Poll: How Old Are CPAP Users?

[Pineapple]

The poll asked how old you are not how old you feel Mr 100

[ChrisC]

That is a nice looking bell curve. Makes me think that those of us who are older should have started cpap much earlier. I wish I had.

That's a re-occurring comment I hear quite a bit from others with OSA when I tell people I've been diagnosed.. it certainly helps when I get bummed out thinking "Wow.. I feel too young to have a condition like this". Reading the forums here, I've realized that a lot of people have suffered with this for their whole lives.. and that I was just fortunate enough to have a spouse and a doctor who encouraged me to look into it at an early age.

[DyannaK]

I am in my 40's (for a couple more years) Hubby is in his 50's, just got there last year...

[Kiralynx]

I am 56, husband is 63.

I was diagnosed 6 months after my cancer surgery, as a result of chronic hip pain dating from 2002, but some symptoms back to 1982.

Husband has not been diagnosed because so far as we know, he has no symptoms. However, I do intend to ask him to sleep with the pulse oximeter I got when I have it set up.

[PolyMar]

The age of those who need PAP devices vary from pediatrics to elderly people. Believe it or not children are the fastest growing PAP demographic due to the obesity epedimic. Generally it is the older people who complain of EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness) to their physician or their bed partner complains of snoring which prompts a Polysomnogram (PSG) to determine if a person has OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), CSA (Central SA) or any of the other various apneic events that can occure during sleep. Just like you should have your eyes checked once a year, so should you complete a sleep study to determine if you have apnea, same as once you are on PAP you should have a follow up study once a year to determine if your pressure needs to be adjusted. It usually takes a savy ped doc to know to check the younger demographics.

[LoneStar]

Any day above ground is a good one no matter what your age.

Lisa

[CollegeGirl]

Oh man. If you'd asked this three months ago I could have said 20s and helped the numbers out a little for that group!

[TheDreamer]

I had to go with 40s...even though I still don't like it. But, it was the day before my 40th birthday that my doctor suggested I do a sleep study that brought me here....

The Dreamer.

[COVERER]

I am mentally 16 forever. Next week when I turn 46, it''ll have been 30 years since I turned 16.

[BigDaddy12t]

New member here, I am 42, and have been using CPAP for about a month now.

[GreenIce]

I voted 40s, will be age 40 in the next few days

[6PtStar]

I still want to comunicate with the two 100+ folks to see if there is any hope for me to make it to 100. 7 months til 70, looks like a steep uphill at this point!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerry

[bettys]

I was on c pap for about 12 yrs. and now on bipap with oxygen for 6 months or so ....and i'm 66 now.. Geez getting old

[Guest]

Cradle to the grave, I regret to say. Apnea is present in children as well as adults. We used to think that obesity was the etiology. However, we find that obesity is only one contributor. Other causes are and include age, gender and genetics. Obviously, as with everything in life, there are exceptions, but generally, if an obese patient looses weight, the best he or she can expect is to reduce the pressure required for therapy. another caveat is that sleeping on your side also reduces apnea/hypopnea events. More than you asked for, but I hope it helps.

[dsm]

I still want to comunicate with the two 100+ folks to see if there is any hope for me to make it to 100. 7 months til 70, looks like a steep uphill at this point!!!!!!!!!!!

Jerry

Jerry,

If you can still remember your name and you remember where this web site is & what the topics are about then you have to be one of our great success stories

I am hoping I can pretend to be in my mid 60s for the next 10 years - knowing you have half got there is an inspiration

DSM