Starting CPAP soon and wondering

[Noddinggal]

Hi. My name is Karen and I am still waiting for my CPAP, I don't know why it's taking so long to get but I should have it soon. I am wondering how long it usually takes to start to feel better. Right now I experience terrible fatigue daily, I wake up feeling like I just ran a race with heart racing, headache and brain fog. I have very poor concentration and very simple tasks seem to make me feel stumped. I sit at work with a document that needs to be filed and I look at it and look at it and my mind says "file" and I look at it some more and it's almost like I have no clue what filing is. And then I will put the document back down on my desk in a "do later" pile and pick up something else. It's like being in a daze. Plus there is the fatigue that makes getting out of a chair feel like a major chore some days. Most days actually. My doctor says CPAP will help this fairly quickly. So my question is "does it really help?" And if so, "how long does it take on average?"

I've been reading the forum and so glad I found it. I look forward to sharing my experience and learning from others through their experiences.

Thanks for listening.

Karen

[RandyJ]

Karen,

Some people experience "the miracle" the first night but for many others improvement is more gradual over time, as your body gets healthier and more used to being oxygenated through the night.

Have you read Janknitz's blog? It's worth a look if you are at the beginning of the process. Especially for getting the right machine. http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/

Good luck and keep checking in if you need guidance, there are many here ready to help.

[chunkyfrog]

If you can get a machine with leak data, excellent!
I was looking at my journal, and noted my earlier leak rates were high; and I've done much better once I got them under control.

[Noddinggal]

Thank you for the replies. I am going to have to learn about leak data. I am anxious to get my machine and hoping it helps. I have aortic stenosis and if the sleep apnea symptoms get under control, I can delay heart surgery until the valve worsens a bit more.

I will check out the link to blog the too. Thank you! I am so glad I found this site. I'm excited about getting the machine and although I can ask doctors about certain things I need help with, it's so much nicer getting input from people who are actually CPAP users.

I am calling the company tomorrow that has my CPAP prescription because they have had it since July 10th and I called my insurance company yesterday and they haven't received a request for approval yet. I don't know what they are waiting for. Does it usually take this long?

[jweeks]

I am calling the company tomorrow that has my CPAP prescription because they have had it since July 10th and I called my insurance company yesterday and they haven't received a request for approval yet. I don't know what they are waiting for. Does it usually take this long?

Hi,

Welcome to the forum!

It shouldn't take this long, but some providers really drag things out for no good reason. I encourage you to get on the phone and get to the bottom of it. Nobody cares as much about your health as you do, so do what you need to in order to get this moving. Once you have a prescription, you should be able to get a machine the next day. If your provider cannot turn this around, then find someone else who can.

I ended up waiting about 5 days. It was frustrating knowing that there was something that could help me, but I couldn't get my hands on it right away. I suspect that I know how you feel.

I was in the same boat. I work on computer stuff. I would fall asleep at the keyboard. My hands would hit the keyboard, then the machine would start beeping. That would wake me up. I would realize that I messed up my file, so I would have to fix it up before I got back on track. However, by the time I got it fixed, I'd fall asleep again, mess up the file, and start the whole cycle over. That could go on for hours despite drinking 2 liters of caffeinated soda in the morning.

Life still isn't perfect for me (I never expected it would be), but it is so much nicer being awake for it now. I have gotten so much more done the past 4 years than in the previous 10 that I feel like a fool for not getting on the CPAP program earlier. I expect that it might take a little while for your brain fog to clear up--after all, it took you a number of years to get to this point. But can and will get better.

-john-

[DreamLady]

Hi Karen

My symptoms sound exactly like yours, right down to the looking at a piece of paper and wondering what to do with it. I would also get on the elevator to go to the second floor and look at the keypad blankly because I didn't know which button to push! It was awful, because I felt like I must have Alzheimer's or something! It was quite a relief to find out it was *only* sleep apnea. I made up my mind right then that I would make a success of CPAP therapy come heck or high water.

I noticed some relief in the level of fatigue right away. I began to realize that I hadn't made good decisions at work for some time, which was embarrassing to admit. But it took some time for the mental fog to lift. I'd say it took a couple of weeks of good sleep to get me on the road to mental recovery. Then it just kept getting better for the next six months or so until I got nearly back to normal. My apnea was so severe, and untreated so long, that I knew I would never be entirely my old self again, but I'm pleased that I got back as much as I did. I was in my late fifties when diagnosed, and had known I snored most of my adult life. But never connected the dots. I didn't know how sick I was until I started to get better.

Here's hoping you will have even greater success. I hope by now you've heard from your DME and your machine and mask will soon arrive.

[Wonderbeastlett]

I felt the same way going into cpap therapy. I wondered if it would really make me feel better. I think you need to have the attitude that yes it can and will work. I'm not gonna lie, it can be very frustrating. Dealing with mask leaks and fitting it properly. Trying to find comfy sleep positions with this thing strapped to you! Ultimately you have to start thinking this is for my longevity!

I've been feeling better. No headaches and my mind is completely clear! I do still feel tired at times and need naps but my 1 month anniversary is this thursday! Is it hard sometimes? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes!

[Noddinggal]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am feeling so encouraged. John, thank you for the nudge in calling about the CPAP. I knew I should call and kept intending to but well, you know, the brain just went into a fog and finding the words in my head to make the call felt like a major chore. But on Monday I did call the company that is supplying the machine and they told me they are still waiting for my doctor's office to reply with a second diagnosis to submit to the insurance company. So I called the doctor's office and pushed them and told them I don't know what is taking so long. I have Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Hyopnea and Central Sleep Apnea. I have Aortic Stenosis (and getting worse from the apnea). I have Hypothyroidism, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, both of which are auto-immune. I have been through Ovarian Cancer in the last couple of years (Cancer free at the moment...yay). I have severe fatigue, tremors, heart palpitations, racing heart, headache, dizziness, light headed, severe brain fog and I lose blocks of time in my head (only on occasion). But heck....just PICK ONE and send it over.

Anyway, I checked my insurance online and there seems to be something in the pending stage for prior authorization so I'm guessing that's it. The insurance company told me that once they get the order, it usually only takes about 3 days to approve. So I will watch the insurance account online and the minute I see it's been approved, I am calling the company and requesting an appointment to pick up the the machine. I'm going to have to stay on top of this and be pushy. Every night that I don't have the machine now makes me feel like my brain and heart are aging faster than they should. I've had this problem for years and didn't know what it was because most doctors want to call it depression and that's where they leave it. So who knows how much damage has been done already. I just want to feel better and protect my organs.

And I want to say that I feel so much better hearing your stories about your symptoms. Not that I'm happy that any of you experience those things but happy to know that relief is in sight. I do believe the machine will help and I am going to be very dedicated to making it work.

Thank you all again. It's so nice to know I'm not alone. My friends without apnea don't understand. I think they think I'm just depressed and just need to snap out of it. Believe me, I have tried to "snap out of it". It's not that simple. When I push myself to do what my body doesn't feel capable of doing, I end up almost non-functional for days afterwards.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that my brain and my body come back to life.

Karen