Love your CPAP?

LindaCPAP · Post by **LindaCPAP** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:14 am

In my search of the internet I found several entries where people absolutely love their CPAP and wouldn't go without it. If you are one of these people, will you tell me why you love it and what was your turning point. I'm trying to find some positive reinforcement so I'll keep trying to use it. Thanks.

Flying_Norseman · Post by **Flying_Norseman** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:23 am

I love mine because I can now go to sleep and not have the underlying panic of being woken up because I stopped breathing. I don't wake up 3 or 4 times a night. I wake up in the morning refreshed and rested. I don't want to take a nap during the day. I think more clearly and feel better all around. I wouldn't think of going to sleep at night with out it now.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:26 am

< raises hand > I would be one of those......"Happy PAPpers"
Since the first night. Oh, yeah, there was a learning curve (I'm still learning) and a few months of getting used to sleeping with something strapped to my face....but I never want to go back to feeling the way I felt BEFORE starting therapy. I can actually breathe at night now......and I'm not oxygen-deprived and sleepy anymore.

Maybe I lucked out. I picked the best mask for me, right off the bat.
(I gave it a LOT of thought before deciding)

I selected a machine that had data capabilities and I got the software with my initial order so I could monitor my therapy from the beginning.

AND, I made a better "guess" at the pressure I needed than my sleep doctor did.

Den

deerslayer · Post by **deerslayer** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:43 am

i am one of those that was in denial of OSD the wife insisted i go tell the doc about me stop breathing several times a night plus the snoring (not conducive to a happy house. .......ok, so i went & had the sleep study done. the rt said most likely they will put you on cpap....i left w/,yea right they can't make me ! well, the V A is a little more persuasive than i thought. ...so after 4 months now i can see a differance in my energy,over all motivation,sinuses stay clear all night, i can track my progress w/ software & the bedroom is a lot quieter at night. to be honest i had no idea the affect it would have on my life. NOW,i look forward to going to bed and getting a satisfying restful sleep. the hardest part of the therapy is finding a properly fitting mask that is comfortable,w/minimal leaks,that you can live with. ....i was told to turn in the smart card after 30 days for evaluation.before that happened i got my own became pro-active in the treatment. main reason is that rt said things looked within parameters and they would see me in a year. in large part this website has been a God send & a watershed of positive input. Good luck to you! you're at the right place !

Pineapple · Post by **Pineapple** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:49 am

I assum you're a newbie - how long?

I've been with mine a month and a half - the first 2 weeks were a nightmare with no sign on improvement. The I woke up one morning and my daughter asked "how was your night?" and my reply was "I think I slept last night" My daughter darn near did sumersults. After that the "little things started to come - less waking at night, less trips to the bathroom, leg pain disapating. Grab on to those little things.

I'm at the point now where I wake up alert in the morning, although about 3:00 I start to drain, but it's an improvement from what I had.

My husband no longer needs to remind me that the therapy can work if you don't use it. I am a solid believer now and wouldn't go back to life without it.

"Be patient, some people are harder to fix"

BarryKaraoke · Post by **BarryKaraoke** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:07 pm

I love mine because I am no longer a walking Zombie, too tired to play with my own kids AND....my wife is back in my bed again after moving out to the spare bedroom due to her chainsaw husband.

Claire · Post by **Claire** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:08 pm

Hi, Linda:

I'm fairly new, too...3 months...but I love mine because my former biorhythm returned and I wake up ready to go. I don't go back to sleep in the morning. My head is not fuzzy and I can concentrate again. I don't have joint pain anymore in my hips...that was stopping me from many activities. My metabolism has accelerated, and I heal faster from things, too. Oh, yeah, and it's really nice that my husband isn't complaining about my snoring.

Moreover, I am likely to be adding years to my life.

So...it is very hard to adapt to wearing something on your face and being hooked to a hose. I would just love to be a person who can just go to sleep and not worry. But I can't. So, I've learned how to deal with cheek bruises, air leaks, managing equipment, etc. It isn't easy, but it's absolutely worth it. LOL

JeffH · Post by **JeffH** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:14 pm

I love mine. Just like all relationships, there have been ups and downs, but I wouldn't let mine go for anything, and I do mean anything.

I decided early on this was going to work for me. This was long before forums, or any kind of support groups. I just decided it was going to work and I QUIT fighting it. IMHO it's one of those surrender to win deals.

JeffH

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:25 pm

LindaCPAP wrote:In my search of the internet I found several entries where people absolutely love their CPAP and wouldn't go without it. If you are one of these people, will you tell me why you love it and what was your turning point. I'm trying to find some positive reinforcement so I'll keep trying to use it. Thanks.

Uhhh, I love it because it gives me a quality of life worth living.

Turning point? ... was after first night of treatment when I realized I was already living half dead and didn't even know it.

Positive reinforcement? ... I don't want to die a slow suffocating death.

andy88488 · Post by **andy88488** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:25 pm

I love mine too. I'm not 100% rested yet, but I wake up feeling refreshed, which never used to happen!

But there was a road to get here. I had to get a data-capable machine. I had to charge to a full-face mask. I had to learn that an AHI of 5 wasn't good enough for me to feel well-rested.

Keep at it; you'll get there too.

