Is all this really worth it?

[Hawthorne]

Treating sleep apnea and the minor frustrations that go with it are NOTHING compared to what some people have to deal with in their lives!!

I have a couple of major medical conditions in addition to sleep apnea. Believe me, using cpap is a minor frustration compared to what dealing with these other medical conditions involves.

Being diagosed with sleep apnea and going through the minor frustrations of using cpap, did help me cope better with my other medical conditions. It would not have prevented them (given what they are) if I had been diagnosed sooner but, it certainly WILL prevent other more debilitating conditions that I might have had without cpap.

Yes. I will keep doing this. There are a lot worse things out there than putting on a mask and hooking up to a machine at night for a better quality of life.

I am Canadian as well and the cost of this equipment in Canada is riduculously expensive ( about 3 times the cost of same in the US). When you are first diagnosed you will receive quite a bit of financial help with the purchase of your first machine and mask.

You are self employed so, perhaps don't have an extended health plan. Maybe you do. Some plan will help with the cost of these things too.

If, even with that financial help, it is still too expensive, get your prescription after your sleep study (which you have already paid for in taxes in Canada unlike the US) and buy online at cpap.com (that may about what you would have to pay yourself in Canada) or at cpapauction.com where good deals are availabe on machines, masks and other equipment.

[birdshell]

Right on, Hawthorne! Using one's CPAP becomes a routine, doesn't it?

There are also many ways to reduce the amount of work cpap has increased. The truly creative and industrious have listed some of them on this forum. I'm sure that there are many more.

Keep on posting, all y'all!

Karen,
Who cannot believe that this post is so short

[Babette]

Yes.

I haven't had a miracle cure. I haven't lost 75 pounds. I still have acne, a bad attitude, and am tired alot.

But my mind is working clearer. I'm seeing my way to solving problems at work and at home faster and more efficiently than before. I do have a bit more energy, and I have hope of gaining more.

I have hope. That's a huge thing in itself.

I feel a bit better overall. I don't feel crazy in the head anymore. I feel more confident. I haven't fallen asleep at the wheel once since starting therapy.

It's worth it to me. I'm gonna keep doing it. Your Mileage May Vary.

Cheers,
Babs

[grandmajoy]

Thank you, deadhead, for asking us the question in the first place. It made me, and I think others here, remember how blessed we are to have a treatment and each other. Good luck as you continue on!

[gasp]

Naturally people would come here to troubleshoot issues so I understand that the negative aspects of CPAP treatment would be more heavily represented in this forum, but after a week of reading about all the issues people have, I'm wondering how worth it all of this trouble really is.

I'm often tired but I've been managing it for years before I knew what sleep apnea was or that I average 55 incidents an hour. And I'm aware of the higher risk of heart issues and other nasties. And maybe I'm being stupid, but the thought of wearing a mask for the remaining third of my life and the probable issues I'm going to have with mask fittings, irritations, rainout, BPA, adjusting, travelling, and everything else (not to mention the significant cost for me as a self-employed Canadian) doesn't exactly make me want to rush out and get started.

I'm very curious about what noticeable differences if any you have experienced in yourself and how long before it got noticed? I know everyone is different but I want to know what I might expect when I go through with this (as I probably will).

I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

It took two months before I could say I had a recuperative rest. I don't want to discount your experience, but mine is totally different. When I found this forum I think remembering how resilient and resourceful the forum members are here. I felt encouraged that there were so many answers, thinking that I would then be able to find one that would work for me. I also think remembering that the amount of response I got was so encouraging. If it wasn't for the answers I received I wouldn't have had a wonderful data capable machine that has exhalation relief (necessary for me when my asthma acts up). And so much more.

I also remember crying and feeling so bad for myself that I had to wear a mask for the rest of my life. And more.

I am happy you posted your thoughts here and found this forum. It gets easier. I encourage you to keep posting and don't worry if you're posting too much or asking too many questions. Get your answers and find what works for you. You will feel better once you're rested and your body begins the healing process from having untreated apnea.

