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Alternatives to cpap
hello, I have just joined and this is my first post on this site
i was diagnosed with sleep apnoea seven months ago and have worn a cpap machine since. I hate it,
It does work, and I now suffer much, much less from daytime tiredness and my partner tells me I no longer stop breathing during sleep.
However, psychologically I am really struggling with wearing the cpap machine, it makes me feel very ugly and embarrassed. It is not helped by the fact that I am in a relatively new relationship of two years. I have to say my partner does not complain. I also love to travel and taking the cpap on holiday is cumbersome. I am ravelling up the Amazon in April and would love an alternative.
The hub of my query really is how other people cope with all this and has anyone found a satisfactory alternative. I have read about medication, nasal sprays and miniature cpap machines the size of a matchbox but don't seem o be able to buy these.
Pall advice welcome. Help please.
Regards May
Views: 134
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sleep2snore on
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You can buy smaller machines for travel, but they are not so adaptable.
There are also MAD devices to hold your jaw forward (these tend to only work with MILD cases) and there are also tongue holding devices that hold the tongue forward, these have limited success, but you may be a lucky one. They are expensive for what they are, but there are Chinese copies, but buyer beware. All they do is hold the tongue forward out of your mouth.
If they work for you that is fine, but you need to try it before you go. If they do not work for you you will drop into exhaustion very quickly. There are a lot more using CPAP than you might think. It does not bother me at all, even when staying in hotels and in other peoples homes. Now i have a quiet machine they don't even notice unless they meet me with the mask still on on the way to the toilet. So stop being so naive and use what is best for you. Others don't think anything of it, they may ask what it is for, but after they get a quick explanation they just accept it. There is a lot more to worry about in the Amazon than how you look with a cpap.
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