Andy

Bookbear · Post by **Bookbear** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:47 pm

I would echo what Flying_Norseman said, and add that I've been 100% compliant since my second night on cpap. Do I resent having to hose up each night? Yeah. Does it make travel less convenient? You bet. Do I wish I didn't have this life sentence? Sure. Would I consider going to sleep without the hose? NEVER. CPAP is the reason I am alive today, plain and simple.

I am deeply grateful that such machines exist and that I was diagnosed in time. I am utterly convinced that my dad had OSA and died of its effects on his health. CPAP has allowed me to enjoy life with my family and to enjoy my retirement... something my dad was never able to do.

I know I was lucky and adapted fairly quickly to CPAP therapy, but whatever effort it takes (and I know it takes a lot, I have several friends who struggle to varying degrees with CPAP), it is worth it.

Good luck!

norm · Post by **norm** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:18 pm

I love my CPAP because, among other things,

I can sit down on the coach and watch television or a movie without falling asleep;

I can read a book without falling asleep;

I no longer have to nap several times a day;

I no longer have to eat donuts and chocolate and drink gallons of coffee to stay awake during the day;

I no longer almost fall asleep when I am driving a car and as a result no longer dread road trips;

I feel a lot freer disagreeing with my spouse when I think she is wrong (don't tell her this), since I no longer think that just by sleeping in the same bed as me with my snoring means I have to always treat her as an angel (even though she is);

I can sit through a meeting, even an incredibly boring meeting;

I no longer have to worry about my kids bringing friends over to hear what really loud snoring sounds like;

I no longer wake up choking;

I actually feel good most of the time and realize how horrible I felt most of the time before I started CPAP therapy.

Stick with it; you will get used to the machine and ultimately come to love it. It will change your life. Really.

--Norm

alnhwrd · Post by **alnhwrd** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 2:20 am

The turning point for me was waking up in the sleep lab after the first truly restful sleep in over ten years. As the tech turned off the CPAP I was hooked up to and removed my mask, I pointed to the CPAP and asked how I could get one of those.

Pre-cpap I would wake up driving and about to have an accident. I had to have a hiding place at work to get at least a short nap to get through most days. I could sleep for 14 hours, get up, and two hours later be dozing in my recliner. I had about a 50-50 chance of staying awake in the movies. I stayed up as late as I could every night because I dreaded going to sleep, knowing what was coming. I would lay in bed totally exhausted, start to drift off then choke and snort myself awake. I woke up every morning with the sheets twisted and pulled from the bed. I was guarenteed at least three full arousals every night, sometimes as many as 6-7 with no more than 45 minutes between them. In the 15 years before CPAP I never, ever slept more than six hours uninterupted unless I was sick.

Every single problem in the previous paragraph is gone now that I am on CPAP. There were struggles in the beginning, and I still struggle sometimes. I have bad nights, and even strings of bad nights, but even 4-5 hours on CPAP is better than 8-9 without it. Most nights I get between 7-8 1/2 hours. The mind and body do adapt. At first it was uncomfortable, then tolerable, and now it feels like I am moving into comfortable. I lay in bed anticipating that first rush of air and relax into the feeling of the air flowing in and out of my lungs. I forget I have the mask on and try to scratch my nose through it while falling asleep.

Since finding this forum I have learned that not only do I feel better, but every night I use the hose I am healing my body and improving my chances of not having a heart attack or stroke. Since my father, mother, uncle and grandfather all had these ailments, I am very grateful.

I love my cpap and would never stop using it. It would mean a return of all the problems I had before. If they made them illegal I would move to Canada. As soon as I can, I will get a complete second set up, including battery backup, just in case.

But enough about me, Linda. What about you? You say you are looking for reinforcement so you will keep trying to use CPAP. Does this mean you are not using it? How can we help to get you to use it, and use it consistently? There is lots of knowledge and experiance on this forum to help you along, and lots of people to give you encouragement, if either of these is what you need. Please let us know what we can do to help you out with your therapy.

Joffive · Post by **Joffive** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:51 am

I can't say I LOVE using it (I'd have to be crazy) But I love what it does for me. I accidentally fell asleep without it on for a couple of hours in the morning when I should have gotten up and once recently I fell asleep at night without it on and went the whole night without. I can tell you that it was then that I truly realized just how much better I feel when using it. Those times, I felt like I was hit by a truck once I finally got up! Just like before CPAP. I think maybe I didn't realize it affected me so much when I was first diagnosed because it probably took years to get as bad as it did. It was just how I thought things were.
I am now exercising and losing weight because I feel energized for the first time in years. I feel like I 'lost' several years of my life. No one, not even me, thought of sleep apnea when I was complaining of fogginess and fatigue and my BP was rising and my weight was going up and I was dealing with depression at times.
Keep going...It's well worth the trouble of getting used to it!

nosbig17 · Post by **nosbig17** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:17 am

My motivation for never EVER sleeping without the CPAP therapy is this question:

What happens to my vital organs when they try to operate on a reduced oxygen supply?

Machine	Mask

Additional Comments: straight cpap 12.20 AHI avg.0.79

Mask

Additional Comments: Equipment isn't correct, S9 ASV w/H5i

Love your CPAP?

Love your CPAP?

Re: Love your CPAP?