I'm Molly. I'm a 49 year old female, who had a sleep study 2 weeks ago. The dr. said I stopped breathing anywhere from 24-48 seconds 66 times just in the first hour of my study. Scared the crap out of me! I knew it was bad, because I'd been waking up gasping and choking, terrible nightmares all of the time, and my husband and Mom said my snoring was So Loud. I'd been sleeping on our sofa at home, just so my sweet husband could get some sleep for work. I myself and legally blind, and 100% disabled, so I've never worked, nor can I drive....ever.
Anyways, I was very eager/happy/excited to get my first CPAP machine. Figured it will save my life!! During my sleep study, I ended up being put on a machine after 2 hours and the study showed I only had ONE apnea after that, a central apnew. Oh, forgot to mention, I suffer from severe OSA. I'm a little overweight, but also, I have no chin. No chin profile, never had one. Just the way I'm built..... I'm all neck and head, no chin, hahaha.
Tonight, Sunday night, is my 7th night on the machine. I've been doing well. Last night, I had a little panic attack at first when I put the mask on and started it up. (I've never been claustrophobic at all). I've really been eager to have and use this machine, after all, but last night, I dunno, it got the better of me. Every night, for years now, I use my iphone and listen to books I get from the Talking Book Library for the Blind in the state of FL. So I am distracted.....but last night, ugh, I had to nearly tear the mask off and take huge gulps of air and sit on the sofa for a bit, calm down, try again, and it went ok.
NOW--my question for you guys is: Does CPAP therapy make you fart a lot? Sorry---but I noticed by Wednesday that I was having some MAJOR gas attacks. I mean, MAJOR!!!! I'm talking about letting out a fart that literally, if you could stretch it out, would be like a four or five footer fart! It lasted THAT long!! AND it happens over and over. I knew I was not eating anything different. I told my Mom about it, we LOL'd and giggled a lot, and she said, "Maybe it's the CPAP machine? I mean, you are taking in a LOT of air all night long!" HA-- I never thought of that! Googled it, and by god, it said farting/ burping, and bloating ARE side effects of CPAP therapy!! OMG!!! Does this EVER get better??!!! I DO have places to go, people to see, and I sure don't want to be pooting like a pro when I'm out and about!!!
And also, I have noticed something else: Every morning when I wake up, one of my first thoughts is, "Damn, I'm so freakin' hungry this morning!" And I am NEVER hungry in the morn..... I'm a late afternoon eater. Could it be that I'm physically fighting against all of that air all 8 hours of the night? Is it making me exert some kind of energy, enough to make me wake up hungry? My machine is set to an "11" which the doctor told me was 'average.' I haven't been back to see him yet--- but beeeeeeelieve me, I am GOING to tell him how naughty he was for NOT warning me about these incredibly long farts I'm having! Sometimes they just whip out of me, like "POP!" "POP!" "POP!" and I cannot stop it from happening! Other times, it's like a California King sized sheet is slowly being ripped from one corner to the other! That is what I mean by a 4 or 5 footer!!!
Anyone else? Please say yes! Tell me I'm not the only lady here who can outfart a hippo now!!!!
