Very nervous

[btesterman]

I underwent the sleep lab ordeal a few weeks ago and this Sunday will go again to have a CPAP fitted. I've read so much about how difficult it is to adjust to using CPAP that I'm very nervous and really wondering if there will be enough positives in all this to warrant going through it for my borderline mild/moderate OSA. I am tired by afternoons and it would be wonderful to feel human but I read an article that said people with mild OSA don't see as much improvement. It was good to read some of the positive comments but I also noticed that many also said that it took months of hassle to finally arrive at positive results. I'm already discouraged and haven't even had one on yet!!!

[jweeks]

Hi,

Some folks do have issues. For me, I went through a number of masks and had a lot of mask issues. The machine itself was no big deal. I finally did get dialed in. Keep in mind that much of what you read here are people coming to the forum because they are having problems, so that might skew your view of what it is really like. Some people do fine without any issues, and others get dialed in pretty quickly and go on have good results. Overall, over 50% of patients give up and stop using the machine. That is tragic because untreated OSA has some very, very serious complications, such as stroke and heart damage. You don't want to go there. If you don't do this for yourself, then do it for your family and friends.

I have a borderline untreatable case of OSA. Despite that, the machine really works for me. It has made all the difference in the world since I was to the point where I couldn't work and was getting too dangerous to drive. Today, you couldn't pry the machine out of hands. All things considered, I wish I didn't have to bother with the mask, but then again, if one is going to have a chronic life-threatening disease, this might be the one to pick.

Try going in without any preconceived notions, and decide to work the problems as they arrive. You will probably do just fine, and once the fog of OSA starts to clear, you will realize just how good life can get.

-john-

[twokatmew]

Welcome to the forum.

Some do very well on CPAP right from the start. It has taken me several months, as I started on CPAP and needed a switch to auto BiPap. I'm really starting to feel a difference, and I no longer dread going to bed at night for fear of laying there awake or tossing and turning all night.

If you don't get your OSA treated, you'll continue to feel worse. Also remember that untreated OSA is doing lots of damage to your body. Please do give CPAP a shot. It does take some getting used to, but IMNSHO, it's well worth it!

Good luck and keep us posted.

[xiola]

Hi

I'm fairly new at this myself, its been about three weeks. and while im not going to tell you that I've seen amazing results, i have truly had days where i feel so much better. They're the exception, but ive noticed a change.

this board has been a huge help. i don't post much, but read it every day.. so keep reading and also.. adjusting to cpap isn't terrible. it isn't a walk in the park, and everyone is different, but my experience is that it was really no big deal as far as learning to sleep with the equipment.

[Muse-Inc]

Some sail thru adjustment to CPAP therapy without a hitch, some struggle. Having a good titration (make sure you sleep on sides and back with a mask, try on several to see which fit best) and good mask fit are essential to easy adjustment. My sleep during titation was so incredibly good, I wanted this regardless of what diagnosis I ended up with . Any oxygen deprivation (levels under 88% is the Medicare % to initiating supplemental oxygen) that occurs while you sleep (called desaturations or desats) damage brain cells along with other critical body tissues -- not what you want happening on a regular basis unless ya got a death wish . Get a copy of you sleep study, review it, come ask questions if it's clear as mud. Get a data-capable machine not just one that shows compliance (how many hrs you've used it) -- that's essential to tweaking your therapy for optimal results and tracking data for trends....important stuff.

Welcome aboard!

PS I was an early success without a hitch after the first 4 nights from hell when I got everything home and setup. Worst behavior, peeing 8-10 times/night, ended on night 1, 8/20/07, never to return. Did great for the next 17-18 months, lost a lot of wt, then started mouth leaking and hadda change masks.

[btesterman]

Thanks for the encouragement. I do have a tendency to see the glass half empty - shame on me! I'm going to try to look at this as a new "challenge." I made it through breast cancer and my ex-husband's adultery and the divorce so I certainly can handle this. Chin (or mask) up old girl!!

[Cavallo]

Gadzooks - compared to everything else, CPAP should seem like Christmas!

[KatieW]

Welcome to the forum. I'm a newbie of 1 month on cpap. I was determined to make this work, because I wanted to be healthy again. I was so lucky to find this forum. Information is power, and this forum empowered me.

Anything new in your life takes adjustment, so be kind and patient with yourself. It sounds like you are a strong and resilient person, you'll be fine!

[Dan on CPAP]

I'm a newbie too. tonight will be day #8 on Cpap. I was also very nervous before my sleep study to the point of horrible anxiety attacks(which I never had until my Doctor told me I could die if I didn't get on CPAP) I might add that he recommended my sleep study two years ago and I ignored him. Anyways, anxiety attacks are gone and I already feel better and rested. From the time my Doctor referred me for my sleep study to date has been about one month. If anyone could've told me to bring some Kava tea or take some Valerian Root 450mg two capsulas before my sleep study, I would've been much more comfortable. I must still be somewhat apprehensive, because I'm still sedationg myself to get to sleep. My plan is to not take anything on my days off from work and start accepting my Cpap as a new part of my quality of life. Goodluck, you'll be fine - I only wish that I knew of this site before I started my Cpap journey

[kteague]

My first OSA diagnosis was mild. Fast forward a couple years - moderate. Flash forward again - you guessed it - severe. I was one who had trouble adjusting. But was it worth it, even from the beginning? How many words in the thesaurus are a synonym for absolutely?!

