tired and feeling hopeless

[chriml]

been using cpap machine for about 2 weeks now. I don't feel any different. I am so tired and cranky. I cant seem to do all the things I should be doing. I thought I would see some difference by now. Is this normal? Is there light at the end of the tunnel????

[Christy223]

I don't have the information or experience to help you but wanted to say "Don't give up until you feel better!" I am sure some of these knowledgeable persons around here can give you some ideas!

Christy

[ILevine]

I am on day 5 and do not want to go to sleep. I just called my provider for a different type of mask. Have you thought of that?

[m1k2s3]

I have been using CPAP for about 2 months now and the only advice I can offer is don't give up. The people who post on this site have a wealth of knowledge and have helped me through a number of problems.

I'll tell you what my husband keeps telling me - you have taken an important first step in improving the quality of your sleep and ultimately your health so keep trying.

One thing I've learned is that everyone experiences problems and some take longer to solve than others. I had trouble with my mask ( it would suddenly start leaking and wake me up) so I went online and found out how to fit the mask on properly - it made a big difference.

My biggest obstacle was learning to sleep with my nose covered, which doesn't sound like much but I have a fear of suffocating and believe me, this was a huge deal for me. I checked the "collective wisdom" and found a suggestion that has helped me enormously overcoming my fear.

[jabberwock]

Chriml,

I can empathize with your frustration, but really, don't give up yet!

Since you have started with cpap, you have had trouble with your machine (I believe you changed it out), and if I am not mistaken, you have changed masks. These are both good moves, but every time you change something, there can be adjustments your body has to make.

Some people feel relief immediately, others take longer. The key is to persist with it until you are comfortable with the changes you have made. It is still (after 2 months) a dream of mine to sleep through the night and wake up refreshed, but I know my treatment is not yet as effective as it should be. I'm still working on it.

I think the real issue is, do you feel a lot worse than you did before CPAP? If not, you're not losing anything by sticking with it. Give it more time. Without using it, you are definitely not going to feel any better, and on top of that, you are putting yourself at risk of heart damage, stroke and any other number of things you don't want to have.

You can do this! Keep posting about the specific problems you are having and the good folks here will keep trying to help you to get the therapy you need.

Bonnie

[chriml]

Thank you all! I don't feel worse I feel the same as I did for 2 years. The doctor has me on antidepressants also since feb. I am using the nasal pillow now and having trouble adjusting to it. I woke up last night and it was hanging around my neck not on the nose. I did get a new machine from cpap because the other machine didn't work correctly. Cpap was great. Fernando in the returns department went above and beyond to help me. He overnighted a new machine and I upgraded it. At least now I have a data card. Thanks a bunch! Kim

[Patrick A]

[quote="chriml"]been using cpap machine for about 2 weeks now. I don't feel any different. I am so tired and cranky. I cant seem to do all the things I should be doing. I thought I would see some difference by now. Is this normal? Is there light at the end of the tunnel????

[chriml]

What is the difference between a bipap & cpap besides the price? Kim

[bdp522]

Bipap has one pressure for inhale and a different pressure for exhale. A cpap has only one pressure.

Brenda

[kteague]

Don't be discouraged because you haven't had that instant WOW factor - I believe you are in the majority. You're still tweaking your therapy, and most likely have a sleep debt to repay.

When you are sleeping most of each night on a regular basis, surely you'll see the results. For me, even getting 2 to 4 hours a night for several months was enough of an improvement to see an improvement in my daytime functioning.

Patience really is a virtue, and persistence will pay off. I now sleep at least 7 to 9 hours a night with maybe 2 or 3 bathroom runs. Still have issues, but being able to sleep with the equipment is no longer one of them. Hang on to hope.

Kathy

[Guest]

Thank you all! I don't feel worse I feel the same as I did for 2 years. The doctor has me on antidepressants also since feb. I am using the nasal pillow now and having trouble adjusting to it. I woke up last night and it was hanging around my neck not on the nose. I did get a new machine from cpap because the other machine didn't work correctly. Cpap was great. Fernando in the returns department went above and beyond to help me. He overnighted a new machine and I upgraded it. At least now I have a data card. Thanks a bunch! Kim

Why are you on antidepressants? It seems like most everyone who has OSA is on antidepressants.

[OwlCreekObserver]

been using cpap machine for about 2 weeks now. I don't feel any different. I am so tired and cranky. I cant seem to do all the things I should be doing. I thought I would see some difference by now. Is this normal? Is there light at the end of the tunnel????

Hi Kim,

An old friend asked me yesterday if I'd noticed a major difference after more than a year on cpap. My first reaction was that there was no difference at all. I still don't get a lot of sleep (awake since 3:00 this morning) and I don't bounce out of bed in the morning like a 20 year old. Of course as a 60-something retiree, I suppose that last one might be expecting a bit too much.

