My Success with CPAP

[kismet210]

Hi all!

My diagnosis was severe OSA. I thought I'd share my success so far with CPAP....1 year, 4 months and loving it!! I'm sharing this on 2 sites in case you think you've seen it before lol...

I'm probably missing some things...but especially if you're new to CPAP...keep reading!!!

I tested AHI's 46.4 in my first sleep clinic. Low compared to some people I know. It was still damaging my life. The first night with CPAP (at the clinic) my AHI's dropped to 1.2. Now it fluctuates from 0.0 to 2.5 depending on if I'm fighting a cold or have been out drinking (YES! That affects it!) or a multitude of other things that can affect your breathing. If I'm stupid enough to spend time around smokers I can count on seeing anywhere from 7.0 to 13.0. I experienced no trouble at all with mask from the first night. The clinic put a True Blue on me and that's what I still use.

The only side effects of CPAP have been all positive. Feeling daily like I'm slowly disintegrating...that doesn't happen anymore. Almost ALL of my previous symptoms have disappeared...actual sleep...a lot of memory getting better, but I still have some issues...my hair and skin looks so much better and I've been told my eyes look "alive", shiny, really alert. Speaking of which, some of the luggage under my eyes has disappeared too. My general sense of well-being has changed dramatically for the better. I don't fight to stay awake every moment of every day. I'm not afraid to drive, afraid I'll fall asleep behind the wheel no matter what time of day it is. My blood pressure has returned to normal. I'm back to the sweet loveable me (lol) that I was before the evil creature in the closet took over with horrid mood swings and a vicious temper. I haven't touched a TUMS antacid tablet since the first night with CPAP, compared to going through bottles of them in a month during the nights. No more fighting to stay awake at work. I can sit down to watch TV, read or go to a movie and stay awake. My focus is much better...very little S.O.S. (shiny object syndrome). The Nocturia (frequent trips to the bathroom during the night) has totally stopped (that happened immediately as did some of the other things). No more dry mouth and a sore throat upon waking up in the mornings. No more snoring. No more excessive perspiration during the night. No more morning headaches. My energy level is through the roof most days!

I was afraid to start dating (I'm separated) and decided that I would put myself on a dating site and talk about being on CPAP before even meeting someone to weed out the guys not deserving of the wonderful person I am and wow...met a lovely man who said he wasn't going to let a little thing like that stop him from getting to know me...and it hasn't. It's such a pleasure to go out to dinner and not want to take a nap on the bench seat between courses!! Lol!

Although OSA had nothing to do with the break-up of my marriage...(we both snored heavily) the best thing that ever happened to me was leaving and going to stay with someone who recognized what was happening, told me I needed to get tested, but asked me to leave their home because I was keeping everyone else awake nights. It was a terrible feeling at the time but I'll be forever grateful to them. I'm alive again and living! Sadly the gentleman of that house has since been diagnosed himself with both Obstructive and Central and I try to help him out whenever I can.

Try to stay positive, inject some humour into your treatment...I've named my machine...I carry a picture of my machine and mask in my phone to show people...I wrote my story out for our internal newsletter at work because I work for a trucking company and wanted to share my positive experience, especially with our drivers. People have some very strange ideas about being diagnosed and the treatment itself...I keep a printed copy in my car and replace it immediately when I've given the copy to someone.

Well, now that I have bent some ears and hopefully given some positive help and perhaps a positive outlook to people who are new to this life saving-giving treatment...when you put the best friend you've ever had in your life on at night...try to relax...think only positive thoughts...the benefits you'll experience and what you'll gain far outweigh having to use CPAP in the first place....

Keep smiling!

[SleepWellCPAP]

Wonderful story!

Thanks for sharing. You might consider reposting it under the sticky heading at the top of the blog.

[kismet210]

Thank you very much ChristianC...I forgot that was there! I've put in there now...

I try to share my success with as many people as I can...maybe it will be a turning point for someone else!

[HerbM]

Great story Kismet, and you are absolutely correct that any guy who wasn't open minded about your CPAP was almost certainly destined for the reject pile in any case.

