3rd night with cpap...on the right track?

handee3 · Post by **handee3** » Sat May 17, 2008 8:43 am

Only been using the cpap for 3 nights now. 1st 2 nights weren't good, but last night I actually slept really good. Probally the best in a very long time. But I feel the same physically, very tired and sluggish. I've been out of work and going back very soon and want to get back to a fairly "normal life". Does it take many nights of sleeping well before it kicks in? I've talked to a few people I know personally who said they felt better almost instantly. But these people were not really that symtomatic before using the cpap. I want to know what the real world people experienced. Thanks a bunch....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 17, 2008 9:02 am

For me it has been a gradual process. I had a rough first week, but then started seeing gradual improvement. Only been on this for a couple of months, and would say that it was the last few days of the first month that I started to feel better. I have read a lot of posts here, and the trend seems to be that each of us is different.

Read the collective wisdom, it was a big help for me. Just ordered my software and card reader this morning. The thing I have read the most from the good folks on this forum is that we each need to make sure we are aggresive at managing our own care.

Good luck!

pjwalman · Post by **pjwalman** » Sat May 17, 2008 2:08 pm

I'm in the same place as RV as far as when I noticed any kind of difference. In fact, the first month, I actually felt MORE tired during the day for some weird reason, not something my doc wanted to hear.

I can't honestly say that I feel refreshed even at this point, still wake up draggy, but what I have noticed a difference in is that I no longer have to take my morning dose of Requip most days. And the days I finally do take it, it's more like 4 or 5 p.m. before the squirmies hit me. So that is my only tangible way of telling the CPAP is doing anything for me at this stage, but to me that is a sign of good things to come.

Some of us just take longer to catch up, I think. I mean, gosh, my sleep efficiency on my sleep study was 42%, so I've got a lot to relearn about proper sleep. Don't know if I'll ever actually sleep through a whole night, but I'm getting up a lot less to pee, so that's a plus also.

So hang in there! It may take a little while, but it'll happen.

Take care!

Peggy

RipVW · Post by **RipVW** » Sat May 17, 2008 2:35 pm

Hello & Welcome, handee3! Glad you found this forum--SO much useful info and SO many helpful people here!

I think that most CPAP'ers don't feel better instantly--it tends to take awhile--weeks or even months. Good luck!

"You are getting sleepy . . ."

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 17, 2008 5:17 pm

Handee3,

3rd night and you feel like you got some sleep? Not bad - I think it was 2 weeks before I got to that point. Yes it is a sign that the therapy is working. Grab on to those vauge signs of progress for morale boosters, because in honesty, this is not an imediate gratification theraphy and it can get frustating.

Real world people experiances - you'll get a gambit of them. For the most part, the longer they've been symtomatic and how bad those symtoms were the longer they take to respond. The body heals itself on the inside, so the visible improvements take a while to show up.

I've been symtomatic/misdiagnosed for 40 years. My fatigue level escalated to debilitating Dec 2006. I'm now 3 and a half months into therapy - I've also had a bit of a set back with my therapy. But I'm down to waking only 2 or 3 times during the night, I'm able to get up it the morning, I don't start draging until evening. Many of my symtoms have gone away. Stick with the therapy, it will work, it just takes time.

The sleep tech at the sleep lab left me with this thought "Be patient, don't give up, some people are harder to fix than others." If your having problems, ask questions, you'll be hard pressed to come up with something no one has experinced before.

Pineapple

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sat May 17, 2008 5:27 pm

Welcome to the forum Handee3!

Please take some time and fill out your profile with the mask and machine you use. This info will help us give you better answers to any other questions you may have.

I was one of the lucky ones that had good results almost immediately. Unfortunately it takes most a month or two to notice that they are feeling better or at least to get this all working for them. Give it time. The fact that you slept really good on your 3rd night is a very good sign!

Brenda

bap40 · Post by **bap40** » Sun May 18, 2008 8:58 am

I have only been on therapy since early Feb. I also expected to notice a difference right away. I did not. It took awhile to get things sort of right. Lower mask leaks and comfort and different masks etc. Then one day after about 6 weeks or so, it DAWNED on me that I was feeling better! So it was not like a WOW I feel better, it was more of a slow realization that I did feel better.

So keep at it, it will work.

neilmalcolmson · Post by **neilmalcolmson** » Mon May 19, 2008 10:17 am

sounds like you are doing ok you might not feel better straight away
i think there is something called sleep debt that takes some time to over come i have been on cpap for 3 years,i have just got a new machine and that has taken me a couple of weeks to get used to even with the same settings as i had on my old machine.it does take time just keep at it