And so it begins...

[MoonBear]

Well, I get my apnea test next week. As many of you may know,I DILIGENTLY have tried to find ANY way out of cpap. I am positive I have apnea as I am overweight now and am known for world-class snoring at workshops. On the suggestion of my god-daughter who is visiting and who was suspected of apnea (no the case for her), I taped my self sleeping.

Between asthmatic breathing and snoring and mews like an abandoned bear cub and choking, I am scared right into reality. I am finally understanding why my life is in such disarray and why I am almost reduced to a rock-like existence. I am also an insomniac who is haing to deal with that now, too, in a big way. It's 5:17 in the morning and I haven't been to sleep yet. I wonder if my body unconsciously keeps me awake so I breathe better.

Monday I am calling to make an appt. to pick up my home unit. I've already written my doctor saying I want an apap. I am praying the Sleepweaver will work for me with a taped mouth.

Time to get real and get this going. I am hoping to find many tips and answers here.

Cheers,
MoonBear

[snnnark]

It may be scary to contemplate a life of sleeping with a mask and machine, but when you consider the alternative, diabetes, heart disease, weight gain etc etc then it's not so bad!

I wonder if my body unconsciously keeps me awake so I breathe better.

That is one theory of insomnia, and you are left sleep deprived and slowly go nuts!

[robysue]

Best of luck moonbear.

My advice is to talk to your doctor about both the apnea and the insomnia at the same time. Specifically ask for non-drug ways of working on the insomnia---at least at the start---since some sleep medications can aggravate the apnea.

Working on sleep hygiene issues will help you to start controlling the insomnia as well as adjust to the CPAP therapy.

[SleepyT]

I wonder if my body unconsciously keeps me awake so I breathe better.
MoonBear

More like your body keeps you awake because it knows sleeping is killling you.

[BlackSpinner]

Do some research and PRINT out the machine names you think are best - ie data capable with software available, a lot of the names are very similar but the actual difference between "escape", "plus" and "elite" an "Pro" is huge for you. research mask names and how to fit them. Print out a prescription form from cpap.com

Print it all out and take it with you. Every time the subject wanders bring it back to the paper.

[carbonman]

Time to get real and get this going.
Cheers,
MoonBear

Having just spent another night w/cpap....
sleeping, dreaming, recovering....
I awake to another day of my new life.

It's not only a chance for you to bring order to the disarray
and crawl out from under that rock.....
you have a chance to discover new things about yourself.
This is an opportunity to know you can go beyond your perceived limits.

This is the beginning of your new life.
Embrace it.

[Madalot]

This is the beginning of your new life.
Embrace it.

Agreed.

If *I* can adapt and accept this as my new way of sleeping, ANYBODY can. I was about as resistent to this as a person could be, swearing a year prior that there was NO WAY I would ever use a machine to keep me breathing, day or night!

In less than a year's time, I am a veteran and go to bed EVERY night hooked up to a mask, hose and machine.

And I LOVE it -- well, maybe not LOVE it, but I sure don't mind it!!!

You'll be just fine. It won't be easy, but you CAN do it. And everybody on the forum is here for you and will help you adapt.

[Janknitz]

I fought CPAP tooth and nail at first and it was a HARD adjustment. At first it causes even MORE disruptions to sleep. And unlike you, I felt like it was being imposed upon me, rather than a choice I made, so I was plenty angry, too.

Not to toot my own horn here, but if you read my blog from the beginning I think it will give you some very practical suggestions on goal setting and realistic expectations from CPAP. You've got to take things one night at a time and knock problems out one thing at a time. If you read nothing else on my blog, be sure to read the page that is called "What you need to know BEFORE you meet your DME".

Eventually, and with hard work, you will come to a place where CPAP works for you, but you've probably got to work it first.

I had the kind of insomnia where I could fall asleep OK (although with significant latency) but could not stay asleep. Now I know that it was in large part due to the apneas which would wake me. Nowadays, putting the mask on is like Pavlov's cue--I'm almost instantly asleep and stay asleep about 80% of the time. When I do wake, it's stress, not apnea, and often I can go back to sleep in a short period of time.

Attitude is key--failure is not an option.

[Junebug999]

Time to get real and get this going.
Cheers,
MoonBear

Having just spent another night w/cpap....
sleeping, dreaming, recovering....
I awake to another day of my new life.

It's not only a chance for you to bring order to the disarray
and crawl out from under that rock.....
you have a chance to discover new things about yourself.
This is an opportunity to know you can go beyond your perceived limits.

This is the beginning of your new life.
Embrace it.

Carbonman -- you are SOOOOO thoughtful and poetic -- or am i just noticing this side of you?

Are you Alan Alda?????

[nighthawk38]

Hi, good luck with the Sleepweaver! I had one and then for the last mask chose a Swift FX, but I think I'm going back to the Sleepweaver. I do recommend you get help with fitting, and/or watch the fitting video at Circadiance. It is really comfortable, if it can work for you.

I found, early in my therapy (was using a Swift LT back then) that I occasionally had episodes of mouth breathing, but I stopped on my own, it's really uncomfortable with CPAP.....so perhaps you won't need to mouth-tape forever.

You won't know this if it's your first mask, but the Sleepweaver is by far the easiest to keep clean. The FX is a real pain to disassemble and reassemble, and I find myself cheating and not washing it every day. Not a good thing.

Best of luck to you.

[BlackSpinner]

Carbonman -- you are SOOOOO thoughtful and poetic -- or am i just noticing this side of you?

Are you Alan Alda?????

Not unless there has been another resurrection. Alan died last year.

[Tired Linda]

[/quote] Not unless there has been another resurrection. Alan died last year.[/quote]

Huh? Please Google...I believe you have the wrong guy.