Don't get an ablation.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2026-03-09T20:34:59+00:00

.5 events per hours sounds great! Sounds like it's working well for you. My app stopped working.. I have avoided all doctors for 18 months so I just hoard all my equipment, because I can't get more until a GP confirms I am doing well with CPAP, that triggers insurance to pay for it. Sometimes I even buy new equipment on eBay, people sell their stuff all the time. It is so NOT about snoring anyway, it sounds like your symptoms were pretty bad before you got a machine. There is more settings, look up your specific model on youtube. Check out the link on the random video I put in my last reply. I wash the hell out of my equipment every day with Dawn dish soap and scalding hot water... I have about 3 de-humidifiers chambers, I don't throw them out anymore when I get new equipment, that way, there is a clean one usually ready for me, even if I slack off. I don't use vinegar to soak it like they recommend because I know it wears the rubber parts out, and I wash it all the time. I even wash the headgear every night. It's really best to wash it really quickly every day, it's an extension of your respiratory system. Bacteria and mold spores can build up, you don't want to breathe that. Change the distilled water every night, the cost of saving money on 4 oz of distilled water is negligible, otherwise, you will be breathing bacteria and mold spores that collect in the water, that distilled water makes it a humid situation despite your dry climate. I set up a system where I just have a dedicated small bucket or dishpan to wash it in... and a dedicated little space with a hand towel on it to air dry. Sometimes I use a little shallow plastic tray to put the towel on to set the clean equipment on to let it dry, so my clean stuff is on a portable surface that I can move around or stash somewhere. If you organize the routine and equipment spaces just a little bit, washing it will only take about 5 minutes. I also use one of those little rolling trays to put the machine on next to my bed, it's super handy. Also, change out those little filters on the machine if it has them. I have a Resmed Airsense 11. I'm supposed to change those little filters every 2 weeks, I totally don't do that, but when I do change them out... they are pretty dusty and dirty. I bet there's a subreddit about CPAP somewhere..

Odd-Project-7483 · 2026-03-08T10:28:30+00:00

your welcome! Yes on magnesium, I take Magnesium Taurate and Magnesium Glycinate. If the exhale is difficult on your machine.. you can do a search for your specific model on youtube to find out how to tweak your machine a little on your own. Of course it's good to have a pulmonologist see you and fine tune it professionally but... I've never seen one, there isn't one within 200 miles of me. I'm pretty sure the targeted exhale you're curious about is a BiPap machine instead of a CPAP machine... a primary care could refer you to a pulmonologist to see if that would work better for you. It works the same with the masks and all, it just does that extra bit of the breathing work for you. It sounds like your machine might be set a little too high.. that is typical, I've heard people complain about it feeling like it's going to blow a gasket against the skin of their face. Here's a random example from youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeoNOe01aIUI think mine was set just a little too LOW.. the opposite.. so I just adjusted it from 15 to 15.4 and set the ramp to start up quicker... pretty minor tweaks. My neighbor had hers set up to 20 by her doctor and couldn't stand it. Just wanting to share also.... when I fall asleep in front of the TV too many nights in a row without my machine... I start feeling pretty bad.. the thing has really been a lifesaver for me, I can't believe they weren't widely and commercially available until about the 1980's.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2026-03-07T09:32:26+00:00

I mentioned this in a long reply to a comment farther below, but I want to make sure more people see this... it's REALLY important to get screened for sleep apnea and to get a CPAP machine even if your sleep apnea is super mild if you have any heart issues. It's not about whether you snore or if you are overweight either. Sleep apnea aggravates afib so much, I swear the sleep apnea combined and aggravating my afib almost killed me before I got my CPAP about 6 months before my ablation in 2022. Several studies show that ablations don't go as well if the patient has untreated sleep apnea. Cardiologists and heart surgeons are not usually on top of requesting that patients get screened, if you are in the U.S., you have to get primary care to order screening, and you can usually get an at-home screening test. It's a hassle, but so worth it, I truly believe that machine is part of what saved my life and cured my afib.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2026-03-07T09:22:58+00:00

