Apnea recovery

[Spirit]

Hi,
Hope everyone is having a good New year. I've had this lingering question for awhile, and hope someone could assist in resolving my question.

I know what apnea is, and the syptoms of apnea. The queston I have is, can cpap treatment reverse the damages of apnea ??

I know cpap has cured my apnea, and preventing future apnea's. But will cpap actually help the body recover from damages, such as fatigue, headache, memory loss, etc......

cpap has cured my apnea, meaning I sleep well, I dream, I don't snore, I don't drool, etc.... applies pressure to my throat, keep airway open. It's doing it's job.

But what about the damages the apnea had created (symptoms).

What baffles me is, why would someone with narcolepsy (fatigue) have to take meds, while those with apnea fatigue don't ?? I can assure a doctor, there were times I felt narcoleptic, hardly able to keep my eyes open, hardly able to walk, function, etc......

Does cpap stop reoccuring apnea, while the body itself recovers from damage ?? Hope I'm making sense.

I am so confused as to why, treatments are taking a lifetime, and why there are no other options, to aid in symptoms, during recovery ?

Lots of people feel better, but symptoms linger, on and on and on. Lots of people get excited to start treatments, I was one, only to find out, I'm still fatigued 6 months later. 3 years ago, I was walking 2 miles on my treadmill, so it's going to take 2+ years for me to feel better. If someone had apnea for 10 years, from what I'm learning, it's going to take 10 years before they recover, Sleep debt.

Guess apnea is not making any sense to me.
Thanks

[scrapper]

Dear Spirit....

I'm offering tough love tonight--not tea and sympathy. I just looked back over your posts, and I think you can answer most of these questions yourself. You've spoken on many of these subjects to others in the past very positively and very effectively.

Your ups and downs, as you can see the pattern yourself in your posts I'm sure, are cause for concern. There are a couple possibilities----I would seriously consider ruling out depression or seeking treatment with a qualified professional, and/or following up with an endocronologist on the thyroid issues. I think your brain chemistry or thyroid hormones are out of whack and causing or contributing to the fatigue--not the lack of adequate cpap treatment.

I work in health care, and have experience with thyroid/hormone/brain chemistry issues. Your underlying problem, in my opinion, is not in the information you are seeking on this board. Please seek the help you need so that you can feel better soon.......

[Spirit]

Thanks scrapper. All those that visit the VA hospital, would be able to relate, understand the care, provided by the VA hospital, concerning diagnoses/treatments on health disorders. And that's the main issues, I'm having. Is the lack of proper, health treatment.

I was fatigued for nearly 3 years, before the VA hosptial finally confirmed sleep apnea. Now my sleep doc wants me to wait at least 6 months, before further investigting my thyroid, because all lab results return normal. The VA hospital takes care of patients at turtle speeds, and I do not have the finances for other health care. I was also declined for health insurance, due to an existing condition, I was denied disability, because I own home, property, vehicles.

I am grateful for the medical treatment provided by the hospital, so I am not here to bash them. Lots of members have helped recently, so now I move on to the next step.

The reason, up till now I felt my fatigue was apnea related, was because of the information, from my doctor. But now I have discovered other possibilities, thanks to other members, reason I ask alot of questions, sooner or later, answers will be provided. Thyroid forums, have no answers, nor able to relate to my current fatigue description, so I contibute it to apnea, cause members here shared they experienced the same type of fatigue. A member at the thyroid forum, directed me to this forum, prior to cpap treatment.

Most can relate, it is very difficult to have a doctor understand, your not feeling well, when lab results are normal.

But I'll pm you here in a bit.
Thanks

[Muse-Inc]

...can cpap treatment reverse the damages of apnea ??

I have recovered well, not totally but mostly. My short-term memory has been the slowest to recover and I'm still challenged in this area. I credit CPAP therapy but I also take lots of supplements targeted to brain function. Now that I am on the right device, APAP in my case, recovery has been faster. Spirit recovery seems to be an individual thing, and unpredictable. There are other issues that affect sleeping, daytime sleepiness, energy levels (vigor if you like) -- all of these must be evaluated to see if they are factors in symptoms.

