I am scared...

[svenelven]

All,

I am brand new to this and I just completed a sleep study and the tech put me on a CPAP there after 2 hours sleeping, and an hour after that adding a little oxygen for central episodes even after the CPAP was engaged with a good pressure. She got me sleeping sound and motionless (nearly) with the combination with no episodes at all for 3.5 hours.

Here is my fear, will this be lifelong? Will my live in girlfriend tolerate it running on the other side of the bed? Will I be able to go camping, or hiking overnight? Will travel to other countries be an issue?

I am 35 years old and I am scared to death of this thing, but I got a taste of 3 and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep at the study sunday night and was not even a little tired all day monday and even worse was afraid to go to sleep that night. It'll be a couple weeks before diagnosis but with the frequency of the episodes of no air I am pretty sure I will need a CPAP or BiPAP.

Any words of experience, encouragement etc would be very welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

[klockemy]

All,

I am brand new to this and I just completed a sleep study and the tech put me on a CPAP there after 2 hours sleeping, and an hour after that adding a little oxygen for central episodes even after the CPAP was engaged with a good pressure. She got me sleeping sound and motionless (nearly) with the combination with no episodes at all for 3.5 hours.

Here is my fear, will this be lifelong? Will my live in girlfriend tolerate it running on the other side of the bed? Will I be able to go camping, or hiking overnight? Will travel to other countries be an issue?

I am 35 years old and I am scared to death of this thing, but I got a taste of 3 and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep at the study sunday night and was not even a little tired all day monday and even worse was afraid to go to sleep that night. It'll be a couple weeks before diagnosis but with the frequency of the episodes of no air I am pretty sure I will need a CPAP or BiPAP.

Any words of experience, encouragement etc would be very welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

Lifelong? More than likely, unless they come up with a cure....a real cure.
Will your girlfriend tolerate it? Hopefully. Everyone is different. My wife and I just joke about it and move on.
Camping and Hiking? Sure you can!
Travel to other countries? Sure you can!

I am only 28 so how do you think I felt to find out that I have to sleep on a machine every night? I think I was down for a few days when I started, but waking up refreshed in the mornings and the support received on this site made it more than worth it. I don't care what people say when they see my homemade 'hose management' system hanging on the wall or the ominous machine sitting on the nightstand b/c I know that I am getting recooperative sleep.

You are in the right place to start your journey. Welcome the challenge with open arms as the rewards are worth it.

Kevin

[nobody]

Hello, yes it is lifelong. Yes you will still be able to go camping and hiking, but you'll need to get a battery for the CPAP. I don't know about girlfriends, but you should be able to get adapters for travel to other places that have power supplied differently than wherever you are now.

[LinkC]

Will my live in girlfriend tolerate it running on the other side of the bed?

Think of this as an opportunity to discover if she's a "keeper".

[ricochetv1]

Hello, yes it is lifelong. Yes you will still be able to go camping and hiking, but you'll need to get a battery for the CPAP. I don't know about girlfriends, but you should be able to get adapters for travel to other places that have power supplied differently than wherever you are now.

And if she can't deal with it, then... well.... plenty of fish and all that...
Seriously, if someone can't put up with something like that, then they're too superficial. Maybe you could consider it a barometric test for women. Find the woman that it's no big deal to her, and you've found a potential keeper.

[Kiralynx]

I don't blame you for being scared and upset.

Yes, it's lifelong, until or unless they come up with an alternative treatment which works as well.

Most CPAPs or Bipaps come with adapters good for "universal" current -- you'll just need the proper plug adapters for overseas travel.

For camping, you'll need either a battery powered xPAP -- currently only made as a CPAP, no Bipaps or Auto-CPAPs -- or a battery to power your machine.

I suspect that your girlfriend, if she's the right kind of person, will welcome anything which will help you. Get her on this board, and folks here can help her see ways to help you make your therapy work. (There are plenty of spouses and partners here who help their CPAPer SOs or mates.)

As for being only 35 -- if you read this board, and other information about sleep apnea, you'll learn that CHILDREN can have apnea. It isn't a middle-aged fat man's disease. Be glad they caught it now, before the damage to your body is permanent.

If you want to know what a CPAPer can accomplish, check out Carbonman's wonderful thread here:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43392&p=384644#p384644

Being a hosehead requires some accommodation. But so does every other change you make in your life.

[Rustyolddude]

You know what your life is like now without CPAP therapy. Without it, you'll likely be tired, unsocialable, irritable which worsen as you get older. Not a good plan for a long term relationship.

With therapy, you can travel, camp, and generally be a happier more energetic person to be around. Which do you want?

Yeah it will be an adjustment on both your parts. Heres a suggestion. Put your CPAP inside the nightstand or disguise it otherwise make it so that it isn't the center of attention every time you enter the room. Kinda like laying down that photo of your future mother-in-law. When ya'll are in a romatic mood, act as usual. Time to sleep, just open the cabinet, and pull out the mask & hose and press the start button. Think of it like women do with their curlers, facial mask, and other rituals they do when going to bed.

