Newbie APAP user.....with questions

[snelson924]

Hi everyone!

I was diagnosed with severe OSA mid November and had an inconclusive titration study on 11/27. I got an APAP machine to use at home for the doctor to figure out my standard pressure - but I'm going to just keep the APAP instead of using a CPAP once this 2 week test period is up. I have a history of PCOS, PTSD, anxiety, depression from the PTSD and have gained a considerable amount of weight after my 2nd pregnancy/labor/birth almost 3 years ago.

I have 2 children, ages 5 and almost 3. I have been married for 7 years. My OSA diagnosis actually came very ironically as I have been screaming at my husband to get a sleep study done because I JUST KNEW he had BAAD sleep apnea! Turns out my OB/GYN wanted me to have one done as well (thanks to the symptoms I'll list in a second) and we did it the same week. His apnea is mild. Mine is severe. Talk about feeling stupid!!!

Anyway, I have had years of horrible sleep patterns. In 2000, my brother was killed and I developed PTSD at which time I started struggling with bouts of insomnia. I would go weeks without much sleep and would get horrible migraines. I also fought nightmares/night terrors and would wake up in a cold sweat. After I got married, I seemed to do okay sleeping but never really got into a good rhythm and never got more than 4 consecutive hours in a row. I went through 2 very high risk pregnancies. My daughter was born at 30 weeks and spent 33 days in the NICU due to being born early. My 2nd pregnancy had me on complete bed rest for 3 months and then my son was born at 37 weeks and spent 1 week in the NICU. Since the birth of my son, I've gained a considerable amount of weight and can't get it down. My migraines have been HORRIBLE - basically keeping me in bed 3 - 4 times a week, at least. I was getting them only in the mornings and would seem to be able to sleep them off, then by mid-afternoon they were tolerable. (I always did my best sleeping in the hours between 8am - 1pm.) I spend the vast majority of my days feeling horrible and like I can't get anything done because I'm just so super tired. Which, in turn, makes me feel like a lazy, horrible wife and mother.

I got the results of my first sleep study and I was shocked, to say the least. I didn't realize that sleep apnea and hypopnea were an issue for me. I didn't realize that they could be the cause of my headaches. I was having 33 AHIs an hour and my blood O2 was going to 84%. After reviewing the study report, it all made sense to me! So I went for my titration, which again, was inconclusive.

I got my APAP this past Thursday, so I've had 3 nights with it. Each morning my AHIs have been between 1.4 - 1.8. I haven't woken up with headaches, but by 1pm, I'm toast. Last night I went to a concert that my dad was in and I actually fell asleep! So here are my questions:

1. Has anyone seen results this quickly, such as my headaches being gone already?
2. Does it make sense that it seems my headaches/exhaustion has been shifted back from mornings when I wake up to now mid-afternoon or evening if I get a nap?
3. My doctor tells me that APAP therapy will help with weight loss. Has anyone had that and how long did it take to see those results?
4. How long after using therapy did you start to feel more normal, more human rather than a walking zombie?

I'm sorry if this is all jumbled together. I've been reading on this forum for a couple days now and feel like I have so many questions/things to say.....

Thank you!!
Jill

[snelson924]

Oh, and one more question.

My machine has an SD card in it that I'm supposed to take to my doctor for them to read. Can I put that SD card in my computer and read it myself? (My laptop has a SD card reader on it) I'm interested in what it would say......

[Pugsy]

My machine has an SD card in it that I'm supposed to take to my doctor for them to read. Can I put that SD card in my computer and read it myself? (My laptop has a SD card reader on it) I'm interested in what it would say......

Welcome to the forum.
Yes, you can use that SD card to see what else is going on but you will need the software to see it.
ResScan is ResMed's software.
You can find it in Uncle Bob's signature line
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=38643
Tutorial on how to use ResScan here
http://montfordhouse.com/cpap/resscan_tutorial/

You can also use SleepyHead if you wish. I have information on it in my signature line. There is a Mac version of SleepyHead. ResScan doesn't have a Mac version...strictly Windows based software.

1. Has anyone seen results this quickly, such as my headaches being gone already?

Yes, it happens fairly often when those killer headaches are related to oxygen level drops. With proper therapy the blood oxygen levels stay up where they are supposed to be and low Oxygen level headaches will go away.
I had it happen to me. The killer AM headaches and getting up to go pee every hour on the hour were the first signs that I had that the therapy was working.

2. Does it make sense that it seems my headaches/exhaustion has been shifted back from mornings when I wake up to now mid-afternoon or evening if I get a nap?

Are you taking a nap with or without the machine? If without the machine then you are likely having episodes where your oxygen level drops.

Weight loss? I didn't have any but some people do. Mainly the idea is that you feel better so you do more and thus burn off excess calories. I think I can look at a cream puff and put on a pound.

How long before you don't feel like a zombie? That is a question we often get but there simply isn't a black and white answer. It depends on the individual. Some lucky people feel the miracle pretty quickly and others it can take weeks or months. Also depends on the number of hours of sleep you are getting using the machine and the quality of those hours of sleep. If you are waking up often fiddling with the mask or something...it is going to take some time...at least till you can get a good solid 7 hours or so that is not fragmented. It takes a while to get used to sleeping with this mask stuck on our face and having air get blown up our nose at sometimes hurricane force.

How many hours of sleep? and those hours...did you wake up very much that you remember?
Even if you got 8 hours of sleep and didn't wake up once...it could take some time for you to lose the zombie feeling.
You didn't get this overnight and you can't expect to fix the damage in one night.
Finally, sometimes the zombie feeling can be related to other things...meds, general health, pain, mask issues, bed comfort, hours of sleep, insomnia etc. Sometimes we expect using the machine to fix stuff that the machine can't fix.