Any "younger" people on here?

[blakepro]

I was diagnosed when I was 23. I'm now 29

Didint know anything about apnea, The DME stuck me with a remSTAR basic no-data TANK model. I used it for a few years, seemed like it wasnt working that well, so I figured out how to bump up my pressure a little bit. Kept using it for 5 years. Never heard from my doctor during that time, and only heard from my DME when I ordered new masks and filters.

After 5 years, I was feeling like I needed a fresh start with the pressure, because I wasnt feeling rested. I made an appointment with my sleep doc because I thought I needed another polysomnogram to determine what my pressure should be. Instead, he told me that my DME could provide me with a machine that I could use for 30 days to help me get the right pressure figured out. I had no idea there were other machines like that at the time.

So, the DME gave me a ResMed S8 Elite II auto and I used that for 30 days. Gave it back to my DME, they said they would get the results to my doctor and get back to me with the new pressure. SO I went back to the tank... While waiting on the doctor, the tank started having a weird problem where it would start screeching during the middle of the night. I would have to turn it off, then back on again, and it would go away for a random amount of time. (sometimes 3 minutes, sometimes 3 hours) but the screeching would always return.

My machine was obviously busted and since I recently discovered that there were different machine options out there, I went to the internet to find some info about them..

Thats what led me here. I lurked at first. I needed a machine quickly and decided on the PR system 1. I asked about an auto version from the DME and they told me those arent for use all the time.. just to get your pressure settings. They Tried to give me another data-less machine and I told them I wouldnt buy it unless it had data. So they gave me a PR1 PRO. Since then, I have registered here, and learned a lot. I appreciate all those here willing to share what they know and provide support with the usual questions being asked over and over by various new people.

I figured I was probably on the younger side of things here. Especially when I was diagnosed, but as others have said OSA can hit any age, any gender, any race, any weight.

[SnoreSnoreSnore]

Congratulations on the early success you've had!

Even though I was 36 when I had my first sleep study and OSA diagnosis, I had been a "problem" snorer (by which I mean that my snoring was a problem for other people) for at least ten years before that. In my case, I think my OSA is partly due to airway abnormalities that could well be hereditary. My late grandfather was the heaviest snorer I've ever known, and apparently there was never a time in his adult life when he slept without loud snoring. Two of my brothers also snore, and I bet that at least one of them has OSA. Like Brobbi said, OSA is not necessarily an age issue.

My initial reluctance to get tested was really reluctance to "depend" on a machine of any type. To me, it seemed at the time that any health issue requiring the daily use of any kind of machine was severe and a sign that I wasn't "young" anymore. Having some apprehension around something new is normal for most of us, and this was one way that my apprehension was expressing itself. Once I started using CPAP, traveling with it, and simply making it part of daily life, it became clear that all the factors that had made me reluctant to go down that road were much more significant in my imagination than they have been in day-to-day living.

I only found this forum recently, even though I have been a CPAP user for about four years. It's a great resource and I'm already a much better informed patient thanks to the information that members have shared about equipment and ways to manage OSA. I think that for anybody who has OSA or another disorder affecting sleep, sooner is better when it comes to knowledge and treatment.

[SingleMom]

Hey Singlemom,

Sorry to hear that it's not going well. It seems that there is something going wrong with your treatment, or there is some other underlying condition. Have you been tested for anemia, lyme disease, mononucleosis, etc? There are lots of conditions that can make you feel worn out and tired. Sleep apnea may only be one condition.

I strongly urge you to do your best to stick with CPAP therapy. I've heard so many stories about how it's changed people's lives and after only two weeks, I feel like I'm a convert.

I think the one thing I've learnt from this forum is that while doctors and CPAP providers are well intentioned, it's really up to the individual to experiment to make sure they get it right. Every person is different. These forums are chock full of information and I suggest you do your best to work through all the combinations until you find something that works for you.

Best of luck!

Thanks! I'm going to give up yet. I've been on CPAP therapy for 2 years now. I'm taking zoloft, but don't think it's doing anything. I just got a new mask today. I'll try for 2 weeks, if no change, I'm going to ask Doc to switch meds. I'm also going to ask my physical therapist to work me a little more.

I feel like I'm sleeping better, but I need more sleep now than I ever have. I even moved my alarm clock across the room (and I have a loft bed) but I would climb down, snooze the clock and go back to bed! I would do this multiple times until either the alarm stopped or my son came in to attack me.

[lordvader]

I'm 10 years old

times 3, plus 9, minus 2 = 37

[kteague]

SingleMom, what does your data look like? With how you are feeling, I would want to KNOW the threatment is effective, so you'll know if pursuing other possible culprits is necessary. All the meds in the world won't work if your CPAP treatment isn't. Maybe you've done that, but since you didn't mention it, thought I would. At first I felt worse, as my treatment wasn't effective. Even after it was, my limb movements during sleep kept me feeling miserable. And as has been mentioned, there can be other medical causes of how you feel. Any time a doctor gives you a "normal" test result, that is not an answer. That is another question, as in "Then what's next in seeking an answer?" I do hope we will soon hear that you've gotten answers and are moving toward feeling better. Don't accept less until there's no other avenue to pursue.
Kathy

[BlackSpinner]

I'm 10 years old

times 3, plus 9, minus 2 = 37

Yes and I am 21 with 40 years of experience at it.

