At the end

phx1hab · Post by **phx1hab** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:05 pm

I have been on APAP faithfully for several months. Averaging 7 hrs of therapy a night and my AHI below 2. Every post I put up everyone says I'm doing great but I'm so much tired than I was before starting and my wife says that I'm more out of it than before. I think this will be my last night since I haven't seen the great benefit from therapy. I had hoped for a better outcome. She can't anymore of the grumpiness

greatunclebill · Post by **greatunclebill** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:12 pm

you're not like a newbie. you've been around and read posts so you know the good and the bad. you're an adult and have a right to make your own medical decisions, so good luck, whatever it is.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:16 pm

Set your alarm to wake you up after 5 of 6 hours or go back to sleep till you have 9 hours. I don't know why but if I only get 5 or 6 hours I feel great?? Anymore than that and I feel like sh**?? I've heard other feel this way too.

Are you sleeping all the way through the night or do you wake up from leaks and irritation ?

You can give up if you want but don't stop looking into other treatments.

Good Luck!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:31 pm

phx1hab wrote:I have been on APAP faithfully for several months. Averaging 7 hrs of therapy a night and my AHI below 2. Every post I put up everyone says I'm doing great but I'm so much tired than I was before starting and my wife says that I'm more out of it than before. I think this will be my last night since I haven't seen the great benefit from therapy. I had hoped for a better outcome. She can't anymore of the grumpiness

What are your pressure settings? Are you using your machine in a range of pressures?
Your description sounds like a classic case of an APAP in a range of pressure where the pressure changes are bumping you out of your much-needed sleep stages. When you enter deep sleep stages or REM, your breathing patterns change and the machine thinks it needs to bump the pressure.......when that happens, you're jolted out of the sleep stage and don't get the benefits.

Try straight-pressure CPAP mode for a period of time and see if that helps.

.

LSAT · Post by **LSAT** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:36 pm

Guest wrote:
phx1hab wrote:I have been on APAP faithfully for several months. Averaging 7 hrs of therapy a night and my AHI below 2. Every post I put up everyone says I'm doing great but I'm so much tired than I was before starting and my wife says that I'm more out of it than before. I think this will be my last night since I haven't seen the great benefit from therapy. I had hoped for a better outcome. She can't anymore of the grumpiness
What are your pressure settings? Are you using your machine in a range of pressures?
Your description sounds like a classic case of an APAP in a range of pressure where the pressure changes are bumping you out of your much-needed sleep stages. When you enter deep sleep stages or REM, your breathing patterns change and the machine thinks it needs to bump the pressure.......when that happens, you're jolted out of the sleep stage and don't get the benefits.

Try straight-pressure CPAP mode for a period of time and see if that helps.

.

I don't think that is the problem...
He said..."I have been on APAP faithfully for several months. Averaging 7 hrs of therapy a night and my AHI below 2"

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:38 pm

"Guest" may have nailed it!
A rockin' APAP may not agree with everyone--pressure changes can be disturbing.
(Who was that masked man? I wanted to thank him.)

jen4700 · Post by **jen4700** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:44 pm

I believe a part of my problem with APAP was pressure changes. I'm lucky to have a BiPap but when I switched back to straight bipap settings I slept much better.

(edit)

kaiasgram · Post by **kaiasgram** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:49 pm

phx1hab wrote:I have been on APAP faithfully for several months. Averaging 7 hrs of therapy a night and my AHI below 2. Every post I put up everyone says I'm doing great but I'm so much tired than I was before starting and my wife says that I'm more out of it than before. I think this will be my last night since I haven't seen the great benefit from therapy. I had hoped for a better outcome. She can't anymore of the grumpiness

phx1hab, I really understand -- 6 months on PAP (both CPAP and APAP modes), enviable AHI like you, and feeling like a piece of burnt toast most of the time. It's really disheartening to say the least. I'm still trying to work with the docs to get to the bottom of why.

We know from research that brain injury can result from the period of time we had untreated apnea but to date patients are not evaluated for this in the clinical setting. Maybe some day patients like us who are not doing well on CPAP will be further evaluated, but for now we're just offered a prescription for Nuvigil or Provigil.

Whatever you do, I empathize and really wish you the best.

Slartybartfast · Post by **Slartybartfast** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:54 pm

Shouldn't one of us be suggesting that Grumpy's fatigue might not be caused by sleep apnea?

I'm just asking.

Sir NoddinOff · Post by **Sir NoddinOff** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:57 pm

If you're not getting the proper deep sleep stages that you need to restore your body, you may be feeling dragged down and defeated. There are two choices as I see it: One, Stick with it and find out what your problem(s) consists of, ie. consult a sleep doctor, buy a Zeo recorder or maybe ask questions from some of the more experienced members on this site. Two, You can give up the fight and go back to your old sleep habits, thereby accepting sleep apnea as a part of your life, however long that may be.

No recriminations, we are not here to judge you. Whatever you choose, I wish you luck Additional edit: I think Slartybartfast earlier post makes a valid point... as I've said a thousand times before, CPAP is not a magic bullet.

greatunclebill · Post by **greatunclebill** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 6:58 pm

Slartybartfast wrote:Shouldn't one of us be suggesting that Grumpy's fatigue might not be caused by sleep apnea?

I'm just asking.

absolutely correct. could be time for a complete physical exam.

Lizistired · Post by **Lizistired** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:08 pm

I'm curious what the results were during your initial sleep study? Number of events? Oxygen desaturations?
Slarty might be right, that you may have more than apnea going on.
If you have been 100% compliant since you started apap, taking a few nights off may reveal an improvement you are not aware of. I've always had a rude awakening when I have slept without mine during naps or due to power outages.
That said, I intentionally went to sleep without mine the last 2 nights. (I wore an oximeter set to alarm mode.) There were some reasons that I wanted to experiment. I really didn't notice much difference. I did put the mask on for about an hour this morning in response to the alarm, but took it back off and was able to sleep much later than usual.

Slartybartfast · Post by **Slartybartfast** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:15 pm

greatunclebill wrote:
Slartybartfast wrote:Shouldn't one of us be suggesting that Grumpy's fatigue might not be caused by sleep apnea?

I'm just asking.
absolutely correct. could be time for a complete physical exam.

Paraphrasing Occam's razor: "The simplest explanation is most often correct." But not always. This is one of those times that more investigation is warranted.

phx1hab · Post by **phx1hab** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:22 pm

I'm not looking for sympathy jen4700 lm looking for a solution. Nice attitude you have.

Slartybartfast · Post by **Slartybartfast** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:31 pm

Will Rogers once said, "It don't take all kinds, but we get 'em."

Don't sweat it. There are often people who come on here basically saying CPAP's for the birds and they give it a half hearted try and bail at the first opportunity. But that's not you. You've stuck with it. Your numbers prove that it's not the apnea. So stay with it, but look further for your explanation. Could be low thyroid, low testosterone, one of those poorly understood malidies like fibromyalgia, or something else. The important thing is not to be passive about it. Get back to your doc and say, "this isn't it. What's next?" And if your doc puts you off with some platitude, then find one who will listen. There are a lot of people like you who give CPAP a try and find to their dismay that that wasn't "it," whatever "it" was.

Keep looking for an answer. Make your doc' earn that new Mercedes.

The truth is out there. [Cue in the theme from The X-Files]

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