Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

[Yarra]

Hello SilverAnn,

Great feeling isn't it. I could not believe how different and better I felt also. My wife also commented when I first started
how my eyes were much brighter.

This is EXACTLY the reason I came to this forum!! I needed to find out if anyone had experience whiter eyes since starting cpap! I have been on therapy LESS than a WEEK, but already there have been miraculous results in my llife, that I can only attribute to going on cpap. I thought I was CRAZY, but after reading your stories, I think I am just one of the crowd!

I have stage 4 breast cancer with Bone Metastasis, and I have been in SOOOOO much pain it's UNREAL!! After starting therapy, 90% of my pain is GONE. My eyes are WHITE instead of a little reddish and dull in the mornings. I haven't experienced a BIG energy increase, but I haven't gotten a TON of sleep with the mask on yet either. Last night was the best night, and I slept a solid 3 hours, woke up for an hour, and then got another 4 hours. I think that is pretty dang good!!

I just can't believe how PAIN FREE I am! I don't know how may of you have dealt with bone cancer in your life, but it has been excruciating, that is until I started cpap 5 days ago. I hope this trend continues!!

This is a GREAT forum by the way! I have been lurking as a guest for a while, and you all are just a wealth of knowledge and help to one another! I am excited to get to know you more!

[Mr.Bill]

I am an overwieght 51 year old male. After beginning to have real issues with daytime fatigue, fuzzy-headed-ness, grouchiness and muscle weakness. Doctor had be take a sleep study. The study in two night sessions was horribly uncomfortable. Findig was that I had extreme apena.

Went reluctantly on "the machine." First night had little sleep but a huge burst of energy when I got up at 5 AM. I had the the refrigrator cleaned by 6 AM and then really went hells bells till 10 PM on household chores. Second night I slept through the entire night without waking which has been years. Quite honestly I was bowled over by the results and most people think I am nuts, but I have experienced

Tons more energy
I am up up in the morning
A return of a sex drive/libido - Don't laugh, I thought that part of my life had rusted out years ago
Much improved attitude (depression imroved)
Possible contribution to weight loss program.

The doc said that this would fad but hasn't after three weeks.

If you are getting slow to no results, would suggest keeping the mask on all night even uncomfortable or asking for a pressure adjustment.

Only negatives so far are a few nights of really awful nightmares which seems to be a normal side affect especially since i appratently had not had REM sleep for 30 years.

[LonghornGary]

Well I'm five nights into my CPAP machine things seem to be going pretty well, I started with a Go Life nasal pillow mask and swapped it yesterday for a swift fx nasal pillow, which after one night wearing I prefer. I downloaded my data to encore viewer and have the following results an average AHI of 3.0, Average pressure 9.8, no major leaks any night, and an average usage of 6hrs and 9 mins. While I would like to see my average usage creep up from 6 hours, I was sleeping only about four or five a night prior to CPAP, so I'm hoping to get my body adjusted to sleeping longer. Would like to get to the point of 7-8 hours. Should I have any concerns of an AHI of 3.0, I know 0-5 is considered normal but I thought CPAP would eliminate them altogether. Thanks for any responses

[Hutch]

Hi there Joanie
My name is Wayne well to start I think cpap is just great I'm a case were I had such bad breathing and snoring problems
That I had a heart attack twice at only 32 years old I had all the surgery u could ever want to do to try help someone
So a friend told me about a sleep study at private hospital in new Zealand doctor was Andy veal , I went in for the night I had 72 events that night that I was his worst patient and recommended I get a cpap machine , well it's been years now I had 5 model machines reason every time a new machine is developed I get it as it's made my life one hell of a difference
Yes there are days things don't go to plan , buts the best thing I ever did work I can now up 18 hours and and still feel ready for the next so I can say to you if sleep and more energy and better quality life this is the machine s8 auto spirit ii is for u
Wayne from new Zealand

[MacroAlan]

Before CPAP, I had violent headaches, falling asleep at my desk, grouchiness, depression, you name it.

My brother read something in the paper about sleep studies and started making calls. We were both diagnosed at the same time (but different places) in 1994.

Within two weeks, the headaches were gone. I was a new person.

CPAP gave me my life back!

[diane278]

It was about a month before I found success. First, I had a mask that did not fit and had to fight to get other masks to try. I would put on that ill-fitting mask and last about half an hour before ripping the whole thing off. I kept trying. when I finally found a mask that fit, I began having success pretty quickly. I was not groggy at work and felt like I was getting my life back. Then one day I felt rested. My biggest challenge was definitely finding the right mask. I did not know how it should fit or feel. They kept adjusting one that wasn't right until I finally insisted that they give me another one to try....and then another one. Finally....it fit!

[jujubee3533]

is it normal to feel like your closter fobic?its kind hard to get used to it.am i doing some thing wrong?

[n0hardmask]

is it normal to feel like your closter fobic?its kind hard to get used to it.am i doing some thing wrong?

Hi, Jujubee and welcome to the forum. The short answer is yes, it's not uncommon to feel trapped in the mask. The better answer, though is to start a new topic on the main page, and we have many expereienced folks who have "been there and done that". It is not always a simple thing to find the right set of equipment and how to use it; but you have found the right place. CPAPTALK is a super bunch of folks.. thanks for visiting, and when you post again, please add in your equipment (if you haven't ) by following link in my signature below..... again Welcome!

