I freekin need a nap

[larry63]

So much for all the stuff on my list that I was supossed to get done today
I long for the life before CPAP. Although I was still tired, I semi-functional and not competely irritable at everybody.e
I thought CPAP was supposed to make me feel better.

All I can think about now is falling asleep. I wasted 4 hours before now either not getting anything done, or typing on this msg board.
Never mind the 45 minutes I spent this morning chasing the snooze button on my droid.


This is even after a 8 0z coffee (American - which means the dilituted stuff) and a half dose of the small

Oh how I long for those days before xPAP!

I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position. How do you guys and gals keep the resolve even though you feel worse and can't think straight?
How do you get through your day?

It's obvious to me why compliance to xPAP is so low - after all, which would you prefer - a life where you'r chronic fatiigue only gets worse, or your life
before xPAP, where you at least could stay awake and not rundown those road construction cones, and not wake up at 11 am on a friday, having slept through a loud alarm because you thought it was actually saturday morning. For that matter, jkust simply not knowing whether it's a weekday or or weekend is troublesome to me. It's scary to me to wake up and not know what day of the week it is until I look at my cell phone. And I I forget sometimes now what people said to me, and if it were in a dream or in reality. To me, this is not good.

From my unduerstanding, I was DX'd with Sleep Apnea. Fine, great. But know that I'm being treated, my symptoms are only getting worse, and by that I mean quite disturbingly worse - I really want to keep my job!

Ok sorry for the disturbance - nap time - and a big FU to CPAP unless someone has an explanation as to why it would be making m feell like I've betten allo nighters the last two months.

If anyone has an answer PLEASE let me know.

I mean i DO want to continue with thereapy, but on the other hand since I started therapy I'm less functuional in daily life, and it is very dissapointing because
it was hoping that the OSA dx was sort of the holy grail that would help me stay awake more and concentrate better.

Sorry for the rant, but then again, anybody who has any ideas - I'm all ears, Even if I could at least get to the point where I was as functional as before tx, that would be a big plus I know could just simply stop using CPAP, but then again I don't want to die early.

LArry

[Janknitz]

All I can say is "this too, will pass." It IS hard at first to adjust to sleeping with the hose.

You need to set yourself a goal to be able to get to that point where you can stick the mask on your face, lie down, and go to sleep all night. If you keep your eyes on the goal, it will happen. Bit by bit you will eliminate the annoyances and get used to the situation.

One night you will sleep 5 hours and wake feeling so good. Then six, then seven or eight. When you wake peacefully, calm and relaxed because your body is not full of adrenaline to try to get you to breathe, you will understand that the struggle is worth it.

Keep on keeping on. It's better than dying at a young age or being debilitated because of untreated apnea.

[Breathe Jimbo]

Don't give up, at least not before you see a sleep doctor, tell him what is going on, and see what he recommends. It is possible that your machine was not set up properly. Perhaps you need a higher pressure. See my other post, yesterday night, about getting a copy of your complete sleep study report and following up with the sleep lab, the doctor who read your sleep study data, your primary, the DME, and your insurance company.

Can you take a leave of absence from work (e.g. Family Medical Leave Act) until you get all this straightened out?

Do you know another CPAP user who can at least help you fit your mask to deal with the leaks?

There is hope; don't give up!

[Julie]

First thing - what are the chances you're mouth breathing after falling asleep and losing all the Cpap air that way? If it's remotely possible then experiment to find out by using tape (do a search here on 'taping') for a couple of nights. If it works, if you feel better, then you probably want to investigate a full face mask. So many of us end up with one because even if it wasn't a big issue prior to diagnosis, once you start having air pumped in, it can cause the syndrome to start. Is your mask otherwise comfortable? Do you get enough hours of sleep? Could you have GERD (acid reflux) like a lot of us and end up having that be a reason you're not sleeping well? If so, then cut way back on caffeine, certainly after noon, along with whatever other acidic or extra spicy food you eat and don't drink alcohol before bed. You could try a TUMS at that time though - can make a big difference, as could just raising the head of your bed 6". There are a lot of things that can matter, so whatever you can think of, let us know.

[Breathe Jimbo]

I notice the following about your machine: "With the SleepStyle 244 you can now track basic compliance and AHI through Performance Maximizer Software and its SmartStick removable media." I would recommend getting the software and doing whatever it takes to find out what your AHI is, immediately, so that you have more information about what is going on. Other people with that machine can help you that. Do a search on that model or start a new thread with a title like, "Getting Data from SleepStyle 244."

Can you determine the current settings of your machine from a display? Does it have an Info button? Posting that information would help others make intelligent suggestions. You really need to determine what pressure settings were recommended by the sleep doctor who read your sleep study data, and whether your machine was set up correctly by the DME. If I were you, I would be at the sleep lab the second they open on Monday morning, demanding a copy of your complete sleep study report and the reading doctor's recommendations. Bring your machine and try to get them to help you determine whether it was set up correctly (worth a try). In the meantime, use the weekend to find the software (everything is on the internet) and learn how to determine the settings.

