CPAP POLL

[Hawthorne]

ResmedUser- the newer machines have gadgets, gimmicks, bells and whistle that YOU don't need. You can only speak for yourself.

Others may find some or all of these features very useful, helpful and necessary.

[acc0mpl1ce]

Since this particular poll was very informative for me as a new user, I believe it would be good to know how long for the treatment to take effect.

This might spawn another poll.

[jbn3boys]

Since this particular poll was very informative for me as a new user, I believe it would be good to know how long for the treatment to take effect.

This might spawn another poll.

That will be widely differing answer. Some people will see results within the first day or two. Others may take months or even years to see results. And there will be people everywhere in between. At least that is the sense I've gained from being a member of this forum for a while now.

[roster]

Since this particular poll was very informative for me as a new user, I believe it would be good to know how long for the treatment to take effect.

This might spawn another poll.

Range is one night to never.

[Suetois]

I picked "Bad." I haven't been able to find a mask that suits me yet (and my insurance company isn't helping to pay for any additional attempts). I don't have my prescription in hand yet (I see the doctor again in about 10 days and will get it then), so I can't just buy a new mask myself. Last time I saw the doctor he lowered my max pressure from 16 to 14, but now my 90% pressure is consistently 13.9, so it seems likely that it's now too low. The doctor wants to put me on BiPAP, which I would rather not do, mostly for financial reasons (but also because I doubt it will make a difference). We just bought the APAP machine in November, and even with insurance it was expensive. I'm sure insurance will also help cover a BiPAP machine, but there's still a significant co-pay. In any case, my problem hasn't been with tolerating the pressure changes--it's been a matter of leaking masks and pressure-point sores. My AHI is currently running above 6. I'm waking up with a headache after dealing with 3-5 episodes per night where I remove the mask after the higher pressures start making the silicone part "flutter." I'm still falling asleep if I sit still in the afternoon. If I leave the mask off too long, I wake up with a horribly sore throat. Apparently, my throat is less used to snoring now, so it withstands less of it before it hurts. After seeing the results of my sleep study, I'm thoroughly convinced that I absolutely need to adjust successfully, but I'm squarely in the middle of "can't live with it/can't live without it" territory.

My apologies for whining. I *am* grateful that I found CPAPtalk, because I know a great deal more now than I did when I started. I'm just sleepy and grumpy.

Sue

[snuginarug]

I chose "Great" instead of "Amazing" because my success is intermittent. The nights that I DO sleep with the mask for 5 hours or more, I feel like a new person. I don't succeed in this often. (Fingers crossed, there seems to be trend for the better.) Despite my not getting the 5 magic hours, overall I have experienced a marked improvement in the quality of my life. I am getting out, meeting new people, taking an interest in my appearance, feeling much more self confident and positive about life. Before cpap, I was stagnating in misery. Really. On all fronts my physical health has improved... blood pressure down, losing weight, reduced edema. My friends tell me my skin went from grey to rosy. The thing about it is, these improvements in my quality of life have sort of snuck up on me. The first three nights, my edema was suddenly GONE. That is what has kept me motivated all these weeks. This other stuff sort of happened while I wasn't looking. Very nice surprise to realize how much things have improved.

So to newbies... keep at it, sometimes the change for the better is gradual and it takes a while to notice the small improvements adding up.

[DreamOn]

I voted "Amazing: CPAP saved my life, I feel like a new person"! I wish I'd known that I had sleep apnea and started using CPAP many years earlier, but I count my blessings every day. This therapy has changed my life for the better--in so many ways!

[roster]

I voted "Amazing: CPAP saved my life, I feel like a new person"! I wish I'd known that I had sleep apnea and started using CPAP many years earlier, but I count my blessings every day. This therapy has changed my life for the better--in so many ways!

Now for that post, we need a "Like" button.