[Ineedanap]

Its been a bit over two months for me, and a bit of a struggle to get my mask fitting properly. Getting help from my DME is near impossible. I was one of the ones that had a honeymoon period so it was a little disappointing when the honeymoon was over. Sometimes I have to remind myself of what it was like before. Its easy to think back not to the last year but the years before that when it wasn't as bad.
The last year and a half or so, the mental fog had become very pronounced. I had to learn to accept the fact that I was an air head otherwise I would crawl in a corner and give up! I would struggle to remember words during conversations, the stupid mistakes were several a day. I had gotten good at hiding them or laughing them off with my co workers.
Mornings were rough every day but Mondays were brutal. I could barely function all day and when I got home all I wanted to do was sit until it was late enough to go to bed. I had a group I belong to move their meetings to Wednesdays because I couldn't function in the evening until then. Between my sleep study and titration study, I burned myself pretty badly. It took 6 weeks to heal and while it was healing I was even falling asleep at red lights. Now things seem to heal more quickly than before. My blood pressure that had been creeping up to normal, is back to being on the low side where it used to be. I used to take pain killers every day for the headaches and aches and pains. I haven't taken any this week. I used to wake up at least once a night to use the bathroom, I rarely do that anymore and about 3 times a week am not aware of waking at all. A couple of weeks ago we stayed at a hotel. The bed was uncomfortable, the room hot, we both slept horribly. The next day I was still able to function. A bad night used to ruin me for days. I used to have trouble falling asleep and would doze and wake for a few hours before falling into a deep sleep. I would be semi aware that I was exhaling but not inhaling as I dozed off. My machine is just a cpap but it seems to have taken care of that too. Im really really glad I went into this determined to be one of the ones that made it work and stuck with it.

[DieBayHon]

I have been on the S9 for a couple weeks now and just downloading the reports......don't exactly understand what everything means on even the summary graphs but I can keep the mask on almost all night now. Last night I had it on for 7.6 hours, I am not expecting miracles but I think I am sleeping a little better and my wife says she doesn't hear me snoring, which means the Nasal mask is working and I don't have to get a full mouth mask.

My father and brother both have CPAP machines and they were the ones who suggested I get a sleep study.

I am glad I signed up on this forum and so far I have gathered lots of info to make CPAP work for me and it is good to hear success stories from others on this forum

[me27]

I've used a CPAP for about 10 years, I couldn't live without it.

[Catnapper]

Wow, I find it hard to believe that 5 years have passed since I started this thread. Nobody would call me a newbie now, but I still like to read the success stories. I hope the stories told here continue to encourage and support anyone whether new or not so new to cpap therapy.

Recently while traveling I discovered I had left the power cord to my machine at home. That night taught me how much I need my machine to sleep. In the beginning the machine and mask kept me awake, but now it makes it so I can sleep. Big reversal there. I found a local DME who gave me a power cord at no charge. Nice.

Thanks for all the stories. Sleep well everyone.

Catnapper - Joanie

[lostntranslation]

Before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, my husband put a video camera next to my side of the bed. He then made me watch the 45 minute video. It scared me that at one moment I'd appear to be asleep with heavy snoring then I'd stop breathing, the snoring would stop, and I'd awaken gasping for air then go right back to sleep. In August, I went to my asthma doctor, and my husband walked back with me and handed the video camera to my doctor. After this, I went for a sleep study, and was amazed by how many times I stopped breathing and by how many times in 6.5 hours that I woke up. I never went in to REM sleep. No wonder I was so tired. I noticed a difference the first night. I woke up and felt like I could conquer the world. I only saw that I was actually feeling rested, but what I didn't realize is how it improved my moods. I had co-workers tell me that I was not so "grumpy" and my husband told me the other day that he was glad to have his wife back. You may not realize any difference, but the people in your life will notice a change in your behavior. I also have not needed to use my rescue inhaler for my asthma since September. To someone who was using this every 3-4 hours, this is a big improvement. I've also lost 40 lbs since August without really trying. You just don't realize what a good night's sleep does for your body until you actually get a good night's sleep.

[Susan811]

I am really grateful that I was finally able to get the help I needed! I didn't know I was snoring so badly until I went on an overnight trip with friends. I had trouble with waking up in the middle of the night and with vomit in my throat from reflux. Nice, huh? Anyway, since I've began CPAP, there have been a few trials and errors with different types of masks (I need a full face as my mouth tends to drop open leaving me with a mouth dryer than a desert in the morning). The CPAP is great when I have colds--no more meds at night! I have traveled around the world with my CPAP. Two recommendations: Always have an extra mask and hose, some packing tape (for leaks), and a electrical adaptor device.

[SilverAnn]

Hi All,

First I want to say thank you to all the kind folks who have posted their advise and stories. You have all really helped me! I am 2 months into CPAP treatment and things just keep getting better. Yesterday we had a big family dinner. For the past few years I have not had the energy to make a nice meal when all my kids are home. I would do some, but ended up foisting most of the work onto my dear hubby. Yesterday, I made a nice meal for my family, including dessert! And Saturday, I woke up at 5:30 am, cleaned my hoses and mask, cleaned the bathroom, and did two loads of wash before anyone else was up. This may seem like boring old housework to most folks, but to me it was total and complete fun. I never had enough energy to have the whole house cleaned at once for ten years!!!

My only concern is that I still end up taking tylenol PM some nights. I am so wound up that I can't seem to fall asleep. Once I am asleep I do great, it is just getting there...

Dear hubby is getting his first sleep over at the sleep center the first part of next month. He told me yesterday that until he saw the difference in me, he didn't realize how bad things had gotten. And now he is desperate for the same help I have gotten. I don't think it will be a hard adjustment for him. I let him borrow my machine for a nap and he slept for 3 hours!!!

Anyway, thanks to all of you, and for those whose adjustments take longer, keep at it! It is so worth it!!!

Ann