Something else to consider, marriage is unconditional. "Warts & all" If neither of you are willing to care for one another whether it's CPAP therapy, paralysis, stroke, or some other life altering injury, then maybe it's time to move on. If you can't look at one another and say that you'd care for this person for the rest of their life if they were confined to a wheelchair and in diapers, then difficult decisions have to be made. Everytime you put the key in the ignition and get on the highway, there's a chance you may not come back the same person.

[klockemy]

Everytime you put the key in the ignition and get on the highway, there's a chance you may not come back the same person.

Insightful..... I LOVE IT!

My new sig!

[tchavalas]

I was about 35 when I first started noticing problems with snoring. At first I tried everything BUT CPAP. I lost weight. I had Somnoplasti performed. I also had the very painful UUP surgery. They removed my uvula, tonsils and adenoids. (I do NOT recommend the surgery.) Some of these treatments helped slightly for a while... But eventually I started having more severe problems. My apnea was causing high blood pressure. I had to get up and use the bathroom 5-6 times a night because my heart was racing all night. I was severely drowsy all day. (I fell asleep driving.) I was diagnosed with diastolic dysfunction in my heart. ALL of it was caused by my sleep apnea!

After two years of using a CPAP... My blood pressure is normal. My diastolic dysfunction has almost completely reversed. I sleep through the night without trips to the bathroom. Best of all... I am not drowsy any more. I wake up refreshed and ready for the day. I believe CPAP therapy saved my life. I think I would be dead from a heart attack or an automobile accident by now without it.

As for concern about how your girlfriend/wife might react to CPAP... I was concerned about that too. But they probably would prefer the CPAP to listening to you snore & choke all night. Ultimately... If they care about you... It's not going to matter.

As for travel & camping... I do it. Most of the CPAP machines have battery options. If it's a short trip for only a night or two... You can try toughing it out. Otherwise I would look at a battery operated CPAP. The AEIOmed Everest 2 is a great travel machine.

Also you should try the Mirage Swift LT Nasal Pillow mask... It is less cumbersome than a typical mask. (Chicks dig it.)

If you want to try put off using a CPAP for a while... talk to your doctor about how he thinks losing weight or Somnoplasti would affect your situation. Ultimately... You will probably find that the CPAP is your best option. CPAP is your new friend.

[rubymom]

I was very scared that first night I got my machine. Shocked and in disbelief. That was 3 months ago. Things are better now. Do I love sleeping with a mask on my face? Of course not. Do I feel better when I do? Yes.

I've known for years I had sleep apnea but did nothing about it. My new boyfriend pointed it out to me after a few nights together. Even after I got my machine, I would not put it on when we were sleeping together. Not sexy enough, I figured. Yeah--how sexy was the snoring and snorting and all that I did--not too sexy either. He told me one night to put it on. Told me not to not wear it because of him. It's still weird. I feel like it comes between us. I usually turn my body away from him and just snuggle up.

It has to do. I hope your girlfriend will accept it as well.

Good luck!

L

[LinkC]

If it's a short trip for only a night or two... You can try toughing it out. Otherwise I would look at a battery operated CPAP. The AEIOmed Everest 2 is a great travel machine.

Any of the M-series will run for several nights* on a good rechargable "jump start" battery. All you need is a "cigarette lighter"-type adapter.

*WithOUT the humidifier module...

[TushyGalore]

Here are my suggestions based on my own recent diagnosis:

Get your girlfriend actively involved in this new life change because it's going to effect you both in good and... I don't want to say "bad ways" but it's not a cakewalk when you first start out, yanno?

My boyfriend went with me to my appointment with the medical supply people so that he could learn about the machine and my new needs, he asked questions, checked out the mask and helped me to put it on for the first time.

He knows how to clean it, fill the water tank and what all the buttons are for. He's my partner in this just like we're partners in all the other aspects of life.

I think that if your woman is as educated as you are on the topic and helps you get set up for the night etc then she'll be cool with it. After all, without you sawing logs next to her all night she'll be sleeping better too and once the lights are out, who cares how the think looks, right?!

Don't be afraid, be bold and excited about this second chance on life! GOOD LUCK!!!

-Elissa-

[bonjour]

It sounds like, despite your fears, that you will take to this like a duck to water. I was classified as severe and knew I didn't have a problem when I went in. I had my study to get my wife of (now) 37 years off my back. I too experienced tremendous relief, unbelievable relief, the day after my study. I looked forward to my titration study because I knew I would get another good night sleep. After that it was a fight to get my CPAP quickly (2 weeks of falling asleep driving).

Assuming you are Dx and Rx an xPAP (sounds like a pretty good bet) you want to get one that is FULLY DATA CAPABLE, not just compliance data. You can use this as a basis for verifying the effectiveness of your treatment and for info that helps you improve your treatment.

Fred

[LinkC]

He knows how to clean it, fill the water tank and what all the buttons are for.

Can I adopt your boyfriend???

[BlackSpinner]

Will my live in girlfriend tolerate it running on the other side of the bed?

If she doesn't, does she have good CPR skills? Do you plan to put her in your will? Does she usually like you to play "chicken" with the car and a truck? Or maybe she wants you to go bull running?