Everyones Take on seeing a counselor?

[Kahfree]

I have never had "mental" therapy in my life, but am not opposed to it. Since starting this journey I have had many panic attacks and a great deal of anxiety going to bed. Some nights I thought I was succeeding, and these last few nights are bad...and I mean bad. I avoided bed last night and went to the casino with a friend and got home after 4 am to make myself so tired I thought it might help me just pass out. I was wrong.

My poor daughter had to wake at that time to help me and as she stood there talking to me and helping me adjust the mask (too many leaks recorded) I panicked and almost could not get the mask off my face. I did end up falling asleep with the mask on, but apparently only used it 1.7 hours. I am going backwards and not ahead in this usage of the mask. I am not understanding what is wrong with me because I started out ok, and suddenly I am almost at a standstill. My compliance is down to 58% when It was at 77% for the last 30 days. (Although not at thirty days yet, just half way there)

My daughter has been very positive with me, telling me I can do this and it takes time. She also suggested a FULL FACE mask..one that goes over the entire face. I told her that the image she showed me looks even more claustrophobic than the mouth/nasal mask.

So my two questions.

Is therapy with a counselor a solution to helping me, or is it a waste of time?
Has anyone used the mask that covers the entire face? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

I am having thoughts of "Who cares if I die in my sleep" and "So what if I get diabetes, heart conditions, etc. Doctors have meds to treat this" I know all of that sounds "stupid and irresponsible when wearing the mask during sleep will avoid these conditions" but its just how I am feeling, but I don't want any of that. I am just totally bewildered to know that there are people who from day one go to bed with it and suddenly are bouncing off the walls with energy the rest of their life. I feel as though I am the wall they are bouncing off of.

[SleepingUgly]

How old are your kids?

[Kahfree]

How old are your kids?

27, 26 and 23. Why?

[SleepyT]

I think therapy can be very helpful if you are open to it. I look at it like this. When your car needs repair...you take it in. When you need surgery...you go to the doctor. So when you find yourself stuck...in a situation you cannot think your way out of alone....therapy can help get you unstuck. I have been 3 times over the course of my life and it has helped every time.

[Mary Z]

I wear the FitLife Total Face Mask by Respironics and don't find it hard to deal with at all I usually have 0.0 leaks and didn't find it hard to get used to wearing.
You might want to give it a try. A counselor may be able to teach you some desensitizing techniques, or some relaxation techniques to help you out. A small dose of a sedative like klonopin or valium might help if used for a short time. Good luck, sounds miserable. Glad your daughter is willing to help out.

[MOTOR815]

sent you a PM..check your inbox.

[secret agent girl]

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[jbn3boys]

Is a counselor a good idea? I would say yes! What you are having are truly anxiety/panic attacks. Many counselors are able to help people work through these things. And, if you are open to it, there are also medications that can help to calm anxiety attacks.

Personally, I have been seeing a counselor for about 2-3 years now, and it is truly the reason that I am where I am today, and not curled up in a hole. I am functioning in life again, although not to the level that I hope to be at with proper apnea treatment, whenever THAT happens. Before I started seeing my counselor, I was NOT functioning. I was surviving, barely. And there have been several times during the last few years that I would slip back to just barely surviving, and my counselor has been able to help me back "out of the hole", so to speak. (I've had a lot of really bad things happen in my life in the last few years, so that's why I've needed the counselor's help.) Anyway, all that to say that a counselor can be a very helpful part of our treatment. (And the meds helped tremendously with the few panic attacks that I had, too)

My word of advice in finding a counselor is this: if you have strong convictions (religious or otherwise), it may help to find a counselor that shares those convictions. I asked my church (and pastor) for recommendations. And also, don't be afraid to switch counselors if the first one just doesn't seem to "fit". (Took me to tries.)

[carbonman]

Is therapy with a counselor a solution to helping me, or is it a waste of time?

It can be a chance to realize who you are or
it can be a waste of time.
Depends on you.

With the help of a talented CB therapist,
you could discover where the fear comes from
and learn techniques to manage it.
....and along the way,
you may discover a totally different person.

Cpap has presented to you, an opportunity....one of many,
to go beyond your perceived limits,
to go beyond what you thought you would ever be capable of.

Go the distance.

[JayC]

I *heart* you, Carbonman!!

[Kahfree]

I *heart* you, Carbonman!!

I agree, well said.

[Kahfree]

you might also think about finding someone competent in hypnosis.

Here's a partial list of the over 200 types: http://www.goodtherapy.org/types-of-therapy.html

Have you had problems with anxiety or panic attacks previously?

Not sure I can allow myself to be in control of another person, so not sure hypnosis might work, but its worth looking into.

I will look at the list, thank you!

Once or twice in life. One time was in November 2001, going to see my dad back East who was in the hospital. On the flight home, I panicked when I saw the cockpit left door open. Then, when the all clear to use computers was given,three men of Arabic heritage all stood up from their seats at the same time and reached into the overhead bins to retrieve lap tops. Sure, they were innocent men who were NOT bad and prior to 9-11 I would not have given thought to their actions, but that day, I freaked and almost took my clothes off to get that suffocating feeling off my neck/face. The attendant had to calm me down, as I was crying and unable to breath. Crazy, I know. I never knew the brain can react on its own without my knowledge. It really does have a "mind of its own" LOL

[SleepingUgly]

How old are your kids?

27, 26 and 23. Why?

Just curious because you look too young to have kids that old, but you keep referring to your kids helping you in various ways. (I was thinking, "If Kahfree can get her 5-year-old to help her put her mask on, why can't I get mine to clean up the toys without being told?")

[SleepingUgly]

If I've gotten this right, you didn't have these issues until CPAP and it's specific to using CPAP? If that's correct, then the first place I'd start is here, to see if any of these mental health professionals who specialize in sleep are in your neck of the woods:

http://www.absm.org/bsmspecialists.aspx

The MDs may just be sleep medicine docs, but the PhDs may be psychologists who have specialized in sleep (and the PsyDs are). If they specialized in sleep, they should run into this issue all the time and be very familiar with how to handle it.

If not, the next place I'd look is for a behavioral or cognitive behavioral therapist. You need desensitization techniques, and that falls under the realm of behavioral therapy. An insight-oriented, or other approach, will not be nearly as helpful for this specific problem.

[headbored]

Why not get used to wearing the mask by firstly wearing it while watching tv sitting in a recliner for an hour or so just to get over the panic situation.Once you are more comfortable wearing the mask you will treat it like a dear friend that is only trying to help you sleep through the night.Remember good things take time.