It's great that you are enjoying your life so much more now with the treatment improving your life in so many ways.

It's important that people with stories like your keep telling them so that beginners like me will be encouraged and inspired.

Thank you.

It's also important to hear about people who OVERCOME a lot of difficulties so that these problems don't come as a shock and deter people from continuing.

Some people like you and I are lucky enough to take to a mask right away and just get the treatment from the start and that makes us incredibly lucky.

[kismet210]

Thanks HerbM!

It's also important to hear about people who OVERCOME a lot of difficulties so that these problems don't come as a shock and deter people from continuing.

Some people like you and I are lucky enough to take to a mask right away and just get the treatment from the start and that makes us incredibly lucky.

I agree totally! We have been incredibly lucky! It can be so very difficult to experience a beginning with this treatment that isn't as seamless a transition into it as it was for you or I. Having to fight with treatment can be just as debilitating as the condition itself! Feeling your body breaking down because it doesn't have the time to "repair" during your sleep period and then having a hard time with the treatment? I don't wish that on anyone. If I hadn't read the posts here and on other sites just before being diagnosed, I'd have though I was losing my mind. It was comforting in a sad way that so many people understood also, the anxiety, fears and uncertainty that come with facing the idea of sleeping with a respiratory device for the rest of your life. In a relationship or single...it doesn't matter.

My best friend was just re-tested and is waiting for the results. She was diagnosed long before me but hasn't used her CPAP for years because of the discomfort of her mask etc. Her health is really being affected and I think because she's watching me, she decided to give it another go. It's never been hard to offer her support, but until I slept with one myself it was almost impossible to offer any suggestions. Now we are going to go mask shopping together after she gets her results. Most women go out looking for new clothing or jewellry together...we're going for CPAP supplies lol!

[HerbM]

I didn't even have to face the issues you did (e.g., such as dating) since I've been married for 38+ years to the same wonderful woman who was deterimined to get me to USE THE TREATEMENT, and not just to get me to stop snoring.

Carol actually loves that I no longer make (any) noise and that I am getting healthier.

Try to explain to your friend that there are a hundred (or hundreds) of masks to choose from BECAUSE everyone has problems with some (most?) of them and just about everyone can find one that works.

She needs to know that difficulty with her mask is not a failure but can almost certainly be fixed.

[phildoc]

Great story. I'll chime in with one clear benefit I am seeing after only one month of CPAP. In early November saw my MD (before I'd had my sleep study, but I was pretty sure I had sleep apnea given my family history and symptoms). He noted my blood pressure was up in the 140/95 range, and recommended blood pressure medicine. I resisted; I know that high BP is one possible consequence of apnea, and didn't want to start a med I might not be able to come off. I bought a BP cuff to monitor myself (had no history of high BP), and it was consistently in the 139-145/90-97 range.In light of this, I finally had my sleep study, and my AHI came in at 45.1. After one month of CPAP, the AHI is averaging 0.86, and the BP for the last 4 days has been 122/82. Still feel a tad sluggish around 7-8 pm each night, but have no sleepiness in the mid-afternoon. Count me a believer....

[kismet210]

HerbM - You're one lucky man to have a wonderful lady like her! So many people only know the snoring part (and even that doesn't happen with all apnea patients) and don't understand just how detrimental it is to your overall health and well-being! Another success story!

She and I get online together and we look at different sites and masks. I think she's more frustrated than anything, so I'm looking forward to our shopping trip to see what we can find for her.


phildoc - I'm so glad you're having success with treatment too! Seeing/feeling is believing for sure. I'm very happy for you that your BP is behaving now too. My MD wanted to put me on meds as well and did the same thing as you...monitoring and reporting and it wasn't until I was asked to leave that house that I pushed to be tested. Give yourself some more time for your body to adjust and catch up to all of the "repairs" it hasn't been able to do on a consistent basis while you were supposed to be asleep. I'm pretty sure you're going to notice changes where you didn't realize there was anything wrong in the first place!