[MichelleFL]

Hello again deadhead. I have just been diagnosed with sleep apnea but have not gone through with my titration yet to set my level for a prescription.. Let me tell you I went through denial big time and thought it was because of the other issues I had and if I had gotten rid of those maybe it would go away.. Then I started to read and read and read. I tell you what, since I suffer with anxiety alot of times I sit here shaking because it all sounds very scary! I still really do not want to do it, but am asking more questions and getting answers to those scary parts.. Alot of nice people here to help you with every question you have, they are just wonderful! I still am scared but the more knowledge you know about this and your treatment the better and the more informed you can be when you get your own equipment! We can do this together..

[sleepydoll]

I'm often tired but I've been managing it for years before I knew what sleep apnea was or that I average 55 incidents an hour. And I'm aware of the higher risk of heart issues and other nasties. And maybe I'm being stupid, but the thought of wearing a mask for the remaining third of my life and the probable issues I'm going to have with mask fittings, irritations, rainout, BPA, adjusting, travelling, and everything else (not to mention the significant cost for me as a self-employed Canadian) doesn't exactly make me want to rush out and get started.
I appreciate your feedback. Thanks!

LET ME PUT IT THIS WAY;
WOULD YOU RATHER WORK ON USING CPAP 6 HOURS A NIGHT...
OR BE DEAD 24 HOURS A DAY?

[Sandy's mom]

Hello everyone - almost 3 weeks into treatment...Very demanding job as a preschool teacher of limited English speaking children - I really believe I'm calmer now - I guess that is more rested but little things (and big things) don't seem to bother me as much as before. Hubby says I'm happier - sleep clinic really scared me by pointing out that untreated OSA can cause enlarged heart, etc., etc., and congestive heart failure (killed my mom at 66)-terrible way to die.

Do I "like" wearing the hose? No, I just accept that it is my life now and I feel so much better when I use it. What worked for me was to wallow a bit in self pity a.k.a. Ben and Jerry's fest and then deal with it.

Best wishes.

[Babette]

Hi Sandy's Mom - I'm the secretary for my school district's Early Childhood Program.... and 27 other programs too.

Yup, the biggest benefit I derive from this is feeling calmer. I don't feel like I'm on the verge of crying or having a nervous breakdown 24/7 anymore.

Alot of the benefits are subtle. Sometimes you really have to stop and take stock before you realize them. Or someone tells you something's changed about you, and then you notice.

Good luck all!
Babs

[deadhead]

Anyone who knows me would agree that I can use more calmness in my life. I'm happy to hear that, and I hope I get the same benefit. Thanks!

[crossfit]

I noticed major changes within a few days. Put my name in a search and find what my husband said to me about week two - basically, in tears, "I have my wife back". I found things funny again. I found I could follow conversations that I didn't even realize I wasn't able to follow prior to treatment.

The slope we go down as we get worse and worse is somewhat gradual. Often people think that a direct symptom of their apnea is due to something else and they have learned to simply live with it. Chronic pain is one example. I was pain free within 4 days. I have energy to do a lot more than I did just 3 months ago.

Is it worth it? absolutely. Just a few hours without my mask and symptoms come back. I feel like another person - a person I don't like very much because I am so irritible - which I didn't have the wherewithal to realize!

The struggles aren't that difficult. Most people here are new. There is some demographics on that in a thread. Most of the long time people here don't have those daily issues. So, its a year of struggle or so as you get used to it, and not a constant year, a few hours each night slowing to a few hours once in a while.

[zaquon]

I've had a string of failed relationships including a divorce. I'm only 29 and after my last breakup I wondered if I'd ever figure out what's wrong me so I could have a normal relationship. Basically I'd meet someone and they'd see a happy, engaging person. But after a while, I'd let my guard down and they realize that I'm really dead inside. That happy and engaging person was only part-time. All the rest of the time, I wasn't there, just completely checked out with a sign on my forehead saying "Gone Fishin' ".

I've been on CPAP for 6 weeks. Last night I saw my ex-girlfriend for the first time in over a month an I was able to say to her: "I'm the person you fell in love with, not the person you broke up with, for good now". I don't know if there's any hope for us, but still, worth it.

_z

[Babette]

Damn Z, that's moving.

I'm 43, single, with a lifetime of failed relationships. I've been with the New Beau for exactly one month yesterday. Yes, he bought me a ring. 25 cents out of the gumball machine at Big Lots.

Honestly, it's been the most NORMAL dating experience of my life. NO drama. It's completely aberrant in my life experience.

