BIPAP

[mytwopenceworth]

anyone got one?

i was in hospital all week and came out with one. i wondered if anyone had one and how long it took you to get over the panic and weird feeling about the mask.

What you got it for penny?
Might take a while to get used to it as it is totally weired isnt it?
Will make allot of difference to you though in terms of breathing etc.

hi donbean, been a while, are you ok?

it's not sleep apnoea, which they had thought it might be.

basically, it's respiratory failure. im not getting enough air and im building up carbon dioxide. (something about gas exchange)

so i have to use this machine which will expand my lungs more fully than i am able by just breathing in and will do the parts of my lungs that arent currently ?inflating and so i will get more oxygen. it will reduce the strain on my heart. im told it will also help my fluid retention once my heart isnt under so much strain.

so i have a new best friend. his name is Cyril.

So, why have you got respiratory failure?
Do you have congenital heart problems?
BTW.. Cyril...like it!!

was it you leaking fluid from swollen legs before?

welcome cyril btw.

so is your heart failing as well?

hi guys. its called hypo (not hyper!) ventilation. doctors dont explain stuff well, or maybe i am too thick to understand, but the way i understand it is how i explained it.

i went in cos i was supposed to have The Op, but the preop stuff raised a query re possible sleep apnoea which apparently has anesthetic implications, so i went in for tests - including taking blood from my f*ing wrist every day for a week! and all sorts of breathing tests, and that bipap machine after the first night. and it turns out its not sleep apnoea, where your airways collapse, but i am not breathing enough. thats why my oxygen levels are so low and something about not getting rid of carbon dioxide. plus my lungs are dodgy anyway because of my asthma, so that doesnt help. they said this machine will inflate my lungs further than i can, giving extra oxygen. they said at first i would have oxygen at home in the short term, but then they changed their minds!! apparently, not getting enough oxygen puts a strain on your heart, especially at night when she said it is supposed to rest more, so this machine is supposed to help. strain on your heart can cause water retention she said (which i have - water retention i mean).

yes misdee, it was me with the tap in my leg! after months and months of messing about and dressings and that horrible iktopaste (sp) it finally healed (yippee!!) but i have a big bit of really hard skin where it was.

no i dont have congenital heart problems donbean. it is my lungs that pose a threat to my heart, rather than my heart being the cause iyswim. assuming i understood correctly.

anyway, i have to go back in in a few weeks to see how its going. so more jabs in the wrist. i hate that. then i get an appt with the consultant and find out if they are still going to operate.

sorry for the essay. i tried to not waffle.

hmm. Sounds like you have the jist of it ok to me.
I think that you are just unlucky to have this problem. I dont know how common it is but the Bipap will defo help with this at night.
It really is a great bit of kit and you will soon get used to it im sure.
Just persevere with it,
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
x

Interested to read this mtpw. I'm pretty sure my dh does have sleep apnoea. He snores dreadfully then just basically stops. No snoring, no breathing, nothing. And whilst I'm grateful for the momentary respite from his snoring I just lie there waiting for his next breath. He has a very low heart rate when sleeping - measured at 37 when he had a 24 BP recently - yet he breathes very fast. He keeps 'forgetting' to mention his sleep problems when he goes to the GP despite sleep apnoea/bradycardia and high BP being closly linked.

Hope you're getting on with the BIPAP and it makes a difference to you. Do you feel like you are getting a better quality sleep?

yeah thanks. i hate it. in fact, i have a panic attack every time i put it on, i feel like i am going to die (i know, you always feel that in a panic attack!) i dont really understand it, i wore it in the hospital and i was ok. first day home i was ok. then i panicked and ripped the mask off and now every time i try to wear it i think about how i panicked and how it makes me feel like i can't breathe and hey presto, i'm off again.

i get so mad with myself for these panic attacks that i could beat the crap out of myself.

sounds like it could be sleep apnoea to me too Saggar, he really needs to see someone. why not wake him up every time he does it and say "you did X again, are you ok" he'll soon be so sick of you he'll go to the gp.

I don't have any advice, but it sounds like you've had a hard time. I hope you feel better and get used to your mask. It does sound awful.