Long time, no post -- 6 month report

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:02 pm

As old-timers may have noticed I've been gone from here for a while. Those newer to the board are probably wondering who the heck I am.

After I'd been on CPAP treatment approximately 4 months my productivity and creativity took off, along with a burst of energy. I hadn't felt like that in years. The problem was, because I hadn't felt like that in years there was a horrendous backlog of things to do at home and work. So I've been slaving away in an effort to catch up.

Just the other weekend I was in the office on Saturday until 11:30pm, then Sunday I tore down 75' of fencing and replaced it, hosted a dinner party, then back to the office at 9pm until 5am the next morning! A good 1:45 of sleep and I was packing my bags to fly to TX.

OK, that was extreme even for me.

I'm doing the work of 3 people, plus I now have IT reporting to me.

I'd thought I'd reached a peak after 4 months of treatment, but during my Christmas vacation I seemed to make further improvements in mental clarity and stamina.

I guess 100% compliance since day 1 makes a difference.

I was going to post more but our network is going down for maintenance. I'll try and drop by later to add to this.

I'm also going to try and drop in more frequently, even if I don't say much.

Wulfman · Post by **Wulfman** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:27 pm

WAFlowers wrote:As old-timers may have noticed I've been gone from here for a while. Those newer to the board are probably wondering who the heck I am.

Some of us "old_timers" are wondering who the heck you are, too.....

Good to see you on the forum again, Bill. Glad to hear things are going well for you.

Will be looking forward to hearing more from ya.

Best wishes,

Den

capt · Post by **capt** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 8:36 pm

I always enjoyed your comments, and think it is great that you are doing so good. Just do not forget that the cemeteries are full of absolutely essential people, so be sure to enjoy your family, friends and life!

Babbie · Post by **Babbie** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:11 pm

I haven't been on here in a long time either Bill (I had to stop and think what my password was it's been so long!). I was just wondering about you the last time I was lurking on here---also wondering about Sworz (sp?) and Lori to name a few I've not seen posting. Glad to have you back again Bill --sounds like things are going great!!
Kathy

sanctacaris · Post by **sanctacaris** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:36 pm

Any thoughts on what caused that 4 month delay followed by what sounds like a pretty rapid improvement? Did you change masks or anything, or did it just take that long to catch up? I'm curious because, after 5+ months of being a very compliant CPAP user, I'm still waiting for that promised increase in wakefulness and energy.

Glad to hear things are going well. I always enjoy your posts.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:56 pm

Hi Bill,
Glad to hear from you again, and know things are still getting better (wow!).
I missed your posts.

sanctacaris - Bill has been improving from day one - OK, nigjt one.

O.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:16 pm

Bill, your posts are treasures. I hope people who didn't know you "back when" will do a search for them.

It's wonderful to hear you're doing well. Heck, better than "well"... you're doing great!! So glad to hear it.

dkeat · Post by **dkeat** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:10 am

WAFlowers wrote:As old-timers may have noticed I've been gone from here for a while. Those newer to the board are probably wondering who the heck I am.

Hey Bill, Good to hear things are going well for you. Has it been that long? Greetings from Clearwater, by the way.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:03 am

Hey Bill:
Great to hear that you are well and, well-treated!
Missed you on the forum!
Best...
P

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:01 pm

sanctacaris wrote:Any thoughts on what caused that 4 month delay followed by what sounds like a pretty rapid improvement? Did you change masks or anything, or did it just take that long to catch up?

At about the same time I started CPAP my son started high school. As I reported back then that meant a significant change in my sleep habits. I was used to staying up until 11:45 or so to watch Leno's monologue then get up around 7:30.

Instead, I had to get up at 5:30 to get my son out the door for his 6:13 school bus. In fact, the time has been moved back to 6:08 since then!

It took a while for me to adjust to such an early morning routine. I was finding that I wasn't getting enough sleep during the week and I'm sure this slowed the improvement that CPAP gave me.

The only thing I can think of is that over Christmas I had almost 2 weeks off and used the time to get well rested. Coincidence? Maybe, but I suspect it was a contributing factor.

My wife and I have established a pattern where I get up early with the boy on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while she takes on Tuesday and Thursday. That plus some naps and learning to go to bed earlier (let the DVR record ER -- I can watch it the next morning after my son gets on the bus) is helping me to cope.

Also my wife noticed an improvement after a few months coinciding with getting a heated hose. I was finally able to get properly humidifed air, and with that I slept much more soundly.

Bottom line: I suspect my situation is unique although there are probably some general lessons that can be learned about the importance of good sleep hygiene along with CPAP compliance.

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:39 pm

A few more things to add:

Since starting treatment I've convinced 3 friends to be tested. Two are now on CPAP and doing very well. The 3rd is scheduled for a sleep study soon.

I've been trying to convince my bro-in-law to get tested but although he agrees that he should (he's got all the symptoms and I have nightshot video of him having apneic episodes) he hasn't done anything about it.

I can lead a (stubborn) horse to water but I can't make him drink.

And, on an unrelated note, I've changed my avatar (for now) to my new puppy. Teddy Bear is 3/4 toy poodle and 1/4 bichon frise. We got him from a rescue society who rescued his mom while she was pregnant. Unfortunately she had medical issues and all pups except Teddy were still-born. I should have called him Lucky! Teddy was my Christmas present, so now we have 3 dogs.

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:52 pm

Bill,

Good to hear from you again.

Most are still here or lurking.

Board seems to go through bursts of activity in the past few months.

Glad to hear that your therapy has been so effective. Mine took a dip after about 3 months but with input from my wife & a lot of testing I switched to BiLevel with assisted control of breathing & am back to the best I had been.

It really seems you have achieved a 'renewed lease on life' - I certainly feel that way & it makes the adherence to xPAP therapy all the more significant.

I have not missed a single night since starting - and, don't intend to.

Cheers

DSM

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 6:22 pm

WAF! Good to see you again. You were always a success story from the start. Although others are 100% compliant (I'm thinking of someone I know very well whose name starts with L and ends with I), they don't always have the constant positive effects that you have from your therapy. You were like the prime candidate for treatment and you are a walking testament for what cpap can do.

I'm so glad you're still benefiting from it all and that you finally returned for an update. Your dog is an absolute pumpkin (does that make sense-it does to me) and I could cuddle him to pieces! Better than car photos any day.

I'm so glad all is well with you and yours.

inacpapfog · Post by **inacpapfog** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:12 pm

Teddy is soooooo cute! Bet he's glad to have such an energetic owner!
Congrats on your super success with cpap!
Like you, I too have referred several friends and family members to sleep centers. And all 6 of them have been diagnosed with OSA (2 with RLS!) Before cpap, I didn't know a thing about OSA! Now, I find myself the cpap troubleshooter for my friends/family. I have even gotten several to come here for info! So keep reporting your positive results to offer encouragement for us all!

Jere · Post by **Jere** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:29 pm

Good to hear things are going so well. Your posts were a big help to me in my early stages.

I am a bit over 6 months in. I can claim 100% compliance, but a lot of the credit comes from people like you!

Machine	Mask

Long time, no post -- 6 month report

Long time, no post -- 6 month report

Re: Long time, no post -- 6 month report