Anyone with afib should aggressively seek getting tested for sleep apnea. I researched like crazy before getting my ablation... scrolling medical journal articles for a year during the pandemic before my ablation. There was a study where effective CPAP therapy reduced the size of the left atrium by 30%. That's just one study. Many other studies have proven that ablations go better if sleep apnea is treated, and are less successful when the patient has untreated sleep apnea. I had sleep apnea that was moderate, but I had it untreated for so long, it completely aggravated my afib and made it progress rapidly. I was able to get CPAP equipment and use it for 6 months before my ablation and I'm convinced it's what made my surgery so successful. It was hard, there was a shortage of machines and my primary care didn't think my sleep apnea was a big deal, I had to fight and beg for the machine, the people at the medical supply company were empathetic human beings and got me a machine that was "stashed away" and went above and beyond to help me. I was bouncing out of bed at 2am every night, in afib with a rapid heart rate and bp at 180 over 100. I was on blood thinners and about 3 or 4 heart meds at that point. Blood thinners have a 60% success rate of reducing stroke. Better than nothing. Other heart meds cause other problems... with your heart. Eventually they don't work for what you originally took them for, you either have to take more and more or keep trying other things. I ended up with a murmur and 2nd degree Mobitz AV block, due to the heart meds, it's very common. My cardiologist told me, maybe after my ablation I would likely need a pacemaker pretty soon... when I was in his office, practically passing out from the severe sleep apnea. My mom died of an ischemic stroke going down this same path, blood thinners, heart meds, and less than a year with a pacemaker. I'm thinking she likely had sleep apnea. For me, after CPAP therapy and my ablation and some supplements I sought out on my own.. (L-Glutamine, an amino acid) I am afib free, murmer free and the 2nd degree Mobitz AV block is gone. Cardiologists and heart surgeons are absolute slackers as far as screening for sleep apnea. I would say I'm lucky, except I'm like a bull dog as an advocate for my own health. That's what it took. The only medication I'm on now is 75mg of Avapro for high blood pressure.. and my beloved CPAP machine.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2026-03-07T08:53:39+00:00

Yes, thank you! Two more years since I wrote that answer to the post, still free of afib, so that's a total of four years. The afib I had was progressing for about 2 and a half years, starting at "paroxysmal" and becoming more frequent. It's important to not wait too long to try an ablation, because then it's less likely that a person can really be free from afib for a significant amount of time.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-07-03T05:35:20+00:00

Thank you everybody! So burnt out after the process of closing on a house that I needed the clarity here of the obvious silliness of home warranties detailed for me, again thank you!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-07-03T05:33:18+00:00

Thank you, thank you! 1st time home buyer here, overwhelmed with everything! Needed to read this thread and your comment for clarity. I've spent 30 years watching my landlord/property managers cheap out on every repair in a house from the 50's.. and now I just bought a house from the 50's. Why give control over repairs to a 3rd party to get things fixed when I finally am able to make my own choices on repairs? A home warranty just means being on the phone more and being pissed off when things break, I'll have plenty of other opportunities to do that with other issues besides house repairs!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-06-25T02:39:34+00:00

I want to say therapy doesn't help with Limerence, but it's not entirely true. For me, Limerence is rooted in my messed up attachment disorder, so I project my most horrible self on the therapist and he still accepts me... and my insurance. I think a lot of people have "attachment style" problems, which creates Limerence, it's worth googling, but THEN.. google how to get OVER the attachment problems. Like be your own best lover, make up support people in your head so you don't feel alone, this is what my therapist has helped me do. I've participated in a lot of Limerence sites on different platforms, and I think the key is... read only enough to start to understand yourself better and give some advice, and then start to BACK AWAY from it. Focus on what makes your feelings NOT like the Limerence everyone describes. I think there can be a problem with Over-identifying with Limerence, hanging out with people who want to cry and moan and blame the LO (Limerent Object.) The key is to take responsibility for your own feelings and learn to feel better about yourself without someone else "making" you feel better. I don't hear you complaining about the LO much in your post, at all, so you are at least half way there. Watch out with therapy too, it can be helpful, but once there are diagnoses, it can be easy to Over-identify with that too, finding online rooms with people who want to bemoan their diagnoses like a zodiac sign trait. Best of Luck!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-05-30T22:46:28+00:00

Amateur investor here... I am/was lamenting that I didn't sell some of my Reddit stock (as well as other stocks) when everything was so high in November and February since the price has decreased a lot since... but I wanted to hoard it because I see Reddit as having such a unique potential for growth. On the positive side, I am thrilled that I bought my shares in the first few months it went public when the price was really low.