[BlackSpinner]

I find that my mental functions have recovered really well - and as a computer programmer who works with logic and must constantly learn new things I am very very aware and grateful for this. It has been years since I have been this acute.

Now I get really impatient too to get the rest of my life in step.

[Spirit]

I find that my mental functions have recovered really well

That's really wonderful news, and I wish you continued improvements, back to full health. My mental capacity, is way better then it was 4 months ago, but still not able to do engineering problems. I use alot of Geometry, to create 3-D graphics.

[rosacer]

...can cpap treatment reverse the damages of apnea ??

I have recovered well, not totally but mostly. My short-term memory has been the slowest to recover and I'm still challenged in this area. I credit CPAP therapy but I also take lots of supplements targeted to brain function. Now that I am on the right device, APAP in my case, recovery has been faster.

Hi Muse-Inc

I have been experiencing a slow recovery on my short-term memory too. I need to say I have been only several weeks on cpap but my numbers have been very low since the begining, AHI around 3 each day more are hypopneas; and I have been sleeping 8 to 9 hours each day. Even so, I feel still tired in some extend. I don't have the restles legs syndrome, my thyroid is ok, so I don't know why I haven't improove more than that, I was unstopable on the old good times.

I saw an improvement when I started taking Omega-3 each day (I didn't belive that could work but... I tryid). Could you tell me which kind of supplements are you taking? I was planing to go to the health store try to find something, but I need to say that I don't believe everything the sell is really good for something, but that's me and my sceptic mind.

Thanks Muse-Inc

[carbonman]

My short-term memory has been the slowest to recover and I'm still challenged in this area.

FYI-
I just happened to stumble onto this.
When I got my Vista system it had Mahjong Solitare game on it.
Mahjong Solitare involves a bunch of tiles w/different pictures
and symbols on them. The object is to remove the tiles by matching
pairs of alike tiles. The games comes w/different configurations of tiles.

I tried it a few times and found it to be very difficult.
It would take hours and many trys to complete a game.
...but, it kind of became a challenge.
As I continue to play, I'm getting better and faster....
I also realized that my short term memory is improving.
My record now for completing a board is 7.5 min.

A bit of research reveals that there is a school of thought
that this game can, in fact, improve your memory.
It requires focus, concentration, an eye for detail and
.....good short term memory.
It is exercise for your brain.

Check it out.

[LinkC]

Two items: CPAP "treats" or "controls" your apnea. It doesn't "cure" anything.

And my neurologist said it was likely my memory would not return entirely. He also recommended brain stimulation...crosswords, sudoku, etc. I guess mahjongg would fall in there, too, C-man.

[Julie]

I think there's still a bit of misconception going on, if not outright denial, and that is about "recovery". I do get that you're referring to symptoms being cleared up, but I also wonder if you are hoping for the kind of recovery where you no longer need Cpap at all anymore, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty remote. It is a chronic disorder, and often accompanies other conditions that could keep some of the symptoms from recovering 100%, plus what we might tend to forget is that we are all getting older along with everything else, and so symptoms may improve to some extent, a few disappear if not for good, then for a long time, but others may still hang around. It's called life, and we can't all escape it that easily!

[carbonman]

It's called life, and we can't all escape it that easily!

I hear ya'.....but I'm not listen'n.

With cpap, if I'm go'n....I'm go'n kick'n and scream'n....all the way out.

[Julie]

Are you just amazing at suppertime, or all day long ! I'm still waiting for you to show up in a TV doc. about supermen!

