Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
DomP
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by DomP » Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:56 pm

Great to read success stories. I'm really hoping that I can add mine soon. Been on CPAP for what feels like ages but I have just checked dates and it was 10 weeks or so. I had readings of 85 before and around 10 now, so still not great. More understanding and reading for me on this forum but essentially I have a little hope again after feeling pretty down the past 2 weeks where my readings were not shifting despite seeing my specialist at hospital and having tweaks and mask changes.

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Additional Comments: Pre treatment 85 AHI. Can't currently get consistently below 10 AHI. Treatment started 19 April 2018.

blacknebula
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by blacknebula » Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:21 am

Well it's been 6 months for me. Mostly smooth sailing! Some issues in the first few weeks with adjusting to having the alien on my face, fiddling with pressures, rainout, etc. but once I got that sorted it's been great. According to SH my cumulative AHI is 0.27, and at least once a week I have a night with 0 events! My energy, mood, motivation, etc. are all vastly improved. I'm still struggling with insomnia (falling asleep initially, waking up multiple times per night) but I can deal with it now that I'm actually getting restful sleep once I do drift off. :D My exercise levels are up to 6-8 hours per week, and I'm slowly losing some of the weight I gained in the year prior to diagnosis. My husband is so impressed with not being awoken by my snoring too. Strangely enough, my allergies have been way better this spring - not sure why that would be but I'll take the happy side benefit. ;) Overall I am sooo happy with my treatment!

JerryL
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by JerryL » Sat Jun 23, 2018 8:40 pm

This is a great thread! I see that some folks had success right away, and with others it took a while.

Reading these made me wonder: After someone begins CPAP, does the improvement in their CPAP data numbers (such as AHI score) generally correspond to improvement in how they feel?

What I mean is this: There are folks on this forum whose numbers improved and they felt better right away. There are folks who took a long time to adjust, but eventually their numbers got good and they felt better. But does it ever happen that someone begins using CPAP, and their numbers go from bad to good to excellent -- and yet they don't feel any better?

Just wondering!

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Okie bipap
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Okie bipap » Sun Jun 24, 2018 6:09 pm

That is very possible. Sleep apnea is not the only thing that can disrupt someone's sleep. A person can end up with a very low AHI, or even zero and still not sleep well because of other problems (chronic pain, insomnia, etc.). I have nights when my AHI is near zero, but I still have trouble sleeping due to other medical problems.

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CPAPSteve
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by CPAPSteve » Sun Jul 22, 2018 10:34 am

Hey! Newbie here.

Been lurking in the forums for the past 2 weeks or so and thought that I'd finally join the forum to participate in the discussion.

How it started: My wife snores up a storm so I requested that her and myself get tested at a sleep clinic for the sake of getting tested. Turns out that she snores quite a bit but she has a restricted upper airway and not necessarily full blown apnea. My test results come back and it turns out I have mild apnea despite me almost never snoring. I knew I was a restless sleeper that had crazy night sweats all the time which I thought was what was making me have a lousy sleep which then I reasoned was what was making me tired during the day.

I started treatment a few weeks ago and I've never been better! The initial week was tough because I had difficulties with a FFM (felt weird to wear a respirator like mask to sleep) and the blowing air was mentally messing with me. I'm pleased to say that just after 2 weeks that my AHI is super low (0.3 - 0.7 on average) and I have some decent sleeps and no more night sweats or excessive # bathroom breaks.

Although my apnea was hardly bad (I was actually borderline mild) that I am super surprised that my outcome was so good so quick. I couldn't possibly imagine NOT having a CPAP machine with me as I'm a completely different person - for the better!

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espradley
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by espradley » Fri Jul 27, 2018 7:02 am

Hey All,

Noobie here and did CPAP for the first time last night. I only slept for 6.5 hours, but my mental sharpness is incredible today! After only 1 day!

Things I'm hoping it helps with long term and from researching looks like it very well could
  • Day time sleepiness
  • Inability to lose weight
  • Hypothyrodism
  • Memory Issues (what's my name again?)
  • Lack of Concentration
  • Low T
  • Hitting snooze 453 times
  • Athletics (I play a lot of sports and my performance is down)
  • Job performance
Hopefully optimistic after waking up no issue this morning and my brain is still working. Will post back in a few months with update.

Jdizzle
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Jdizzle » Fri Aug 10, 2018 11:31 am

Hey there, just joined the forums today, got my APAP 2 weeks ago and wanted to share my experiences.

