Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

[Angelos Toronto]

hi all.
I had this apnea problem few years now and I kept blaming my sugar level ( I am diabetic),
It took a good talk with a doctor, a visit to sleeping study and a CPAP machine (S9) and I never felt better.
I used to feel sleepy at least 10 times per week. I use the CPAP more than one month now and I found instant success.
I am one of the persons that I can say I saw improvement from day 1.
I hope people that read my story to not give up.
The solution was so simple. My only question is why I didn`t find this solution some time ago.
Regards
Angelos
Toronto

[scooterpie]

I have been on CPAP therapy for about 2.5 months now. It took me about 10 days to "get it." When I went to pick up my paraphernalia I was very optimistic. Generally I'm a "glass half empty" sort, not terribly disciplined, but this journey made me desperate for GOOD HEALTH or at least feeling like I was giving myself a chance for it.

I approached CPAP differently than a friend who has never gotten used to it--with disastrous health outcomes that could very well be tied to non-compliance. I decided to give it that "old college try!" It wasn't easy and I felt like an invalid with nothing to look forward to (at first). And the mask--oh @$%&!!! On the 2nd or 3rd night I awoke feeling like I was choking and so didn't use it the next night. I resumed my attempt and have been at it ever since.

Mine is a straight CPAP at a pressure of 8--the ramp feature is still a godsend! I haven't gotten my detailed software report yet, but generally my AHI is 1-2 unless I've been overly stressed/anxious or out of my usual sleep routine/overeating or eating the worst foods/too much caffeine too late in the day. Then, I revert to difficulty falling asleep with tons of anxiety. I eventually fall asleep, but my AHI has been as high as 11 on one of these occasions. Anxiety was never an issue for me until about 6 mos ago--CPAP has made all the difference in the world on that note--day and night!

I use a basic chinstrap that shifts and is rendered useless during the night. At that point I seem to not need it--have had aerophagia a couple of times, so I know the feeling--haha--but it appears I may not need the chinstrap anymore. One of these nights I'll leave off the chinstrap just to see.

I've read quite a number of posts (all subjects) here, and so I have no advice since I'm so new at this. Like anything persistence appears to pay off!

I sought out the sleep study--the cardiologist was skeptical. My insistence was based on a study of (previously undiagnosed sleep apnea) pacemaker patients--an alarming number had the same kind of one of the blocks (AV) that I have (Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 161127.htm). I felt dismissed at first. I gradually was losing sleep (going from an avg of 6-7 hrs/night to about 5 or less/night) over the last year or so, but never felt tired during the day.

So on CPAP I'm sleeping more hours, completely uninterrupted except for the occasional nasal pillow adjustment, but I have the same sense of "rest" as before. I feel fortunate. I have a certain peace of mind. It hasn't been a walk in the park, but when I fall asleep on the sofa without CPAP and inevitably wake with various degrees of anxiety, I know that CPAP is the best thing that's happened in my life in awhile:-)

I'm a 50ish (below 55) woman. My BMI is in the upper limits of overweight. I had no underlying health issues until about 6 mos ago. Started with various sleep issues (falling asleep then waking and briefly unable to swallow, then mild panic from that feeling). I didn't think much of it because I had had the same issues 10 years before and chalked them up to extreme stress (those issues resolved following a 24 Holter monitor result of a few PVCs an hour).

This time I had 4 nights out of 5 with the same above swallowing issues. I also noticed irregular beats while trying to fall asleep. I then began to have other symptoms during the day, which escalated on one occasion after being awake for about 60 hours straight. I had chest tightness and extreme anxiety (didn't think I was having a heart attack, but wasn't sure either). I thought it was low blood sugar and stopped to get a bite to eat and see if the symptoms would ease. They didn't. I took myself to the ER and they took my symptoms VERY seriously. They did some cardiac bloodwork and an EKG which revealed a couple of blocks (arrhythmias).

I dragged my feet getting to the cardiologist and had a complete workup (no angiogram). A significant revelation was 30 min of atrial flutter on the Holter, which didn't correspond to anything physical I reported during the night including a feeling upon waking disoriented and with "sea legs" upon standing--no racing heart, not out of breath. It slowly dawned on me that I had had this for a number of years--4 or 5 at least! BTW CPAP has completely eliminated this episode.

