I have been on cpap for 2 months and I am ready to call it quits. I have seen virtually no results. My DME says that results should be seen in no more than 2 weeks. I have been very good about using the cpap, no leaks, all that good stuff, and I am just thinking, why use it if it's not working. My primary Doc says in his opinion, that too many people are put on cpap with the misconception that they will majically feel great and that if it's not working, he wouldn't use it anymore, that there is no concrete proof that it is necessary. All I know is that I am tired of using it and it's not working. Anyone with suggestions I would appreciate it.
Giving up!!!
Kelly,
Comments:
Giving up is not an option.
The DME is an idiot.....it usually takes longer than that.
I also question the wisdom of your doctor (that's being kind).
How do you know you have no leaks?
You have a nasal mask and could be leaking therapy air out your mouth at night which means you're not getting good therapy.
You have a machine which doesn't record nightly statistics so you can't tell how you're doing.
Untreated OSA can/will kill.....you or someone else.....maybe someone you love.
Do you want to feel better or do you want to give up? It's that simple!
Did anybody tell you that this therapy is "EASY"?
Why quit when you don't even know what the problem is?
Den
Comments:
Giving up is not an option.
The DME is an idiot.....it usually takes longer than that.
I also question the wisdom of your doctor (that's being kind).
How do you know you have no leaks?
You have a nasal mask and could be leaking therapy air out your mouth at night which means you're not getting good therapy.
You have a machine which doesn't record nightly statistics so you can't tell how you're doing.
Untreated OSA can/will kill.....you or someone else.....maybe someone you love.
Do you want to feel better or do you want to give up? It's that simple!
Did anybody tell you that this therapy is "EASY"?
Why quit when you don't even know what the problem is?
Den
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User since 05/14/05
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05
Kelly
DON'T GIVE UP. It takes time to feel well. Some people feel better instantly while for others it takes longer. UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA can cause heart problems , hpertension , diabetes & also due to drowsiness while driving car accidents. UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA can kill you or you could kill another person through a traffic accident. Please don't give up give it some more time you may save your life or someone elses.
DON'T GIVE UP. It takes time to feel well. Some people feel better instantly while for others it takes longer. UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA can cause heart problems , hpertension , diabetes & also due to drowsiness while driving car accidents. UNTREATED SLEEP APNEA can kill you or you could kill another person through a traffic accident. Please don't give up give it some more time you may save your life or someone elses.
giving up
Hi
I would rather hear a doctor say that if cpap is not working, let's try to fix things so it does work for you - not give up. If you had a sleep study that showed you have apnea you have a condition that endangers your health and will not just disappear if you ignore it.
Please stay around here long enough to get some help in fixing the therapy, discovering what keeps it from helping you, and long enough to start to feel better.
Please at least read enough about OSA to decide if giving up is what you want to do.
Life has so much to offer. Good health makes it so much better. Good luck to you and best wishes.
Catnapper
I would rather hear a doctor say that if cpap is not working, let's try to fix things so it does work for you - not give up. If you had a sleep study that showed you have apnea you have a condition that endangers your health and will not just disappear if you ignore it.
Please stay around here long enough to get some help in fixing the therapy, discovering what keeps it from helping you, and long enough to start to feel better.
Please at least read enough about OSA to decide if giving up is what you want to do.
Life has so much to offer. Good health makes it so much better. Good luck to you and best wishes.
Catnapper
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NightHawkeye
- Posts: 2431
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Re: Giving up!!!
Kelly, if there's one magic improvement you could make, I'd suggest that improvement is simply to get a machine which records detailed data. Once you have detailed data which shows how you are doing, what's not working and points the way toward improvements, you'll be in a great position to make informed decisions.Kelly wrote:My primary Doc says in his opinion, that too many people are put on cpap with the misconception that they will majically feel great and that if it's not working, he wouldn't use it anymore, that there is no concrete proof that it is necessary.
Sure, it's possible that CPAP therapy will never make any real improvements for you, but that seems unlikely. More likely, some aspect of your therapy has gone awry, and because of that you're not experiencing the hoped for benefit.
Talk with your doc about getting a different machine, one which records detailed data, and ask him to write you a new prescription for one today.