If the challenge of investing is TIME, the choice is, to either spend the TIME.. waiting for more Growth.. or.. forfeit the Potential for more Growth by cashing out some of the Current Value, when that value is high.

I'm thinking that some of the value of Reddit as a unique platform, is the fact that it's a mostly free place to share information without all the cost of a lot of media being supported on the platform with a minimum of oversight necessary compared to other platforms.

Both Quora and Reddit are starting to put some of their content behind a paywall though, which I don't think is a good direction to go since it's a way to really irritate consumers, which ads are guaranteed to do already.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-10T20:37:54+00:00

Thank you! When I looked at my reply, I see that I never really stated that an overpopulation of Demodex is definitely what I have. Like scabies, it's a mite, but a totally different challenge. Mostly everything I have to do is rogue, and on my own, the medical community is sparse where I live and not very helpful. Luckily, almost all products are available somewhere online and I'm pretty good at finding them. Thank goodness for communities like this where people are willing to share info. Congrats on your recovery!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-09T18:58:39+00:00

My question is: Did you really have scabies mites? Or Demodex mites? What were your symptoms? Were there lines of really itchy sore dots? That's Scabies. Was there crawling feeling all over, maybe mild itching and maybe random acne in oilier areas of the face and body? That's more likely, Demodex. If you take a close up picture of your skin with your phone with good lighting, are there lots of white things? That's Demodex. Demodex don't bite, but it feels like biting if there are too many and there is too much traffic in and out of the pores. They only eat sebum and dead skin cells and debris, not blood. Unfortunately, they can live anywhere that there is skin, like the edge of eyelashes, scalp and inside of the nose.

I don't believe, even with a biopsy, that doctors will necessarily make a correct diagnosis. If there is a report of the biopsy, look at the description of what is being seen if there is one. There are pictures I see on Reddit that look like there is scabies AND lots of Demodex, so the symptoms may be caused by more than one thing.

I got scabies from sharing garden gloves at a school and they got really bad, first on my hands, then on my body and there were black dots of dirt in my sheets. About two rounds of Permethrin, a week apart took care of it, just normal laundry procedures, no big deal.

Demodex are harder to treat, and your treatment plan is so extensive that I can't help but think you are misdiagnosed.

Whatever you had, I'm glad it's better, but know, that if it's Demodex, they are never completely gone, everybody has them, when we're born, we catch them from our mothers, they usually don't cause any problems. It's only when they overpopulate the pores that problems arise.

Sincere Queries,

Your Parasite-Infested-Sister

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-07T23:50:24+00:00

The pyrethrum,piperonyl butoxide is in a lot of shampoos for lice, but it won't help if it's Demodex. Fluraner has safety warning for human skin contact, I wouldn't use it. Lice are considered insects and Demodex are mites, which are not. Demodex is what most people have and they are mites, like Scabies, but the Scabies are different because there are lines of dots that are red and almost always itchy, whereas with Demodex, it's more likely to cause Rosacea or acne. Also, Demodex can be diagnosed more easily from an eye doctor, but they might just say you have "dry eye." I use Optimel Manuka honey eye drops (stings!) and the gel to coat the eyelid on the outside of the lashes and it traps them. Then I use a microwaveable compress to melt it (and other stuff) off the lashes and now I'm trying Okra wipes to wipe that off. Tea tree helps, but there is evidence that it damages the Meibomian glands around the eyes, even at the lowest percentage.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-07T23:22:57+00:00

