How Many Of Us Actually LIKE PAP ?

[Tino2You]

I love the way I feel now that I have been using my machine. I get up refreshed and usually before my alarm. I am fast approaching my 1 year anniversary and I have missed three nights. The second night of therapy I ripped my mask off after a few (a tad less than 4) hours and two nights where because of work, I had to pull an all nighter. So all in all I am in serious like
-tino

[Chilimon]

I sleep with a nasal pillow, to be honest, I hardly even feel it on my face. I tried one of the older noisy machines 6 years ago, too noisy, hard to fall asleep with all that noise then before my accident. Would have kept my wife awake or else I would be sleeping in the spare bedroom.

Do I like wearing it, no, do I like the possibility of dying because I'm not wearing one, no

Still a lot better than going to bed and having to take your prostetic off and on in the morning, better than taking your dentures out to soak overnight or better than waking up suddenly gasping for air.

I'll take the CPAP any day

[khauser]

"Like PAP" ... interesting. I don't know if I like it or not. I'll have to think about it. I *do* like how I feel, both during use and as a result of use. I can't sleep without it now (you could make the argument that I wasn't exactly sleeping before use).

But "like". I hate to be presidential about it, but it depends on the definition of "like"!

[xenablue]

I'm thinkinglike many other responders.

I HATE going to bed every night with a mask strapped to my face, tethered to a machine.
I HATE that it often wakes me up because I've turned over and the tubing is pulling on my mask, or dislodged the pillows etc. etc.
I LOVE that there is a good amount of air going into my lungs - it feels good.
I LOVE that I don't wake choking for air many times per night.

It's a LOVE/HATE relationship at its most basic.

cheers,
xena

[SleepingUgly]

No.

[SleepWellCPAP]

Hello All,

This is an awesome post! I think khauser says it best, "...it depends on the definition of "like"!".

Many years ago I brought a pap device to a rehab facility that my company did business with. Long story made very short, the patient it was ordered for looked on the verge of death, completely ashen, devoid of life. The spouse said they came here on vacation and had left the Bipap back home. Patient suffered a mild stroke while sleeping, ended up in the hospital, and then discharged to rehab. I didn't know much about PAP devices then so I was very skeptical as to what benefit it would have. Next day, I returned to the facility, and my almost dead friend was sitting in the chair next to his bed and wanted me to sit down for a game of pinochle. Very much alive, completely changed. I'll never forget that, and the only difference in treatment was the addition of his PAP machine.

Though you may not "like" pressure therapy, if you need it, please use it. Drowsiness can kill you and others. I had a patient one time, fall asleep on his, get this, bulldozer, while it was still running! Another reason, intermittant periods of hypoxia can cause the ventricles, or pumping chambers of your heart to enlarge. High blood pressure is an almost immediate consequence, with congestive heart failure coming later.

Whatever you use to treat sleep disordered breathing, please stick with it and good luck!

Jim

[DavidCarolina]

Im probably a seriously lost cause.

Shouldnt admit this, but i occasionally take a 1 hour nap about once every few months just to see how i fare without PAP. Not recommended but which of us hasnt experimented? Well, the first hour for me anyway is a low risk proposition for any serious problems with clusters anyway.

I HATE falling asleep without PAP. I feel not only naked without it, but i feel like im working to breathe. I cant catch the cadence of regular pattern breathing without it.

God forbid i ever lose power for a week. I'd have to learn how to breathe again. I have no plan in place for lost power, i better get on it.

I like my new s9, it seems to have superior humidification design, and i keep a fan running along the bed, the low hummm is hypnotic.

Im not into yoga, but this must be as close to it as im ever gonna get. I wonder if airline pilots struggle with getting to sleep once the engines are shut off and
theyre lying in a quiet hotel room.

[jmz]

I love it. I would love not having to use it too. Nevertheless, I still love it.

I totally agree with this

[kteague]

yeah, I'm feeling pretty affectionate toward my machine.

Enough to go to bed with it, I'd bet...

[49er]

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.

49er

[DavidCarolina]

dumb question 49er but are you sure youre on the right system, exhalation relief, humidification, and mask type?

Have you dont oximetry testing and has your doc considered oxygen supplementation on PAP?

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.

49er

[Jimster]

I take it that everyone that is using CPAP needs it, but whether they like it or not I would think would depend on how they are getting along with just using it and the results of their ongoing therapy.

Some take to CPAP like a Duck takes to Water, where others like myself struggle with it almost every night.

If someone is feeling better after using CPAP, then yes, they should like it, but I would think that everyone using it would rather not use it if they had a choice.

[49er]

dumb question 49er but are you sure youre on the right system, exhalation relief, humidification, and mask type?

Have you dont oximetry testing and has your doc considered oxygen supplementation on PAP?

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.

49er

DavidCarolina,

Not a dumb question at all as I greatly appreciate you asking.

To be honest, other than to say I have the right humidification, I am not sure about the other three issues you raised. Regarding oximetry testing, I didn't desaturate on my HST and haven't when I have been tested during my visit to sleep doctors.

I am trying to work hard at isolating the issues. After not sleeping on the cpap machine for days, I decided to try taking mag/cal last night and sleep off of the machine and just use the neck collar (which prevents some apneas).

Slept 5 hours initially and was able to get back to sleep for 2.5 more hours. This was in spite of falling asleep prematurely after dinner.

Unfortunately, I did have to take off the neck collar to get back to sleep as I literally couldn't relax until I got it off. This was in spite of rubbing espsom salts mixed with water on my legs in attempt to relax and calm my hypersensitive body.

Just so people know, I have had a similar experience with the machine. I am unable to get back to sleep using it and it seems if I have used it initially, I can't get back to sleep at all.

Anyway, I am going to try the mag/cal again tonight using the machine to see what happens. If I continue to only be able to sleep 2 to 3 hours at a time, I have a major decision to make.

I am limited to a full face mask because of structural defects in my nasal passages.
I could try another OTC sleep remedy or a prescription med. But I suspect it wouldn't compensate for what I feel is an extreme hypersensitivity to external stimuli.

So either I need to look at trying another machine that may be more comfortable or try a dental device which could also be rejected by my body. It may be feasible for me to try a cheap mouthguard to get a sense of my tolerance for having something inside of my mouth.

Then again, maybe the mag/cal will work great and this discussion could be entirely moot.

Again, thanks for asking David/Carolina.

49er

[Sheriff Buford]

Shouldnt admit this, but i occasionally take a 1 hour nap about once every few months just to see how i fare without PAP.

Heck, go ahead and admit it... I do it too... When I'm in my recliner in my man-cave, I will get drowsy and nod off. I may doze for a few minutes or up to an hour. I have not felt as well on the hour naps as the short ones. If I really feel a great nap is coming, I will mask-up and lie down. oh well...

Sheriff

[joe26]

I can't sleep with out it, I'm addicted to it