Setting up the equipment
The next step after gleaning this useless information was to receive your own machine which will solve all of your Sleep Apnea problems. My first question at that time was, “How can an involuntary action (apnea episodes) be retrained to become voluntary actions”? I was assured that it can be done and to my surprise it was done in my case. After regular usage of the BiPap/C-Pap machine I was eventually retrained to a normal non-obstructed breathing condition.
Because my condition was diagnosed as extreme Sleep Apnea, it was decided that a Bipap (BPAP is a form of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) therapy used to facilitate breathing.) machine was necessary. A Bipap is more advanced than a Cpap (CPAP continuous positive airway pressure) a machine commonly used as a treatment for sleep apnea.) for reasons I’m not sure. At the time that I began the use of my machine, an advisor was available by phone to answer any questions that might come up while in use. This turned out to be very helpful for decisions on pressure as well as number of episodes each night were of interest to me. Several times I check with my advisor for help. Unfortunately, this service was eventually discontinued which was very unfortunate for from that time to the present, I have to search for answers to my questions at a local office run by less than experienced personnel.
While visiting our local BiPap/C-Pap distributer, I was given a machine, hose, and mask to start my therapy. The decision as to which mask was to be used was important and eventually after several replacements, I was able to find a mask which fit my comfort requirements well. Several mask options are available, and your comfort fit can influence your decision as to continuing with the therapy or quitting the use of the equipment. After several visits to our local BiPap/C-Pap distributer, I finally found that a full mask fit my needs more satisfactorily than any of the others I had tried.
Next came the most often problem with Sleep apnea- Dry mouth!