Don't waste precious energies preparing to fight a battle when it may only amount to light sparring. It's gonna be what it's gonna be, and you'll be able to deal with whatever becomes necessary. This should be a breeze compared to all you've already conquered. As you well know, sometimes we just do what we need to do because we know we need to do it, regardless of an unpredictable outcome. The alternative of doing nothing has a quite predictable outcome - trouble in the future.

Let us know as you get started if there's anything going on you need to discuss. Lot of cpap users here as a resource for you. Welcome to the group.

Kathy

[rested gal]

really wondering if there will be enough positives in all this to warrant going through it for my borderline mild/moderate OSA.
---
I read an article that said people with mild OSA don't see as much improvement.

I have it mild, but I saw noticeable improvement when I started CPAP. Things I thought were "normal" (they're not normal) went away. Mild things like wanting to take a nap several times a week, getting drowsy driving on long trips, drifting off to sleep occasionally while watching TV or reading, snoring (hey...lots of people snore, don't they? Annoying to others, but no big deal...right?), wanting to hit the snooze button several times in the morning.

I never had the extreme fatigue or daytime sleepiness that many others have written about. Never had gasping wakeups or morning headaches.

Mild though mine is, CPAP keeps me from getting the least bit sleepy when driving. What a nice feeling it is to feel wide awake no matter how long the trip. How great it is to feel wide awake when I wake up in the morning, thoughout the afternoon, and well up into the evening.

Kathy said it so eloquently and so well!

Don't waste precious energies preparing to fight a battle when it may only amount to light sparring. It's gonna be what it's gonna be, and you'll be able to deal with whatever becomes necessary. This should be a breeze compared to all you've already conquered. As you well know, sometimes we just do what we need to do because we know we need to do it, regardless of an unpredictable outcome. The alternative of doing nothing has a quite predictable outcome - trouble in the future.

Welcome to the message board, btesterman!

[Patrick A]

In 1988 I went to a well known HMO they sent me for a sleep study. A couple off weeks later they when i went to the doctor he said You have sleep apnea....go home be well.
Then in 2005 I went for a sleep study at the insistance of a doctor I was seeing for another issue. Guess what they did the sleep study the study showed that I had severe OSA! I've been on CPap therapy ever since. I really didn't like that doctor, but I will say he saved my life.

[DreamOn]

Welcome, btesterman! I also have mild/moderate OSA. I experienced improvement from the very beginning and adjusted quickly to the equipment. You will find lots of information and support here. Reading about other people's experience with CPAP and asking questions will help you through any rough spots along the way. I think that finding a mask that fits well is of utmost importance, so try on as many as you can.

As you learn more about sleep apnea, you will realize that the risks of not treating it are greater than the relatively minor inconveniences associated with CPAP treatment. Would I rather not mask up every night? Sure. But I want to live a long and full life, as healthy as I can be, so I'll do what I need to do.

I'm glad you're here.

~ DreamOn

[rise&shiner]

Its taken me over a decade to finally wake up to acknowledge my severe OSA. When I finally was so bad that i was sleeping 16 hours a day instead of being up for 16 hours a day and taping myself sleeping that I realized I couldn't ignore the problem anymore. partly i didn't think it would be sexy to have to wear a mask and I would hate having a nosiey piece of equipment. Partly because I di'tt want to beleive tht I was actaullyy stop breathing during the night after all I was having dreams and remember falling asleep and waking up in the morning. Is to easy to fool one's self.

So now that I have been on CPAP for 2 months. it was absurd for me to wait so long. The machines today are very quiet and very efficient. The mask on the other hand are indeed non sexy and I had to go through 6 masks before I found one that works for me and yes that was very frustrating. However, I am now being more productive and not sleeping away my days. Yes some nights are better than others and yes some days are better than others but I would not go back to doing without my mask and my machine. I am definteily waking up witht more energy and feel productive.

Also this site has been a g-d send and some of us found our way here becasue we were frustrated with something along the way with our treatament and then there are others who came here just for support and there are others who have spent many hours really researching OSA and are here to help make the rest of us more knowledgeable and to be our own advocate for a disease that can have horrible consequences but is yet not well managed by the medical community.

So welcome aboard, here's to us there is none as great as us.

[TenmaNeko]

I guess I got lucky then. The first mask I got has worked pretty well, once I got the straps worked out. I use the Swift LT. and I have the pillows just barely tight enough to seal against my nares. It's pretty comfortable. In fact, there are times (rare) that as I'm drifting off I touch my face to make sure I remembered to put my mask on!

I did go through two machines. The first one did not have any data capability, so I switched it for one that did. Now I can keep track of what's going on with me while I sleep. It's the IntelliPap APAP machine. It's pretty quiet, sometimes I can faintly hear it though.

Now, I feel like I started to see results pretty quickly. Once I got used to the mask (about a week), I noticed I wasn't waking up like I used to. And I could actually stay awake at work! As time went on, I started to feel better in general. I was feeling pretty depressed for a while there, it was getting to the point where I was thinking about therapy. But after being on CPAP for a while, one day I noticed "Hey, I don't feel down like I used to". It's been much better since I started therapy.

Don't fret or worry. This will help you and it's much better than the alternative! You can do it.