Does Recuperation Hurt?

countrygent · Post by **countrygent** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:22 pm

Has anybody had the experience of whole body pain (low, low grade, but noticeable - almost flu-like ache) that comes on when new to CPAP? I'm just 8 days in. [and no, it isn't flu!]

It may be the prolonged tension or discomfort from being unable to fully relax in bed with the mask and machine due to unfamiliarity ... or something more subtle.

Now I wonder if there is some reversal or withdrawal effect - the body recuperating and coming back to a new balance causing a low grade inflammatory pain ... or somehow the adrenal system continuing to be erratic after years of nightly repetitive overuse. Overall "run over by a truck" feelings were one of the signposts that led me to OSA - it caused progressive inflammatory reaction in me - I'm guessing it was repeated adrenalin leading to some persistant imbalance in body chemistry.

I can't tell if I feel better or worse so far - I definitely don't feel too good - it is as if I have swapped one set of unpleasant symptoms for a different set. From the common wisdom and many posts I know adjustment is hard - my question is more directed at the particularly weird daytime physical feelings I am having. I'm wondering if anyone else has felt, well, "poisoned" when in the first few weeks of CPAP. It may just be a hangover from the similar feelings prior, but it feels different. I still feel like I am being run over by a truck nightly, only it seems to be a different truck now.

A big "reboot" button on top of my head might have been alot easier ...

SleepyNoMore · Post by **SleepyNoMore** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:33 pm

Yes, I think alot of us on the forum experienced some of that type of thing and it does disappear after awhile, also had the sore lungs and back as well, not to mention the gas thing . IT WILL GET BETTER, hang in there and I ammume your are new to the forum so WELCOME, the experts here will help you alot through your therapy. You can also go to " OUR COLLECTIVE WISDOM " lightbulb link about and find alot of answer's to your questions!

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:41 pm

Welcome to the world of hose heads!!!

I do believe that for many of us we have had to learn and retrain our bodies during sleep. I think I have had the sleep apnea for a period of time and since I didn't get this way overnight it is going to take time for my body to heal and learn that it isn't always on alert waiting for the next apnea event.

Good luck and keep coming back for support!!!

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 2:09 pm

Also, since you use a nasal mask, you have to stay aware of the chanches for mouthbreathing. It is the reason for a lot of treatment failure. A Ff mask or taping are the best ways to stop mouthbreathing, a well fitting FF mask bypasses the problem by covering both openings. Jim

countrygent · Post by **countrygent** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:11 pm

Thanks for the encouragement.

I have read the collective wisdom and read of ton of old posts. It only took one night to realise mouth breathing was an issue; to see it is highly unlikely to go away; to see the polygrip/strip and taping - the advice here invaluable.

Country4ever · Post by **Country4ever** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:01 pm

HI Countrygent,

I have thought the same things you have after starting CPAP.......like what effects does it have on all our systems. The first time I started it in the spring, I got nauseous and dizzy all the time. It passed after 2 months, but I think it had something to do with my colonoscopy prep.......but it scared me enough to quit CPAP for awhile. Then the second time I started it up, I began having horrible leg pains! Its hard not to make certain connections.
Here's a possibility for you........maybe you are sleeping more soundly and moving less, and you get stiff?
I have fibromyalgia and arthritis and I've noticed that when I sleep better, I move less during the night, and wake up alot stiffer.

Is anything else going on with you medically? Did you have a vaccine of any kind or have you been exposed to anything around the same time you started feeling bad? Any exposure to a tick? How's your temp? Are you on any meds?

I'm fairly new at this, but I think I would be looking for something else as the cause of your feeling bad.

Perchancetodream · Post by **Perchancetodream** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:21 pm

Hi Countrygent, I didn't experience any symptoms like that except that my arthritis seemed to get a little worse, or perhaps my awareness was just heightened due to the rest that I started getting. In any case, my doctor prescribed ibuprofen and it improved.

If your symptoms continue, you may want to see a doctor. Not all of our symptoms are caused by OSA or xPAP therapy.

Susan

countrygent · Post by **countrygent** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:37 pm

Country4 - nothing else I know of has made me sick - no meds. In fact I'm hoping it was lengthy undiagnosed apnea that was giving me inflammation ... not fybromyalgia or arthritis or anything else. Just prolonged exhaustion coupled with the repeated apnia events - I was waking up often feeling like I'd been dished a beating.

This is different - more like overall numbness. But I'm exhausted from the CPAP oddness waking me all night so it may just be a variation on the theme. I remain worn down and exhausted.

Perchance - As for the ibuprofin - nothing like a few Advil to put some snap in my Sunday morning hockey - but not daily because of the ulcer potential.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:46 pm

But I'm exhausted from the CPAP oddness waking me all night so it may just be a variation on the theme.

Could you elaborate on that, and tell us what your pressure settings are? By the way, adding the pressure settings to a comment in your profile will also be helpful in the long run when people want to answer your questions.