GOOD LUCK Z!!!!!!!!
Babs

[Captain_Midnight]

Poster DH writes about...wearing a mask for the remaining third of my life and the probable issues I'm going to have with mask fittings, irritations, rainout, BPA, adjusting, travelling, and everything else and wonders if this is all really "worth it".

Actually, I'm happy that you ask this. Many folks will be reading this thread wondering the same thing, so good on you for bringing it up, and being forthcoming.

My pulmonologist tells me that about 50% of his patients give up on xPAP within one year. I find this astounding, but it relates to your question. Is the therapy worth the bother?

I wasn't sure that I wanted to do the PAP thing. The mask, hose, etc looked gross, and struck me as more creepy than sleepy. Still, armed with some chilling health statistics, and feeling as if I was literally dying (I might have been), I went ahead with CPAP, thinking that (after a few months) if I didn't like it, I'd look into surgery.

I also used to have, on occasion, these nasty, malignant, turbulent dreams that would come on the heals of (what I later learned were) apneic events. I would be throttled awake in a claustrophobic fright, dripping wet, with my face feeling like the radiator of a steam heater. And, I would feel worse than crummy. Had I known what was happening at the physiological level, and the emergency hormonal dumps, the local and systemic inflammation, the cardio and vascular torture, and the immunological and histological mayhem that an unknown-to-me sleeping disorder was serving up several times, on a nightly basis, I would have added sheer terror to the crummy feeling.

After the first few weeks of getting used to sleeping with SCUBA gear, I realized that I didn't just like it, I LOVED it. My energy, vitality, cognitive abilities, mood, coordination and other things that I didn't know were ebbing, all returned with gusto. My heart rate began to fall, as did my b.p.

Skipping to present. It's been almost 3 years since I've started w CPAP (then to AutoPap w data reporting). My weight is down to 193. My blood work is now all LOW cardiac risk. (It was at the high side). I'm in better physical shape than I've been in since the 1968. (I feel better at 60 than I did at 50, 40, or 30.) 3 years ago, my blood pressure was stratospheric (I had one reading so high the doc wouldn't even tell me, saying only "you don't want to know"). This past August, it was 120/60 in the doc's office. My resting pulse is about 58. I can read faster, retain more, and even write and type faster. My public speaking has improved, as well as my feeling of ease when in public.

The machine a bother? Nah. It's a bit inconvenient here and there, but everyone learns the shortcuts, and to take the PAP stuff in stride. (Actually, I sleep so much less now, that I still realize a significant net gain in time every day. Add to which I accomplish more in a given period of time.).

We are more than lucky to be around when the science of medicine is catching on to the diagnosis, consequences and treatment of OSA. My mission is to convince as many folks as I can (whom I suspect might have sleeping disorders) to get a sleep study or other acceptable diagnosis. (My success rate is good, but far from perfect. One of the hallmarks of us apneics is a reluctance to diagnose or treat; and to wish away the true risks of non-treatment.)

Is it worth it? I know a woman who's life has been restored by PAP therapy. She (and I think she's exaggerating to make a point) claims that she would KILL anyone who tried to take away her xPAP. Many here would understand her sentiments.

Regards all --

[rejoicem56]

[quote="Babette"]Hi Sandy's Mom - I'm the secretary for my school district's Early Childhood Program.... and 27 other programs too.

Yup, the biggest benefit I derive from this is feeling calmer. I don't feel like I'm on the verge of crying or having a nervous breakdown 24/7 anymore.

Alot of the benefits are subtle. Sometimes you really have to stop and take stock before you realize them. Or someone tells you something's changed about you, and then you notice.

Hi, I am fairly new here about a month into the CPAP world. I have mild apnea but I figure why should I knowly kill what brain cells I have every time I go to sleep. I have gotten great help in here with questions about masks and after trying 4 different ones in a month. I have found one that works well for me. I am sleeping better I won't even nap without my mask on. I am 56 an need those brain cells.I have lots of other health problems but I am sure they will get better slowly as my body heals from years of bad sleep. I go back to my cardio doc. next month to see if my atrial fibulations is better since going on CPAP. We have not been able to get in under control with meds so he sent me to check about sleep apnea. Which we found out I have so I am praying that it will help an I might come off some meds. I am am sure it will be worth the trouble to adjust to the mask if it improves my health . Melinda