Frustrated & Anxious

Just so that I get this straight...the CPAP is not a magic Pill...It will still take some time for me to feel normal again? So the fact that I'm still so sleepy is normal? But how can I know that it is making a difference? How do I know that I am actually on the road to improvement? Are there any small signs that I can look for that will encourage me or at least let me know...heyyy this is working? Like it's 5:30 right now and I could honestly go to bed right now and fall asleep, and I slept 9 hours last night. I should be rested. But I'm just so tired.

Yes, it often takes a while to catch up. You should start seeing some small signs though along the way. I found my daily nap dropping to 3-4 times a week. Then maybe once a week. And staying awake for a whole movie. Little things, but they add up.
Debbie

Yes, but how long did you have Apnea before you started on the CPAP?

You've got probably YEARS of poor sleep to make up for. A couple of nights isn't likely to do it.

I'd give it a few months from when you started sleeping well with the CPAP. If you're STILL not feeling any better, then it's worth either going back in and re-discussing with the doctor, or buying an APAP and letting it take a whack at correcting things, or coming back here and asking for more advice.

But give it time. You've been wearing away at your sleep bank for years. You can't expect it to build back up fully in a day.

Liam, who has the same problem with his MONEY bank. Sigh.

nothing is a magic pill. Those on this board who can strap on whatever type of mask, or n. pillow and get a great night's sleep, and wake up in the morning, ready to run a race, are so lucky. Most of us plod thru, get thru the nights, and check our msg boards for info pertaining to all our apnea questions, problems, complaints. Hang in there, I am in wk 3, and wk 1 was not great, 2 not much better, but ''3'' is better. So slow steps are much better than no steps, right? Good luck....

tonimari98 wrote:Just so that I get this straight...the CPAP is not a magic Pill...It will still take some time for me to feel normal again? So the fact that I'm still so sleepy is normal? But how can I know that it is making a difference? How do I know that I am actually on the road to improvement? Are there any small signs that I can look for that will encourage me or at least let me know...heyyy this is working? Like it's 5:30 right now and I could honestly go to bed right now and fall asleep, and I slept 9 hours last night. I should be rested. But I'm just so tired.

tonimari98, yes, perfectly normal!

From reading thro this forum, it seems that the lucky few get instant postive results and the unlucky tiny minority don't benefit at all from using xPAP. For most people it seems that progress is slow and setbacks are common. It does, however, seem that the majority do benefit if they just stick at it. It might take many months, but it must be worth the effort and better than the alternative.

Look for the little things and ask your parner/friends/colleagues to tell you if they notice anything. Are you less grumpy, do you make less noise (snoring/snorting) at night, do you appear brighter/more cheerful during the afternoon/early evening These were all things that were pointed out to me before I noticed improvement nyself.

Liam's advice is sensible (and his sense of humour is also a great help ) i.e. keep asking questions here, keep talking to your doc and ask to try an AutoPAP if CPAP isn't helping.

Good luck and do keep at it.

tonimari98 wrote:But how can I know that it is making a difference? How do I know that I am actually on the road to improvement? Are there any small signs that I can look for that will encourage me or at least let me know...heyyy this is working?

I suggest to folks who are just starting up on CPAP that they take some time to make some notes about their activities on certain days of the week.

Pre-treatment and then periodically at post treatment.

For example, when you wake up do you have morning headaches? are there fewer now, or none?

Are you sleepy driving to work in the morning? what about after treatment?

Do you have trouble trying to stay awake in meetings at work? What about now?

Think about your weekends too.

Do you take naps on the weekend? Have they gotten shorter, or the need disappeared?

Have people commented on your new happier disposition?

Are the black circles under your eyes going away?

Make up a list of those questions/descriptions of how you USED to be before you started treatment and then keep updating your comparisons until you see enough benefit that you have convinced yourself that the treatment is working.


I spent my first 4 nights on CPAP (wearing it all night long) but waking up saying I did not feel better. However, my first Saturday after I started at 11 pm that night the realization hit me that I had been busy all day long doing chores around the house, office work, etc, and had skipped my usual 2 hr nap and had not felt sleepy all day long! That revelation was enough to prove to me that CPAP worked and I never looked back.

Ten years later I'm still going like the Energizer bunny!

Dave

I could tell I was getting better sleep when I started stretching like a cat in the morning before I got out of bed. Before CPAP I could barely move my legs to the side and crawl out.

I too am dis-cpap-ointed at being in my second week and still knackered. One slight thing I’ve noticed though is that a few times when I’ve first woken up I’ve had a feeling of having actually slept which is like a distant memory. This is soon replaced by the old knackered feeling, but I’m hoping that as I pay off my sleep debt things will improve. I am a little (OK a lot) jealous though of some peoples experiences of instant re-energisation, but the thing with cpap seems to be that everyone’s experience is different.

I’ll keep at it if you will,

Gregg

tonimari98,
By the sounds of most here, i am in the minority. It does take a while for most but I felt a difference almost immeadiately and have never looked back but get yourself seen to and never give up, i can promise you you will never feel as bad as you do now.
Now after 3 and a half years with CPAP i am a different person, energetically and mentally.
I hope you get yourself seen to and sorted soon.

Good Luck

Dave Hargett wrote:

tonimari98 wrote:But how can I know that it is making a difference? How do I know that I am actually on the road to improvement? Are there any small signs that I can look for that will encourage me or at least let me know...heyyy this is working?

I suggest to folks who are just starting up on CPAP that they take some time to make some notes about their activities on certain days of the week.

Pre-treatment and then periodically at post treatment.

For example, when you wake up do you have morning headaches? are there fewer now, or none?

Are you sleepy driving to work in the morning? what about after treatment?





That is great advice...Making my list of questions as soon as I finish saying THANX!!!

THANX!!!