O.

countrygent · Post by **countrygent** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 11:57 am

I'm on an initial auto study - 6-16.

I suspect it is just the combination of having been so bad and the discomfort/strangeness causing waking - it took months to get a sleep doc appointment, months following for a sleep study, months for a follow-up, as I got worse and worse. Then add a week new to CPAP and even worse sleep ...

A little better last night. Two stretches - one about 3hrs, the other 2 or so. Water to parched soil.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:05 pm

[quote="countrygent"]I'm on an initial auto study - 6-16.

I suspect it is just the combination of having been so bad and the discomfort/strangeness causing waking - it took months to get a sleep doc appointment, months following for a sleep study, months for a follow-up, as I got worse and worse. Then add a week new to CPAP and even worse sleep ...

A little better last night. Two stretches - one about 3hrs, the other 2 or so. Water to parched soil.

Country4ever · Post by **Country4ever** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 3:28 pm

Countrygent......do you have a good relationship with your sleep doc? Sometimes getting used to CPAP can talk awhile, and you sound like you need the benefits NOW. Are you able to see some of your numbers on your machine each morning?
I just want to see you really get into getting good out of your machine without months going by first. I'm glad there are so many really smart people here (excluding myself of course, since I'm fairly new at this myself) who can help you.
Have you had a good physical exam recently?
Sometimes I take a little xanax to get a really good night's sleep. Can you take some medicine to help you sleep for a little while?

countrygent · Post by **countrygent** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:35 pm

The problem here in Canada is getting to see a doctor at all ... the ultimate result of our universal healthcare is very difficult access, so going back to the sleep doc before my next recall appointment to look at the titration study is unlikely. I take pretty good care of myself - always physically active, careful about diet, etc.,. which is why this cycle into non-functioning exhaustion has been such a singular experience. I suspect it is because I have been otherwise so healthy that I was able to just tough it out for so long in a kind of painful coping. I started to lose any recollection of what normal health might feel like.

You are probably right about getting some sleeping medication to get me jump started back to some kind of balance.

My health has been excellent until what I think is all related to OSA - misdiagnosed as depression leading to exhaustion over several years when it was probably exhaustion leading to depression. I had to figure that out.

I'm going to give it a few weeks and then readdress.

NickD25 · Post by **NickD25** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 4:59 pm

countrygent wrote:The problem here in Canada is getting to see a doctor at all ... the ultimate result of our universal healthcare is very difficult access, so going back to the sleep doc before my next recall appointment to look at the titration study is unlikely. I take pretty good care of myself - always physically active, careful about diet, etc.,. which is why this cycle into non-functioning exhaustion has been such a singular experience. I suspect it is because I have been otherwise so healthy that I was able to just tough it out for so long in a kind of painful coping. I started to lose any recollection of what normal health might feel like.

You are probably right about getting some sleeping medication to get me jump started back to some kind of balance.

My health has been excellent until what I think is all related to OSA - misdiagnosed as depression leading to exhaustion over several years when it was probably exhaustion leading to depression. I had to figure that out.

I'm going to give it a few weeks and then readdress.

So as I can see, it's not better in BC than it is here in Quebec... I was diagnosed June 29th, 2 void auto titration and a PSG/manual titration later, got my machine last week. I was so desperate that I contacted a private clinic for my titration and they were charging $1450. Fortunately, there was a huge snowstorm and someone cancelled their appointment for the PSG so they called me up at 3pm and I went there for 8pm.

Sorry for being off topic but I was wondering how other provinces were doing in terms of health and I see that it's awful everywhere.

Country4ever · Post by **Country4ever** » Thu Dec 13, 2007 5:06 pm

Hi again,

I'm sure there are lots of folks here who can help guide you until you see the doc. (who might know alot less than they do!).
You have the same machine and mask as I do. Did you know you can probably access your "numbers" each morning, to see your pressure, leak rate, AHI, HI and AI? Please forgive me if you know all this already.
In the morning, press on the left and right buttons on each side of the up and down arrows simultaneously for a few seconds and you should see "efficacy data". Press "enter", and it will show the pressure, then press the down arrow and it will show you the other numbers, one at a time.
You can also access "usage" and it will tell you how many hours it was on during the night.
This data is erased sometime around noon, so be sure to check it in the morning. Keep track of it on a daily basis.

Alot of people here have the software to be able to really look at the night and what they did.......snore, leaks, etc. in graph form. Supposedly the readout on the machine isn't the most accurate......but if its all you have, its probably enough to help guide you.

Once you can check your numbers in the morning, you will get a better idea of what the problem might be. It might be a leak, in which case you can work on your mask or keeping your mouth closed. It might be your AHI is too high, and at least you'll know that. Some of us actually change our own settings to try to get that number lower, but I'm not sure how you feel about that, being so new to this.

You mentioned maybe being misdiagnosed with depression. Are you on meds for that? Those can have side-effects too.

Hang in there. You've been sleep deprived for a long time, and it will take awhile for your system to get replenished.

Mask

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