[BlackSpinner]

I think there's still a bit of misconception going on, if not outright denial, and that is about "recovery". I do get that you're referring to symptoms being cleared up, but I also wonder if you are hoping for the kind of recovery where you no longer need Cpap at all anymore, but the likelihood of that happening is pretty remote. It is a chronic disorder, and often accompanies other conditions that could keep some of the symptoms from recovering 100%, plus what we might tend to forget is that we are all getting older along with everything else, and so symptoms may improve to some extent, a few disappear if not for good, then for a long time, but others may still hang around. It's called life, and we can't all escape it that easily!

My brain and organs are now getting O2. Brains can regenerate, so can many organs. My short term memory has improved, my intelligence is back to where it was before. My endurance has increased. I don't expect the OSA to fix it self, that is what the cpap machine is for, but the rest of my body is recovering from oxygen deprivation quite nicely.

[riveredge1]

I am with you carbonman--new at this but in my mind i want to lick it and turn machine into mini compressor for--------------something some day-only thing that keeps me looking ahead is someday letting go of machine ----but---if i cant-- i will deal with that down the line--we all have our hopes and dreams of the way it was---and hopefully for all of us ---can be again--golden years---who the hell came up with that one!!!!

[Ohio apnea]

You are asking the same questions that I am.But I have also am bipolar and have seasonal affective disorder and hyperthyroidism and PTSD.All of these conditions can have hypersomnia.I was diagnosed in July 2008 with 54 apnea's an hour.Tried a Fisher and Pakil sleep style trial from September 2008 until December.I had to give it up because I wear dentures and never could find a mask that would not leak. I have rhinitis and I apnea ed through my nose due to blockage .Lincare was no help either.There approach was you have to adapt to the equipment not the other way round.I do not know why they even make standard CPAP'S at all any more.As you all know a standard CPAP that does not have EPR is like blowing a balloon up all night..I didn't give up.In January 2009
I went to a dentist to try an oral appliance.TAP's will not work with dentures either ,so they tried Aveo TSD with nocturnal oxygen. Aveo Tongue stabilizing device holds your tongue forward.It has a suction bulb and a sheath that fits over you tongue. There made in New Zealand and you get ripped off to the tune of $300.It's a one size fits all non solution.I had to use a rubber band around it to keep it on all night.Well from January through August I thought that I was improving.But my titration even with 2LT per minute oxygen still dropped to 60%.So in October I went back to the sleep doc to try something new.I have a wonderful doctor.He listens and he really cares. Since October 31 2009 I have been using a Resmed Elite II with swift nasal pillows.Man what a difference.My setting is 14 H2O and when I exhale it lowers my resistance pressure to 10 H2O.Some thing that I can live with.Then I started having rain out issues because I have to max out my humidifier to keep my nose and sinus open.As usual the DME's DASCO in this case had no answers other than to increase the room temperature from 70 to 75.Well I tried putting foam water pipe insulation on my hose 1 inch thick and I put the Autopap on the floor and ran my hose straight up so the the condensation would drop back in to the humidifier.Every night after 4 hours it was almost like water boarding.But I still did not give up.I have come so far and I have been 100% compliant for the last 80 days.I fixed the rain out problem 2 days ago by leaving 75% of my hose under a electric blanket at 89 degrees.Finely I thought that I had all the problems beat.But I am a mouth breather and the resmed chin strap that they gave to me is only 1 inch wide and keeps sliding either forward or back and it was so tight that I felt like my head was in a vice.Well I still didn't give up.I had to pay $47 for A new one with comfortable support.I will take one day at a time because I have had only 2 days over the last year and a half of good therapy.My brain is fried my memory is so bad the I can not remember where I put anything 2 minutes later.Some days I am so tired that I fell like I did when I had Scarlet fever.I do not have the power to get out of my own way.So to all you newbees out there,sometimes you have to be very creative in fixing all the problems that the engineers at the CPAP companies do not understand.The companies need to have a team of real experts like you and me who know the problems that come with apnea and our CPAPS Autopaps, cflex.DO NOT EVER GIVE UP.I went through all the stages of non acceptance, denial, non compliance and finally acceptance.