Thank you, everybody!!

[fishhead]

Let me start by saying THANK YOU!! to everyone for taking the time to post your experience and share your knowledge. I just started CPAP therapy 5 weeks ago and have found many helpful and practical suggestions here.

Thanks jnk for the warm welcome and invitation to post my story.

Allow myself to introduce... <<ahem>> myself. I am 43, happily married to the most beautiful woman in the world, coming up on 20 years now, and have been blessed with actually very good health most of my life. I'm about 6', fairly athletic and active, and I've never been very heavy - I topped out at 205, now back down to 185. My only real complaint is frequent migraines.

But, a few years ago I noticed a dramatic change in my sleeping patterns - no real trouble falling asleep, just kept waking up every hour, every half our - like clockwork. It didn't take very long and I was completely exhausted. At the same time - or maybe even before, I'm not sure, I slipped into what could only be described as the worst mid-life crisis ever. I finally had to admit I was suffering from major depression and anxiety. No motivation, nothing made me happy, no desire to do any of the things I used to like, crushing sadness for no apparent reason, debilitating low self-esteem, I was stuck in a vicious cycle of depression/self-destuctive behavior, which only worsened depression. It was without a doubt the lowest point in my life.

At about that time, a very close personal friend, (really my brother born from a different mother) also a member of this forum known to y'all as jnk, saw my steady decline and remembered my family history. My father had severe OSA, heart problems, and looking back I realize that he probably too suffered from depression. He eventually died of esophageal cancer about 8 years ago now. jnk showed me an article where studies linked depression/anxiety to OSA and convinced me ask my doctor for a sleep study. I was reluctant because inside I was fairly sure he was right and I remembered my Dad's experience with CPAP and was not looking forward to that at all.

My GP almost laughed when I asked for the sleep study until he saw that I was serious. Although he would like to see me lose another 10 pounds, according to him I'm not heavy enough to have OSA. When i showed him the article linking depression and OSA, he reluctantly agreed to the sleep study. The sleep doc also nearly turned me away saying that i don't fit the typical OSA patient profile. But, after explaining my current health concerns and my family history, he also reluctantly agreed.

Imagine our collective surprise to find out my AHI was 27! After a second study with titration I was prescribed CPAP at 10cm. When my sleep doc offered to follow with the DME to obtain the equipment, I respectfully asked to take care of it myself. Again, thanks to jnk's advice, I went to cpap.com and ordered what I needed. My sleep doc was so impressed with how well it went for me, he asked for more information so he could refer his patients who were fed up with DME's and wanted an alternative.

I can't say I took to the cpap therapy like the proverbial duck to water (not much sleep the first few nights). But, in the second week I started to notice I was sleeping longer and longer through the night and waking up feeling better and better. My thinking is clearer, my memory improving, and my overall outlook is much better. Now, if I wake up at all during the night, I actually have to feel my face to see if the mask is still there because i don't feel it at all.

I just asked my GP to start coming off the anti-depressants. I know it will take a few weeks to wean off little by little, but at this point I really want to know if indeed the OSA was contributing to the depression and if so to what degree. I realize that it may not the only factor and there's a possibility I may have to resume the meds in order to feel right, but for now we'll see how I do on only the cpap.

Sorry for the long post and for going on and on like this... I promise to keep any future posts short and to the point.

Thanks again for helping my on the road to recovery and for all the good advice and encouragement.

~fishhead~

p.s. for jnk - Look at all the sentence capitals just for you!

[karessamom]

Wow! What an impressive story. Glad to hear you're doing so much better! You'll find that OSA obviously does Not neccesarily fit the typical stereo type! Thank you for posting and a big welcome!

[SleepyT]

fishhead...welcome, first of all. i would say you are in good hands...between jnk and the forum here. your story sounds awfully similar! yes indeed! i think you will certainly find your depression was all apnea related. congrats on taking the first step (with jnk's help). you most certainly did the right thing...good luck as you reclaim your life.

sleepyt

[SleepyT]

fishhead...welcome, first of all. i would say you are in good hands...between jnk and the forum here. your story sounds awfully similar! yes indeed! i think you will certainly find your depression was all apnea related. congrats on taking the first step (with jnk's help). you most certainly did the right thing...good luck as you reclaim your life.

sleepyt

[redbear]

fishhead...welcome, first of all. i would say you are in good hands...between jnk and the forum here. your story sounds awfully similar! yes indeed! i think you will certainly find your depression was all apnea related. congrats on taking the first step (with jnk's help). you most certainly did the right thing...good luck as you reclaim your life.

sleepyt

I finally see something about "breath right strips". I have used CPAP for 3 days only and I find that the nose cushion pushes my nose and it hurts and as I mentioned in my original post, I wake up looking like a monkey.
Last night I placed tape over my nose, similar to the breath right strip and it helped. Not completely but some help.
What is the deal with the strips?

