have sleep apnea but haven't used CPAP for years

[ojitosazules]

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2005 used the machine for maybe a year and haven't used it since. The mask was horrible clunky and uncomfortable. The last time I saw the doc for an unrelated issued he asked about the SA and if I still used the machine and said if I didn't get back on it I could damage my heart or one day just quit breathing. Should I take heed in this warning?

[greg-g]

I won't make any comments at all, but lots of other very concerned members will.
Have a read of the below post that's still current, it's excellent reading.
viewtopic/t67176/I-quit-EDIT-Trying-again.html
All aspects of the equipment have improved over the past 6 years, you should really give it another go.

[redjoe]

I could damage my heart

Not only your heart, but also your brain, kidneys, and almost any other body parts you can think of. Apnea deprives you of oxygen, and also the "repairs" that your body normally undergoes while getting proper sleep. Listen to your doctor. Greg is also correct in that some things have changed for the better over the years as far as CPAP. (I know because I saw what my father had to go through). Try again. You may find it easier this time around. If not for yourself, do it for those you care about.

EDIT: I suspect you must have some family and friends who'd like to continue to see life in those "little blue eyes".

[xenablue]

If I were you.....well, if I was I would have persisted and never stopped using an XPAP.... but after reading the possible consequences of NOT using my CPAP, it was enough to convince me to suck it up and keep at it.

The great people here are a wealth of information, advice and support, and my success wouldn't be anything at all without them answering my questions, giving tips on how to sleep more comfortably with this 'thing' strapped to my face.

The good thing for you is you are still here to ask the question, so it's definitely not too late for you to give it another go.

Do lots of reading here - ask questions - experiment - until you find a good mask and ways to tweak things to work for you.

Hang in there!

Cheers,
xena

[Mary Z]

Take heed, and you probably need a new sleep study. Why did you stop in the first place? There have been many advances in the comfort and fit of masks as well advances in machine technology.

[SUSANAMT]

I went through the same thing. Unfortunately mine was for a loner period of time. I however realized my problem was only getting worse and I had to do something about it. I have now been back on my CPAP for almost 2 months and see a big diffrence. I agree that alot has changed. My biggest problem was finding a Doctor that would listen to the problems I was having with the equipment and the way I felt. I now believe I have finally found that Doctor. you really need to get back on it. it will take some time but you will adjust.

[Sheriff Buford]

After being on treatment for a year, I often ponder what would happen to me if I never treated the apnea. I KNOW I would die sooner, but of course, I can't prove it. Start treatment again and include your wife.

Sheriff

[archangle]

SHUN THE UNBELIEVER!!!! SHUNNNN!!!!

We're going to sic the CPOPE on you.

Coming here and asking if CPAP is necessary is a bit like walking into the Vatican and asking if anyone believes that nonsense about the pope being infallible.

Yes, untreated apnea is very bad for you. It can be the death of a thousand cuts. It can be slow painful death, or slow gradual decline like rapid aging. It can literally rot your brain by depriving it of sleep and oxygen. It can cause you a stroke or heart attack and leave you a drooling vegetable. Or you can drowse off while driving and kill an innocent or loved ones.

However, forget the scare tactics. Whatever CPAP problems you had, someone else here has probably had the same problem. For any particular problem, you'll get a dozen ideas. Some of them will be stupid, some won't work, but you may find that golden trick that solves your own particular problem.

CPAP is often a pain at first. The medical professionals often aren't that useful about making it actually workable for you. You have to take charge of your own treatment to make it work. People here can help.

[ameriken]

if I didn't get back on it I could damage my heart or one day just quit breathing. Should I take heed in this warning?

Absolutely. When the respiratory therapist delivered my machine, I was grateful to have something that would save me...so I asked in a rhetorical manner "What did anyone with SA do before we had these machines".

She bluntly replied, "They died".

And that is the truth: sleep apnea is a silent killer. Heed the warning: marry your machine and make love to it every night.

[chunkyfrog]

Yes, yes, yes! Save yourself.
Get back on that horse.
You can do it.
Machines are so very much better now--and there are loads of new masks.--way more comfort.
Expect a much easier time of it--Don't give up this time.

[Emilia]

I concur with what everyone else said.... NOW, to use this forum properly:

1. To use the forum features fully, you need to register and log in. Once you do that, your username will be in blue and be clickable. Until you do that, your are very limited in what communication can transpire between you and other members.

2. Please take a minute to go up to the User Control Panel (under search, top left) and then to your Profile and then Edit Equipment. Choose your gear from the pull down menus and the choose to show those in TEXT, not pictures. This will put your equipment at the bottom of every post your write automatically, like mine below. Those with the same equipment can help you better than having to constantly ask you what you use!

[ojitosazules]

Thanks to all that have taken the time to reply....more serious than I thought. Since I don't work and can take naps if needed to ...I became in denial.

[JointPain]

Hi Ojitosazules and welcome to the forum. As one recently reformed non-compliant CPAP user to another, I wish you all the best. I'd be interested in hearing how your reintroduction to CPAP therapy goes. When I started up again, I was all over the place in the first week or two, feeling fantastic some days and dog tired on others. Eventually it all sorted itself out. (Except now I'm staying up past my ideal bedtime because I'm just not sleepy/tired enough to bother going to bed. A relatively nice problem to have.)

I found this forum really helpful getting started again. Searching all the old threads revealed lots of creative answers to all the issues I was having. The whole experience was so different than my first time, with a dataless brick of a machine and absolutely no help from the medical establishment, no community of fellow users, and no idea what was going on with my therapy.

I don't know your machine, but it looks like you might be able to get efficacy data from it. I found having the efficacy data available was really helpful for understanding what was going on while I slept, and addressing the issues that did crop up. It might eventually be helpful to see if you can get a look at that data.

Please post is you have any specific queries or issues pop up you need help with. There's lots of really helpful and knowledgeable people here.

[chunkyfrog]

Welcome to the forum.
What a lovely avatar!

[dsmit1]

I used a resmed cpap for 9 years but had to quit using it over a year ago because of throat cancer. I'm now cancer free and need to get back on my cpap but I'm concerned about micro-organisms inside the machine itself causing severe infections. Anyone know the proper way to clean the internal part of the machine? Just to be clear I'm not asking about the humidifier, tubing or mask because that is easy to clean.