I'm only 28, came off rotating shift work (12 hours) to a straight dayshift job and had a terrible time adapting. I have never been a morning guy, but since getting off the graveyard shift it had gotten worse.
The last 6 months progressively got so bad that I was falling asleep walking out of my work. Irritable, exhausted, no motivation, energy and other health problems just kept getting worse. I was diagnosed with OSA as a kid and had surgery to alleviate it, not sure it ever worked since I never went back. Finally broke down (I hate doctors) and went in to get a sleep study done. Came out with only Mild, prescribed me a 4-20 APAP.

The VERY FIRST night with my machine I woke up extremely groggy and tired (As normal) and started to get ready for work.....only to check the time and see I had slept for ~2 hours. 2 hours of sleep with the apap felt like 8 normal. I went back to sleep and woke up a few more times, but regardless I woke up feeling like a different person.

I never snored, and the machine kinda scares my wife since she can hear it ramp up the pressure when I stop breathing, but even though I'm not used to it yet I feel quite a bit better. I still wake up during the night, and sometimes the high pressure will wake me up (It's a scary comedy waking up to 20cm pressure in your nose and panic gasping for breaths with it straight through your mouth) But I plan on taking this thing with me EVERYWHERE. I can't believe the difference it's made, and I'm still getting used to it and adjusting the humidity.

Currently I use an Icon Auto CPAP with the built in humidifier and heated hose, with a Swift FX Nasal pillow mask and Chin strap to hold my mouth shut. It's actually surprisingly comfortable and I can sleep on my back or either side without causing leaks. Last I checked the Logs I was at a 5.5 AHI (I think, I haven't played with it much yet, too busy sleeping), which isn't a big improvement from my initial study, but its there and noticeable.

I don't feel as good in the morning as I did my first night, and I've actually felt groggier the last couple days than the first week. I think it's just my body getting used to actually getting sleep so it doesn't have as big of an impact as the first night did.

I'm looking forward to the day that feeling good is the new normal. I Hope it's soon, and I hope it's soon for whomever else is reading this if you're planning to give it a shot, this stuff is life changing.

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NikkiL
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by NikkiL » Thu Aug 16, 2018 3:32 pm

I started o therapy about 7 months ago and I definitely see improvement but it happened gradually. I had some typical and some very a-typical problems.
1. I had to get up to use the bathroom about 6 times a night, now it's only 3.
2. I would routinely get 11-12 hours of restless sleep, now about 9 and not nearly as restless.
3. I always had dark circles under my eyes, now hardly any. I threw away 5 tubes of concealer!
4. Trouble falling and staying asleep, I still battle this but it's better than it was. I cut way back on sleeping pills.
5. Now A-typical stuff. My brain would create all kinds of stuff to get me to breathe. Creepy, scary, haunting type stuff. Things I was most terrified of to create a panic type fast breathing. Usually felt like something was crawling on the bed or just that 'spook in the room' feeling. These things have thankfully lessened significantly! Maybe even are non existent now. Now more than anything I dream that they are happening and wake up unsure if it was real or not but then in the morning I can differentiate.
6. Energy. I never really noticed I was tired during the day or didn't have energy but I think now I am clearer, more alert, and I have better stamina.

I'm glad I started therapy, glad I stuck through the adjusting phase and so thankful the creepy stuff has gone away!

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patti.ba
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by patti.ba » Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:44 pm

I know that there is a shortage of good stories here, so I thought I would get my two cents in. I first used my cpap on 8/19. I do not have sleep apnea, or a snoring issue. My problem is, when I sleep my breathing is very very shallow and my oxygen level plummets to an unhealthy number. The first two nights were horrible, I pulled it off about 3-4 hours into the night. On night 3 I made it all night, and have ever since. I am more awake during the day, no more wanting to nap by 8:30 am at my desk. I work at a desk job and process documents for a major bank, on Thursday I got through my average 750 documents, on Friday it jumped to 1050, and now it is hovering around 900-1000. I did not realize how sluggish I was during the day, for so many years. I am retired, and work part time, and also have a teenage daughter in her senior year of high school. I am seeing a big improvement in my daily health, and I am hoping it will get better and better.

For those of you fighting with your equipment and getting use to this, DO NOT give up, keep trying, it is worth the effort. I am still adjusting, and will for a long time I am sure. But, I do know now that it is for the better, and hopefully you will too!

