Good News To Share

[Hawthorne]

Dori - That is just wonderful! Mike has been been making gradual progess all along, as I follow your posts, but this is a great leap forward!

I think that cpap can definitely bring things back, not just prevent worse damage taking place. We've seen it on this board!

Thanks for letting us know!! It's just so great to hear this!

[DoriC]

Just wanted to thank you all for the heartwarming responses I've been getting. We're really one big family here. Speaking of family, hope you don't mind that I forwarded this thread to my son(The Doctor) and my daughter(The Lawyer). I know they'll be happy to see we're in good hands here. I guess today has been one big bragging day for me but I'm all done now, I promise! Thank you again. Dori

[Kiralynx]

Dori,

That is so thrilling! I am tremendously pleased for you! <g> And The Doctor and Lawyer now know how much all of us care!

[Rustyolddude]

So glad to hear your success story, an inspiration for others to stick with it!

[carbonman]

I believe I have gotten my husband back from the brink.

Dori, you're an angel.

I'm so happy for you and your hubby.

You've worked as hard as he has to make this work.

I'm so glad you're here.
You are a very special person.

[janetlee]

How truly wonderful for you both! I am so happy for you and yours!
jl

[DoriC]

Hawthorne, how can I ever forget you! You were my Kindergarten teacher!

[mars]

Hi DoriC

What a wonderful and touching story.

You are right - we do get better - but there is a different healing period for all of us.

A few years ago I underwent serious testing at the local Cognitive, Dementia and Memory Service. I thought I had alzheimers. They did all these tests, and came up with ".......there is no evidence to suggest the presence of a neurodegenerative disorder. The cognitive characteristics revealed during testing may be attributed to the history of substance abuse. and /or reduced cerebrovascular supply". Which is a fancy way of saying that my brain was not getting enough oxygen.

I did not get noticeable instant benefit when I started on the machine, now nearly 6 months of full compliance. But I have had glimpses of seeing the world around me in a different way, something like seeing things in 3d, rather than 2d. Also I am seeing where I can have options about something, rather than just accepting such and such is just the way it is, and think about it no further. Writing on this forum gives me instant feedback on my cognitions, as I sometimes use words and phraseology that I have not used since childhood (no doubt I sometimes sound strange to the younger members of the Forum).

I had very nearly given up on myself when I started Cpap treatment, what with my back etc. Now I am looking to starting to do some work again, which will need a high level of cognitive alertness.

I loved your story, and am very happy for you and your husband. And YES the brain does get better.

cheers

Mars

PS I hope I have not said too much, I know this is your celebration. Forgive me if I got carried away.

[kteague]

DoriC, I am SOOOO happy for you and your hubby. You have done an amazing job of advocating for him and he is blessed to have a wife with your dedication and determination. Now you get to reap some of the rewards!

How much one regains cognitively is so individual, depending on what's going on in the brain. Sometimes more of the memory impairment is from years of fractured sleep rather than (or as well as) brain damage. I've read that the brain and body both need sleep that is restorative to the different functions for optimal performance. The brain resembles a computer in that there are systems designed to manage the info taken in and store it in an orderly fashion for easiest retrieval. When our computers get bogged down and keep giving us error messages instead of the info we asked for, we know to do disk cleanup, defrag, etc. to help our computer function more efficiently again. It is thought that during sleep the brain kinda defrags, slotting related memories together, categorizing and organizing so that when we go back to retrieve those memories, they won't just be in a scattered jumbled mess. The longer we have poor sleep, the harder and harder memories can be to retrieve.

My MRI's through the years showed areas of "microvascular ischemia" that increased in number and in size. Haven't had a scan since being on effective cpap therapy, but I'm guessing they are not progressing. While I'm not nearly as sharp as I once was, the difference (in memory and cognition) between me now and three years ago is in my mind nothing short of amazing. Little by little the light came back on. Granted, I still may not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but at least the light's on and somebody's home. I still have so-so days and not-so-ok days, depending heavily on my sleep the night before. Because I have other sleep disorders, my mind still doesn't get the restorative sleep it needs, but with good cpap therapy, it's soooo much better. Just from you describing the difference in your husband in this short time, I expect you will continue to see improvement over time, and hope you will continue to share those milestones with us.

Kathy

[jnk]

. . . I'm not nearly as sharp as I once was . . . may not be the brightest bulb in the pack . . .

Kathy,

In my opinion your posts are so amazing that if they showed you to be any sharper/brighter than you are now, they would be downright scary!

Just so you know.

jeff

[SaltLakeJan]

Hi Dori - You really had a Red-Letter-Day. One to enjoy and be proud of both yours and your DH efforts. I am thinking how thrilled your DH must be with these signs of success and improvement.

When I first found the forum, I read posts, beginners infor. etc. Anything I could find that would encourage me.
If I had discovered your post back then, I would have known that miracles can happen with cpap.

I am happy for you.

Jan

[Hawthorne]

Dori - I actually was a teacher. I was not a Kindergarten teacher but rather a Primary Specialist ( Grades 1-3). I also taught students with learning disabilities BUT I did teach gifted children for a period of time as well!! I think you are one of my "gifted" students!

[rosiefrosie]

That's great news Dori! Good for him and you.

Rosie

[millich]

Congrats Dorie! Wonderful news!

And don't stop bragging - it's great encouragement for us newbies. When you spend the night fiddling because of leaks and wake up with a sore nose, it sure is nice to be reminded that it's worth it!

[BlackSpinner]

Great for you Dori - your husband is a lucky man. Every newly diagnosed person with OSA should have a mentor like you to help them through those first weeks/months.

My brain started to come back on within 2 weeks. As a programmer I am well aware of how well my brains work, suddenly the new things I had to learn were easier to understand, I could again hold multiple concepts together in my head, I didn't have to look up formats as much and the code worked better first time around. All this is very subtle if you are not working intellectually constantly with fine details. Sometimes you don't realize it until you finish a project ahead of schedule instead of behind.