Regards,
Bill
Yes Kelly, I can only give you my case to try and convince you to stay on cpap. I had a stress test beginning of 2006, being I was on medication for high blood pressure and my Dr, suggested that I go for a stress test at the cardiologist office, I went, told me I was fine, six months later I started feeling more tired than usual, Went to my Dr. once again, sent me the same morning to the hospital for tests, found I had A Fibrilation (irregular heart beat) but me on meds, came back one month later and had Cardio Version (electric paddle shocks) while I was still under the cardiologist met my wife and daughter in the waiting room, and asked how long has he been snoring like that, he at that point said I should be tested for sleep apnea, and that it was a strong possibility that apnea was responsible for the irregular heart beat, and untreated I would more than likely have it again if I didn't take action. Do you know what? as much as I hate putting up with the cpap annoyance, I look at my wife,kids,grandkids, and say heh I want to stick around and enjoy each one, and realize sleep is such a small time of my life, and put up with all its cpap annoyances. Then again just like that investment commercial on tv, hey what to I know I'm just an eight hundred pound gorilla. Hang in there do your self a favor, when there is proof cpap doesn't work, I'll be the first one off, till then I'll mask up pretend I'm Top Gun, or diving the reefs.
Ed
Ed
Kelly
Please don't give up! I have been on cpap since the beginning of this year and it takes some getting used to. Many knowledgeable people have already replied and I would expect there will be more to add to this post soon. You have already been given good advice. Please tell us how your doctors apt goes and do as much reading here as you can before going. "Ignorance is NOT bliss" is the motto here. Even though I haven't posted much Kelly, I have been reading and learning so much. I feel like I can't afford to miss a thing here as a new cpaper. I had to trade in the idea of giving up for 'how can I fix this and who is going to help?' Help is here with each question you ask.
Nana
Please don't give up! I have been on cpap since the beginning of this year and it takes some getting used to. Many knowledgeable people have already replied and I would expect there will be more to add to this post soon. You have already been given good advice. Please tell us how your doctors apt goes and do as much reading here as you can before going. "Ignorance is NOT bliss" is the motto here. Even though I haven't posted much Kelly, I have been reading and learning so much. I feel like I can't afford to miss a thing here as a new cpaper. I had to trade in the idea of giving up for 'how can I fix this and who is going to help?' Help is here with each question you ask.
Nana
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Guest
It took me a good four to six months to notice any "change" in the way I feel for the better. There is no question that it is not easy, but hopefully you will get to a point where you feel you can not sleep without it. One thing that really made it hit home for me that it was working was not using it for one weekend (forgot a power cord). I felt awful and actually looked forward to sleeping with it at the end of the weekend (that was about five and half months into use of a xpap). I also would suggest that you try to get a machine that you can see what it is doing through software. I have found that it gives you a sense of control over what is going on because you can actually see results/problems and attempt to correct them.
TM
TM
Kelly,
The best analogy I can give you is if someone is hundred pounds overweight and the Doctor put them on a diet. I doubt someone would say if you lose two pounds you'll be feeling better. DME's tend to do that so people stick with it. Good intentions trying to keep you going, but when you don't feel better people get frustrated and quit.
Some people feel great immediately, but the majority it takes time to work. In these first two months you have been learning how to sleep differently with the mask and the bother. You might just be getting the hang of this.
You have probably had this a long time and your body is demanding you make up for lost rest. It will be better but you have to stick with it. Like a diet, you might not feel better until you lose 20 or 30 pounds. In the CPAP timeline you have just started.
The best analogy I can give you is if someone is hundred pounds overweight and the Doctor put them on a diet. I doubt someone would say if you lose two pounds you'll be feeling better. DME's tend to do that so people stick with it. Good intentions trying to keep you going, but when you don't feel better people get frustrated and quit.
Some people feel great immediately, but the majority it takes time to work. In these first two months you have been learning how to sleep differently with the mask and the bother. You might just be getting the hang of this.
You have probably had this a long time and your body is demanding you make up for lost rest. It will be better but you have to stick with it. Like a diet, you might not feel better until you lose 20 or 30 pounds. In the CPAP timeline you have just started.
Yes, you need a machine that will auto adjust and one that will give you the data on what's happening, with the software. Now you are in the dark in a black room at midnight. You have two choices, make XPAP work for you or not.