[twokatmew]

Welcome, Fishhead! Thanks for posting your story.

[SleepyT]

[quote="redbear

I finally see something about "breath right strips". I have used CPAP for 3 days only and I find that the nose cushion pushes my nose and it hurts and as I mentioned in my original post, I wake up looking like a monkey.
Last night I placed tape over my nose, similar to the breath right strip and it helped. Not completely but some help.
What is the deal with the strips?[/quote]

redbear,
the breathe right strips just help with breathing if you have a little congestion. i would say try loosening the straps a little if the cushion is pushing your nose out of shape. there is a temptation to over tighten because of a fear of mask leaks...but it is not necessary.

[spacetoast]

Wow. Your story really shows how ignorant some doctors can be. Even the sleep doc? Sheesh.

I'm 5'9" about 180 lbs and mountain bike 3 times per week. Oh yeah, and I'm 37. My wife has been after me to ask the doctor about the snoring and not breathing while sleeping as long as we've been together (almost 6 years). So I guess I didn't fit the profile either.

Thanks for sharing your story. It's inspiring to me since this is my first week. Like you, I didn't have the major symptoms of fatigue, but I have definitely been suffering from lack of motivation and feelings of low self worth in the last two years. Also, I can't ride my mountain bike as hard as I used to. My AHI during my sleep study was between 90 and 100 events per hour! Now I'm convinced that my lousy sleep has been robbing me of all that energy, motivation, and rest my body needed.

Please keep us updated about going off your medication. I don't personally take medication, but I have friends and family who do. Since I've discovered this group, I wonder how many people on meds really just have a sleep disorder.

[jnk]

For the record, fishhead gives me waaaaay too much credit. He told me he wasn't feeling so hot, I remembered his dad's medical history, and I printed out a study for him to show his doc. The rest was all him and you guys.

I would never have mentally connected those dots, though, without all I have been taught by the good folks in this forum.

Let's all keep our ears open, our eyes peeled, and our lungs filled, so the next guy in line gets the help he needs.

Fishhead, does this mean you will start using capital letters at the start of your sentences when you send me e-mails from now on, too?

Nice post, Pal.

jeff

[DoriC]

Welcome Fishhead, your story is a very significant one and thanks for sharing it. I hope you'll keep us posted and make them as long as you like. BTW, any friend of jnk's is a friend of mine and he knows it! Dori

[JayC]

Welcome.

Get some good sleep therapy going so you have a better chance of doing better without the meds.

Sleep issues, misdiagnosis, depression meds, are all things I have had to deal with....and likely the real problem has been 30+ years of poor qualtity/quality sleep with desats most of the time..... but I never looked the profile, and had no breathing issues when awake!!

J

[carbonman]

.

At about that time, a very close personal friend, (really my brother born from a different mother) .

Thanks again for helping my on the road to recovery and for all the good advice and encouragement.

~fishhead~

fishhead, WELCOME!

Your story is my story.

JNK is my cpap fraternity brother. We are the only two of the mid '08 beginners.
We're not beginners anymore.
We have made the journey together and I am glad he was there beside me.
Thanks! JNK

fishhead, all the best for you as your cpap journey to a new life begins.

[fishhead]

well, thank you everyone for the warm welcome! your kind words are very much appreciated.

jnk - you are too modest. you have helped me more than you know. and it seems many others, too!

looking back, it was a scary time. i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. but thanks to the patience and support of my loving wife, and many, many friends, i'm still here, and getting better everyday. i am starting to feel like my old self again. actually, no... BETTER than my old self. i know i have a ways to go, but i am optimistic - something that has been lacking in my life for quite some time.

i just hope others can benefit from my experience.

last night i slept like a baby - .08 leaks (still searching for that elusive 0.0), AHI = 1.0 (all hypo's). and so far, i haven't crashed yet coming down off the meds. i think it's going to be a great day!

thanks again everyone.

p.s. jnk - as you can see, the sentence caps were a one time deal.

[carbonman]

last night i slept like a baby - .08 leaks (still searching for that elusive 0.0), AHI = 1.0 (all hypo's).

p.s. jnk - as you can see, the sentence caps were a one time deal.

...man, listen to you....sound like a pro already.

....and the caps thing....you got'a go w/what brung 'ya.

It's all good.

[jnk]

. . . p.s. jnk - as you can see, the sentence caps were a one time deal.

I figured.

I hadn't noticed the caps weren't there till you mentioned it, so it must not matter that much, eh?