New to CPAP

I recently decided to finally see a sleep specialist after diagnosing myself with sleep apnea. My wife would always kick me in the middle of the night telling me I was not breathing. She even recorded me at times to prove it to me in the morning. I had always been a loud snorer but this entire not breathing thing was pretty scarey. I also would get TERRIBLE headaches EVERY night. I would literally have to wake up at 2 or 3am every night to take excederrin. These headaches were so severe I always had multiple bottles of excederrin at the house or with me when I traveled. Combine all of that with the constant waking up, tossing and turning, and always being tired it became obvious I had sleep apnea. This had been going on for years! During my sleep study it seemed like the tech came in after about an hour to hook me up to a cpap machine! They confirmed I definitely had OSA. When my Dr. went over my results he seemed shocked that I was able to even stay awake during the day.

Here are my numbers...

AHI - 163.7
Longest Apnea - 40 secs
Lowest spo2o- 55%

From everything I have read this seems to be pretty severe. I have now been using my cpap at 20/13 for about a month or so and I feel 10× better than before. Headaches are gone completely! I have yet to look at all my data as I really don't understand it all however I think that is the next step simply to make sure that it is working as well as I think. Considering I waited years to fix the problem I don't want to wait any longer to make sure it is optimized.

I simply wanted to share my story and success incase anyone else is dealing with such severe apnea. There is hope!

Hi,

You are certainly on the right track. My first advice after getting a machine is to simply get as much sleep as you possibly can for a few weeks, even if that means taking time off from work or other activities. Your body has a lot of catching up to do. Next thing is to add you equipment to your profile. The key is if you have a data-capable machine. If so, then the you will want to watch the numbers on the screen, or, better yet, learn how to download and view your data.

A key indicator that you are making good progress are the things that you report. If the headaches are gone, that means you are getting a lot more oxygen to your brain. If tossing and turning has settled down and night-time trips to the bathroom are dropped off, or snoring is gone, that is even better. How about dreams? Once you get dialed in, many CPAP users have a period of very intense and vivid dreams.

-john-

I initially had a Resmed S9 bipap machine. Guessing it was the VPAP. However my insurance lapsed due to a change in employment and I had to go out and by my own machine since the insurance company only rents it for a few months before purchasing. Now I am using an S9 VPAP autoset with EPR that basically mimics the entire bipap function.

As far as night time trips to the. Athroom and snoring are concerned they have all been basically eliminated. It's also funny you mention dreams as I always told my wife it was crazy how she could remeber all her dreams and that I could never remeber any of mine. That being said I swear my dreams feel real now lol! I have also been adjusting really well to sleeping with a mask. Initially I was concerned as I am a bit claustrophobic and the initial thought of sleeping with a mask wasn't appealing but I certainly rather deal with those issues than having no oxygen going to my brain!

hey AmstaffNole,
You said your wife could remember all her dreams. Does she have sleep apnea? If you sleep soundly, you don't recall your dreams. Waking up in the middle of a dream is how you remember it.

If you machine is data capable and you use Sleepyhead, you will have TONS of info on your progress. You may feel totally overwhelmed looking at the charts and graphs...so pick a couple things to watch and learn what they mean (ie: AHI, obstructive and centrals). Then add in one here or there (leaks, pressures) to see how they affect each other. Small bites and you'll be able to read most of your charts in no time...

Nole, I'm so happy that you are getting treatment. You need to kiss your wife every morning and thank her for saving your life!!!