Maybe after a heart attack, you will be better suited to have treatment, if you surive it. Jim
Life, it's your choice.
P.S., although you are totally in the dark on treatment, a high percentage of people using a Nasal Interface are just letting their treatment blow out of their mouths.
Maybe after a heart attack, you will be better suited to have treatment, if you surive it. Jim
Life, it's your choice.
P.S., although you are totally in the dark on treatment, a high percentage of people using a Nasal Interface are just letting their treatment blow out of their mouths.
Use data to optimize your xPAP treatment!
"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease." Voltaire
"The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease." Voltaire
Kelly,
I assume you've been diagnosed with OSA through a sleep study. That being the case, treatment is far, far more important than your doctors seem to understand. OSA is much more than a sleeping disorder and treatment more than about getting sleep and feeling better (though nearly all people who are properly treated feel significantly better).
Untreated OSA puts the body in an oxygen-deprived state during the night. There is no stronger signal to the body than oxygen deprivation and as soon as that happens all kinds of nasty things start to happen. The brain gets first dibs on available oxygen, the rest of the body goes without oxygen, and the Sympathetic Nervous System starts releasing panic-related hormones because, quite literally, you're being suffocated in your sleep. All of that is in addition to disruption of sleep cycles.
It makes sense, then that researchers are now discovering that untreated OSA actually causes diabetes. And once it starts, that condition is irreversible. OSA actually causes hypertension, heart disease, stroke, etc. From a summary I saw a few months ago, untreated OSA victims manifest the following as compared to control groups (non-OSA):
40% increase in daytime sleepiness
Twice as many traffic accidents per mile traveled
3 fold increase in risk of occupational accidents
1.3 to 2.5 times more hypertension
2.2 times increased risk of nocturnal cardiac arrhythmia
3.9 times more likely to have congestive heart failure
1.6 times increased chance of stroke
1.4 to 2.3 times greater risk of heart attack
40% increased risk for depression
200% more physician claims
1.9 times more cardiovascular medication
2.7 times more hypertension medication
50% more hospital stays
2.6 times more work absenteeism
20% reduction in work performance
OSA is much, much more than a “sleep disorder.” It’s a killer. As hard as xPAP therapy is, it’s far, far better than treatment for any one of these conditions, in my opinion.
Find a new doctor.
Do everything possible to make your xPAP therapy work for you.
Don't give up!
I assume you've been diagnosed with OSA through a sleep study. That being the case, treatment is far, far more important than your doctors seem to understand. OSA is much more than a sleeping disorder and treatment more than about getting sleep and feeling better (though nearly all people who are properly treated feel significantly better).
Untreated OSA puts the body in an oxygen-deprived state during the night. There is no stronger signal to the body than oxygen deprivation and as soon as that happens all kinds of nasty things start to happen. The brain gets first dibs on available oxygen, the rest of the body goes without oxygen, and the Sympathetic Nervous System starts releasing panic-related hormones because, quite literally, you're being suffocated in your sleep. All of that is in addition to disruption of sleep cycles.
It makes sense, then that researchers are now discovering that untreated OSA actually causes diabetes. And once it starts, that condition is irreversible. OSA actually causes hypertension, heart disease, stroke, etc. From a summary I saw a few months ago, untreated OSA victims manifest the following as compared to control groups (non-OSA):
40% increase in daytime sleepiness
Twice as many traffic accidents per mile traveled
3 fold increase in risk of occupational accidents
1.3 to 2.5 times more hypertension
2.2 times increased risk of nocturnal cardiac arrhythmia
3.9 times more likely to have congestive heart failure
1.6 times increased chance of stroke
1.4 to 2.3 times greater risk of heart attack
40% increased risk for depression
200% more physician claims
1.9 times more cardiovascular medication
2.7 times more hypertension medication
50% more hospital stays
2.6 times more work absenteeism
20% reduction in work performance
OSA is much, much more than a “sleep disorder.” It’s a killer. As hard as xPAP therapy is, it’s far, far better than treatment for any one of these conditions, in my opinion.
Find a new doctor.
Do everything possible to make your xPAP therapy work for you.
Don't give up!
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