Matapedia
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Matapedia » Sun Sep 16, 2018 4:33 pm

I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea about a month ago. It came as no surprise as my wife was telling me I would stop breathing. Sounds odd, but I am pleased with the diagnosis as I finally have something that can attribute to the years of problems I have had; and I have a measurable treatment for it.

While waiting to get my machine I read forums and was somewhat alarmed at the problems people have had with adjusting to treatment. Nonetheless I remained positive and optimistic as I believe I will adjust, and my health will get better. With a high api of 86, things have to get better. Hence, this post.

I've been using the cpap machine for two weeks. It's been great! The first night my api was 2.0. Since then it has ranged from 1.5 to 3.1. I adjusted to the nose mask on the second night. I got a memory foam pillow so my side sleeping positions do not interfere with the mask. As nights have passed I am no longer as conscious of the mask and I don't worry about it slipping off when changing positions. I also seem to have adapted to breathing only through my nose. Although sometimes when I wake up I do enjoy a deep breath through the mouth.
It's too early to tell how it is helped healthwise. I do realize just because my api is substantially lower, it does not necessarily equate to a good nights sleep. I can say though that I am no longer craving and taking naps like I was. I no longer sneak off to my car for some zzzzs at work during lunch.

So to wrap up, for those just embarking on the journey like me, stay positive and don't be discouraged by what you read. You may be like me and have no issues. If you do have a problem, there's a wealth of info on this site to help.

Canalligator
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Canalligator » Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:33 pm

I was diagnosed with mild apnea (6.5) with mild insomnia in March. I had complained to my internist of an inability to concentrate, with many nightly trips to the bathroom. He only had to ask a couple of questions before referring me to a sleep center.

My sleep center had me do a take-home study, using a chest band sensor. Next they had me use a loaner with real time reporting for a month, then they programmed a machine which was given to me. During the month, I had trouble getting my nasal mask to work; turns out I had it too tight! Once that was resolved, everything fell into place.

The improvements to me have been subtle but life-changing. Two things happened: I started to sleep through the night, waking up refreshed, and I stopped having drowsy driving incidents. I still have occasional bouts of insomnia, but they’ve been associated with difficult outside stresses.

I’ve just updated to a newer machine. The ResMed S9 has worked well, but I obtained an AirSense 10. With the auto recording, I will be able to monitor my therapy better. It was set up just today; I’m about to mask up and pass my first night with it.

Ma98
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Ma98 » Fri Sep 21, 2018 9:33 am

Hello! New to this forum as a participant but I LOVE that it exists! I’ve been reading this forum since before I received my machine! I’m a 38 year old female who has snored since childhood. My friends and partners used to give me so much grief over it until one day on vacation my best friend told me she was worried because I’m not just snoring that in fact I wasn’t breathing and the snoring only happened because I was struggling to get air. She scared me enough to go make an appointment and I found out I was having 50 apnea’s an hour. So presumably for 38 years I’ve been sleeping 10 minutes an hour every nightI have the Dream station that was highly suggested by my sleep study doctor. I thought I would be set once I start treatment but I can tell you that I was sitting at an AHI average of 10-12 after I started my Cpap (5 months ago) and I was becoming very frustrated over it. I had to wear this stupid mask every night, buy distilled water, clean all the parts and I was still waking up tired and grumpy. I didn’t understand why seeing that my original AHI was over 50. I almost gave up. I stopped wearing it for full nights, found myself accidentally removing the mask hose mid sleep and not even remembering it.
I recently went to my doctor for the follow up appointment and he looked at my charts and decided to up my pressure to the average of my lowest AHI reading. So I went from 7 to 10. I was hesitant because I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep with such a high constant pressure. I was wrong! Since the medical company changed my pressure remotely I have had three nights of an AHI lower than 5 (around 3.1) and it’s a noticeable change in my energy. I’m so freaking happy! I didn’t know what this could feel like! When they say it feels like the best sleep in your life it does! I have woken up three days in a row feeling well rested! I truly hope that others are still communicating with their doctors because they know what is best and how to make it work. It may not be an instant fix but with some communication and adjustments! I promise stick with it! I didn’t know I could feel like this!
.

keahinui@gmail.com
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by keahinui@gmail.com » Sat Sep 22, 2018 11:46 pm

