How long will it be?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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MarchWinds
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How long will it be?

Post by MarchWinds » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:14 pm

Hi all,
I did a sleep test at the Royal Ottawa, in Ottawa, Ontario. It’s a small lab with only 6 beds, but it’s quite a good lab, because they look for both OSA and the more subtle forms of SDB, like UARS.
My PSG indicated that I had between 150-200 RERAs per night, along with PLMs, which mostly correlated to the arousals. My doctor is pretty sure that the restless legs is the result of the UARS, and I have a titration study in 2 weeks which will confirm it one way or the other.
I have had restless legs since my early 30s and I assumed it was a side-effect of SSRI medication that I have taken since that time (I am now in my mid 40s). I also now take Requip (ropinirole), which is a dopamine agonist, to treat the restless legs. It seems to help me get to sleep, but my sleep doc pointed out that while I was asleep in the lab, I had constant leg movements, so he is not sure what the Requip is actually doing!
Now I wonder if the restless legs is entirely related to the UARS, and the Requip is unnecessary. Sigh.
I have been doing a PAP trial, using an APAP with an Eson mask, which I find fairly comfortable, for the past 2 weeks. I usually sleep all night with it and don’t wake up. Although I feel somewhat better able to concentrate since I started with the APAP 2 weeks ago, over all, I am still tired and foggy during the day, and for about half the days since then, I have still experienced anxiety, IBS and some feelings of depression, which I am hoping will be helped by this UARS treatment.
I have no idea how long I have suffered from this breathing problem. I have a very small mouth, which is apparently typical of UARS sufferers, so it’s possible I’ve had it most of my life and it’s just gotten worse as I have gotten older.
I do have pre-existing anxiety and depression issues that are probably not related to my breathing issues, but they have worsened over the last couple of years, along with an increase in fatigue.
I guess I am just wondering how long it takes to see real improvement in energy levels and mood/anxiety once a person is started on the PAP treatment. I am feeling discouraged.
Thanks!

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chunkyfrog
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Re: How long will it be?

Post by chunkyfrog » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:43 pm

Welcome to the forum, MarchWinds.
I can't tell you exactly how long, because we are all different, but with the right mask,
persistence, and a positive attitude (and our help, of course), you should start noticing small changes rather quickly.
It will not be over night, and sometimes the biggest changes come on so slowly they are hard to notice, but over time,
most feel enough improvement that we continue for years.

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bwexler
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Re: How long will it be?

Post by bwexler » Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:53 pm

Many don't feel the benefits until the day they go without the machine.

It brings to mind the question, how do you boil a frog? (Not ChunkyFrog) you put it in a pot of cold water over a small flame. As the water warms the frog relaxes, until the water reaches a boil and frog legs for diner are ready.

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Re: How long will it be?

Post by Sleeper Agent » Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:07 pm

I have obstructive sleep apnea (AHI 13) and felt better immediately. I remember how shocked I was feeling awake for the first time in my life (had apnea since childhood), right after the titration study.

However, I wasn't (and still isn't) fully recovered right away. The improvements were incremental as I optimize my treatment and slept more with it. Lots of ups and downs too. I still experience days where I felt sleepy and confused. But there has been clear improvements in wakefulness, focus/concentration and memory.

Have you been looking at your data to see how effective your treatment is? My initial prescription sucks (AHI 6.8, aerophagia etc). There was clear improvement when I got AHI down to 2-3 and eliminated most of the aerophagia.

Finally, everyone is different. Medical research I read won't even consider the results until the patient had CPAP for 3 months. There is also a piece of research that showed that it takes 7 or more hours of CPAP everyday for 1 year to fully recover the white matter (brain cells) we lost during sleep deprivation. Its really a long term battle.

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photonic
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Re: How long will it be?

Post by photonic » Thu Jul 31, 2014 2:10 pm

Sleeper Agent wrote:I have obstructive sleep apnea (AHI 13) and felt better immediately. I remember how shocked I was feeling awake for the first time in my life (had apnea since childhood), right after the titration study.

However, I wasn't (and still isn't) fully recovered right away. The improvements were incremental as I optimize my treatment and slept more with it. Lots of ups and downs too. I still experience days where I felt sleepy and confused. But there has been clear improvements in wakefulness, focus/concentration and memory.

Have you been looking at your data to see how effective your treatment is? My initial prescription sucks (AHI 6.8, aerophagia etc). There was clear improvement when I got AHI down to 2-3 and eliminated most of the aerophagia.

Finally, everyone is different. Medical research I read won't even consider the results until the patient had CPAP for 3 months. There is also a piece of research that showed that it takes 7 or more hours of CPAP everyday for 1 year to fully recover the white matter (brain cells) we lost during sleep deprivation. Its really a long term battle.
nice post. Can you provide a reference for the "one year" study?
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MarchWinds
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Re: How long will it be?

Post by MarchWinds » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:45 pm

Thank you for your comments and encouragement, esp. ChunkyFrog's. I guess I will have to be in it for the long term! I have Sleepyhead and have been monitoring my data. My AHI (RDI) was over 30 during my study, and now, according to my APAP, it's 1, which is really good, I guess! I used to work for Embla, which is the biggest sleep diagnostic equipment manufacturer in the world, so I do know a fair bit about sleep and sleep studies. I guess I just never expected to be on the receiving end.

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BlackSpinner
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Re: How long will it be?

Post by BlackSpinner » Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:50 pm

MarchWinds wrote:Thank you for your comments and encouragement, esp. ChunkyFrog's. I guess I will have to be in it for the long term! I have Sleepyhead and have been monitoring my data. My AHI (RDI) was over 30 during my study, and now, according to my APAP, it's 1, which is really good, I guess! I used to work for Embla, which is the biggest sleep diagnostic equipment manufacturer in the world, so I do know a fair bit about sleep and sleep studies. I guess I just never expected to be on the receiving end.
You will want to read this thread about ADP changes and costs in Ontario

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=95962&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=Ontario

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Re: How long will it be?

Post by Sleeper Agent » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:46 pm

photonic wrote: nice post. Can you provide a reference for the "one year" study?
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/806838

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Re: How long will it be?

Post by Goofproof » Thu Jul 31, 2014 8:42 pm

bwexler wrote:Many don't feel the benefits until the day they go without the machine.

It brings to mind the question, how do you boil a frog? (Not ChunkyFrog) you put it in a pot of cold water over a small flame. As the water warms the frog relaxes, until the water reaches a boil and frog legs for diner are ready.
That's the same way you boil a Bwexler, but you don't eat the legs. We don't make food suffer. Jim
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