But the fact is that in my pre-cpap days, I often woke up out of a sound sleep, gasping for breath. Once I found a mask or two that worked fairly well for me, that panicky, suffocating feeling disappeared.

I also used to snore like a low flying jumbo jet. Even though my lovely bride of many years always said that she was used to it (bless her heart), I get the feeling that she doesn't miss all the racket these days. I know for sure that I feel better about the situation, especially when we're staying in hotels or with relatives.

All this is a long-winded way of suggesting that you may be experiencing some benefits that you haven't considered. Do you know how many apnea events you're having with cpap? How does that compare to your sleep study? Any improvement?

Several people here have also talked about sleep deficit and how it takes your body time to recover from it under xpap therapy. Looking back, I know that I started feeling a little more alert and rested after a few weeks -- not a lot, but at least a little bit.

From my experience, cpap therapy is often a long series of adjustments with both good times and bad. It's a bit like weddings and marriages: You start out just knowing that everything's going to be perfect, but the day to day routine takes a little more effort than you originally thought.

Hang in there.

OCO

[chriml]

I was put on antidepressants in feb. I was feeling hopeless, tired, not worth anything and afraid of getting sick and dying. Everything in my life was overwelming. Everyones problems were my problems. I had blood work done in feb and there was something wrong with my white blood cell counts. They were very high. Automatically I had cancer. They did go down and now had to have my blood work redone yesterday and I am so worried about what the results will say. I think I have a terrible fear because 3 years ago I had menegitis and went into a coma and they didn't think I was going to live. It took 3 months to get back to normal ( whatever that is). But still I am told by some people im not the same. I have 3 daughters and Im so afraid that I will not be here to see them grow. I was not sleeping at night at all. Anyway thats why I was put on antidressants. Thank you all! Kim

[m1k2s3]

Kim - I can totally relate to what your saying. Your fears sound so similiar to mine and I also have 3 daughters - age 15, 18 and 21 - and I worry about them constantly and I worry about my health and what will happen if I'm not there for them. As a mom, I don't think you ever stop worrying about you kids (I'm 52 and when I asked my own mother when you stop worry so much about your kids and being there for them, she said " I don't know - I'll let you know when that happens!" )

Family and friends have been telling me for years that I snore but recently when my husband told me he was sure I stopped breathing a couple of times during the night, I knew I had to finally do something about it. So I went to the doctor to get a referral to the sleep clinic, thinking (actually hoping) it wasn't sleep apnea. During my doctor's visit, he noticed by blood pressure was way up ( previous visits were in the 120/85 range now it was 145/89) I had to wait about two weeks for the sleep study so during that time, I worried about everything - what if I stopped breathing or had a stroke or heart attack during my sleep. So I'd lie awake worrying, afraid to go to sleep. It got to the point where I was so tired, I couldn't function at all and spent most of my days either napping, watching TV or on the computer.

Now - after two months of CPAP therapy, most mornings I wake up feeling refreshed, although I still have some "drag my butt" days too. I know I have more energy which ultimately has helped improve my mood and the really good news is, my blood pressure is back to normal. I'd like to tell you I don't worry about anything anymore but I'd be lying. That's a battle I can't seem to win.

But don't give up on your CPAP therapy. Keep working at it and try setting small goals that seemed to help me. For example, I have a fear of suffocating and wearing a nasal mask was extremely difficult to overcome but each night, my goal was to wear it an hour longer than the night before -even if it meant lying there wide awake for that hour longer.

Keep posting here and try using the chat feature here - one night I signed on and chatted with a sleep technician who was extremely helpful.

[arthuranxious]

Kim, I have some of your worries too.
But.... You sound far too bright to be consigned to ant-depressants without getting other support to lift your spirits. I hope this isn't an example of an HMO general practitioner or internist putting you on antidepressants without sending to a psychiologist or psycho-therapist for a real psych evaluation. There may be lots of things that can be done to improve your life with CPAP being just an overture to the Untired Symphony!

I am more aware of being tired now than I ever was before diagnosis. I think that then I never complained about being tired because I thought that was called feeling normal. I had been a night owl, did lots of work in the early hours of the morning and just struggled to keep going.
I started CPAP with hopes of suddenly having fountains of energy, and overcoming all my down moods, reaching all my goals more easily, losing weight without gerat difficulty, and so forth. They didn't materialize, but I think there have been other changes in my life which have helped. Some of these might not have happened if I hadn't started operating with less of a sleep deficit. Much of what is happening to you may be unrelated to apnea, but the CPAP may help you eliminate a little of what is wrong and give you strength to tackle the other issues.
My life is much better now than it has been in several years, even though I don't see a direct connection to CPAP, but it probably played a role!