[Jaylee]

31 here

[jishy]

I've been lurking these boards for a couple of weeks now since I was diagnosed. I'm only 21. Starting trial treatment tomorrow night!

[tillymarigold]

I'm almost 32, was diagnosed 3 years ago, and the first time I remember complaining to a doctor that I was tired all the time was when I was 11.

[Badger47]

New user here, been lurking for a couple of weeks. I'm 29, turning 30 later this year. I've had issues sleeping for years. My wife has put up with my loud snoring ever since we got married almost six years ago.

I had my initial sleep study in early March. The tech said I had several hypopnea (sp?) events, but couldn't give me too many details I had my tritiation (sp?) study two weeks ago. My sleep doctor called today and advised that he is prescribing a BiPAP. I'm scheduled to pick it and get sized for my mask next week.

I'm hopeful that this will help me get a better night's sleep and function a little better during the day.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions as I progress through treatment. Looks like the forum will be the best place around to get answers. Thanks in advance.

[Geminidream]

Gekko,

I totally understand your point of view. I will be 38 next month, diagnosed this past Dec....but I'm sure I have had OSA for at least the last 15 years. I much prefer to walk around out of a fog with no headaches every morning and have normal brain function rather than suffocate myself every night (so does my other half). I was really glad that I was going to get cpap therapy after my sleep study.....that is until about 4 weeks into it when I started to feel better and then got to feeling sorry for myself that I have this health issue and just wanted to sleep like a "normal person" without a mask and having to deal with it all the time. You just have to make up your mind you are not going to let OSA ruin your health/life. I started going back to school this past fall and I work full time. That fall qtr I barely got through and I know that without the therapy I would never make it all the way through and get a degree. Hang in there and keep your eye on the prize!

Melissa

[Gekko]

So many of the stories here resonate with my experience. As I said in another post, people would comment on my snoring when I was 18! I started to feel a bit tired and out of sorts in my early 20's, but I always put it down to late nights, alcohol, poor diet, etc. Of course, they definitely contributed to the problem, but I knew, in the back of my mind, that it wasn't down purely to lifestyle.

I went through phases where I would sleep during the day (easy to do when you're at uni) and telling myself it was due to my "hectic" lifestyle. However, once I started working fulltime and I struggled to stay awake at work, I found it harder to avoid the problem. However, during the whole time, I always told myself it was something that could be cured purely by a "better lifestyle" (not that I ever made a real effort to live better, since I was always too tired!).

It was only when things started to get overwhelming (work was becoming a real chore, home life was out of whack, etc.) that I decided to take the plunge and get a diagnosis.

At this point in time, the changes I'm seeing are heartening, but they are also a little depressing, because as I come out of the fog, I also think about where I might be today if I'd started this ten years ago. I had almost got to the point where I had given up on a lot of goals and dreams because they just seemed so unattainable. So in some ways, coming out of the fog is also a painful experience because of what "might have been". I know that I shouldn't look at things that way and I'm by no means defeatist about the issue, but I still need to work through this feeling and look to the future rather than the past. I suppose it's the same as an addict who realises how far he's fallen once he seeks treatment.

Anyway, I don't want to end this post on a downer, so I will say that the upside is that I can suddenly see that a whole lot more is possible and that is helping to counteract my feeling of annoyance and regret at having ignored the issue for so long. Also, rambling on this forum helps me get it out of my system. I hope some of you find my ramblings useful

[Mr. Sandhill]

I'm 33, started CPAP in December. Had been snoring (no gasping) and not feeling well-rested for many years, but didn't put 2 and 2 together and seek treatment until late last year. Didn't know that just snoring alone was an indication of sleep apnea. I drive a big truck and work 60-70 hours a week, so I need my sleep to "count." Slowly starting to feel better - wish I had done this years ago!

[TheOneBlackMage]

Was diagnosed when I was 28, a year ago, but I know I've had it longer than that. For at least 3 years before, Whenever I would get sick, I would have a cough that wouldn't go away for at least 3-6 months. I would be using lozenges all the time to try to keep from coughing consistently. My doctors chalked it up to asthma, which I did have as a child, and I think that the cycles of stronger meds just made it worse. Eventually I was referred to a respirologist who did an allergy test and a methacholine challenge, and we found my triggers for asthma was very low normally. Eventually I asked for a sleep study, and that showed the real problem.

[melissa1974]

I'm 36 and finally starting to feel like it! I had been feeling like I was at least 20 years older than I actually was for so long, because I was always so darn tired! I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago, but I know now that I had OSA for years. I remembered being teased about my snoring when I was in college, and that was 17 years ago!