If you need a nap, take a nap ... with your machine.

[So Well]

I long for the life before CPAP. Although I was still tired, I semi-functional and not competely irritable at everybody.e
I thought CPAP was supposed to make me feel better.

What does the data from your machine say? Do you have the software with your machine?

If you don't measure the effectiveness of your therapy, how can you know it is even working?

You could still be having many apneas and have added onto this problem the inconvenience of CPAP.

You need to look at the data!

In another post you say you are mouthbreathing while using a nasal interface. This can be causing a big problem - you need to have some data!

If you take a nap without CPAP, make sure to sleep on your sides or stomach. This might provide some relief as compared to sleeping on the back - but it is unlikely to be a cure.

Don't make the mistake of thinking you will adjust over time. You need the data.

[Emilia]

You don't say if you have the software for your machine.... although I am not sure it is still available. Your machine is an older model in that brand line. I would surmise you are not getting effective therapy and to know why that is happening, you need to see the data of your overnight sleep and therapy. Without the software, the best you can do is get the clinician's manual for your machine and tweak the settings to see if provides better results. But you will need to be careful to do this slowly and in baby steps. You don't say anything about your mask....are you experiencing leaks? If so, are you searching on the forum for fixes or asking for suggestions?

Link for your clinician's manual: http://www.apneaboard.com/CPAP%20Adjustment.htm Scroll to the bottom of the page and you'll see it is the last one listed. This group of manuals must be requested via email from that site's admin. Directions for that are further up the page.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Time to regroup and attack this with new ideas and knowledge!

[Emilia]

I found the user's manual for your machine, and it says you can read the AHI on the machine only if it was enabled by the DME/RT. If yours is disabled, once you get the clinician's manual, you can switch to enable that function so you'll at least have that information daily. I assume your DME gave you the SmartStick for your machine to capture compliance data unless you aren't using insurance. If that is the case, do you have a Smart Stick? They can be purchased at our host's site. I am just not clear if the Smart Stick for your model will work with the current version of the software they are selling....worth a call to find out.

User's Manual: http://www.cpapxchange.com/cpap-machine ... manual.pdf

[Breathe Jimbo]

Larry, this what you need:

http://www.fphcare.com/userfiles/file/O ... ochure.pdf

[Breathe Jimbo]

Larry, check your PMs (at the top of the page, where it says, "(1 new message)."

[Breathe Jimbo]

A couple more things:

1. Don't go crazy with the clinician's manual. More pressure is not necessarily better. If the pressure is excessive for you, it MAY cause central apneas, which are another can of worms, possibly requiring a different kind of machine. This is where the titration data from your complete sleep study would be helpful, as it MAY tell you whether and at what pressures any centrals MAY have started appearing during your sleep study, as you would want to stay below that level. You don't want to induce centrals, which appear to be neurological (i.e. your brain) rather than anatomical (i.e. your upper airway collapsing).

2. For some odd reason, it appears that some things not available in the US can be ordered from Australia. If you cannot find the software you need in the US, you may be able to find it in Australia. Don't ask me why; I don't know.

[Julie]

Might be because Resmed is an Aussie company?

[jweeks]

I thought CPAP was supposed to make me feel better.

Larry,

Have you ever taken your car in for work, and despite having several parts replaced, the still has the same problem? Or taken it in for an issue, only to find out that several other things were wrong, too? Or taken it in to get fixed, and something else breaks shortly after you get it back from the shop? The human body is the same way. You could have more than one thing wrong, you could have new issues that have popped up, or it could be that the machine is not adequately treating your particular issue. If your car comes back from the shop broken, most people will take it back to the shop and asked that they work on it again to fix the problem. You need to do something similar with your body. Go back and see your doctor or RT. In the mean time, post some data from your machine, and see if the numbers people here see anything obviously wrong.

How do you guys and gals keep the resolve even though you feel worse and can't think straight? How do you get through your day?

Well, in my case, CPAP has been a miracle cure. I went from non-functional before to being a very highly productive person since starting CPAP. I cannot tell you that it was a quick or easy road. There were certainly some bumps and pot holes along the way. I can tell you that it has been very, very worth it. I have gotten more done over the past 2 years than I did in the previous 6 years combined. Part of this is proper motivation. I have the choice between CPAP and a trache. I really don't want to have a trache, so I am pretty well motivated to make CPAP work. It have to make this work.

-john-

[Breathe Jimbo]

Larry, what city and state are you in? Maybe someone in this forum lives nearby and could meet up with you to help with some of the simpler problems, like helping to fit your mask and showing you how to determine your settings and access your efficacy data.

[tony72]

what do you wanna be,on pap or on a cold slab in a morgue with no pap?your choice...everytime i drive on rural roads where i live i pass cemeteries,very humbling thing no matter how often i drive past them,i tell myself that i am NOT ready to join them i have much life left to live...so my choice is cpap.