I still don't know really what the episode is, possible hypoxia and the ensuing result, I suspect.

[Fat-Old-Wizard]

Perhaps you're leaking too much and not getting your airway opened up?

I noticed I was more alive right after the sleep study night with the CPAP. I'd spiraled my weight up 50 pounds higher than I'd imagined, plodded through the day like a zombie and snored like a chainsaw.

now I'm ALIVE (still tired, but that's life) and the weight is slowly leaving me instead of vlin=mbing steadily.

My grandfather died of congestive heart failure and he was an OBVIOUS victim of sleep apnea, but they didn't diagnose it back then.

I've been on the hose for 5 years now and I won't even NAP without it.

Check the fit, check the pressure, make sure you're getting your airway opened up. If you can't get to breathing with the machine, you may have to get your neck opened up and that's even less fun.

BREATHING IS IMPORTANT !!!

[BigNortherner]

I have success as indicated by better sleep including indications of REM sleep which is often lacking with OSA.

However it took trying many interfaces, modigying headgear, understanding nasal pillows (see recent threads in this forum), getting pointed to the CONJO headgear which makes the best pillow type (P-B's ADAMS/Breeze pillows) useable, and making my own pillows.

Hopefully it will be much easier for you, but many people have difficulty. Make sure you hae solid, sensible medical/sleep clinic advice - too much mediocrity out there.

[Lug_Nut]

Back on the 8th I posted about my lack of success. Well....
I've been able to adjust the mask so that it doesn't leak, and doesn't leave me with a "warning triangle" for half the day. I've figured out how to secure the hose between the mattress and headboard so that it doesn't droop and pull the mask to the side. I've become accustomed to the sensations. I've been 100% compliant the past 2 weeks.
But still no identifiable improvements in my sleep, nor my awake condition either. I still wake tired, still feel that I need to nap for 1/2 of my lunch hour (and usually do), struggle to remain awake unless I'm actively (physically) doing something. Reading? 5 minutes and I'm nodding off. Passenger in a car? maybe 3 minutes.

[jennmary]

I have been on CPAP for almost 3 years now. I am a 29 year old mother to a beautiful daughter who just turned 5. I noticed a difference right after my sleep study. I came home and played with my daughter. I took her to the park..then washed my car. But after getting my machine in home it was a bit different. I didnt notice huge amounts of energy. Though I missed far less work. I was no longer micro sleeping while driving.
The biggest change for me was psycological. There is only so much that the human mind can take....and severe sleep deprivation can push you over a mental line. I thought I was crazy, bipolar, psychopathic. My thoughts had become seriously distorted, and I was depressed. I really thought I was nuts. When I finally got the sleep apnea diagnosis I started balling. The dr thought I was sad. I had to explain..."No, I am happy. This means I am not crazy". She hugged me. lol Within 2 weeks I was no longer feeling like I belonged in a loony bin. The depression and other mental issues disapeared.
Surgical records and other medical records show signs that I have had sleep apnea since childhood. My mom remembers me stopping breathing in my sleep even as a baby. She used to sleep with her hand next to me so she could feel when I stopped breathing and nudge me. I was diagnosed at 26....that is 26 years of sleep deprivation. I guess it took a while to fully catch up to me.
Now I know that I am less mentally unstable, can feel rested after 8-9 hours of sleep (used to still be tired after 12-16), can drive somewhere without worrying about falling asleep at the wheel. I guess I consider myself a CPAP success.

[lvehko]

I was diagnosed in June of 2006 after a lifetime of just learning to live with being sleepy all the time. I figured I was just one of those people with naturally low energy. My AHI was just barely high enough to qualify as OSA, but I dutifully went on CPAP therapy right away, as my doctor recommended.

I got used to CPAP surprisingly fast. I had to go through a lot of masks to find one that worked for me (that's a common experience for us hoseheads), and the first couple of nights after using the machine -- actually, the morning after being titrated, in the sleep lab -- I woke up feeling really weird. I realized later that it was the feeling of having gotten a good night's sleep. It had been so long I no longer knew what it felt like.