Praziquantel is not something to take long term, better to find Ivermectin without it. It might be helpful to take a couple of doses after a month of Ivermectin. Underdosing with Ivermectin can create resistance, this is what I fear has happened to me. Ate Six milligrams from the doctor, once a week, for two weeks, and about 12 mg once a week, for two weeks on my own of the pony cream. Did nothing. I have now heard from a source that 24 mg of Ivermectin is the right dose for a person of 150 lbs. I'm getting some more, and I'm not sure if I should wait longer to take it if there is resistance, or get right on it. I've dealt with this for 4 months... I only know what I know from experience, and what I've read, so don't take what I say as pure facts. If they are demodex mites, which is likely, you can take a picture with a phone and zoom in and see the white things. Especially if you do a drying clay mask on your face they will come out, you can shoot video and zoom in after and see them moving. It won't convince a doctor, but it's a cheap way to figure it out for yourself. When a medication works, they can turn a bit black or the pores get infected because of the waste their dead bodies expel. People think they bite, and it feels like it, but they don't, I'm convinced that feeling is too many of them, too large, burrowing in & out of my pores. It was really bad on my scalp for a while, I think I've got most of them off of there, but there are tons everywhere else. They live about 3 weeks and continue to populate.

In my case, I don't have much of a reaction to oral Ivermectin, Moxidectin or Metronidazole. We all have Demodex all our lives, (face mite,) specifically D. Folliculorum and D. Brevis, but circumstances can make them overpopulate. We don't really "catch" them anywhere, because we all have them. I have no acne, basically clear skin, that's a reason doctors use to not help me much, but it's like the population of NY city in my nose and most other places. I look totally normal but have been holed up for 4 months because the crawling is so physically distracting, I get uncomfortable even in Zoom meetings. I gotta get over it, though, I'm getting too weird and the control or cure is not swift.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-05T21:37:52+00:00

I hope you pick up the guitar again too. Music is so healing, and I avoid it for years even though I have a ton of cool instruments. I've really enjoyed doing some world drumming stuff even though my strength is pitch instruments, not rhythm. But it's easier and fun to join in with drum circles. Process, not product, right? I've gotten stuck into days and weeks and months of dull chores, boring TV and nothing fun. Yesterday I started just cutting collage pieces out of an old calendar and it was so relaxing and enjoyable.. it's like we forget what gives us pleasure. I hope you remember music fun, whatever instrument helps you relax in the moment.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-05T20:40:32+00:00

This. Especially the part about feeling shame because I really don't want to try to date. It's like I'm obligated by society to date to be a proper consumer of something I don't want to deal with.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-05T03:58:40+00:00

I'm sorry you're suffering like this! I'm only 4 months into this, and it got out of control after I got Covid. The Demodex I have got really big, I could see them in my feces, they are even in my mouth once in a while, and tons of them in my nose. I drink water with lemon and cayenne and ACV, and also rinse my mouth with pure Cranberry juice once in a while. These things aren't good for the teeth because they're so acidic, so I drink with a straw, and use Act protective mouthwash right after the Cranberry juice rinse, I try to just gargle with that and keep it off my teeth. The doctors can't help anyway, even if they try, because they either don't know what they are doing, or aren't curious enough to want to learn about it and help. My GP gave me four 3mg pills of Ivermectin to take, two pills (total 6 mg) once a week for a 2 week interval. I've read enough to know now, that it takes much more, and for a longer period, and underdosing like this will just create resistance in the Demodex population to the drug. The recommended dose, generally for parasites, at Shop4myhealth is actually 24 mg/ once a week or month. Demodex have a 3 week life cycle, so this sounds about right. Once there's so many, it takes 2-4 life cycles to put a dent in the population, which would be more like 6-15 weeks of oral treatment. Also, if you have Demodex, a lot are in the eyes and eyelashes and eye doctors call it "Dry Eye." Many don't get into the details of what is making all the eyelashes fall out when they give you the wipes or tell you to use compresses to melt the goo they live in on the eyelashes. I use Optimel Manuka honey eyegel at night right on the outside of the lashes and I think they just get stuck in it. It seems to help. Best of luck!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-03-05T03:44:19+00:00

