How old were you when you got your CPAP?

[jencat824]

I got mine at age 40, about 13 yrs ago this week.

I had a lot of trouble staying awake, migraines off the scale & kept falling asleep while driving. CPAP helped, things were some better, but I still fell asleep in meetings and still had killer migraines.

Three years after getting my CPAP my seizure hell started - while driving I hit a construction truck in the rear on the bridge. Everyone thought it was due the the OSA & I had more sleep tests, no one suspected anything, but upped my pressure. About 6 mos later I had a massive seizure that sent me & my car, while driving, spiraling around to land on the sidewalk going the wrong way at rush hour on a very busy road (I didn't hit anything but a sign). At that point they connected the sleep disorders with a new disorder - seizures. With a lot of drugs & tweaking my seizures have stopped, been stopped for over a year and a half & I can drive again.

I'll bet you wondered why I shared all that - it is to show that sleep disorders can be linked to other problems and fixing the sleep problems is a key component to fixing the problem as a whole. For some CPAP seems just a way to 'feel better' - for all it is a way to better health and for some of us, it is a way to stay alive and live healthy, productive lives.
Jen

[LARS929]

I'm apparently the young kid hooked to the hose around here...I was 21 when I was diagnosed and got my mask. Didn't fully feel better until about 8 months later when I added some medicine for migraines.

I still think about how many years ahead of me I have on the hose, and I am hopeful of some sort of advancement in technology for something better.

[RogerSC]

Why so many late decades? I was 27 when I got my first machine. I was sent out for the study because I had insomnia and my doctor thought I still looked tired even though I was no longer anemic.

In my case, it was apparently late onset of sleep apnea. My wife never heard me not breathing at night until a couple of years ago, and we've been together for about 35 years. It may have to do with loss of muscle tone or other changes as one gets older, in at least some people. I'm sure that there are other factors for other people, though, as has been mentioned.

[SusieG]

What is in the past must remain there, or it will poison the future.

Love that Chunky!

I got mine 1 month ago at 63... hubby is getting through the Vet's Administration in March! Never felt better!

[JeffL]

Jeff, do you feel more rested since getting it?

My naps are very much shorter.

[Denial Dave]

I was 42 when they told me I needed CPAP for mild apnea. I told them they were crazy & walked out.



Last year in September at age 57, I was diagnosed with severe apnea.... and I now have a CPAP machine.



2 weeks into treatment - the middle of the night bathroom breaks and evening / weekend naps were gone.

After 4 months of use, I can't say that I am a bundle of energy. But there are a bunch of small changes in my overall health that I can attribute CPAP to improving.

Dave

[angcor580]

Got diagnosed with OSA at 30 after my uncle said I needed to get tested for sleep disorder when he heard me snort/gasp/sleep for 12 hours. He has OSA too and it was a blessing that I lived with him temporarily otherwise I would have not connected the dots. For a long time I thought was lazy with low motivation. I am pretty sure that I have had OSA since I was a child due to no one wanted to sleep in the same room with me. Hehehe It took me a year and half to get serious and really tried the CPAP again.

[slepybear]

Got mine at 62. After little more than a month there are definite signs of improvement. No snoring, no headaches Definitely more alert in the morning.

[sectheatre]

35

[lewsterr]

I was 47. I had symptoms for many years prior to that. What finally got me to a sleep doctor was almost killing myself by falling asleep behind the wheel. After doing this a few times, I was convinced that there was a more serious underlying problem than just not getting enough hours of sleep at night.

[PapHater]

I was 21 when I first got it. The next nine months were hell. When I had my titration study they noticed a "few" central apneas that weren't there when I had my first study. Over those nine months I got significantly worse so by the end I dropped any notion of ever going back to any sort of XPAP. It's been 6 years and I've been rocking an oral appliance ever since. I've got a sleep study tomorrow night to hopefully start the process of getting set up on an ASV machine for my complex SA.

[DDD]

Got mine at 46, wow it has made a difference in my sleep.

[flutterby11]

24. I am on my 3rd mask and finally feel sooo much better. I am on my 2nd month now. I got lucky, we figured everything out fast.

[Nooblakahn]

I was 31... Still am actually. Did all the tests, but skipped owning cpap, bipap. Went straight for the good stuff, ASV. I've always had a champagne pocket tastes for electronics.. so this doesn't surprise me that I wanted to the high dollar stuff right off the bat.

That last part is of course a little tongue in cheek. I didn't "want" the asv. But thats the only thing my CSA responded to.

[TangledHose]

48 when I did my first sleep study on the request of my primary care phisician after complaining about fatique.........boy was my wife happy........no snoring on the CPAP