Hey everyone,
Just found this site and I am thrilled to meet y'all. I am so happy to find some people who have gone through the horror of being "profoundly sleep-deprived", as my doctor described me. No one around me could begin to understand the nightmare of "waking" after a night where you get no real sleep at all. I almost destroyed my family with my angry outbursts. They thought I had gone over the edge mentally. I would cry with frustration at my weakness and exhaustion. When I knew for sure I needed CPAP was the third or fourth time I almost drove off the winding mountain road that leads into my rural town - a plunge of about 1000 feet. Not good. I had to pull over at least once each time I drove out and each time I came back in, to "sleep". Which just meant closing my eyes, as true sleep there was none. I was so continuously exhausted I hurt all over. At dinner parties I was dubbed The Dormouse - great food, scintillating conversation, and my head would be in the soup. My face was literally grey. It took a long time to go for it but once I was put on CPAP - at my sleep study my tech didn't wait till morning, he said, "Oh, you are very bad" and put it on me at midnight - I had the first few hours of sleep I had know in almost 1 1/2 years. Probably longer. Holy Guantanamo! It was a revelation. Catnapper, I don't know what to say, except I am so sorry you are not feeling more benefits. What a drag. I am assuming you have all your settings finely adjusted, and so on, for optimal use. I wonder if you have tried going off of it (carefully and judiciously) to see if you can tell the difference. And of course you've talked with your sleep doctor. Keep at it, don't falter, you might just be behind the curve and someday soon you'll have a revelation of your own. For me - I consider it a life-saving nuisance, and I have a real love/hate relationship with it, but the bottom line is, I am profoundly grateful for this technology, as I'm pretty certain I'd be dead without it. Just posted a question about losing weight and losing the apnea with it. Anyone have any answers about that? My sleep doc said, um, not really. Phooey!

Rexrocksthetube
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Rexrocksthetube » Tue Oct 23, 2018 1:15 pm

do you rub the utter cream on the inside of your nose or jsut the outside?

SAN wrote:
Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:40 am
The CPAP machine changed my life. Or one could say, it gave me life. If you sre strugling with the decision to use CPAP or with your machine, try it and keep at it. The results are worth the effort.

I was lucky and it worked immediately and it was simply a matter of tweaking settings until i found what was best for me. I also changed to the nasal pillows, which is way less intrusive and quite versus a mask. The pillows do irritate my nose, but I have begun rubbing a little Utter Cream on each night and it works like magic; prevents sores and redness the pillows were causing,

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Laonie66
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Re: Newbie would like to hear success stories, please.

Post by Laonie66 » Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:37 pm

I was diagnosed with severe, persistent OSA almost a month ago. I’m 52 and my doctor was frankly amazed that I am a) still alive and b) not suffering significant cardiac damage. I wasn’t really given a chance to come to terms with it, I was diagnosed in the morning and I had a hose stuck to my head that night. I have coped OK and I have never skipped a night, but it still hasn’t been simple. I felt as if I was suffocating the first few nights and I had to work hard to stay calm and leave the mask in place, but a pressure increase helped. I suffer an odd sharp ‘boney’ pain in my ribs at times which is totally unlike anything I’ve ever felt before so I’m assuming it’s connected to the CPAP. I’m often still exhausted during the day and I’m still having difficulty concentrating but I suppose 20 years of hypoxia & sleep debt can’t be overcome in a month. Some other hurdles have been the amount of time it takes to fall asleep (it still takes me a while to fall into an effortless rhythm of breathing) waking up ‘panicking’ for breath and sore nostrils. On the upside, the other day my doctor took my first normal BP reading in years (it’s been persistently high even with meds) I’ve realised how sleep deprived I am (overall averaging less than 5 hours a night) which I have to try and do something about. I had been waking at night with a racing heart, anxiety symptoms and chest pains on and off for years, all of which stopped almost instantly. Reading this forum has helped a lot; I would have been disheartened by now without it because my initial impression was that I’d be instantly ‘cured’, which obviously isn’t the case with lots of people. I’ve been able to appreciate the small improvements and not sweat the big stuff too much. My main worry at the moment is my nose! When I’m struggling to breathe and I can’t settle into a good rhythm, I often realise it’s because my nose is blocked on one or both sides (common for me since childhood) Nasal decongestant sprays work wonders but all of the advice says you shouldn’t use them long term. I need the CPAP and I obviously can’t use it if I can’t breathe through my nose. I might need surgery in the future but in the short term does anyone know of other ways to quickly and reliably clear your nose without using medication?