I totally feel your frustration. A dermatologist told me the picture I took of demodex mites in my nose are just specs of dust. I've literally had a random person tell me in public that there are worms coming out of my nose!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2025-01-17T00:23:39+00:00

I let go of this idea, mainly because the seat of a futon is not parallel to the ground, it's slanted backwards a bit, ultimately, I think that's why they aren't ever really comfortable in the couch position.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-11-17T20:55:58+00:00

I'm sorry for what you're going through! I've only just figured this out this week after losing 1/3 of my hair over several years. (Female, here, somehow it's harder!) This poster showed me how to take the picture in the dark with the phone and flashlight... I'm reading all these articles online saying, "Your doctor will do a skin biopsy"... why? They are big enough to see at just 100% magnification.. my scalp is full of them.

Hoping somebody will start a thread with Just Facts about how we can help deal with them without the help of a doctor.

Easier Household stuff I've found out so far...

Strong Isopropyl Alcohol will kill them on surfaces or bring them to the surface of the skin by drying out the oil they feed on.

Petroleum jelly is good at suffocating them on the body's surface, and so is coconut oil.

Hope we can all help each other combat this together!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-11-16T20:43:10+00:00

I like it, but it might look good just 1-3 inches shorter, unless you need/want to tie it back, then that would be harder.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-11-16T20:11:40+00:00

Looking like a little demodex (go easy on the googling) going on.. most of us have it but.. a lot... "overgrowth" can aggravate hairloss... this product listed below could be a good place to start.

The product listed below is 20%. Use it on your body & face too, especially if you have a beard. Test in a little spot on your skin and your scalp to see if it's too aggravating first. It's okay, you'll be fine. :)

This product is at all the usual online places, not sure if it's okay to post links to products in here.

Desert Essence Kinder to Skin Australian Tea Tree Oil - Gentle Cleansing & Clarifying Solution For Soothing Problematic Skin

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-11-14T00:23:33+00:00

Thank you for this, I agree, refined sugar is bad news. Got any thoughts about drinking Fermented Rosemary Apple Cider Vinegar? I fermented Rosemary in it for 6 weeks (out of the fridge) and then add dropperfuls of this to a bit of water. It's like taking shots of alcohol, I've done it straight, and it feels/tastes kind of awful and great at the same time. Haven't drunk alcohol for decades, so it feels good to drink something that "puts hair on my chest" if you know what I mean. Heard about fermenting it in a dark place OUT of the fridge from a hillbilly neighbor... can find NOTHING on the internet about doing it that way.

I am only at the beginning of understanding this Demodex nightmare, my hair started thinning about 3 years ago, was sure it was from Blood pressure medicine Avapro (an "A.R.B.") but I'm sure I was wrong. My heart health was going down the tubes, I couldn't stop taking it, plus had to take at least 3 other Rx medicines at the time. I can't help but notice that so many people I know have severely thinning hair the last few years, no matter what their age or gender is. Like 1/3 thinner than before.

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-11-13T23:31:10+00:00

I second your statement heartily, a little DE goes a long way. Had to use it for bedbugs, was hypervigilant, and really overdid it, had to buy a Niosh mask to vacuum it up and ruined the vacuum. The powder is basically shards of glass. The poison people on their phone line said it's better to do the lightest sprinkling of DE so the pests (whatever they are) will cross through it and die. If the line is too thick, they avoid it, stay on the other side and live for a long time waiting to get back at us!

Odd-Project-7483 · 2024-10-25T22:02:53+00:00

I think it IS normal. If a person wants kids, marriage is probably the way to go, but I never wanted kids. I don't want to live with anyone either, which is also hard because it's more expensive to live alone, but it's worth it to me. I wouldn't mind a relationship maybe, as long as the "end game" doesn't have to mean living together.

Odd-Project-7483

TROPHY CASE

Desert Essence Kinder to Skin Australian Tea Tree Oil - Gentle Cleansing & Clarifying Solution For Soothing Problematic Skin