ss Thank you for the information. I'm hoping it will work too. Mind if I PM an image to you?

Sure


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[ryjack70ss]

@ryjack70ss​

how long has this OSA Surgery been going on with the Device under skin to stimulate the tongue.​

i was diagnosed and have been using a cpap since about 2008

We have been doing it for a handful of years. We started with a trial that showed efficacy and now it has been FDA approved for a while, I believe in 2014. Nerve stimulation therapy is a great treatment for properly selected patients. There are AHI requirements. Typically between 15-65 but depends on insurance policy. BMI needs to be below 35 or 32 depending on insurance, typically. The inspire website is actually quite good and has some criteria on it. Let me know if you have questions. I can’t really give medical advice to individuals but I can answer questions.


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[NCflyfisherman54]

We have been doing it for a handful of years. We started with a trial that showed efficacy and now it has been FDA approved for a while, I believe in 2014. Nerve stimulation therapy is a great treatment for properly selected patients. There are AHI requirements. Typically between 15-65 but depends on insurance policy. BMI needs to be below 35 or 32 depending on insurance, typically. The inspire website is actually quite good and has some criteria on it. Let me know if you have questions. I can’t really give medical advice to individuals but I can answer questions.


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Is the device put in a place that would interfere with backpacking.

 

[NCflyfisherman54]

We have been doing it for a handful of years. We started with a trial that showed efficacy and now it has been FDA approved for a while, I believe in 2014. Nerve stimulation therapy is a great treatment for properly selected patients. There are AHI requirements. Typically between 15-65 but depends on insurance policy. BMI needs to be below 35 or 32 depending on insurance, typically. The inspire website is actually quite good and has some criteria on it. Let me know if you have questions. I can’t really give medical advice to individuals but I can answer questions.


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Is the " stimulation" noticable. Im sure its not as strong as a nerve test. Or a telephone land line shock.

 

[ryjack70ss]

Is the device put in a place that would interfere with backpacking.

It could be. I ask patients if they shoot etc so I can place it closer to the sternum. I wonder if people with cardiac pacemakers could comment as those are much more common and very similar.


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[ryjack70ss]

Is the " stimulation" noticable. Im sure its not as strong as a nerve test. Or a telephone land line shock.

Hmm. Haven’t had a patient tell me about their comparison to low voltage shocks . It is turned off when you are awake otherwise it will stimulate every inspiration. It is turned on at bed time and has a delay built in to give you time to fall asleep.


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[muskysaloon]

Willie IV said:
I just got back from AK caribou hunting. I bought the resmed portable cpap and used a goal zero Sherpa 100W battery and Nomad 20 solar panel to charge during the day. I was able to use every night. I don't travel as much for work as I used to but will like traveling with the small travel CPAP much better than lugging around the briefcase with the normal sized machine!

Willie, how long does you battery last on a full charge? Did any cloudy weather cause your daily charging to interrupt your sleep at all?

 

[manitou1]

And you were probably blissfully unaware any of it was happening. At least that's been the general consensus of the guys I've made aware of it. My first experience with it (a good friend) was extremely disturbing. He would snore like crazy and then struggle to keep snoring. Each snoring breath would get shorter and more occluded....then suddenly nothing.....hold your breath.....forever....until a sudden gasp for air. I hardly slept while this was happening. This guy was in great shape too. No excess weight and avid outdoorsman. Having sleep apnea is something like having vision changes. You often don't notice it until it becomes a problem. You didn't cause it....it happens.

SA is totally about airway collapse/obstruction. Sleeping position, head support, pillows, and many things can affect it. I suppose there's a chance that a guy sleeping in camp might actually not have as many or frequent episodes as at home in bed with a big pillow. The problem is not knowing or being aware.

One last thing is to avoid muscle relaxers and that includes alcohol. Having 2 or 3 drinks an hour or so before sleep can dramatically increase the likelihood of apneic episodes. Drink lightly,

Some forms of SA are not obstructive and are much harder (and more expensive) to control.
I have. Central Sleep Apnea. The brain fails to sense O2/CO2 levels correctly and fails to send the proper message to breathe.
I had the surgeries and CPAPs but finally found Drs that knew what they were doing. Central SA requires an ASV BIPAP.

 

[muskysaloon]

So is anyone else affected by the Philips recall? I have 2 machines and both are on the recall list ughh. Wonder if they will let me change one of the models out for the AirMini. My older machine definitely has the black particulate from the bad foam. Sure can't be a good thing I was breathing that crap for years. arghh

 

[NCflyfisherman54]

So is anyone else affected by the Philips recall? I have 2 machines and both are on the recall list ughh. Wonder if they will let me change one of the models out for the AirMini. My older machine definitely has the black particulate from the bad foam. Sure can't be a good thing I was breathing that crap for years. arghh

My cpap is in the recall, i was told replacement may take a while. I am also looking into the Airmini. My supply company says insurance won't cover a travel machine. Im working with my VA sleep dr to get a perscription, hopefully insurance will pick it up or at lease part.
I priced the AirMini, and the device, battery and some other accesories, it be like $1500. I think device and battery only weight less than 4#.

 

[muskysaloon]

My cpap is in the recall, i was told replacement may take a while. I am also looking into the Airmini. My supply company says insurance won't cover a travel machine. Im working with my VA sleep dr to get a perscription, hopefully insurance will pick it up or at lease part.
I priced the AirMini, and the device, battery and some other accesories, it be like $1500. I think device and battery only weight less than 4#.

yeah, its expensive as all heck. I should probably call them to see if we can work out a deal. i'd be willing to just turn in my old cpap and pay the difference with the airmini. I don't even use my old one anymore, so I wouldn't really be out anything. Now my new Dreamstation, is a different story. I've only had it since last April.

 

[Shooter264]

I had horrible sleep apnea but had a surgery and it 100% cured it. Doc said it had a 50% success rate. For those odds, I was all over it to not be tied to a machine. They took out my tonsils, Uvula, and some of my soft palate. Instant cure. Can’t tell you how much better I slept and how much more energy I had. May not be for everyone but I’m not tied to a machine and no longer have sleep apnea.

 

[muskysaloon]

I had horrible sleep apnea but had a surgery and it 100% cured it. Doc said it had a 50% success rate. For those odds, I was all over it to not be tied to a machine. They took out my tonsils, Uvula, and some of my soft palate. Instant cure. Can’t tell you how much better I slept and how much more energy I had. May not be for everyone but I’m not tied to a machine and no longer have sleep apnea.

My younger brother did something very similar. I really need to look into this.

 

[ryjack70ss]

Some people these surgeries really help. What you had is called a UPPP. Many of us don’t do these surgeries anymore because of the low (50%) success rate. We tend to do a sedated endoscopy to see what is collapsing to try to target the area of collapse and base surgery on that. Many of us now do a variation of a expansion palatal pharyngoplasty. Has closer to 80% success in the right patient. Definitely not a one size fits all.


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