It took several years for me to get to the point where I wasn't extremely tired during the day. I got some good advice during that period here on the board, most importantly the information that the sleep deficit people build up over time with OSA is *permanent* -- that is, the hours of sleep you lose add up over time. I estimate that I developed my OSA right around puberty, and I was 46 when diagnosed. That's 33 years of bad sleep. Let's say, generously, that half of my eight hours a night were worth something -- that left me with a deficit of four hours nightly (assuming a sleep time of eight hours). Multiply by 33 years = 48,180 hours of sleep deficit. If I sleep one extra hour a night from 2006 onward, it will take me 132 years until I pay off that deficit. In other words, I'm never going to catch up. So, in a way, it's true that I'll always probably be sleepier than the average person, but now that I'm getting good sleep, at least I'm *improving* the situation instead of making it worse. I also feel a heck of a lot better. I haven't experienced any miracle cures for my various physical ailments, but I can function like a normal person now. I've even gotten to the point where I have trouble falling asleep when I'm not wearing my mask. It's like my teddy bear.

If you're new to CPAP and not getting quick results, stick with it. Eventually, gradually, you'll start to feel better and be glad that you did.

Minerva

[Jane1966]

I am still new to this, but the above comment regarding sleep debt concerned me so I looked into it. I don't believe that it is impossible to catch up on chronic sleep debt. The body will adjust. I found this article that supports this: http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_rel ... sleep-debt

[Lug_Nut]

My first month is over. The machine's memory has been downloaded onto the stick and mailed off.
I am experiencing no benefit, only less sleep and facial bruising. So,... what will I do? Well,
since I am not sleeping any better on the hose than I was prior to receiving the machine,
since I can't comfortably sleep on my side because of the nasal mask width,
since the bruising and cuts on the bridge of my nose are getting worse,
since CPAP appears to be a perpetual palliative, not a cure,
I'm packing it up.
I'll call my physician on Monday morning to inquire if there are any alternatives that will suit me, but I'm canceling the machine.

I appreciate that for many it does work, and I appreciate the support that all of you have provided, and will undoubtedly continue to provide to those that choose to continue with their treatment, but for me, enough is enough.
Good luck to all of you.
Nite-nite! sleep tight!
Jonathan

[Angelso Toronto]

Sorry to hear that it doesn't work for you. I am new on these machines and I had great results.
So I will not pretend that I am expert on CPAP. Here are some tips that you may want to consider.
First you say that you had the machine one month. Was the machine still in "trainning" set up?
When I got my machine they set me up at 8 and I used it for 2-3 weeks to get used to that. After they did one more sleeping study with
with my new mask and they reconfigured my machine at 12 as that was my "proper" setting.
I wondered if you use the machne only in trainning mode and never had the chance to use it in proper settings.
As far as brusing could be as simple as you didn't choose the right size of mask? Did someone help you to choose?
Finally when I sleep I have the machine to a table at the back of my head in the middle of bed. This allow me when I turn around to move freely as I do not "pull" the hose from the left or from the right.
Hope this will help you little.
Good luck.
Angelos. Toronto

My first month is over. The machine's memory has been downloaded onto the stick and mailed off.
I am experiencing no benefit, only less sleep and facial bruising. So,... what will I do? Well,
since I am not sleeping any better on the hose than I was prior to receiving the machine,
since I can't comfortably sleep on my side because of the nasal mask width,
since the bruising and cuts on the bridge of my nose are getting worse,
since CPAP appears to be a perpetual palliative, not a cure,
I'm packing it up.
I'll call my physician on Monday morning to inquire if there are any alternatives that will suit me, but I'm canceling the machine.

I appreciate that for many it does work, and I appreciate the support that all of you have provided, and will undoubtedly continue to provide to those that choose to continue with their treatment, but for me, enough is enough.
Good luck to all of you.
Nite-nite! sleep tight!
Jonathan

[BigNortherner]

Lug_nut:

Beware that OSA is not the only cause of poor sleep.
For example, if you are waking up often to go the the bathroom or just worry you won't be getting the full night's combination of non-REM and REM sleep.

As for alternatives to the machine for OSA, there are several - they too have limitations and drawbacks that a competent sleep doctor should be able to explain.

