Getting tired again, am I rebounding?

hockeydad · Post by **hockeydad** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:56 am

Wondering if any of you have expirienced this.

Started using my CPAP regularly about 8-10 weeks ago, switched from the ComfortGel to the Ultra Mirage II FF, pressure setting 12. Not immediate, dramatic change, but slowly started feeling better. People noticed an improvement, eyes clearer, seemed able to get things done at work better, etc.

But about 2-3 weeks ago, I started noticing I had kind of plateaued. Started feeling a little tired in the morning, found I was back to oversleeping a little. And now I'm feeling like I'm going backwards, almost back to where I was before, hard time concentrating, "zoning out" during the day, over sleeping more, etc. Is my body just adjusting to the CPAP, still making up for past sleep debt?

Called this morning to make an appointment with the sleep doctor, explained what I'm feeling. My last sleep study was over a year ago (April, 2004), and I had the unsuccessful surgury in November, they think maybe my pressure needs to change because of the surgury.

Anybody else expirienced anything like this? Starting to feel better, but then the more you used it, sliding backwards? Not what I was expecting. Any special questions I should ask at my next appointment?

Thanks, you guys are always an extremely helpful bunch.

Hockeydad, aka, Don

There · Post by **There** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 9:59 am

I feel the same way, hockeydad. My doctor said to just be patient, but I'm not buying that. Will be interested in seeing what people have to say and what results you get if you change treatment in some way.

Tina

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:58 pm

hockeydad, do you think you could get your doctor to order a trial for a week or so with an autopap? Then have the DME download the data to see what pressure(s) are most effective for you.

If the doctor is willing, and if you have any say so in the matter, I'd try to get the Respironics REMstar Auto with C-Flex for the trial. Perhaps set the autopap's pressure range at 8 - 16 cm H2O (not wide open at 4 - 20) and set C-Flex at "2" or "3".

Just a thought from a not-a-doctor.

Teej813 · Post by **Teej813** » Sat Jun 11, 2005 5:20 am

I was thinking the same thing as Gal... wondering if you have a machine that tracks data. I'm too new at this to offer advice, but looking at making a change in pressure seems logical to me too.

teej

notbigenuf1 · Post by **notbigenuf1** » Sun Jun 12, 2005 10:21 pm

Another HOOSIER on the board!!!!

hockeydad · Post by **hockeydad** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 9:05 am

Thanks rested gal, pretty much what I was thinking as well. I've got an appointment for a new sleep trial next week, I'll suggest that. I already own my CPAP machine (remstar pro w/ cflex), not sure about being able to afford another machine, but we'll see, maybe they'll loan me one to try out, see if that helps.

Anything else I should ask about at my trial? I never really got the details from the last one, now that I know a bit more (thanks to this group), I hope to educate myself a bit more on my own condition.

jkruer01 · Post by **jkruer01** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 6:24 am

hockeydad,

I am having a similar problem. Have you been to the doctor yet? What did he say? When I went my doctor just said it takes a while to improve and scheduled an appt for me 6 months out.

THanks,
Jeremy

jordiboy · Post by **jordiboy** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 7:35 am

hockeydad,

I am having the same problem. I started on CPAP in March and moved to APAP due to stomach cramps. The first eight weeks were great!! I felt like a new person, bags under my eyes were going away, began losing weight, I could read an entire book. My manager even commented on how good I looked.

Now, I feel the same as I did before I started treatment. Bags are back, cannot wake-up in the morning, brain fog, sleeping 10+ hours and still tired, cannot read or concentrate.

I have an appointment on 7/1 with my sleep Dr to discuss.

I have a REMstar Auto with C-Flex and software. The average AHI from 6/3 through 6/27 is 4.2, which is actually lower than my AHI from March through April (when I felt great).

RED SOX · Post by **RED SOX** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 2:38 pm

Very Interesting thread, Let's keep this one going, I'm about 4 weeks into
cpap feeling good with no problems, But this thread could help anyone
that starts to feel a relapse, Especially if some of the posters here learn
what caused the relapse after consulting with thier sleep docs.

sleeplessinidaho · Post by **sleeplessinidaho** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:11 pm

Interesting, I too have been feeling this way. i have been on my CPAP for 9 weeks. Third or fourth week I was feeling noticably better, from week five on I have felt like I am sliding back. Sleeping later, feel beat down, fogged over again. I double checked everything and found a DME who would download my Smart card. I was shocked to find that my AHI was 1.4-2.8 for the week................. I should be feeling better, right??? I have started using a strap to keep my yap shut more, lowered the c-flex down (wouldn't mind shutting it off) have not noticed any positive yet. Let us keep to date on this. I am searching for another sleep doctor (imagine that) to seek some help.

Remstar Pro/c-flex - setting 12

wading thru the muck! · Post by **wading thru the muck!** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:22 pm

I find that at times I revert to my former daytime sleepiness. More often than not this is due to lack of sleep duration. Just took a nap this afternoon as a matter of fact. I've only managed to get about 5-6 hours a night in for the last few days. That seems to always catch up to me.

IWannaSleep · Post by **IWannaSleep** » Tue Jun 28, 2005 9:12 pm

I have also been on treatment for about 9 weeks and really have not noticed any dramatic improvement in how I feel. One improvement I was noticing is I normally now make it through the afternoon without the overriding need to take a nap, but otherwise I'm still going on faith things will improve.

Yesterday I had a definite relapse. I could not stay awake at 2pm and napped for a couple hours. Then, last night I slept longer than usual (7 hours with machine, another 2 without). I also had my best AHI ever last night at 4.0. Still, all day today I've been foggy and cannot shake the foggy/morning headache.

My suspicion is, since I probably had SA for at least 15 years, It's going to take awhile for my body to repair itself. Perhaps these relapse days are days when our bodies are working overtime to do just that.

Ron

jordiboy · Post by **jordiboy** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:42 pm

I saw my sleep Dr today and she was at a loss on what could be causing the downhill slide. She jokingly commented that I had pretty much ruined her afternoon by not continuing to improve.

She read over my sleep study several times and looked over my Encore data. She could not think of any reasons that therapy was not producing results. The AHI numbers looked very good and she was pleased those results.

The next step is another sleep study with a Bi-PAP. The initial study was split-night, but she wants to do this entire study on the Bi-PAP to see if they could catch any other problems. She originally wanted me to move to an Bi-PAP for the stomach cramp problems, but I requested the A-PAP.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:42 pm

I saw my sleep Dr today and she was at a loss on what could be causing the downhill slide. She jokingly commented that I had pretty much ruined her afternoon by not continuing to improve
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

FWIW....

My experience has been that the CPAP has cut to the chase and eliminated the APNEA experience / symptoms, but has the fact that you have to wear this _scuba gear_ to do it is causing me to get less sleep.

I don't know if that makes sense, but I make up for not snoring, or waking up gasping for air, but waking up from "mask awareness," (for lack of a better term."

I find myself waking up 5 or 6 times a night, just for a few seconds, or minutes to adjust the mask, un-itch a nose, fix a leak, re-adust a hose, change positions after sinking into the piloow, etc., etc. etc.

So, therefore in my brief (3 week) experience so far, it's great to not experience (severe) apnea, but I'm not getting 8 hours of uninterupted sleep either................

SAS

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Thu Jun 30, 2005 10:14 pm

the fact that you have to wear this _scuba gear_ to do it is causing me to get less sleep.

Very good point, SAS. The disruptions to sleep caused by getting used to the equipment and strange new way of trying to go to sleep can leave some people feeling even more exhausted than before for quite awhile. The longterm benefits are, of course, worth getting over that hump.