How Many Of Us Actually LIKE PAP ?

[edm_msu]

Personally, I am disappointed with CPAP and I use it every night. I was hoping that I'd feel better with more energy and that hasn't happened. I'm as tired as before.
At least my wife likes it because I don't snore anymore.

[jpatterson]

I do! I am convinced that I suffered for many years prior to my diagnosis. I would have a tough time falling asleep no matter how tired I was, and my sleep was fitful and ineffective. As soon as I started PAP treatment my life changed profoundly - I tell everyone who will listen about the benefits of my therapy. I tell people that the machine "blows me to sleep", and it does, usually within two or three minutes.

Regards,

JP

[HoseCrusher]

I like to sleep. It is restful.

My machine helps me sleep better.

I don't particularly like my machine, but I like to sleep...

[russ031]

a newbe here, i would never go to sleep with out it, its great, after reading about sport people that was use it, it was a easy thing to do, the best i ever felt, sorry i didnt use it 30yrs ago,

[Kiralynx]

When diagnosed, I was terrified, because all I had seen were full face masks, and I knew my claustrophobia wouldn't tolerate that.

I found a mask which works, and my therapy works.

I love being able to sleep without pain, which is how my apnea was diagnosed -- high pain levels with no apparent cause.

I hate being tied to the machine: I had a lesson last year, when we had no power for 7 days, in doing without PAP and it left permanent damage.

I love what PAP can do for me... and I fear doing without it.

[cosmo]

I hate being tied to the machine: I had a lesson last year, when we had no power for 7 days, in doing without PAP and it left permanent damage.

What type of permanent damage?

[Conrad]

I love the results but I hate having to use the damn thing. That said, I've not missed any nights since I started using my machine at the end of July 2012.

[Uncle_Bob]

I certainly like my PAP therapy but only because i can use nasal pillows without mouth leaking, breathing in through the nose as i was orginal designed to do.

If i had to wear a FFM, it would be a new fight.

Good to read all the positive comments here.

[jencat824]

I love my CPAP, have missed 5 nites in 13 yrs. 4 nites due to power outage during Ike & 1 nite in a chair at my mother-in-laws bedside in ICU the nite she nearly died. Second nite in ICU they let me bring my CPAP & hook it up to sleep in my chair.

To me, CPAP is awesome, I love being able to sleep thru the nite in comfort, waking up with some energy & not feeling like crap. I know many newbies don't feel the love yet, but give it a chance & hopefully it will become your friend.

Jen

[JohnBFisher]

Twenty plus years ago, when I was first diagnosed with sleep apnea, I was so desperate for sleep that I would dream when I blinked during the day. Talk about frightening. Imagine driving a car, blinking, dreaming, opening your eyes and trying desperately to reorient yourself before you crash!!!!!

So, do I like xPAP therapy? Good Lord, YES!! It's been a God Send for me.

And as my neurological condition progressed, having ASV to REALLY address the central apneas is wonderful news. The following image provides a sample of some nights that I face:



The blue line is my respiration. The red line is the ASV unit trying to address my respiration problems. Low movement on the blue line is NOT good. It means I stop breathing periodically (or at least am breathing very shallowly). High movement on the red line for the ASV unit means it had to REALLY ramp up the pressure (to 25cm H2O) to try to help break the cycle that causes the central apneas.

So, not only am I grateful for the technology, but I am grateful for chance at life that it provides.

[Captain_Midnight]

D.C. asks...How Many Of Us Actually LIKE PAP ?. An excellent question.

Please consider my hand to be raised, and waiving about so folks might notice.

At first, I was at "like", that was back in 05 when I was given a Respironics Cflex CPAP.

The CPAP was okay, but things got much, much better a couple of years later when (after reading and learning much from this site) I bought a data capable APAP (which I quickly optimized to reach an average AHI of about 0.4 inches). I quickly grew to "LOVE" my Aflex APAP, and I look forward to hitting the rack each night for some quality time with my sweet dream machine (literally).

Similar to Pavlov's doggie, when I get ready to don my scuba gear, I need only pick up my mask and I begin to yawn. It never fails.

Some posters above have adjusted to the sound, and find it relaxing. To me, it's more than that. I find it something like the sound of waves lapping at the beach. (There was a post some time ago about a guy whose DW complained when he got a quieter machine. She had grown to like the rhythmic, soft whooshing from the "noiser" machine.)

BTW, at the very beginning, I didn't care for the xPAP when I did my sleep study. I was certain that I could never adapt to such a weird and uncomfortable contraption. If this is you, then you just might be nicely surprised at how well you adapt to the gear, as you invest some initial time and effort.

.

.

[Dreamingofsleep]

Hi David,
I love your post. It gives those of us who still struggle hope. I have to tell you though, that in spite of the struggle I do find reassurance in using my machine, knowing my oxygen is not dropping causing damage to my heart, brain, and body. I also have to say I realize that breathing for me is a bit of a struggle, didn't really realize this until I had that nice cool or slightly warm air (depending on humidity setting) opening up the airways and helping me breathe. These elements I do enjoy!

Thanks again,
Dreaming

[Kiralynx]

I hate being tied to the machine: I had a lesson last year, when we had no power for 7 days, in doing without PAP and it left permanent damage.

What type of permanent damage?

I've mentioned before that the way I was diagnosed was the pain from my cancer surgery (mucking big 24" incision across my gut!) didn't go away when I had apparently healed. (In the hospital, after the surgery, doped to the gills on opiates, my hips were killing me. Incision didn't hurt, but I was miserable -- and my oximeter alarm kept going off. The nurses told me I was probably bumping it....)

They sent me to a pain management specialist. She couldn't see anything which should be causing the level of pain I was having five months after the surgery. While I was there, I mentioned that every since I had lost a bunch of weight in '01 and '02, I had been awakened at least twice every night by severe hip pain. I would take an anti-inflamatory (salmon oil and evening primrose oil) and wait for the pain to go away so I could sleep, and 2-3 hours later, the pain would waken me again.

The specialist nodded, and said she was sending me for a sleep study. I said I knew I was tired all the time because the pain kept interrupting my sleep, and she said, "No, it's the other way around. Interrupted sleep causes the pain."

She was right -- because once I got my therapy working properly, the hip pain went away, and stays away, unless I have something which disrupts my sleep.

For Isaac, we had no power for seven days. No power = no Bipap.

That story is here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81876&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... cane+Isaac

The permanent damage is that my knees and hips have not made a full recovery. I can be walking along and suddenly have a searing pain in my right hip, or my knee, and if not for the cane, I would be on the ground -- and if I go down, it's 911 in order to get up.

[Dreamingofsleep]

to 49er:

49er wrote:I would like it if it worked for me. But since I average 2 to 3 hours of sleep on the machine which makes my life h-ll, I would have to say no.


Be sure and get your D3 level checked - read the post of D3 and sleep Also B 12 is very important

I wish you all the best, and hang in...I'm betting it WILL get better.

Dreaming

[BasementDwellingGeek]

Add me to the list of likers. Although I am a lover, I don't love XPAP. Masking up is not that much of a chore. Filling the humidifier every night and having distilled water on hand isn't that difficult. Dealing with the hose is not so much fun.

Breathing filter air is great, I want to do it all day! I do love NOT waking up with a headache every day. I do love the energy that I now have that I didn't even realize I was missing per-treatment. I do love the increased cognitive power gained by treatment. I wish I had been diagnosed and treatment started 25 years earlier. It has definitely improved my life. Better wood, too.