[hoseknows]

After 5 weeks on CPAP, I can finally post to this thread! Like many, the improvements have been gradual. I am realizing that I now wake up feeling actually AWAKE, rather than in that terrible, sleep, heavy fog I used to feel. This week I even got right up a couple of days, rather than hitting the snooze button 20 times. I feel less tired during the day, have more energy and have avoided napping. When I do go to bed, I'm good and tired and I sleep very soundly. Before I used to toss and turn and I'd have the worst bed head in the morning! I must admit the straps on the mask keep my hair in place better. My husband says that I seem to sleep more peacefully, even though for some reason I now steal all the covers from him every night.

For those of you who are still struggling, please hang in there. Try different masks and keep visiting your resp. therapist until you find something that works. It's too important to give up on! My first mask gave me a terrible blister on the bridge of my nose, which is still healing, but after I switched to a different mask it improved. It may even leave a scar, but I don't mind because I consider it a battle scar!

[jmholt]

Words cannot express my relief. I’ve just successfully completed my first night with a CPAP machine.

My wife has been telling me for years about my snoring. And for years I dismissed it. I didn’t know there was anything that could be done about it and I didn’t realize the severity of the problem.

Recently, I became aware of the world of CPAP. Thanks to the internet, it was easy to learn a great deal in a short period.

Being averse to doctors, I chose to do an in home sleep study through an internet doctor site. This test showed that I have severe OSA with an AHI of 71. This explained a lot; the snoring, the gasping for breath, the fatigue, and the bags under my eyes. This was a serious problem.

With a prescription for an auto CPAP machine, I purchased a DeVilbiss IntelliPAP and a ComfortFull 2 mask. I love them both! What a difference! I slept wonderfully. And my wife got a good night’s sleep as well.

I feel like a kid at Christmas. I’m looking forward to a restful night’s sleep in just a few hours. Just for fun, I ordered a new mask today, just to try a different type.

Thank you cpap.com and thank you CPAPprescription.com!

[elena88]

to Jonathon a few posts prior..

I packed up my machine after one month too. I was sleeping less, everything in my life was worse after cpap..
I mean, it was so bad, it was affecting everything I cared about.. However, after find out WHY things were
going south.. by coming here and writing about it.. I was given all sorts of incredible and valuable information..
I slept without out it a couple nights then I unpacked it and got back in the saddle..

There were many reasons why things were worse, and a lot of it had to do with me having the wrong machine,
leaks, mouth breathing, and trying TOO hard..
I was never sleepy or tired before the cpap, although Im severe, I always was hyper.. because I was getting shot with
adrenelin all night long! After cpap, I was exhausted, in slow motion, felt worse than I ever had in MY LIFE..
so why not quit? Because I DIDNT have all the information I needed..

Over two months now... the heart pounding, the aorata screaming thru my stomach, the nocturia,

all GONE.. its still no bed of roses, but its BETTER.. and If I had quit, I probably was going to have a stroke in the not
so distant future.. I know I have had this for fifteen or twenty years before I got diagnosed.

I read about someone else quiting on another board.. they did just what you did, sent the card off, go rid of the machine
(my plan too) but someone talked them into to starting again.. and they did.. so if in a week, or a month, or couple months,
you decide to start again.. GO FOR IT.. sometimes it takes a second time around...
I was lucky, I got my second chance before I actually took my machine back..

[journey]

My first week with CPAP treatment and I think that it is a success so far. Still coming to grips with the details that are important. Inital study AHI 46, O2 stats down to 80% at worst, 66 seconds longest apnoea. Study with CPAP was a disaster and I was dreading the start of the treatment as I did not think that I slept at all with the mask, but I was desperate to try something to help me feel other than tired all the time. Setting of 8 was proposed by the study technician and off I went to buy a machine.

I am a claustrophobic so has to spend a lot of time (hours) sitting around with mask to get comfortable. Nights of treatment duration went from 4.5hrs to just over 8 hours last night with AHI ranging between 0.3 and 1.0 which seems very good. I am feeling quite OK about it at this stage and hope it continues. I think I feel a bit better but still pretty tired during the day but mind seems a bit clearer but it might be my imagination as it has been long time since I felt rested after sleep. However, I managed to read a book for more than an hour today without going to sleep, when I usually only get to 15minutes at a time. This is a great sign for me as I have been feeling quite broken for a long while. I hope progress continues this way. I have a few weeks off work and it should help with the adjustment period.

Many thanks to all of the dedicated people on this forum. I have been reading many posts in recent weeks leading up to getting my machine and it has helped me greatly.

W