[Cindy Lou Who]

I voted "Great". Before CPAP I had real bad brain fog, my short-term memory was nearly gone, and mistakes I made at work were so critical that management removed some of my responsibilities. I was terrified I was one step away from getting fired.
I was on one hellish emotional roller coaster and desperate to do anything to get off! My blood pressure was high...same with cholesterol.
With CPAP being the only change in my life, after three months no brain fog, memory back to normal, again a valued member at work, and the emotional roller coaster has stopped! I have energy again, and feel like doing things on nights and weekends.
Perhaps this has even saved my life as both parents have apnea and heart issues.
Thanks for asking... Perhaps these stories will inspire someone and keep them from giving up.
Cindy

[Guest]

I truly believe Cpap has saved my life and I can not even imagine life with out my machine now. I panic just thinking about it. I am in a small (lucky) minority though. When I first when to a doctor about sleep apnea, hardly anyone knew about it. I had certainly never heard of it. I was working for a Pac-Nor-West trucking company. The safety director (Randy) was staying up on the cutting edge of research. He asked me questions and was the first one to tell me that there was something that could be done.
I had always thought that people who jump up out of bed all energized and happy where (at best) irritating boobs. How could ANYONE be sooooo happy in the morning??? I could lay down and sleep 16 hours and still felt tired and groggy when I could finally drag myself out of bed. It was nothing for me to sleep all night and then most of the day. To say I was a bear in the morning was one of those classic understatements. But I also could go for days with out sleeping much. It did not really seem to make much difference in how I felt.
I never failed to get up and go to work, but would never get out of bed and do fun stuff early cause it just was too much effort. I missed out on a LOT of things.
Then Randy told me about sleep apnea and suggested I get checked. I had really good insurance then and there where not a lot of other patents so, in a matter of a week I was going to the hospital and getting a study done. That was the only place it could be done back then. As any of you know the night of most study's (especially the first one) you do not get a lot of sleep. Somewhere after midnight they came in and put a mask on me. I laid there thinking it felt strange for what seemed a moment, then the tech was coming in saying it was 6:00 and the test was over. OOOOk, I felt good that morning, but nothing big.
The Doctor was there and we sat down right then and went over the graphs. It has NEVER been this fast on any of my subsequent study's.
He told me I had had 110 events (within a few hours) of totally stopping breathing, and had not really gotten into any deep sleep. At that time I did not know much about sleep stages. He was a great Doctor and explained a lot to me, but I still had much to learn.
An hour later I was in the Supplier's office getting fitted for my first mask and machine. Chin strap and all. (Nothing but nasal mask back then)

I settled into bed that night around 10 PM, got my mask and chin strap all comfy, and figured it would be a long night.....

In what seemed to me at the time, AN INSTANT, my eyes flew open. It was 6:00 AM, daylight, and I knew I could not stay in that bed one more SECOND!!! I was bursting with energy!! And thought...

OMG !! THIS IS HOW THE BOOBS FEEL !! WOW !!

I realized right then, I had not had a true nights sleep,... probably since my childhood.... I got dressed and went to my Mom's house and knocked on the door. She sleepily stood there on the porch and demanded to know "who are you and what have you done with my daughter"
I have since learned that there are many more things that affect sleep and have kept changing and refining my routine (temp,light,bed,eating,drinking,hormones can all have an effect), but now a good nights sleep is the norm.
I really feel bad for those that struggle with apnea and the therapy. Getting it fine tuned is soooooo worth the effort, but there is just no way to understand the difference it can make in one's life when you are still on the other side. It truly is a different life once you SLEEP for real.

[kalaco58]

Sorry.. still getting to know this forum ^^^ that's me ^^^

[Goofproof]

XPAP, keeps me alive, but too much damage has been done to this body, to say I have been renewed. It's not the treatments fault, it finding out 15 years too late that I needed it. Jim

[Leadhead]

It took me months to get used to the mask, so I would have voted bad or awful back then. Twelve years later I vote
Amazing it has saved my life. You need to be persistent to get results.

[BlackSpinner]

Since this particular poll was very informative for me as a new user, I believe it would be good to know how long for the treatment to take effect.

This might spawn another poll.

The next morning was brighter, no headache - kept going until evening WOW!!!! And it kept getting better.

[Crayongrl]

I said "great". I wish I had listened to dh when he said I needed a sleep study. I no longer get up to go the the bathroom 3 times a night; don't wake up with headaches, don't fight to stay awake during the day and no longer have sore joints.

I wish I had listened to him sooner and wish he had gone over the serious complications that can develop from OSA. Maybe I wouldn't have wasted the last 5 years feeling like death warmed over and being grumpy all the time. (At the time I just thought everyone else was annoying. Apparently it was me!)